The OFFICIAL Craft Beer Thread

Rex · Post by **Rex** » Sat May 21, 2016 9:51 pm

Well I assume he checked and saw he didn't have a dick anymore.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Sun May 22, 2016 12:42 am

The Sybian wrote:What are your sources for research?

Almost exclusively beer advocate. Further googling if the grade is interesting one way or another.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Sun May 22, 2016 6:14 am

Had a great English Pale Ale yesterday. Landlord by Timothy Taylor & Co. Also had an English Bitter, Boltmaker, from the same brewery. Both tasted exactly like you'd expect from those types of beers. Landlord really stood out.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Mon May 23, 2016 9:32 am

mister d wrote:
The Sybian wrote:What are your sources for research?
Almost exclusively beer advocate. Further googling if the grade is interesting one way or another.

When you see a new beer on the shelf, and don't know about it, will you check the Beer Advocate rating before deciding whether to purchase? This is my secret shame. I feel like such a douche, but if a beer is horrible, I don't want to waste time on it, especially when there are several I'm looking at. I don't necessarily follow the score, but the descriptions to see if it fits what I like. Barley wines, Scotch ales and other styles always rate much lower than my opinion. Rate Beer scores have almost no correlation to my opinions, which I find odd.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Mon May 23, 2016 9:41 am

Absolutely. I've been on the site long enough that I know which scores are going to almost definitely be great, which ones might be worth trying and which ones aren't worth the effort. Plus, the reviews are usually pretty telling as well; if an IPA is described as amber colored or malty, I'm not going to waste $12 confirming I won't like it.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Wed Jun 01, 2016 8:22 pm

I know you guys aren't generally fans of wheat beers, but this is a nice offering from Lost Coast brewery of northern California. A Belgian-style white ale. Seems like the appropriate choice as I watch the Sharks/Penguins hockey game.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Wed Jun 01, 2016 8:42 pm

I like the occasional wheat beer in the summertime

Post by **brian** » Thu Jun 02, 2016 1:16 am

Lost Coast is garbage, but there's nothing wrong with a good wheat beer.

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Thu Jun 02, 2016 10:22 am

brian wrote:Lost Coast is garbage, but there's nothing wrong with a good wheat beer.

I used to really like them, then they were my drink of choice when I went through the divorce. Now I can take a sip but that's about it. Appreciate a taste of a good one, I could force down a pint, but would rather not have to drink one at all.

DaveInSeattle · Post by **DaveInSeattle** » Thu Jun 02, 2016 11:15 am

My boss is organizing a new thing for the summer...a "Bike to Pub for a Pint Wednesday" (its been a tradition for 2 weeks now!) and we are going to try to hit a different brewpub/microbrewery every week. Last night we went to Lucky Envelope. They had a strawberry/rhubarb "randell" that was...well...interesting. I took a taster, but then stuck to their regular mosaic IPA, which was excellent.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Thu Jun 02, 2016 11:19 am

Sounds like a decent boss!

Post by **brian** » Thu Jun 02, 2016 11:35 am

The randalizers I've had are almost always either awesome or horrible, with little in between.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Thu Jun 02, 2016 11:38 am

How does a randell compare to a radler?

Post by **brian** » Thu Jun 02, 2016 11:40 am

govmentchedda wrote:How does a randell compare to a radler?

It's actually not a kind of beer, but rather a way to add additional flavors to a beer. See here.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Thu Jun 02, 2016 11:51 am

Interesting.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Fri Jun 10, 2016 2:59 pm

Not sure if I should put this in the Confessions, Proud Parent or this thread. For my birthday, the kids got a book where they fill in the blanks on questions like, I love when you ____, you make me laugh when ____, I love to listen to you talk about ___, and 47 more. My daughter filled in beer for the statement "I am proud of you for your dedication to ___beer___." On the plus side, she loves to listen to me talk about Arsenal.

In other beer news, I went to fill the growler I got for my birthday and in a long story scored a bottle of Westbrook Mexican Cake, probably the best beer I've ever had. Also scored 2 bottle of Evil Twin's Aun Mas Jesus, which is one I doubted I would ever find. Happy birthday to me!

