The OFFICIAL Craft Beer Thread

devilfluff · Post by **devilfluff** » Fri May 10, 2013 10:44 am

The Sybian wrote:Yeah, bitches! Found a 4-pack of these beauties this week.

Is that actually a 2009 vintage?

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Fri May 10, 2013 12:28 pm

I fucking love this beer. Not very carbonated, a little sweetness, 6.6% alc., smooth, easy drinker with a kick. I had it a few months ago on tap, and just found it in bottles at the local wine store. Think a less brown, less carbonated Newcastle.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Sun May 12, 2013 7:58 pm

So took the Growler up to Whole Foods tonight to see what they had on tap (Yes my closest supermarket has a bar in it). Anyway, went with something I had never had before. The Jefferson Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout. Very tasty and pretty cheap fill ($12).

Beer is brewed by the Bluegrass Brewing Company
http://www.bbcbrew.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

teeteebee · Post by **teeteebee** » Sun May 12, 2013 8:19 pm

Picked up a half gallon of Great Divide Yeti from Whole Foods. Good, solid beer. Not worth the premium - $21. I will take wlu's brew for $12.

My experience shows that Whole Foods does a great job with selection and their pricing is at the top of the reasonable scale.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Sun May 12, 2013 8:25 pm

Spent a couple days at a cottage in Sonoma County. The owners put a couple beers from Lost Coast Brewery (Eureka, CA) in the ice box. Not bad!

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Sun May 12, 2013 11:31 pm

teeteebee wrote:Picked up a half gallon of Great Divide Yeti

Was it the standard Yeti? The Espresso Oaked aged is fantastic. (They also have a chocolate and standard oaked as well.)

Looking forward to going to their 19th anniversary party next month.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Mon May 13, 2013 9:49 am

devilfluff wrote:
The Sybian wrote:Yeah, bitches! Found a 4-pack of these beauties this week.
Is that actually a 2009 vintage?

Sorry, no. I picked up the 2012. Not sure if I should waste one by trying it now, but at least it isn't a 2013, right?

Post by **brian** » Thu May 16, 2013 11:44 am

I love hops, but I gotta agree with most of what this guy is saying here. Curious to get some other opinions.

HaulCitgo · Post by **HaulCitgo** » Thu May 16, 2013 1:13 pm

I like hops but generally agree. Also the alcohol content of some beers makes my stomach warm. They usually post it but sometimes I just pick from the style of the tap.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Thu May 16, 2013 1:36 pm

HaulCitgo wrote:I like hops but generally agree. Also the alcohol content of some beers makes my stomach warm. They usually post it but sometimes I just pick from the style of the tap.

The White Wine Spritzer Thread it that way, boys.

devilfluff · Post by **devilfluff** » Fri May 17, 2013 7:07 am

I try hard not to make my craft beer selection a parade of pine & bitterness. I enjoy a hoppy beer, but they can wear on me after a while.

Had a bottle of Boulvard Double Wide last night, though. It was nice. Wish it were easier to find around here...

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Fri May 17, 2013 7:41 am

Solid rye. Enjoyed it quite a lot.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Fri May 17, 2013 7:40 pm

I don't know if this properly goes in the craft brew thread, but I picked up this Belgian golden ale, on a whim. Pretty good. So, I'm savoring it, with the Robert Earl Keen online concert on the laptop and the hockey game on the teevee. Good times.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Fri May 17, 2013 8:04 pm

sancarlos wrote:I don't know if this properly goes in the craft brew thread, but I picked up this Belgian golden ale, on a whim. Pretty good. So, I'm savoring it, with the Robert Earl Keen online concert on the laptop and the hockey game on the teevee. Good times.

Is that the coriander one? Really unique beer. Used to love the Chouffe family of beers during my Belgian phase. Recently revisited the coriander one and still really enjoyed it. Not an every day beer for sure, but certainly an experience to behold. Seems pretty crafty to me!

Yard of Junk · Post by **Yard of Junk** » Fri May 17, 2013 9:26 pm

Summer seasonal wheats hitting the shelves. This was a pretty tasty product I tried tonight.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Fri May 17, 2013 10:01 pm

The Sybian wrote:
sancarlos wrote:I don't know if this properly goes in the craft brew thread, but I picked up this Belgian golden ale, on a whim. Pretty good. So, I'm savoring it, with the Robert Earl Keen online concert on the laptop and the hockey game on the teevee. Good times.

