Will do. Is that off 150?

I got drunk off Milwaukee's Best one time in college. Never again and there is a reason why they call that shit The Beast. That shit is nasty and it doesn't taste any better coming up.

I'm familiar...

yes its in the first new development on the north side of 150 just past the new stoplight tht runs you back into martin city proper. hard to see but you wont ever forget how to get there

Maybe turdcorn is huitlacoche? Wonder if anyone has ever worked that into the brewing process.

Well, at least we overlapped on one. :) dirk, Matilda and Weihenstephaner are really, really good choices as well. And, I stayed a way from BLVD products figuring you've tried them but if you haven't, the Porter may be their best year round effort. Also, Bob's 47 may be their best seasonal - scratch that - it is.


Shag - Good point. Chimay Blue is the one I love but none are terrible. They're just varying degrees of goodness with Blue being far and way the best.

Chimay Blue...fun to watch someone not familiar, slam like its Coors lite grab a second and do it again, see the eyes dull, roll back into the hole where their mind used to be.

But....it is a great brew.

Yeah, not many people realize the little bottle packs the punch.

Another stout I like though, dirk, is Avery's Mephistopheles Stout which has this aftertaste that leaves you craving for more.

I have that mug. Best 8 Euros I ever spent.

I got that mug in Vegas....

That's kinda cheating...it's like collecting all 50 state magnets/spoons/whatever at the same airport or gas station.

I did a personal IPA taste testing this week, and Anderson Valley's Hop Ottin' IPA was the clear cut winner - at least for what my pallet prefers in an IPA.

The hops, while obviously noticeable as the style demands, was extremely well integrated into the ale, creating a very pleasant and enjoyable alternative to what is typically an over-hopped style that leads to single note obnoxiousness in the nose and on the pallet.

Typical American IPA's are reflective of the brash and raw nature of what the brewers think of this style. They tend to remind me of the incredibly over-oak chardonnay's that came out of California over the past two decades. An overall lack of finesse and layering permeate this beer style, particularly in the US, but the Hop Ottin' went against the typical brutish and raw offerings and provided detail, ambience and style.

I lived in Germany for three years, does that help?

There are a lot of people that prefer the East Coast style of IPA to the abundantly-hoppy West Coast style IPA. It's fine to flat-out dislike the super-hoppy, unbalanced IPAs. But to say that they are one-note is indicative of one of two things: 1.) your palate specifically can't handle the hop bitterness at those high levels, so the nuances are lost to you (I know a few beer drinkers that I respect who have this particular palate sensitivity) or 2.) your palate just needs time to adjust.

The most complex IPAs are the ones that you might describe as "one-note." Some of the west coast IPAs do amazingly intricate things with lupulin. No one is going to say that Pliny the Elder or Alpine Nelson (or Hell, even Midwest IPAs like Bell's Two Hearted Ale) are one-note.

How long does an IPA (or even PA) taste take to acquire? I'm wondering if it hasn't come to me now if I'm not getting it.





Also, had some Ommegang tonight. Not outstanding but very solid.

Who knows? I took to hops almost immediately. I can literally taste a beer and be correct 75% of the time about what hops varietals were used in the beer. Some people who are absolutely crazy about beer can't get past the bitterness to see that there are crazy differences between different hops.

I've always liked them.

Ommegang Abby Ale is one of my favorite beers.

Oh, I realize that there are intricacies of the hops, however, there are more brewers than not that simply "over hop" their IPA's in an effort for the effect versus an intrinsically better beer of that style. And yes, I'm generalizing, but it's typical of the style to simply let the hops overwhelm the ale to the point where it's very hard to discern anything other than the hops. A good IPA reflects a real dedication by the brewmaster and a real knowledge of the craft. Most tend to end up in an amalgamated pile.

And I do have to state that my preferences have always leaned to the European India Pales versus the American versions. My analogy to the California Chardonnays of the mid to late 90's in particular is a valid comparison of the styles. A Pouilly Fuisse versus a Napa is two different worlds.

I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of detail in Anderson's Hop Ottin' and it's incorporation of the hops into the ale. It was more prominant than the standard bearer of Euro IPA's - Sam Smiths, but still allowed me to enjoy the nuances of the ale without the overpowering hop of typical American IPA's.

It's been that over hopping that has kept me from really exploring the style, and I think I'll try to get a hold of some that you've mentioned here to compare.