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Fri Jun 10, 2016 4:18 pm

The Sybian wrote:Not sure if I should put this in the Confessions, Proud Parent or this thread. For my birthday, the kids got a book where they fill in the blanks on questions like, I love when you ____, you make me laugh when ____, I love to listen to you talk about ___, and 47 more. My daughter filled in beer for the statement "I am proud of you for your dedication to ___beer___." On the plus side, she loves to listen to me talk about Arsenal.

In other beer news, I went to fill the growler I got for my birthday and in a long story scored a bottle of Westbrook Mexican Cake, probably the best beer I've ever had. Also scored 2 bottle of Evil Twin's Aun Mas Jesus, which is one I doubted I would ever find. Happy birthday to me!

Sounds like a great kid!

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Fri Jun 10, 2016 4:38 pm

The Sybian wrote:Westbrook Mexican Cake

here is what I was given by Westbrook Brewery, with my contacts name anonymized, just in case:

Hey Erik,

For reasons that I hope are apparent, I won't go into details regarding much of this, but I will give you some guidance.

Malt bill isn't too crazy: you can go with a basic big stout malt bill (something with Chocolate, Dark/ExtraDark Crystal) bill and adjust it for ~10.5%. We do add a little bit of flaked oats to give it a slightly creamier mouth-feel. We also add Dextrose and Dark Belgian Candi Syrup (end of boil/whirlpool) to help get us enough sugar to hit 10.5%. Target OG: 1.1034 and Target FG: 1.0233.

We use basic CTZ (Columbus, Tomahawk, and/or Zeus) hopping for bitterness (60 minutes). No further hop additions.

We use our house english ale yeast. Again, nothing too special here.

Mash Water at 172 F shooting for 150 F at rest.

Regarding Adjuncts: We add all of the adjuncts to our bright tanks so I would recommend adding to your secondary for 3-5 days. Ratio wise, you will probably want to shoot for something like 1 : 5 : 10 : 15 (ground cinnamon : vanilla bean : habanero : cocoa nibs). The exact quantities don't scale to a homebrew size well (it's not very linear, and you will probably need a higher #/gal than we do). The habanero and cinnamon can be blended together using a blender or food processor. The vanilla bean can be chopped into bits, but leave the cocoa nibs whole. The biggest problem comes with the habaneros though. The amount of heat they provide can vary wildly from crop to crop. We usually end up adding more habaneros after a couple days to try to get the heat where we want it and sometimes have to do this multiple times. They are very tricky to work with.

I hope you find this helpful,

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Fri Jun 10, 2016 7:42 pm

Speaking of habaneros and Charleston ... we had a blood orange habanero IPA that was a collab between a brewery (blanking) and Kudu coffee shop. The guy there said they shopped for the produce and got like two pounds of habaneros and the Brewers laughed at them and added two to the entire batch. Still came through pretty strong. I'm sure the stout could hold more, but something to consider when you do this clone tomorrow to later share with local swampers.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Sun Jun 12, 2016 9:10 pm

mister d wrote:Speaking of habaneros and Charleston ... we had a blood orange habanero IPA that was a collab between a brewery (blanking) and Kudu coffee shop. The guy there said they shopped for the produce and got like two pounds of habaneros and the Brewers laughed at them and added two to the entire batch. Still came through pretty strong. I'm sure the stout could hold more, but something to consider when you do this clone tomorrow to later share with local swampers.

I learned the hard way about the power of habaneros. I think I told the story long ago, but early in my cooking days I put too many habaneros in a batch of chili and didn't wear gloves or avoid handling the seeds. I experienced crippling pain after handling myself to urinate. Jumped in the shower, which only made it worse. Still ate the chili, despite my throat closing up and face turning red. Bad results the next morning when I put in the same pair of contacts I took out after cooking.

Thanks for the recipe, Rush. I would love to make that, but need some more experience before following those instructions. Picking up ingredients for batch #2 Wednesday. Can't decide what to make. Do I make what I like, which many of my giftees probably won't like, or brew for the masses? I'm thinking I go for middle ground and make a black IPA. I filled the growler with Kane Head High, and it tasted really close to my homebrew. My hops were harsher, but the flavor was really close.

