The Swamp

mister d wrote: ↑Sat Sep 18, 2021 6:26 pm Does Canada not have overhead lighting?

Dramatic, no?

Drinking this guy tonight; Mango Sticky Rice IPA from The Source. This beer if phenomenal. I'll just quote their description, because it's better than what I could write. I don't think I would have thought of soft-serve ice cream, but I totally get it.

Mango Sticky Rice is a traditional Southeast Asian dessert made with fresh mango, rice, and sweet coconut milk. Our latest Imperial Milkshake IPA embodies this tasty treat in liquid form😋.
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This hazy, bright yellow-orange beauty was brewed with flaked rice along with flaked oats, flaked wheat, wheat malt, and a touch of milk sugar. It was hopped in the whirlpool with Azacca and then dry hopped heavily with Sabro and more Azacca.
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After fermentation this brew was conditioned on an abundance of juicy mango, toasted coconut, Madagascar vanilla bean, and coconut milk.
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Mango Sticky Rice boasts a fluffy, medium-full body and drinks like a mango smoothie with virtually no bitterness and a juicy finish.
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We get notes of mango vanilla swirl soft serve ice cream, sweet coconut milk, golden brown toasted coconut flakes, fresh mango chunks, creamy vanilla, and Thai mango sticky rice dessert.
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That sounds like a lot of the Jooses that they do at the Answer in Richmond. Which is to say, that sounds fucking delicious.

Zombie Dust. Three Floyds still doesn't distribute to Pittsburgh, but I'm lucky enough to have a generous friend who drives to Ohio occasionally. I've said before that I would have appreciated this more five or ten years ago, before I had so many dozens of great IPAs. This is still special, tho. Feels like a Moment. Wish I could share it with you, Swamp. But I can't. I can only share this Moment.

bapo! wrote: ↑Sun Sep 26, 2021 4:13 pm Zombie Dust.

I love re-visiting the OGs.

Gotta love the weaker lumberjacks that shit on them as sucking cause they aren't packed full of mango and lactose.

CHOCKO TACO - IPA w/ chocolate, vanilla, cone and milk sugar. 7.5% Oh no we didn't! Through ice cream wizardry, we brewed a hazy IPA that tastes like one of our favorite desserts. CHOCKO TACO blends the flavors of fudgy swirls, vanilla, sugar cone and milk sugar, and will bring you back to your happy place. You can enjoy CHOCKO TACO today in the taproom on draft or TO GO in 4pk//16oz cans

this feels like it has a high ceiling and a low floor. we'll find out friday.

Brontoburglar wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 10:01 am

CHOCKO TACO - IPA w/ chocolate, vanilla, cone and milk sugar. 7.5% Oh no we didn't! Through ice cream wizardry, we brewed a hazy IPA that tastes like one of our favorite desserts. CHOCKO TACO blends the flavors of fudgy swirls, vanilla, sugar cone and milk sugar, and will bring you back to your happy place. You can enjoy CHOCKO TACO today in the taproom on draft or TO GO in 4pk//16oz cans

this feels like it has a high ceiling and a low floor. we'll find out friday.

Sounds like great additions to a stout, not sure how that could work in an IPA, but I'd try it once.

Rush2112 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 28, 2021 9:55 pm

bapo! wrote: ↑Sun Sep 26, 2021 4:13 pm Zombie Dust.

I love re-visiting the OGs.

Gotta love the weaker lumberjacks that shit on them as sucking cause they aren't packed full of mango and lactose.

Is this a shot at me? I did just post praise for an IPA with mango and lactose, but I've never been called a weaker lumberjack. I had to check Untappt, as I recently tried Zombie Dust for the first time, and I gave it a good, but not great review.