Is that the coriander one? Really unique beer. Used to love the Chouffe family of beers during my Belgian phase. Recently revisited the coriander one and still really enjoyed it. Not an every day beer for sure, but certainly an experience to behold. Seems pretty crafty to me!

The one I had may or may not be the one you mean. The bottle looks slightly different than the image I posted. It does have some coriander, but it's not overwhelming, no more than a lot of spiced beers. I know La Chouffe does have other beers, too.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Sat May 18, 2013 8:19 pm

sancarlos wrote:
The Sybian wrote:
sancarlos wrote:I don't know if this properly goes in the craft brew thread, but I picked up this Belgian golden ale, on a whim. Pretty good. So, I'm savoring it, with the Robert Earl Keen online concert on the laptop and the hockey game on the teevee. Good times.

Is that the coriander one? Really unique beer. Used to love the Chouffe family of beers during my Belgian phase. Recently revisited the coriander one and still really enjoyed it. Not an every day beer for sure, but certainly an experience to behold. Seems pretty crafty to me!
The one I had may or may not be the one you mean. The bottle looks slightly different than the image I posted. It does have some coriander, but it's not overwhelming, no more than a lot of spiced beers. I know La Chouffe does have other beers, too.

I didn;t mean to imply it was overwhelmingly spiced, just that it was spiced with coriander. They have La Chouffe, Mc Chouffe, etc... all their beers have a different prefix, so we are probably talking about the same beer. It's a great beer, I just moved away from Belgians for awhile for some reason. In the past year I started coming back to them.

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Sat May 18, 2013 8:51 pm

Hit up Crooked Stave a local wild ale/sour brewery. Good stuff. Even had a hopped sour. Plus the food vendor outside traded food for beer so all was great.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Sat May 18, 2013 9:17 pm

2013 Bigfoot Barleywine. For all my bravado the other day, this beer has way too much hops for its own good. Just reminded me why I prefer English Barleywines. It has all the hops of a DIPA, and completely covers all the Barleywine goodness. It's a pretty good beer, if I was in the mood for a hop-monster. I just wanted a barleywine tonight, dammit! A little bit of that applish after taste, nome sane? Not a sledge hammer of bitterness. This is a DIPA without the Citrus. Throw in the grapefruit flavor and a tiny bit of lemongrass, and you have a magnificent DIPA.

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Sat May 18, 2013 9:27 pm

Most barleywines are hop monsters, just most mask it with malt.

cerrano · Post by **cerrano** » Sun May 19, 2013 9:16 am

grilled up some skirt steak with a chimichurri sauce, and a side of elote and paired it with some of the above (which is not a craft beer.)

great meal with a solid english pale ale. looking forward to the leftovers.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Sun May 19, 2013 10:25 am

Rush2112 wrote:Most barleywines are hop monsters, just most mask it with malt.

Most American barleywines are hopmonsters, the English barleywines are more maltmonsters.

devilfluff · Post by **devilfluff** » Wed May 22, 2013 7:17 am

The Sybian wrote:2013 Bigfoot Barleywine. For all my bravado the other day, this beer has way too much hops for its own good. Just reminded me why I prefer English Barleywines. It has all the hops of a DIPA, and completely covers all the Barleywine goodness. It's a pretty good beer, if I was in the mood for a hop-monster. I just wanted a barleywine tonight, dammit! A little bit of that applish after taste, nome sane? Not a sledge hammer of bitterness. This is a DIPA without the Citrus. Throw in the grapefruit flavor and a tiny bit of lemongrass, and you have a magnificent DIPA.

A couple of friends and I had a barleywine evening a couple of weeks ago...

We started with a run of Bigfoot: 11, 12, & 13. It is certainly hop-forward.
To contrast it, we followed it up with DFH Old School. Fruity, malty, a little sweet, but with an intense alcohol burn.

It was like an adult tongue seesaw.

rass · Post by **rass** » Fri Jun 07, 2013 8:58 pm

Going to be appropriate in some manner tonight.

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Fri Jun 07, 2013 9:32 pm

rass wrote:

Going to be appropriate in some manner tonight.

While listening to Indie music I hope.

rass · Post by **rass** » Fri Jun 07, 2013 9:41 pm

Hockey on the radio. Close enough.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Sat Jun 08, 2013 8:11 am

It is a great time to be a beer fan.

