The OFFICIAL Craft Beer Thread

rass · Post by **rass** » Sat Feb 25, 2017 8:30 pm

Headed out to get a growler filled late this afternoon. I figured I would probably end with (NJ's) Kane's Head High IPA. There was another dude there trying samples, and when he asked i recommended the Head High. The employee working the tap suggested another beer, Three 3's Pulpitations IPA (also NJ). The smell was great, and the taste followed suit. As I was being rung out with a growler full of it (and some Malbec for my wife) the cashier told me that as recently as six months ago their beers sucked, but something had changed since. It's good here at home, too.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Sun Feb 26, 2017 12:20 pm

Interesting because I haven't had them in the last half year and thought their beer sucked. I'll give it another spin.

DSafetyGuy · Post by **DSafetyGuy** » Sun Feb 26, 2017 12:43 pm

DSafetyGuy wrote:A friend texted me this morning about the release, so we drove over to Prison City and picking up a "crowler" (registered trademark, it's a 32-ounce can) of their Mass Riot IPA this morning, as well as having one at the bar. Pretty darn good.

Still really good after 2+ months in the fridge.

vandwagon · Post by **vandwagon** » Sun Feb 26, 2017 1:46 pm

Any of the Baltimore crew been to Waverly Brewing? My wife and I went last night. Had the 83 North IPA then a flight of four beers. While the beers were good, I wasn't overly impressed. Seemed to not have a lot of flavor. Wondering if anyone else has been there and what their thoughts were. Cool tap room though.

bapo! · Post by **bapo!** » Wed Mar 01, 2017 11:12 am

Sorry for wlulaxing an article that I haven't even read, but I thought that this might be of interest to some of you: The Story of Heady Topper, America’s Most Loved Craft Beer.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Wed Mar 01, 2017 2:07 pm

bapo! wrote:Sorry for wlulaxing an article that I haven't even read, but I thought that this might be of interest to some of you: The Story of Heady Topper, America’s Most Loved Craft Beer.

I'll thank you before I even read it.

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Mon Mar 06, 2017 11:57 am

Anyone familiar with taprooms/breweries around Richmond, VA? Flying in and out of there next week and might as well kill time and my liver getting some local flavor.

Looks like Strangeways, The Veil, and Triple Cross are all good, but hoping to narrow it down or get pointed in a particular direction.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Mon Mar 06, 2017 12:44 pm

Rush2112 wrote:Anyone familiar with taprooms/breweries around Richmond, VA? Flying in and out of there next week and might as well kill time and my liver getting some local flavor.

Looks like Strangeways, The Veil, and Triple Cross are all good, but hoping to narrow it down or get pointed in a particular direction.

There's a tap room in the suburbs that I've visited a few times. Let me look it up. Very big selection.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Mon Mar 06, 2017 12:51 pm

The wife says Hardywood is great. Still can't find the place in the suburbs.

ETA - So, I've been to the Capital Ale House in the suburbs. Huge selection.

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Mon Mar 06, 2017 1:12 pm

Right on right on. Thanks.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Mon Mar 06, 2017 2:40 pm

killed a Saturday at Isley and Ardent last spring. within blocks of each other

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Mon Mar 06, 2017 3:03 pm

Nice. Looks I may need to buy a growler or two.

rass · Post by **rass** » Wed Mar 08, 2017 6:49 pm

Some nice guy I know who obsessively collects HT gave me a can (the one other time I've had it was at his place and he was forcing it on me and I was already drunk when I had the first and had a second to be polite and had to fight him off to not drink a third because it would have been a fucking waste) yesterday (along with a can of Focal Banger) and it's great and if you want to get me more than adequately buzzed one is enough.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 1:55 pm

rass wrote:Some nice guy I know who obsessively collects HT gave me a can (the one other time I've had it was at his place and he was forcing it on me and I was already drunk when I had the first and had a second to be polite and had to fight him off to not drink a third because it would have been a fucking waste) yesterday (along with a can of Focal Banger) and it's great and if you want to get me more than adequately buzzed one is enough.