The Sybian wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 10:04 am

Brontoburglar wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 10:01 am

CHOCKO TACO - IPA w/ chocolate, vanilla, cone and milk sugar. 7.5% Oh no we didn't! Through ice cream wizardry, we brewed a hazy IPA that tastes like one of our favorite desserts. CHOCKO TACO blends the flavors of fudgy swirls, vanilla, sugar cone and milk sugar, and will bring you back to your happy place. You can enjoy CHOCKO TACO today in the taproom on draft or TO GO in 4pk//16oz cans

this feels like it has a high ceiling and a low floor. we'll find out friday.

Sounds like great additions to a stout, not sure how that could work in an IPA, but I'd try it once.

they have an orange creamsicle one that I keep meaning to try. saw it at the store yesterday. vanilla and orange and milk. I'll probably get that when I stop there thursday.

(I hardly drink craft at home any longer. it's usually macro swill or mixed drinks and then craft while we're out)

The Sybian wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 10:13 amIs this a shot at me? I did just post praise for an IPA with mango and lactose, but I've never been called a weaker lumberjack. I had to check Untappt, as I recently tried Zombie Dust for the first time, and I gave it a good, but not great review.

Maybe an amalgamation of a bunch of us since I (1) wear very nice flannel shirts and (2) loved Zombie Dust many years back but (3) hate lactose or fruit in IPAs?

mister d wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 12:54 pm

The Sybian wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 10:13 amIs this a shot at me? I did just post praise for an IPA with mango and lactose, but I've never been called a weaker lumberjack. I had to check Untappt, as I recently tried Zombie Dust for the first time, and I gave it a good, but not great review.

Maybe an amalgamation of a bunch of us since I (1) wear very nice flannel shirts and (2) loved Zombie Dust many years back but (3) hate lactose or fruit in IPAs?

Ok, so you are #1, I am #3, did somebody here trash Zombie Dust?

I think its the whole "if you liked something in 2011 and think there are better products in 2021, you're a hipster douche" mantra?

mister d wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 1:33 pm I think its the whole "if you liked something in 2011 and think there are better products in 2021, you're a hipster douche" mantra?

It seems more of a hipster move to prefer a beer that was great by the standards 10 years ago despite the industry making huge innovations since then.

Ah, the classic blue-collar "tastes great!" vs "more innovations!" barroom debate.

mister d wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 1:33 pm I think its the whole "if you liked something in 2011 and think there are better products in 2021, you're a hipster douche" mantra?

More it's hipster to trash on shit that was great (and still is great) in 2011 and say it's trash because they can't stomach an actual IPA without it tasting like orange juice or have 17 adjuncts. I like both (but generally prefer to drink 1 or 2 of the adjunct heavy and many of the more traditional IPAs.)

Not a shot at you Syb I think I just saw someone's backlit photo on Facebook praising an "IPA" then in another post saying Heady Topper straight-up sucks so those were what was in my mind...plus I didn't mention rice.

That's a pretty simple view, no? Zombie Dust was a great citra IPA in 2011. There are many more citra IPAs in 2021 and a decent bunch of them are better than Zombie Dust. No adjuncts, not NEIPAs, none of that. Just overall better products now that there are like 4x as many breweries as before.

mister d wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 4:04 pm That's a pretty simple view, no? Zombie Dust was a great citra IPA in 2011. There are many more citra IPAs in 2021 and a decent bunch of them are better than Zombie Dust. No adjuncts, not NEIPAs, none of that. Just overall better products now that there are like 4x as many breweries as before.

I have no problem with someone saying Zombie Dust is still pretty good, but I think CitraBomb2021 is better. Saying ZD is trash because this vanilla bourbon raspberry smoothie milkshake IPA is available is what I have a problem with. The VBRSM isn't existing unless brewers went beyond the standard British IPA or American Pale in the early 2000s. Those beers are available because people tasted Heady, Zombie Dust, and Pliny and decided to push the envelope with new hops, hopping techniques, then adding adjuncts. If people were given an IPA with adjuncts in 2011 an IPA drinker would have like WTF is this shit? With the evolution, tastes have changed, but it's wrong to call something crap that set past standards AND helped develop the style/beer that they're currently enjoying.