I want to agree with you and disagree with you at the same time. I think that there are a lot of average to below average IPAs brewed in America because some brewers think that they can just throw hops into the kettle without knowing what they're doing and market that beer to hopheads. But there's something about your post that reminds me of friends who knock great IPAs for being "overhopped."

English and American IPAs (and regular Pale Ales too) are very different animals. A good English IPA is a wonderful thing. Check out Left Hand 400-Pound Monkey if you haven't already.

Only if you made it to the actual bar in Munich. ;)

Been drinking hella' Yuengling. Best adjunct lager known to man.

Also, Rolling Rock is awful. Sam Adams Irish Red is average. Sam Adams Coastal Wheat is an abortion.

I don't like most Schafly offerings but when I tried their Pumpkin, I was pleasantly surprised. In fact, split one with the wife tonight and she's not a beer drinker at all.

Yuengling is always a good decision. I spent the weekend in Philly awhile back and learned how the natives order it.

Walk up to the bar and say "Lager". Works every time.

Schlafly Pumpkin Ale is my most favorite of all of the pumpkin ales.

I haven't liked any pumpkin prior to trying theirs.

Southern Tier!!! ;)

Pumking is a definite contender.

I lived in Central PA for three years and drank lots of Yuengling. My friends in Upstate NY tell me it's gaining popularity up there. They see it sold on tap at a lot of bars now when it wasn't before.

They're expanding their distribution significantly. I used to mainly get it when we went to Florida on vacation. Even in Florida they have pretty limited offerings (Lager and Black and Tan). According to my brother who lived in Allentown, PA for a while building log cabins, they have some really good beers that aren't widely distributed. Lord Chesterfield Ale and the Porter were his two favorites.

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/b...ear-you-130381

America's oldest beer maker, D.G. Yuengling & Son Inc., announced plans to expand this week. Are you familiar with this sought-after beer?

Remember the first beer you learned to order in a bar? You know, your go-to choice when you were too young to know much about beer except that you were happy to get it? Yuengling (pronounced ying-ling) was mine. It sounded a lot cooler than Bud or Miller and tasted better, too. In and around Syracuse, NY, while I was at college, this strategy worked great. However, when I tried to place my standard order at my hometown bar in Michigan, I was in for a surprise. No one had heard of it!

Currently, Yuengling is only offered in the following states: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Maryland, Washington D.C., Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. Limited distribution is one of the factors that has kept this 181-year-old brewer strong against larger American distributors, according to this week's Wall Street Journal profile. Based in Pennsylvania, Yeungling has announced plans to purchase a former Coors brewery in Memphis, TN, which would expand distribution into previously uncharted territory. The company now has two breweries, one located in Pottsville, PA and another in Tampa, FL.

Yeungling is best known for its traditional lager and black and tan beers. Like many other beer makers, they are also pushing a new light beer with reduced calories. Although I'm spoiled to now live in New York and have Yuengling at my disposal, I'd like them to expand to Michigan so I can order it when I visit as well. I also hope they expand distribution to Ohio, if only to benefit the guy so passionate about the idea that he created a website called BringYuenglingToOhio.com. Make it happen, Yeungling!
Are you looking forward to the Yeungling expansion?

If you think I lived there for three years and didn't, well. 4321
:D

;)

Yuengling has been all over the place in Alabama for years. Why? It turns out that two of the Yuengling daughters went to college at the University of Alabama. Weird world.

Over the last few days:

2009 Founders Backwoods Bastard
Old Capitol Brew Works Espresso Stout
Peace Tree Hop Wrangler
Millstream Iowa Pale Ale
Millstream Back Road Stout
Gulden Draak
Goose Island Honker's Ale

Enjoying right now, super-duper-fresh:
Boulevard [Smokestack Series] 21st Anniversary Fresh Hop Pale Ale

I like the Draak.

I also have a bottle of the 21st Anniversary in my fridge right now. I hoped to drink it in celebration yesterday. No dice. Looking forward to popping the cork this Sunday.:)

has anybody ever had Dogfish Head 120 minute IPA?

