The OFFICIAL Craft Beer Thread

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Wed Dec 10, 2014 9:42 pm

Sam Adams isn't really a craft brewer, but I thought I'd note that I just drank a bottle of their Merry Maker gingerbread stout, and I thought it was great.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Wed Dec 10, 2014 10:47 pm

sancarlos wrote:Sam Adams isn't really a craft brewer, but I thought I'd note that I just drank a bottle of their Merry Maker gingerbread stout, and I thought it was great.

I was tempted to try it last year, but never did. Speaking of Sam Adams, recently tried their White X-Mas. It is a spiced Witbier. I very rarely like any wheat beers, and this was no different. If you like wheat and Xmasy spiced beers, not a bad beer.

But, the reason I brought this up is the condescending beer snobbery thrown at me by the purchaser of this beer. He started off telling me about how much he loves trying new beers, and how they have a group of 3 guys in town that go out drinking most weeks. He starts waxing poetic about Guinness and asked if I like it. When I said I am not a big fan, he gave me such a derisive look, and dismissively said, "well, it's an acquired taste." Sam Adams made me think of this, as he said he only buys Sam Adams, because all of their beers are great, and he knows he can't go wrong. I know I come off as a beer douche on here, and make fun of JLo for drinking Corona and orgasming over the thought of Yuengling, but I would never make fun of someone's beer of choice, unless I really knew them well enough to bust their balls. and even then, I wouldn't hold it against them. It was just hard not to laugh at this guy's condescension.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Wed Dec 10, 2014 11:05 pm

I can drink Guinness like water, but I'm not sure how I'd ever make fun of anyone for not liking it or think I was some sort of awesome beer snob because I like it a lot.

Post by **brian** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 2:27 am

It is funny because I can be a tremendous douche but almost never about beer. I'll harangue someone all day for rooting for the Packers if they're from Arizona, but it would never occur to me to be a dick to someone because they like Yuengling or Bud Light or whatever. I guess we all have our issues.

DSafetyGuy · Post by **DSafetyGuy** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 11:02 am

brian wrote:It is funny because I can be a tremendous douche but almost never about beer. I'll harangue someone all day for rooting for the Packers if they're from Arizona, but it would never occur to me to be a dick to someone because they like Yuengling or Bud Light or whatever. I guess we all have our issues.

You have made me drink a Corona Light before, so this makes sense. At least you had one, too.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 11:07 am

I'm definitely less likely to (start off) be(ing) a dick about beer too, just because I love it when people come on board. But then I'm a dick if they call it bitter hipster shit while drinking their Heineken.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 4:50 pm

For any North/Central Jersey folks, BCBS has arrived. I only called 3 places, but Buy Rite on Rt 22 in Plainfield got one case of the base stout and one case of the barley wine. Limit of one bottle per person. They gave me one of each. Not sure how many they have left, but they got it in last week. Stew Leonard's on 22 in Springfield got one case of the base stout, they have 8 remaining. One bottle per, only $6.99 a bottle! Total Wine on 22 told me over the phone that they sold out, for whatever that is worth. I'm told the wine library reserved their allotment for favored customers. Very excited to find them, but not crazy enough to put in effort to look elsewhere. From what the beer guys all said, the distributor for this region dropped the ball, so everyone who is getting it in this region just got it. This particular distributor did not get any of the stout varieties other than base.

bapo! · Post by **bapo!** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 6:16 pm

Hi, Swamp. How have you been?

You know, I would much rather talk about Ferguson/Garner, Bill Cosby, Johnny Manziel, CM Punk, Connor McDavid's broken hand, or the return of Toyota Jan, but you know how it is: if it's not on Slack, I just can't be bothered. So let's talk beer!

So, what have I consumed since the last time I posted here? Right now, I'm very slowly sipping a Victory Hop Ranch. It's a 9% IIPA, so I'm trying not to wreck my evening. Very tasty, not overpoweringly sweet. Sometimes, a beer this size will just make me feel like I'm going to combust.

Speaking of, I finally Tried Dogfish Head Burton Baton. A friend has been talking it up for a while, so I gave in. It approaches what I dislike about big, boozy beers, but I still find myself kind of liking it. Yeah, it's big and sweet, but for an occasional 10% treat, it's good. I don't love it as much as Joe does, but if it's my night off and I have nothing else planned, why not?