I drank a bottle of Aun Mas Jesus, and it was fucking phenomenal. Curious to compare it to Mexican Cake. It is thicker and more chocolately, or really fudgey, than I remember Mex Cake, less pepper, vanilla and cinnamon, but damned near as good. If you see it, buy all of it.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Sun Jun 12, 2016 9:18 pm

The Sybian wrote:I learned the hard way about the power of habaneros. I think I told the story long ago, but early in my cooking days I put too many habaneros in a batch of chili and didn't wear gloves or avoid handling the seeds. I experienced crippling pain after handling myself to urinate. Jumped in the shower, which only made it worse. Still ate the chili, despite my throat closing up and face turning red. Bad results the next morning when I put in the same pair of contacts I took out after cooking.

That sounds like a great sitcom plot!

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Fri Jun 17, 2016 11:12 am

From the AHA annual rankings:

1. Russian River Pliny the Elder
2. Bell’s Two Hearted Ale
3. The Alchemist Heady Topper
4. Ballast Point Sculpin IPA
5. Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin IPA
6. Founders Breakfast Stout
7. Three Floyds Zombie Dust
8. Bell’s Hopslam Ale
9. Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout
T10. Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA
T10. Stone Enjoy By IPA
12. Founders KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout)
13. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
14. Lawson’s Finest Liquids Sip of Sunshine
15. Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
T16. Founders All Day IPA
T16. Sierra Nevada Celebration
18. Cigar City Jai Alai IPA
19. Boulevard Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale
20. Firestone Walker Wookey Jack
21. Arrogant Bastard Ale
22. Lagunitas Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’
23. Deschutes Black Butte Porter
T24. Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro
T24. Tröegs Nugget Nectar
26 Firestone Walker Union Jack
T27. Founders Backwoods Bastard
T27. Russian River Blind Pig IPA
T29. Lagunitas IPA
T29. Odell IPA
T29. Russian River Consecration
32. Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA
33. Tree House Julius
T34. Ballast Point Victory at Sea
T34. Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA
T34. Fat Head’s Head Hunter IPA
T34. Firestone Walker Double Jack
38. North Coast Old Rasputin
T39. Oskar Blues Ten Fidy
T39. Russian River Supplication
T39. Toppling Goliath pseudoSue
T42. Firestone Walker Parabola
T42. Surly Todd the Axe Man
44. Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
45. Russian River Pliny the Younger
T46. Prairie Artisan Ales Bomb!
T46. Surly Furious
T46. Victory DirtWolf Double IPA
49. Maine Beer Lunch
T50. Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
T50. New Belgium La Folie

I've never had HopSlam, ZombieDust or pseudoSue. I need to get to the midwest more.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Fri Jun 17, 2016 11:14 am

Is it a goddamn rule that 60 Minute has to make these lists?

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Fri Jun 17, 2016 11:16 am

The Sybian wrote:Do I make what I like, which many of my giftees probably won't like, or brew for the masses? I'm thinking I go for middle ground and make a black IPA.

I'm going to do a bit of both for my next ones. Making a Gose for the peeps and a Rochefort 10 clone for me. Nothing says summer like a 10+% ABV Quad!

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Fri Jun 17, 2016 11:16 am

mister d wrote:Is it a goddamn rule that 60 Minute has to make these lists?

Don't like 60 minute? It's harder to find out here, so when I do have it I typically enjoy it for nostalgia purposes.

BSF21 · Post by **BSF21** » Fri Jun 17, 2016 11:22 am

T39. Toppling Goliath pseudoSue

I don't think I've had this particular beer, but this is my favorite midwest brewery. I've had some of their offerings when traveling in WI and they are absolutely worth seeking out. They must be growing by leaps and bounds because when I looked a year ago, I don't think they were even bottling. Tsunami and Pompeii are both stellar beers. I'm really hoping one of these times we go to MN to visit family we can detour through Decorah.