OMG it's amazing

Over the last couple of weeks I had the pleasure of trying:

Magic Hat #9 *not quite pale ale*
Anchor Steam
Dogfish Punkin
Dogfish Head 120 minute IPA
Dogfish 90 minute IPA
Harpoon's White Ale
Smithwicks Irish Ale

I have made a serious commitment to try a new type of beer that I have never tried before every time I go to the liquor store. Only been disappointed once really, that's when I got a beer called Wild Blue, made by *Blue Dawg brewing company* out of Cali. But, it was terrible and I googled it and it's ****ing Anheuser-busch. They tricked me.

That's a pretty crazy beer. I prefer it aged. It turns into a fairly splendid barleywine after a couple of years, considering the insane amount of malt sugar in that beer.

Yeah - had a Pumking too recently. Not bad but not as good as the Schlafly and the wife didn't like that one.

Did you try that on my recommendation or was it pure luck?

I grew up with the owner of that place. They just opened earlier this year. Great stuff. Have some in my fridge. I dig their Red Rambler and Cornucopia

Neither; I knew about Peace Tree before your recommendation.

It was on-tap at Short's (burger place w/ insane-good fries. All Iowa ingredients). I pretty much really liked everything about Hop Wrangler except the taste. I don't know if it was just this keg or what, but there was an extreme amount of phenols in that Belgian IPA. It took on the taste of burning plastic.

That's disgusting. Which day were you at Shorts? I'll let Megan know about it.

I was there on Thursday, November 4th.

dogfish head imperial ale...anchor steam is good as well

Which beer is that? You're misremembering the name of a Dogfish Head beer or leaving something off.

She already responded. I straight up cut and pasted what you said:

Thanks Phil! We always want to know if someone isn't happy with our beers. I told Joe, our brewmaster and we are going to have our guy check on it when he delivers. This beer has been our best seller so I am sure it was something with that particular situation, either the keg, the taplines or leftover sanitizer in the glass.

I hope he will try us again!
Megan

I'd definitely try them again. I didn't presume the error with the beer to be the fault of Short's. Those fries are so good that they demand a revisit next time I find myself in Iowa City. I hope you can tell Megan that: those fries are awesome.

I had Yeti Imperial Stout last night.

In my haste to drink it, I didn't let it cool long enough so by the end it was warm. The cold parts were delicious though. I do think the Chocolate flavored one had more umph, flavor wise but this had "the bite". "The bite" is best tasted on Avery's Mephistopheles Stout but was present here in a slightly more muted manner.

Overall, I'd definitely get another one. Hopefully fully chilled next time.

Room temp is the best temperature for a lot of beers. Most imperial stouts should be much better at room temp. Yeti is pretty hoppy, though, and those hops are certainly crisper at a colder temp.

I tend to start my beers off chilled and let them warm up to room temp or thereabouts as I'm drinking. Tasting and smelling how the beer changes, how new aromas and flavors open up and old ones get altered, with temperature is so cool that it never gets old.

Saturdays in Tuscaloosa are my homebrewing days. When those fall on a 'Bama home game the day gets to be pretty insane. Here's what I drank yesterday:

homebrew ginger saison
homebrew pumpkin ale
Short's Black Cherry Porter
Three Floyds Robert the Bruce
Boulevard [Smokestack Series] 21st Anniversary Fresh Hop Pale Ale
2009 Cantillon Classic Guezue
2007 De Struise Pannepot
homebrew Pliny the Elder-clone, aka "Hoppier Arenas" (named after Javier Arenas)

That's a good amount of strong beers for a day. I imagine you were feeling pretty damned good.

I continue to be addicted to Tank 7. I need to branch out and try some other Smokestacks.

I just got over that. The Double Wide IPA is fantastic. I'm also pretty big on the Two Jokers double wit.

Just had an Oskar Blues Tenfidy. Good but I like Old Rasputin and Yeti better.

My wife is pissed at me for getting back into good beer. She absolutely LOVES beer, but she hates the calories. Drinks wine instead. When I was drinking swill all the time, she didn't really miss the beer. Now that I'm pulling out Tank 7s and Saison Duponts and shit once a week, she's bitching up a storm and sneaking a glass here and there.

Just tell her to exercise more.

She works out 6 days a week already. I don't really want her to exercise more, heh.

Good to know.

Pretty much any smokestack beer is good. (I don't care for Harvest Dance or Two-Joker's Wit but mostly because I'm not (yet) a fan of Barleywine or coriander flavored stuff, respectively.)

Tell her that Saisons are a lot lighter than the beer styles you could be pulling out. It's true. The difference in calories between a Saison and, say, an Imperial Stout or a Barleywine is staggering.