Made the trek to Meadville to pick up a case of Voodoo Hoodoo. It's a strange beer. My opinion seems to change with every bottle. Ranges everywhere from Best Beer in the World to Borderline Undrinkable, depending on my mood. Sometimes, it would taste very boozy, which is odd for an IPA, but it would get a lot better as it warmed – the opposite of a lot of other boozy beers. I decided to age the bottles a little while, and I'm enjoying them a lot more now than I did when they were super-fresh. I wish that I were into barrel-aged stuff because Voodoo supposedly has a great barrel program. Devilfluff, I know that you're aware of their reputation.

Brian, I finally believe in Founders All Day IPA, now that I know that cases of cans are a full $7 or $8 cheaper than cases of bottles. This tastes pretty much like Founders Centennial IPA. There's something about Centennial hops, or at least the way that Founders uses them, that's a little weird to me, but not in an off-putting way. Centennial/All Day don't taste like other IPAs that I've tried, so I'll go back to them.

We're on the tail-end of fresh-hop/wet-hop season. I thought about picking up a case of Victory Harvest or Fat Head's Hopstalker, but went with the old standby: Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. (Mostly because the Sierra Nevada price-point appealed to me. I've been spending too damn much money on this stuff lately, so saving 10 bucks that day seemed like a good idea.) Anybody here fall in love with a new fresh-hop beer this year?

Also, I bought a Teku glass when I was at Voodoo a couple of months ago. I thought that I would use it a couple of times, then bury it to the back of my cabinet, but I find myself being drawn to it. I would post a photo, but it currently has lip-balm residue all over the rim. (If that happens to be your fetish, let me know and I can send you an email. Cock pics demand reciprocity, tho.)

Post by **brian** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 6:26 pm

bapo! wrote:We're on the tail-end of fresh-hop/wet-hop season. I thought about picking up a case of Victory Harvest or Fat Head's Hopstalker, but went with the old standby: Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. (Mostly because the Sierra Nevada price-point appealed to me. I've been spending too damn much money on this stuff lately, so saving 10 bucks that day seemed like a good idea.) Anybody here fall in love with a new fresh-hop beer this year?

Not really a new one, but there's a Sierra Tap House right next to the condo I'm staying in in Reno this week so I've been drinking the shit out of the SN Northern Hemisphere Wet Hop (they also have the Beer Camp SN/Ballast Point Imperial Pale Lager on draft still. Delightful.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 6:45 pm

I couldn't stand Hop Ranch. Wanted to like it, but really, really didn't. Tasted like white grape juice to me, same as Cigar City's Invasion. Has to be the same hop.

bapo! · Post by **bapo!** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 7:05 pm

mister d wrote:I couldn't stand Hop Ranch. Wanted to like it, but really, really didn't. Tasted like white grape juice to me, same as Cigar City's Invasion. Has to be the same hop.

Hop Ranch uses Mosaic and Azacca hops. Azacca is pretty new, and I'm pretty sure that this is the first time that I've tasted it. As for big-ass Victory IPAs (BAVIPAs), I prefer Dirt Wolf, but I'll keep drinking Hop Ranch. (Well, not tonight. One of these in a night is enough for me.)

Can't find any info on Cigar City's Invasion. Maybe chedda will run down to the brewery to ask somebody what kind of hops they use if we promise to send him a National bootleg or something.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 7:29 pm

Do you get the white grape-y-ness from it too or am I having some weird cilantro/soap reaction? Like not a hint or what goofy BA reviewers list among 8 other flavors they taste in a beer, but an overwhelming flavor.

bapo! · Post by **bapo!** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 7:41 pm

It wasn't in my head until you said it, but yeah, I picked up on it. But I didn't mind it because it was unique compared to other IPAs that I've had. I prefer 'white grape' to 'cat piss' or 'OMG SUGAR.' Looking forward to seeing how my opinion of this changes as it ages.

devilfluff · Post by **devilfluff** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 9:05 pm

I spent the weekend beer-touring SoCal.

There are some amazing brews out there.

If you get the chance, go to Alpine. It's basically a dive bar making amazing IPAs.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 9:47 pm

BAPO!! Pop ins like this are why we can't move.

I haven't tried any of these wet hopped, harvest and whatever else breweries are calling them. I've been stuck in an IPA, DIPA, stout, old ale/barley wine rut, with an occasional Belgian thrown in. Should probably mix it up more.

I tried Backwoods Bastard the other day, and love it. Starts with coconut, quickly into booze and strong bourbon flavor, then very quickly mellows into a slew of flavors. I couldn't describe it, but I'll go with the BA reviews in saying toffee, vanilla, cocoa and marzipan. Marzipan isn't something I ever would have thought about, but yeah, I can see that. It was really interesting how the taste just kept changing during each sip. It really seems like it is going to be too much alcohol, but that instantly vanishes. It's rare that a bourbon barrel beer has this strong of a bourbon flavor and is still good. Highly recommend.