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Fri Jun 17, 2016 11:32 am

BSF21 wrote:T39. Toppling Goliath pseudoSue

My understanding is that it's one of the get it or its gone beers. So probably not going to have it on tap unless you've stood in a long line first.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Fri Jun 17, 2016 11:36 am

Rush2112 wrote: I've never had HopSlam

Wish I'd known. Would have sent you some.

BSF21 · Post by **BSF21** » Fri Jun 17, 2016 11:37 am

The Sybian wrote:
Rush2112 wrote: I've never had HopSlam
Wish I'd known. Would have sent you some.

Word. HopSlam is life. Better than ZD in my opinion, but it may just be because you can only get it for 2-3 months out of the year.

GoodKarma · Post by **GoodKarma** » Fri Jun 17, 2016 11:52 am

Rush2112 wrote:From the AHA annual rankings:

1. Russian River Pliny the Elder
2. Bell’s Two Hearted Ale
3. The Alchemist Heady Topper
4. Ballast Point Sculpin IPA
5. Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin IPA
6. Founders Breakfast Stout
7. Three Floyds Zombie Dust
8. Bell’s Hopslam Ale
9. Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout
T10. Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA
T10. Stone Enjoy By IPA
12. Founders KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout)
13. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
14. Lawson’s Finest Liquids Sip of Sunshine
15. Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
T16. Founders All Day IPA
T16. Sierra Nevada Celebration
18. Cigar City Jai Alai IPA
19. Boulevard Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale
20. Firestone Walker Wookey Jack
21. Arrogant Bastard Ale
22. Lagunitas Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’
23. Deschutes Black Butte Porter
T24. Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro
T24. Tröegs Nugget Nectar
26 Firestone Walker Union Jack
T27. Founders Backwoods Bastard
T27. Russian River Blind Pig IPA
T29. Lagunitas IPA
T29. Odell IPA
T29. Russian River Consecration
32. Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA
33. Tree House Julius
T34. Ballast Point Victory at Sea
T34. Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA
T34. Fat Head’s Head Hunter IPA
T34. Firestone Walker Double Jack
38. North Coast Old Rasputin
T39. Oskar Blues Ten Fidy
T39. Russian River Supplication
T39. Toppling Goliath pseudoSue
T42. Firestone Walker Parabola
T42. Surly Todd the Axe Man
44. Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
45. Russian River Pliny the Younger
T46. Prairie Artisan Ales Bomb!
T46. Surly Furious
T46. Victory DirtWolf Double IPA
49. Maine Beer Lunch
T50. Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
T50. New Belgium La Folie
I've never had HopSlam, ZombieDust or pseudoSue. I need to get to the midwest more.

Rush - I am currently in possession of some Zombie Dust...I'm happy to bring you some next time we meet up.

Hopslam is excellent...I agree it's better than Zombie Dust.

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Fri Jun 17, 2016 11:57 am

The Sybian wrote:
Rush2112 wrote: I've never had HopSlam
Wish I'd known. Would have sent you some.

Next year my friend.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Fri Jun 17, 2016 12:13 pm

Rush2112 wrote:
mister d wrote:Is it a goddamn rule that 60 Minute has to make these lists?
Don't like 60 minute? It's harder to find out here, so when I do have it I typically enjoy it for nostalgia purposes.

I find it too sugary, but for nostalgia purposes it's fine. Shouldn't be on top 50 lists.

Also, Zombie Dust >>>>>>>forever>>> Hopslam

BSF21 · Post by **BSF21** » Fri Jun 17, 2016 12:18 pm

GoodKarma wrote:
Rush2112 wrote:From the AHA annual rankings:

1. Russian River Pliny the Elder
2. Bell’s Two Hearted Ale
3. The Alchemist Heady Topper
4. Ballast Point Sculpin IPA
5. Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin IPA
6. Founders Breakfast Stout
7. Three Floyds Zombie Dust
8. Bell’s Hopslam Ale
9. Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout
T10. Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA
T10. Stone Enjoy By IPA
12. Founders KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout)
13. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale
14. Lawson’s Finest Liquids Sip of Sunshine
15. Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
T16. Founders All Day IPA
T16. Sierra Nevada Celebration
18. Cigar City Jai Alai IPA
19. Boulevard Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale
20. Firestone Walker Wookey Jack
21. Arrogant Bastard Ale
22. Lagunitas Little Sumpin’ Sumpin’
23. Deschutes Black Butte Porter
T24. Left Hand Milk Stout Nitro
T24. Tröegs Nugget Nectar
26 Firestone Walker Union Jack
T27. Founders Backwoods Bastard
T27. Russian River Blind Pig IPA
T29. Lagunitas IPA
T29. Odell IPA
T29. Russian River Consecration
32. Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA
33. Tree House Julius
T34. Ballast Point Victory at Sea
T34. Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA
T34. Fat Head’s Head Hunter IPA
T34. Firestone Walker Double Jack
38. North Coast Old Rasputin
T39. Oskar Blues Ten Fidy
T39. Russian River Supplication
T39. Toppling Goliath pseudoSue
T42. Firestone Walker Parabola
T42. Surly Todd the Axe Man
44. Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter
45. Russian River Pliny the Younger
T46. Prairie Artisan Ales Bomb!
T46. Surly Furious
T46. Victory DirtWolf Double IPA
49. Maine Beer Lunch
T50. Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA
T50. New Belgium La Folie
I've never had HopSlam, ZombieDust or pseudoSue. I need to get to the midwest more.
Rush - I am currently in possession of some Zombie Dust...I'm happy to bring you some next time we meet up.

Hopslam is excellent...I agree it's better than Zombie Dust.

What's the best way to rob GoodKarma's place? Asking for a friend...

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Fri Jun 17, 2016 12:20 pm

(I'm the friend)

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Fri Jun 17, 2016 12:47 pm

GoodKarma wrote:
Rush - I am currently in possession of some Zombie Dust...I'm happy to bring you some next time we meet up.

Hopslam is excellent...I agree it's better than Zombie Dust.

Excellent!

How was the Robot Librarian?

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Fri Jun 17, 2016 1:01 pm

It's pointless to argue with some BS "best beer list," and I like this list since half of the beers are easily obtainable in a large number of states, but Grapefruit Sculpin sucks, and it's led to a deluge of fruit juice being dumped into IPAs. Stop the madness!

20 out of the top 27, 34 total. I started to fall off.

Just had Maine Lunch for the first time last night. Really good beer, but I don't get the crazy love. Maybe a bit harsh, because I drink a lot more DIPAs than IPAs, so I expect much more hops. Very crisp and clean, and really good. Refreshing even.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Fri Jun 17, 2016 1:13 pm

That last part is what I love about Lunch and Maine beers in general. And they're making it like that at 7%.

GoodKarma · Post by **GoodKarma** » Fri Jun 17, 2016 1:42 pm

BSF21 wrote: What's the best way to rob GoodKarma's place? Asking for a friend...

It's probably easier than it should be...my small-town youth hasn't yet escaped my daily habits. Doors and windows are left open far more than they probably should be.

Robot Librarian was so-so...I don't like knocking any beers b/c I really believe people should try everything since tastes are different. I think the New England style IPA's are a broadly interpreted style...some I like; this one I probably would not buy. It's one of those that might be better after it sits for while.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Fri Jun 17, 2016 1:54 pm

mister d wrote:That last part is what I love about Lunch and Maine beers in general. And they're making it like that at 7%.

That is quite a feat. The glass drained extremely quickly despite trying to savor it. Even more impressive is getting a beer that high in alcohol with no maltiness, and delicate hops.

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Fri Jun 17, 2016 2:40 pm

GoodKarma wrote:
BSF21 wrote: What's the best way to rob GoodKarma's place? Asking for a friend...
It's probably easier than it should be...my small-town youth hasn't yet escaped my daily habits. Doors and windows are left open far more than they probably should be.

Robot Librarian was so-so...I don't like knocking any beers b/c I really believe people should try everything since tastes are different. I think the New England style IPA's are a broadly interpreted style...some I like; this one I probably would not buy. It's one of those that might be better after it sits for while.

It's similar to the Juicy Bits, no?

I like them, but prefer a bit more malt backbone, otherwise it's like sipping hop juice...which I drink too fast.