Got any examples?

I've often wondered myself since I gravitate to Imperials.

Saison Dupont has 150 calories in a 12oz. bottle. Sierra Nevada Bigfoot, in the same bottle size, has 330 calories. The more malt sugars a beer has, the more calories there are going to be.

Just got back from the release of Dissident at the Deschutes brewery. Had an elk burker and a glass of it for lunch, not as sour as the last batch a couple years ago but It will get more so as it ages. I liked it and recommend it. I got 6 to put in my cellar and will probably get a bit more.

Abyss comes out the end of November, love the abyss.

http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/brew...s/default.aspx

I need a hookup for this year's The Abyss... :tinfoil:

I still have a couple from 2007, 6 from 2008, last year it wasnt as good so only have a couple of those left. Plan on loading up on release day which according to the brewmaster will be nov. 30th. So nice to work a few blocks from the downtown brewery.

Southern Tier is bottling Chokolat today.


Currently enjoying a Smithwicks at Old Chicago.

Yeah, last year's had the infamous infection. Some bottles turned out fine. Most didn't. All three of my 2009 bottles were of the infected variety, but I drank them before the infection got to be too bad. The tart fruit flavors were "interesting" then whereas now the beer would be undrinkable.

Four Loko

tonight I'm enjoying:

Spaten Optimator Dopplebock
Kona Fire Rock
Boddington's Pub Ale

Got me some nice variety! Gonna get drunk tonight

I had BLVD's Nutcracker on tap. I'm surprised I like the brew (and have for a while) because of it's hoppiness. I don't like hops, much. IPAs and PAs are pretty much out of my range at the moment.

I also had O'Dell's Bourbon Barrel Stout. Originally, I tweeted it was sweeter than Goose Island's (assuming you haven't aged GI's). Actually, I don't think it was and when I got to the bottom of the glass I was impressed with the balance. I don't think it's as good as GI's but it's solid. I'm also wondering what it would be like if you aged O'Dell's. It's definitely going to be different than an aged GI.

I've had the Optimator. I like the Ayinger Celebrator a little more, but the Optimator is pretty good.

I've had a Boddington quite a long time ago, and I remember that it had a very creamy luxurious feel to the brew...but the flavor was kinda ordinary - not bad, just kinda unremarkable.

Did a side by side with Lefthand Milkstout, Old Rasputin Stout, and Great Divide's Yeti Oak Aged Chocolate Stout. win win win.
There were chocolate notes in all three, but the Lefthand would be a milk chocolate, the Rasputin a dark chocolate, and the Yeti a bitter chocolate.

I love stout season.

Found a 6 pk for reaper today. It's Oklahoma brewed beer. Think I told you about it a long time ago. It had an octoberfest, ipa spring beer and a winter lager. Unfortanetly Im worried about sending beer through the mail in oklahoma

Never mail beer. It is a felony. If you want to ship beer you have to do it through FedEx or UPS. It's against company policy to do that, but you can't be criminally charged with anything for violating their policy.

Picked up Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale. I've had it before and I still love it. I was surprised to see it this early in Texas.

Just picked up Tank 7 (4 pack bottles) for the first time. I'm excited.

Had a Blind Tiger (local brewpubs) Plymouth Rock Ale and a More Cowbell Cream Stout tonight. I'll down a sixes of Sam Adams Winter Lager tomorrow.

This is an excellent brew that really has some hints of my Alaskan Amber that I loved so much up in Seattle. It's definitely not an Amber, but the fruitiness reminds me of it very much. At $2.80 per 12oz. bottle I won't be drinking it often, but it is absolutely delish.

Ah, don't trust this usps here. Figured they would have broken it anyways. UPS woulda been my usual route.

Heh. $11 per 4-pack for that beer: your reaction is "I won't be drinking it often," whereas my reaction is "Holy shit, what a bargain!"

the Dopplebock was ok, I probably wouldn't get it again. A little sweet, toasted taste to it but nothing all that great. The Kona Fire Rock, I've never had it before, nothing special really, just another pale ale and I've had better. The Boddington's I really liked, very creamy and light still, pour it from the can into a glass and you'd think it was just nitrogen dispensed, will get again :D

That's because it was nitrogen dispensed, of sorts. Boddington's comes in a nitro-can. There is liquid nitrogen in there.