Focal Banger is even better.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Thu Mar 09, 2017 10:27 pm

P.D.X. · Post by **P.D.X.** » Fri Mar 10, 2017 12:42 pm

A client gave us a case of Pliny. Finally gonna pop my cherry this afternoon.

rass · Post by **rass** » Fri Mar 17, 2017 2:48 pm

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Fri Mar 17, 2017 4:18 pm

Rush2112 wrote:Anyone familiar with taprooms/breweries around Richmond, VA?

Hit up Triple Cross and The Answer in Richmond proper. The Answer was phenomenal. 4-5 good to great IPAs and then a selection of stouts and barleywines that they randalled with coffee, coconut, and the like. Really good Thai food as well.

In VA Beach hit Commonwealth Brewing, very good as well. Though they charge exorbitant prices for their tasters/flights.

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Wed Mar 22, 2017 1:08 pm

You NJ peeps/Kane fans might want to know about this.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Wed Mar 22, 2017 2:41 pm

Rush2112 wrote:You NJ peeps/Kane fans might want to know about this.

Thanks for the heads up. I previously decided not to sign up, as I have no idea how I can get down there with stupid kids' having activities both days, but this is too good not to enter. Never had this beer, but people freak over it as much as any beer I can think of.

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Wed Mar 22, 2017 2:51 pm

If you get access, feel free to mail a bottle of your choice to Colorado.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Thu Mar 30, 2017 4:25 pm

Rush2112 wrote:If you get access, feel free to mail a bottle of your choice to Colorado.

Didn't win, but a friend did. This guy is on an insane winning streak on beer raffles and having friends sending him all sorts of special releases. Even better, he won entering his brother's info, and they are really strict on only allowing the winner to pick up the beer. His brother lives a few miles from the brewery, as opposed to the 75 minutes away we are, and his brother doesn't want them. Hopefully I'll get to try one of them, as my friend is extremely generous in sharing.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Thu Mar 30, 2017 7:13 pm

Thoughts on this?

Hoosier · Post by **Hoosier** » Thu Mar 30, 2017 7:49 pm

sancarlos wrote:Thoughts on this?

I think I would have put Cigar City in the Final Four over Founders.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Thu Mar 30, 2017 8:35 pm

Hoosier wrote:
sancarlos wrote:Thoughts on this?
I think I would have put Cigar City in the Final Four over Founders.

So many different ways to judge this, you can't even began to WTF, DOGFISH HEAD BEATS OTHER HALF, FUCK THIS!

Unfortunately, I've never had anything from 10 of the breweries on the list, and never even heard of Bottle Logic. Comparing Lawson's to Founders is an odd one. Sip of Sunshine is probably the best IPA I've ever had, but Founders has done so many great beers, how do you compare? I really appreciate Dogfish Head, and I think they had a huge part in the craft beer boom. They really pushed boundaries and made some bizarre stuff, even distribute the bizarre stuff regularly and to a huge footprint, while putting out rock solid standards like 90 Minute IPA. The new guys like Other Half, Trillium, and Tree House put out insanely high quality IPAs that just can't be shipped or shelved. Different worlds. That said, I love Oskar Blues Ten Fidy, but OB knocking out Trillium is a traveshamockery.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Thu Mar 30, 2017 8:36 pm

"America's Most Widely Distributed Not Budweiser Breweries"

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Thu Mar 30, 2017 8:38 pm

Not a big fan of Wicked Weed. I'd put CC higher, but I'm biased.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Thu Mar 30, 2017 8:39 pm

Is Russian River still just one smallish (as breweries go) pizza place, basically?

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Thu Mar 30, 2017 9:34 pm

govmentchedda wrote:Is Russian River still just one smallish (as breweries go) pizza place, basically?

Yes. And still make good to great beers, but have been passed by in terms of their IPA/DIPA. Tasty? Yes. Overrated because of (self-created) scarcity? Oh, hell yes.

Their sours are top notch, though.

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Thu Mar 30, 2017 9:37 pm

The Sybian wrote:That said, I love Oskar Blues Ten Fidy, but OB knocking out Trillium is a traveshamockery.

