What Beers Did You Drink Today? Or Yesterday? (Part 1)

[barcelona]

eje, you're right on in your description of Hop-It and Chouffe Dobbelen IPA though i still prefer the latter

in the meantime Ommegang by Ommegang, my all time favorite beer...

[malarkey]

Alaskan Winter Ale, their seasonal, brewed with spruce tips.

A Winner!! The spruce tips compliment the hops and there's a bit of spice going in it too... yum. After trying it I went out and bought a whole six of it

[eje]

Alaskan Winter Ale, their seasonal, brewed with spruce tips.

A Winner!! The spruce tips compliment the hops and there's a bit of spice going in it too... yum. After trying it I went out and bought a whole six of it 

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Kewl! Glad someone else tried it. We've gone through 3 six packs of it!

Had a bit of a holiday fiesta last week.

Started with the Full Sail "Wreck the Halls" Brewer's reserve. A perfectly fine West Coast IPA or Double IPA. Much more hoppy than their Full Sail IPA. Didn't really detect any particular holiday notes.

Moved on to the Anderson Brewing Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale with spices. Bleah! Fairly sweet. Not sure what the spices were. I'm guessing vanilla figured prominently. Ends up tasting like Marshmallows or Vanilla Coke. I had a hard time finishing my half of the bottle.

After dinner we queued up the N'Ice Chouffe 2005 from Brasserie d'Achouffe in Belgium. The nice part about it was that the spice (curacao orange peels and thyme, according to the label) are well integrated into the beer. You can taste them if you let the beer warm and concentrate on it. Otherwise, it tastes like a very nice spiced Belgian triple or quadruple. Good flavor. Very strong and sweet. Honestly, it was a bit much for us by that point in the evening.

[eje]

Boy, did an Avery Old Jubilation knock me out after dinner last night! They should sell this as a sleep aid!

Caramel, toffee, and brown sugar dominate the flavors with little hops. Pretty sweet, though I don't think they add any sweeteners beyond the malts. Still, not syrupy, and definitely quite drinkable. It's not listed on the bottle; but, according to their website it clocks in around 9% ABV. Definitely a winter warmer.

Reminded me of Lagunitas Brown Shugga.

[Sea Urchin Ragout]

Got my hands on a crate of Trappist West-Vleteren 12 recently. For those who don't know this, it is a dark Belgian beer, brewed by monks in the St Sixtus abbey in West-Flanders. The monks only brew a certain amount each month and the beer is very popular. The area where the beer is brewn is famous for its hops industry but mostly produces blonde, strong, hopsy (?) tasting ales.

The West-Vleteren 12 is actually 10.2% and is a superbly balanced delicate beer. There's a very subtle cinnamon smell about it and the beer has a complex, mostly sweet taste which, due to a combination of poor palate and inadequate vocabulary, I cannot begin to do justice by describing it. I've tried it both chilled and served at room temperature and the latter option is actually best to bring out the full flavour. Heaven in a glass!

[dantodd]

Right now I am half way through a growler of Pliny the Younger from Russian River.

Wow!!!!!

I can't even tell you how much I am enjoying this beer.

I am usually dead set against the "IBU Race" that seems to dominate so many of the west coast IPAs. However; this is an incredibly balanced beer. IF you don't like citrus, floral hops forget about it. This is a west coast triple IPA and while it is balanced it is still floral, citrusy as all good west coasters are.

We ran up to Anderson Valley for our semi-annual trip and managed our first stop at Russian River in Santa Rosa this time. I tried to stop in and have a bit of food and beer but my son was not cooperative once the music started. We had a nice italian-american dinner down the street and I managed to pick up a 2 liter growler on the way out of town. I knew I was going to get "Younger" if it was available and sure enough the chalkboard had the following description:

Original Gravity: 1.092

ABV: 11%

IBU: Gobs

It took me 4 days to decide and open this alone since I wasn't able to get anyone to help out. Well, the beer is still nicely carbonated and incredibly well balanced. (I know I've said that before but I'm 1 liter or more into the growler as I write this so...) It isn't at all hot tasting and ther is plenty of malt to compliment this still very hop forward beer. It was $22 for a 2 liter bottle (plus $6 for the growler), which is obviously a little steep but I figured you only get a couple shots at such a well known beer available only at the brewery.