Tried Orval a while back, and not a big fan. I see it on Best 100 beer lists, so maybe I had a bottle that was a little off or something. A bit yeasty, which is what put me off. I see the Bros gave it a 100 rating. Meh.

Green Flash West Coast IPA was really, really good. Up there with the best of the DIPAs I've tried.

Sierra Nevada Narwhal: Similar to Old Rasputin, but not as good.

Founders Dark Penance black IPA: Good, not great. I really like the black IPAs, the malt of a porter and the hops of an IPA. I prefer several others I've tried.

Thanks to Johnnie and some others, I realized I pretty much wrote off German beers, so I decided to pick up a couple. Ayinger Altbairisch Dunkel was really good, but the most interesting by far is Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche. It is a dopplebock with "Schlenkera oak smoke." I gather they smoke the malts. They make several rauchbiers, and the smoke is much different than the burnt taste of a rauchbier. It is slightly sweet in a good way (I don't typically like sweet beers), very nice smoke flavor that is very smooth. One review described it as smoked candied bacon. I wouldn't go so far as to say bacon, but I see it. I'd say this is a must try, just for the shear unique taste.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 9:52 pm

devilfluff wrote:I spent the weekend beer-touring SoCal.

There are some amazing brews out there.

If you get the chance, go to Alpine. It's basically a dive bar making amazing IPAs.

mister d wrote:I have a friend who swears by Societe in San Diego. Opened by 2 former Russian River guys.

That make the list?

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Thu Dec 11, 2014 10:25 pm

bapo! wrote:
mister d wrote:I couldn't stand Hop Ranch. Wanted to like it, but really, really didn't. Tasted like white grape juice to me, same as Cigar City's Invasion. Has to be the same hop.
Hop Ranch uses Mosaic and Azacca hops. Azacca is pretty new, and I'm pretty sure that this is the first time that I've tasted it. As for big-ass Victory IPAs (BAVIPAs), I prefer Dirt Wolf, but I'll keep drinking Hop Ranch. (Well, not tonight. One of these in a night is enough for me.)

Can't find any info on Cigar City's Invasion. Maybe chedda will run down to the brewery to ask somebody what kind of hops they use if we promise to send him a National bootleg or something.

I'll get on figuring out what hops they use for Invasion, the brewery is less than a mile from my kids' school. I really like Invasion, with one caveat. It has to be fresh. I find it to be much more drinkable/crushable than other, heavier, beers. Kind of like a session beer. However, the last few six packs that I've gotten have had a ton of sediment/unfiltered growth in them, and if you don't pour it super carefully you end up with a bunch of shit in your beer.

bapo! · Post by **bapo!** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 8:56 am

I haven't tried Green Flash's West Coast since they changed the recipe. I thought that the original was the perfect thing. It's a shame that they felt the need to jack up the ABV. I'm sure that I'll still love it. I'll pick up a four-pack when my fridge empties a little bit.

Also, I've finally spotted Deschutes Fresh Squeezed here. So far, only cases, no six-packs, but I'm pretty excited. Soon, hopefully.

Chedda, perhaps of interest, Neutral Milk Hotel will be doing their 'last tour for the foreseeable future' next spring. They'll be in Clearwater, FL, on May 4.

rass · Post by **rass** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 9:03 am

duplicate indie post alert

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 9:04 am

bapo! wrote:I haven't tried Green Flash's West Coast since they changed the recipe. I thought that the original was the perfect thing. It's a shame that they felt the need to jack up the ABV. I'm sure that I'll still love it. I'll pick up a four-pack when my fridge empties a little bit.

Also, I've finally spotted Deschutes Fresh Squeezed here. So far, only cases, no six-packs, but I'm pretty excited. Soon, hopefully.

Chedda, perhaps of interest, Neutral Milk Hotel will be doing their 'last tour for the foreseeable future' next spring. They'll be in Clearwater, FL, on May 4.

Any shows in New York or New Jersey?

And while I am here, tried Bell's Expedition Stout last night. Absolutely great beer. Very roasty, but somehow balanced. I usually don't like that much roasted flavor, but this beer pulls it off. You get the sense of a lot more below the surface, but a bit over powered. Bell's said it brewed to be cellared, so I look forward to trying it in several months or years. It is like a scotch that requires a splash of water to bring out the complexity.

bapo! · Post by **bapo!** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 9:13 am

syb wrote:Any shows in New York or New Jersey?