Well if it's based on voting, Trillium is still a quality get for most folks, while OB is available all over (That barrel aged 10-50 is the shit though...)

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Fri Mar 31, 2017 10:23 pm

Rush2112 wrote:
The Sybian wrote:That said, I love Oskar Blues Ten Fidy, but OB knocking out Trillium is a traveshamockery.
Well if it's based on voting, Trillium is still a quality get for most folks, while OB is available all over (That barrel aged 10-50 is the shit though...)

Got 3 cans of the barrel aged Ten Fidy in the cellar. Haven't tried it yet. 19 oz of a 12.9% beer as thick as motor oil is a challenge.

Got super lucky today. I attended a seminar (co-presented by John Dean, White House Counsel to Nixon, I'll have to discuss elsewhere, amazing stuff) and saw it was 3 miles down the road from Magnify Brewery, then saw Magnify had a can release shortly after I would be driving past. They only distribute 2 beers, but I keep hearing how great their other stuff is. Drinking their Peak Ripeness IPA, NE style, dry hopped with Nelson Sauvin. It is fucking amazing. On par with Trillium. Haven't tried the awesomely named Mosaic hopped DIPA "Rock Me Dr. 'Saic" yet. While at the brewery, I tried a Brett saison aged in oak previously used to age white wine. Not my go-to style, but it was really damned good.

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Sun Apr 02, 2017 7:36 pm

My hotel has Nugget Nectar on tap. Fantastic.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 8:05 pm

Cigar City now distributed in NJ. 3 years ago, I would have been super excited, but so much super fresh local beers, larger national breweries can't compete for quality.

Had one of the more whimsical beers I've ever tried a few weeks ago. Carton Cosmonaut. Russian Imperial Stout with astronaut ice cream thrown into the hopper. The base stout is pretty bold and chocolaty, so the chocolate, vanilla and strawberry dried ice cream is subtle. Here is the brewer's description:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbXj8L8oCC8

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 8:18 pm

Yup. Jai Alai falls into the same category as Flower Power for me because if its not my first, I don't like it all that much.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 8:57 pm

mister d wrote:Yup. Jai Alai falls into the same category as Flower Power for me because if its not my first, I don't like it all that much.

Tried the latest Stone Enjoy By yesterday. My first thought was meh, but after drinking the 2 day old Magnify... I feel like high quality beer is ruined for me, especially single IPAs.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Wed Apr 05, 2017 9:04 pm

Last year we got a lot of enjoy by. I haven't seen any this year.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Thu Apr 06, 2017 9:18 am

The Sybian wrote:
mister d wrote:Yup. Jai Alai falls into the same category as Flower Power for me because if its not my first, I don't like it all that much.
Tried the latest Stone Enjoy By yesterday. My first thought was meh, but after drinking the 2 day old Magnify... I feel like high quality beer is ruined for me, especially single IPAs.

This doesn't make sense. What I meant is that Enjoy By is still a really good beer, but I am spoiled after drinking awesome local, extremely small batch beer straight from the source. Hard to compare a large scale nationally shipped beer, so "meh" is unfair to Stone.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Thu Apr 06, 2017 9:28 am

Nope, it made sense. Was having the same conversation yesterday about how beers I loved 5 years ago are exactly the same now but don't cut it anymore because the upper limits have risen.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Thu Apr 06, 2017 9:38 am

mister d wrote:Nope, it made sense. Was having the same conversation yesterday about how beers I loved 5 years ago are exactly the same now but don't cut it anymore because the upper limits have risen.

I've been wanting to get some Old Rasputin to test this. I always saw it as the perfect, no frills stout, and the closest thing to a go-to beer for me. It's probably been 3 years since I've had one, and I always say I'm going to get some, but there are constantly special stout releases, and I have so many stockpiled, I just haven't gotten back to Old Rasputin.

Years ago, Daisy Cutter was billed as a great beer and was on my dream list. Finally tried it, and it is now just an ordinary beer.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Thu Apr 06, 2017 9:40 am

Daisy is another good first beer. Double Daisy was pretty unexciting, kinda like how Head High is better than Overhead. Bigger, but with more losses than gains to get there.