I can say, without hesitation, that the empty growler will be making the trip to the Valley for each of our semi-annual trips from now on. I might be bringing it home with Damnation, Salvation or Blind Pig next time but Russian River is definitely worth the trip and absolutely demands a stop if you are already in the neighborhood.

[Davydd]

Last night I went to Grumpy's Bar in downtown Minneapolis and had a pint of Surly Brewing Co.'s Bender. It is a fairly new local micro brewery.

[Jim]

Pliny the Younger is a great double IPA. As I recall it has a great hop aroma, a lighter body than you would expect and great gobs of hop bitterness and flavour right through to the end of the glass. I also like Pliny the Elder quite a bit, although it doesn't have the overall finess of the Younger.

I just got back from Alpine, CA where I scored a few bottles of their Pure Hoppiness, which is a super double IPA from this little brewery 30 miles east of SD; they also make something called Exponential Hoppiness every once and a while, a beer which I think is the epitome of double IPA. Their next release if due on 31 Jan. I plan to be there with an empty growler or 2.

While in SD I stopped in at Stone Brewing's new [several months' old] Brewpub and Bistro. The menu is very un-brewpubish, featuring things like braised brussel sprouts and two plates of stinky and more stinky [and expensive] cheese. I had grilled zucchini, eggplant, and trumpet mushrooms with pesto and blue cheese bits - it was fantastic, as was the chicken tikka masala I had with it. I drank a cask conditioned Port Brewing Wipeout IPA dry hopped with amarillo hops... the aroma of grapefruit hit me first followed by the smooth bitterness and hop flavour all gently coddled in the low, English, carbonation typical of cask ales. I heartily recommend Stone Bistro to anyone going to San Diego. Note, look at Stone's website for directions, for it isn't at all obvious where it is. I brought home a growler of Stone's double dry hopped IPA for the weekend, and I'm glad I did. It had more hope aroma and hop flavour than any beer I've had recently. I had the chance to try it vs a bottle of Stone IPA, generally my favborite, and the DDH version blew away the hop-malt balance of the regular IPA.

[themike]

I had a Hobgoblin yesterday. Dark English Ale brewed by Wychwood. First time for me, it was surprisingly great.

Also had an Aventinus, an old favorite of mine.

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DrinkingBeer.net - Always a good idea

[chappie]

Two weekends ago we had a party at my father's house as he and my stepmom are out of the country for a month. Along with sangria we served a bunch of Vietnamese beer and a keg of Yuengling that somehow became a quarter instead of the full-on half a friend was supposed to pick up.

When the little keggy ran out, people scavenged the fridge for the ramshackle assortment of beers inside. Some were Dad's Miller Lite cans (the best beer is a beer on sale, to him), others were the more refined selections brought by our age 20-something to 30-somethingish crowd.

When I woke up and began gathering the empties I did a double-take at one crusty, half-drunk bottle sitting on the counter. It was an ancient Young's Ram Rod, and I am not kidding when I say my dad has kept it in one fridge or another, through kitchen renovations, probably my parents' divorce in 1991, various girlfriends and now a marriage -- for at least 17 years. Not that it was special or anything, but he's a notorious pack-rat, and it was unopened, so ....

I wonder how it tasted. I couldn't find the culprit (or at least get them to confess) but I noted the bottle had about 1/3 of its contents remaining.

[BrentKulman]

I just got back from Alpine, CA where I scored a few bottles of their Pure Hoppiness, which is a super double IPA from this little brewery 30 miles east of SD; they also make something called Exponential Hoppiness every once and a while, a beer which I think is the epitome of double IPA.  Their next release if due on 31 Jan.  I plan to be there with an empty growler or 2.

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Exponential Hoppiness is my all time favorite beer.

I am so jealous.