(No, not 9:00 am, but speaking generally...)

This remarkably bitter brew put me in a very good mood last night.

rass · Post by **rass** » Thu Jun 13, 2013 6:02 am

Interactive craft brewery map!

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Fri Jun 21, 2013 9:09 pm

So, I've read about sour beers and wanted to try one. My wife bought me a big bottle of Liefmans Goudenband, which is from Belgium. I must say, this taste is different and takes some getting used to. Sour finish, but a sweet aftertaste that almost seems fruity. My third glass tasted better than my first, so even though I'm not a devotee, maybe I'll get there...

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Fri Jun 21, 2013 11:41 pm

SC drink the Dutchess.

Also the Petrus Aged Red is fantastic, that is if you like tart cherries.

My wife has fallen in love with sours. I've tasted many, though I get a few sips and thats it as she's like a dog over a bone about them.

and I am not a New Belgium fan by any means, but I enjoy their Rampant DIPA, and the fact it's 4$ a bomber, well I am a big fan.

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Tue Jul 09, 2013 11:30 pm

Just renewed my American Homebrewer's Association so that I can get first dibs at GABF tix. Plenty of time before GABF goes on sale 7/30. C'mon gents we got plenty of floor space for you to pass out on.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Wed Jul 10, 2013 8:04 am

Ontario suffers with a province-run monopoly when it comes to beer and alcohol of any variety, so we are at the mercy of whatever the buyers at the Liquour Control Board choose to import.

As a result, it's been years since there were Flemish Sour Ales available here.

but recently, this beauty has entered our lives...

Oh, so nice.

vandwagon · Post by **vandwagon** » Wed Jul 10, 2013 2:35 pm

I'm going to have to try a sour again. I had one a few years ago at a bar called Monk's in Philly. Excellent place and I highly recommend it. The Duck Salad Sandwich was amazing. Absolutely amazing.

They had a Belgian brewer make it especially for them, the descripton below is from the website. http://monkscafe.com/

Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour Ale
BELGIUM - That's right, our own private label brewed for us by the family-owned Van Steenberge brewery, just outside Ghent, Belgium. Medium body, red color, somewhat fruity nose, malt flavor with a slight lactic taste. Great Stuff! A real thirst quencher and palate cleanser.

devilfluff · Post by **devilfluff** » Wed Jul 10, 2013 3:36 pm

Monk's is a staple of the Philly beer scene. Their sour is widely available in bottles here...

The Duchesse is a beautiful beer. I never even realized it was considered a sour.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Wed Jul 10, 2013 3:50 pm

Pruitt wrote:Ontario suffers with a province-run monopoly when it comes to beer and alcohol of any variety, so we are at the mercy of whatever the buyers at the Liquour Control Board choose to import.

As a result, it's been years since there were Flemish Sour Ales available here.

but recently, this beauty has entered our lives...

Oh, so nice.

I recently tried this beer and couldn't finish it. I really wanted to like it, and it is one of the highest rated sours, but to me it tasted like those neon sour gummy worms. Too fruity and too sour for my tastes, but it was certainly a different take on beer and I'm glad I tried it.

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Wed Jul 10, 2013 6:36 pm

Anything from Flanders or "Flemish" is going to be considered a sour, though they range from tart to vinegar.

devilfluff wrote: The Duchesse is a beautiful beer. I never even realized it was considered a sour.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Sat Jul 13, 2013 8:36 am

Gorgeous day for golf yesterday - low 80's, not much humidity and sunny as hell.

Which made the taste of this afterwards even better.

Grand River is a small brewery in Guelph (60 miles west of Toronto), that makes great beer - but really bad labels.

Pruitt · Post by **Pruitt** » Fri Jul 19, 2013 9:23 am

Last night was my monthly trivia night held in a real dive bar that serves great local beers - and is also not air conditioned.

Like sitting in a sauna for three hours. Luckily, this was on tap. Absolutely delicious, very hoppy with a touch of pineapple.

Sounds odd, but really, really tasty.

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Wed Jul 24, 2013 10:39 am

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Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Wed Jul 31, 2013 11:03 am

GABF tix just went on sale. Got my presale yesterday, though ticketmaster fucked up (again) so I couldn't get the members only session I wanted. But at least beer!