Surprisingly, no. Buffalo in April, tho. Here are the tour dates.

rass wrote:duplicate indie post alert

Ha. Yeah, sorry. The Swamp is all about random/catch-all threads anyway, so why not this thread, too? Anything you want to say about Dejan Kovacevic, rass?

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 10:56 am

bapo! wrote:
syb wrote:Any shows in New York or New Jersey?
Surprisingly, no. Buffalo in April, tho. Here are the tour dates.

rass wrote:duplicate indie post alert
Ha. Yeah, sorry. The Swamp is all about random/catch-all threads anyway, so why not this thread, too? Anything you want to say about Dejan Kovacevic, rass?

I can rest my elbows on the stage and dreamily stare at Mangum from my seat location. They did a presale yesterday that required no password or code. Regular tix go on sale at noon today.

Post by **brian** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 11:14 am

govmentchedda wrote:
bapo! wrote:
syb wrote:Any shows in New York or New Jersey?
Surprisingly, no. Buffalo in April, tho. Here are the tour dates.

rass wrote:duplicate indie post alert
Ha. Yeah, sorry. The Swamp is all about random/catch-all threads anyway, so why not this thread, too? Anything you want to say about Dejan Kovacevic, rass?
I can rest my elbows on the stage and dreamily stare at Mangum from my seat location. They did a presale yesterday that required no password or code. Regular tix go on sale at noon today.

Of course, they're playing in Reno (where I can get comped tickets) and of course it's one of the two weeks a year I have to travel. Good times.

(Think I'll just drive down to Santa Ana for the show on Friday, 5/29. Haven't been to Orange County in a while anyway.)

bapo! · Post by **bapo!** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 3:08 pm

Glad to hear it, Chedda. Sorry about the timing, Brian, but if you can travel to see them, you should.

Getting back to beer, I recently had my first Founders Breakfast Stout in several years. It wasn't as life-altering as I remembered, but maybe it will be if I can be patient enough to age it for a little while. (I still have three bottles.)

On Thanksgiving, a friend and I split a bottle of Samuel Smiths Oatmeal Stout. Delicious. It eased the pain of knowing that Tony Romo was about to disappoint me again. (Has my Romo super-fandom been established in the Swamp? I usually stay out of the football threads, so I've probably kept that a secret until now. If you want to consider this a character flaw, so be it.)

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 3:37 pm

bapo! wrote:Glad to hear it, Chedda. Sorry about the timing, Brian, but if you can travel to see them, you should.

Getting back to beer, I recently had my first Founders Breakfast Stout in several years. It wasn't as life-altering as I remembered, but maybe it will be if I can be patient enough to age it for a little while. (I still have three bottles.)

On Thanksgiving, a friend and I split a bottle of Samuel Smiths Oatmeal Stout. Delicious. It eased the pain of knowing that Tony Romo was about to disappoint me again. (Has my Romo super-fandom been established in the Swamp? I usually stay out of the football threads, so I've probably kept that a secret until now. If you want to consider this a character flaw, so be it.)

Every year I try the Breakfast Stout, expecting to love it, and I just don't. It's good, but nothing special. People just go nuts over it. I feel like i should love it, I do love oatmeal stout, and I usually like coffee stout, but it just doesn't do anything for me. I see the Terrapin Wake and Bake everywhere now, and have wanted to try it for a while. I read a lot of comparisons to Breakfast Stout, that it is very similar but not as good, so I passed on the 6 (4?) packs. I saw a single bottle, so I'll give it a go.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 3:46 pm

I don't think its the base one people ejac over, its the KBS (K = Kentucky = bourbon barrel aged). And I'm almost positive there was a Canadian version too but I've never had it.

bapo! · Post by **bapo!** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 4:21 pm

mister d wrote:I don't think its the base one people ejac over, its the KBS (K = Kentucky = bourbon barrel aged). And I'm almost positive there was a Canadian version too but I've never had it.

The KBS is certainly hyped, but the regular Breakfast Stout gets a lot of love, too. (In Beer Advocate's daily drinking threads, almost without fail, somebody posts a photo of a Breakfast Stout at, like, 8:28 a.m. Those guys always make me feel a little bit better about myself.)

The Canadian Breakfast Stout is out now, actually. Not sure how widespread of a release, tho. A lot of noise about this beer. The bottle says 'Aged in Maple Syrup-Bourbon Barrels.' That hyphen raises some questions.

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 4:43 pm

mister d wrote:I don't think its the base one people ejac over, its the KBS (K = Kentucky = bourbon barrel aged). And I'm almost positive there was a Canadian version too but I've never had it.