[eje]

Tried the Full Sail LTD Lager.

First beer in their 20th anniversary LTD series, it's a medium dark lager.

Quite easy drinking and very malt forward. Hops are mild and in the background.

Taste reminded me a bit of Anderson Valley Brewing's Amber, even though that beer is an Ale.

Would be a great session beer.

Though, I just noticed on Full Sail's website that the ABV is 6.4%!

Ahem. Perhaps not, on the Session idea.

[Malkavian]

Last night the Saucer had some good specials, and I was fortunate enough to try Weihenstephaner original for the first time (yum!) and revisit Battlefield Black, brewed here in North Carolina by Red Oak.

Edited January 27, 2007 by Malkavian (log)

[Rich Pawlak]

Last night in our weekly beer chat (www.starchat.net/no bull inn, 11:30 PM EST), I poured a Saranac Bock, one of the trial beers in this year's 12 Beers of Winter edition. Nice dark amber color, thick pillowy head, decent malt profile, with discernable vanilla, burnt sugar and Mexican cocoa notes.

[johnnyd]

I'm on my second Long Trail Double-Bag Brown Ale, bronze medalist of the NYT Brown Ale taste-test from this weeks Dining section. Pretty good. I'd say - Lots going on here. The second one is more delicious than the first and I'll wager the third will be terrific...

[Audiofan2]

Lately I have been addicted to Rogue's Eugene City Brewery Oak Rum Stout.... first stout that I have really liked. Only available on tap though, so I have been filling up a growler each week. I also used a growler in a 5 gallon batch of homemade chili Sunday. Rogue's Monk madness is also very nice.

[SheenaGreena]

audiofan2, if you like stouts you should try:

old rasputin imperial stout

founder's breakfast stout (phenomenal) - so good you can drink it for breakfast, hence the name

brooklyn brewery double chocolate stout

[Jan Primus]

Today I had a couple Brooklyn Black Chocoalte stouts, so good but a shame it's a seasonal release and sells out fast. Despite the name, the chocolate is not overpowering at all.

[jesskidden]

Today I had a couple Brooklyn Black Chocoalte stouts... Despite the name, the chocolate is not overpowering at all.

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Brooklyn's Black "Chocolate" Stout is named after the chocolate-like flavor & color it develops from the combination of malts used (one of which is called "Chocolate Malt", roasted to color of chocolate).

I suppose you have to add it to the other stout types like:

Oyster Stouts (some do, some don't contain oysters)

Milk/Cream/Sweet Stouts (some do, some don't contain lactose)

[eje]

Brooklyn's Black "Chocolate" Stout is named after the chocolate-like flavor & color it develops from the combination of malts used (one of which is called "Chocolate Malt", roasted to color of chocolate). 

I suppose you have to add it to the other stout types like:

Oyster Stouts (some do, some don't contain oysters)

Milk/Cream/Sweet Stouts (some do, some don't contain lactose)

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What about Russian Imperial Stouts? None of them seem to contain any Russians or Imperials. So disappointing.

On the other hand, don't forget Cock Ales! Yes, actual chickens are involved.

[Audiofan2]

audiofan2, if you like stouts you should try:

old rasputin imperial stout

founder's breakfast stout (phenomenal) - so good you can drink it for breakfast, hence the name

brooklyn brewery double chocolate stout

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Thanks SheenaGreena! I tried the Old Rasputin Imperial Stout at a Eugene Oregon brewfestival over the weekend. I thought it was very nice. Perhaps I will try your other two suggestions next. Also at the festival, Siletz Ales had a really good chocolate porter that seemed to garner quite a bit of attention.

[Country Cook]

Faxe strong Danish Lager (one a day is enough).

[Davydd]

Schell's Twin Cities Ale on tap at the Dakotah in Minneapolis.

[Jan Primus]

old rasputin tonight...hard to beat an imperial stout winter time.

[Rich Pawlak]

Saranac Mocha Stout tonight: lovely dark khaki pillowy head, nice coffee and cocooa notes, nice body too.