CBS is excellent.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Fri Dec 12, 2014 4:59 pm

mister d wrote:I don't think its the base one people ejac over, its the KBS (K = Kentucky = bourbon barrel aged). And I'm almost positive there was a Canadian version too but I've never had it.

Yeah, KBS is up there with BCBS as the two most jacked about beers, At least from what I have seen. A lot of people seem to think Breakfast Stout is the greatest thing they have ever tried. If it was limited release, people would camp out for it.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Sat Dec 13, 2014 12:03 am

A woman is like a refrigerator. About 6 feet tall. 300 pounds. Makes ice. Where is the lit thread?

Stone Double Bastard. Malt and hops and alcohol all turned up to 11. Great, but I recommend sharing a bomber. Last quarter of the bomber was getting hard to drink.

Terrapin Wake n Bake is awesome. I really want to try Jittery Joe's coffee, because the coffee is amazing! Fuck Founders, this is the shit. For the record, I haven't been a fan of Terrapin before.

devilfluff · Post by **devilfluff** » Sat Dec 13, 2014 11:16 am

mister d wrote:
devilfluff wrote:I spent the weekend beer-touring SoCal.

There are some amazing brews out there.

If you get the chance, go to Alpine. It's basically a dive bar making amazing IPAs.

mister d wrote:I have a friend who swears by Societe in San Diego. Opened by 2 former Russian River guys.
That make the list?

I did, in fact, go to Societe. It's a pretty cool place.

On coffee stouts, if you like WnB & Breakfast stout, try Alesmith Speedway Stout. It does have the disadvantage of being in a 750ml bottle, though.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Sat Dec 13, 2014 11:31 am

devilfluff wrote:
mister d wrote:
devilfluff wrote:I spent the weekend beer-touring SoCal.

There are some amazing brews out there.

If you get the chance, go to Alpine. It's basically a dive bar making amazing IPAs.

mister d wrote:I have a friend who swears by Societe in San Diego. Opened by 2 former Russian River guys.
That make the list?
I did, in fact, go to Societe. It's a pretty cool place.

On coffee stouts, if you like WnB & Breakfast stout, try Alesmith Speedway Stout. It does have the disadvantage of being in a 750ml bottle, though.

Never found any Alesmith. Would like to try it.

cerrano · Post by **cerrano** » Sat Dec 13, 2014 9:26 pm

found some of this today. this is my first real craft beer purchase. (a.k.a. i had to go to customer service to ask for it and i was only able to acquire 1.)

devilfluff · Post by **devilfluff** » Sat Dec 13, 2014 10:12 pm

cerrano wrote:

found some of this today. this is my first real craft beer purchase. (a.k.a. i had to go to customer service to ask for it and i was only able to acquire 1.)

That is an excellent beer.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Sat Dec 13, 2014 11:21 pm

cerrano wrote:

found some of this today. this is my first real craft beer purchase. (a.k.a. i had to go to customer service to ask for it and i was only able to acquire 1.)

Total Wine on 22? I went in after you, and they said there was no way they sold any today. I asked 3 people, and they called the store manager over. Said they ran out 3 days ago. I should have asked you the name of the employee who got it for you.

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Sun Dec 14, 2014 3:22 am

and it's overrated Inbev crap.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Sun Dec 14, 2014 10:00 am

Rush2112 wrote:and it's overrated Inbev crap.

Has it changed since InBev bought GI? I had one in 2012, and it was damned good. From what I read, InBev was not going to mess with the recipe for the BC line. Scarcity and bragging rights drive the hype more than anything, though. I rarely read the BA forums, but the BCBS thread was entertaining. People camping out over night on Thanksgiving. Dbags bragging about "only" getting 3 cases, or beating an old woman in the parking lot to steal her bottle of barley wine.

By Cerrano's definition, this is the first time I have gotten a hidden beer, too. I found the BCBS on the shelf 2 years ago. I didn't know anything about the release, just saw it on top whatever lists, and had to justify $20 for a 4 pack. As the hype escalated that much in 2 years, or was I just not clued in then?

devilfluff · Post by **devilfluff** » Sun Dec 14, 2014 12:29 pm

Demand is up, and distribution has expanded, so Jersey got about 5x as much 2 years ago.

Rush is flat out wrong on this one. BCBCS is amazing, and InBev has left all the BC beers alone.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Sun Dec 14, 2014 1:31 pm

Stunning that ownership of a brewery is clouding judgment of a beer. Stunning.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Sun Dec 14, 2014 6:03 pm

I don't care if it's worse, better or the same, I won't buy it on principle.