(and I think the vast majority of those 4x breweries aren't that great and make shitty examples of beers. We have tons of breweries here. I have like 6-7 within a 10 minutes drive. I go to 2 because they brew good/great beer, the other 5 are maybe mediocre/good at best and generally have 17 NEIPAs and a shit adjunct stout on tap.)

I honestly don't know a single person who likes anything resembling the run-on sentence beers you mention here.

Haven't been to a brewery lately, eh?

And nothing against Syb, but his rice mango IPA is one of those beers and he evidently liked it.

Rush2112 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 4:23 pm I have no problem with someone saying Zombie Dust is still pretty good, but I think CitraBomb2021 is better. Saying ZD is trash because this vanilla bourbon raspberry smoothie milkshake IPA is available is what I have a problem with. The VBRSM isn't existing unless brewers went beyond the standard British IPA or American Pale in the early 2000s. Those beers are available because people tasted Heady, Zombie Dust, and Pliny and decided to push the envelope with new hops, hopping techniques, then adding adjuncts.

Ahh... the old "is Oasis better than the Beatles?" debate.

Anyway, I enjoyed that Zombie Dust, you guys! Sorry for the interruption!

Rush2112 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 7:07 pm Haven't been to a brewery lately, eh?

Taplist

Maybe it’s just the breweries you go to that make weird and bad shit??? Burn!!! 🔥🔥🔥

"tastes like a blueberry muffin with brown sugar dusting"

Going for the same crowd there ace.

I hear the hipsters are all about the shitty web design too.

My local

Also unironically enjoying this Southern Tier Cold Brew Coffee Pumking Nitro! I regret nothing!

Rush2112 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 8:29 pm "tastes like a blueberry muffin with brown sugar dusting"

Going for the same crowd there ace.

I hear the hipsters are all about the shitty web design too.

God damnit, I was actually going to agree with your really long post, even the part making fun of me for liking a rice/mango/lactose IPA (I hear ya, but THIS one was really fucking good!), but now you had to go an make fun of Twin Elephant Brewery! How DARE you! It's such a cool brewery with a beautiful tasting room, the owners are incredibly cool people, and they make some great beers. Controversial take, I'm getting a bit sick of their NEIPA's and others like them. I'm finding the lupulin powder hops kind of chalky for lack of a better word. They need to make more stouts and porters, because they do a great job with them, and usually have 6 IPAs and a saison or cream ale, no dark beers.

I respect the hell out of the OGs, and I like to drink them as a reminder of where the newer breweries ideas came from. Heady and others put NEIPA on the map and gave the newer flashier guys something to strive for. I'm all about drinking the OGs to remind me where it started. I'll try IPAs with adjuncts, but it seems like cheating when you can use hops to get all sorts of fruity flavors. I currently have a sixer of ZD at home. Sometimes you just feel like a straight up Pale Ale. It's the first time I've ever had it, and to be honest, there are 10 better options on the shelf any time I go to the store, so I doubt I'll buy it any time soon, but if I'm in a restaurant and that's the best option, I will order and enjoy it.

I'll also admit to enjoying the smoothie sours. Do they look and taste more like a daiquiri than a beer? Sometimes, but I'll admit they taste great and I'm about to open one now! Strawberry, blueberry, banana with lactose and vanilla from Drekker. Is it beer? Barely, but I don't give a fuck, it's delicious and fun! A few months ago I had a kettle sour conditioned on Haribo gummy peaches. Fucking amazing! Maybe I should take this to the confessions thread, but that was a really fun beer. Could I drink more than one? Hell no, but I'd buy it again.

bapo! wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 8:54 pm Also unironically enjoying this Southern Tier Cold Brew Coffee Pumking Nitro! I regret nothing!

I like the nitro and cold brew coffee, but you can keep the pumpkin beers. I was happy to see all the pumpkin beers on the shelf this week because it greatly narrowed the options for me.

Rush2112 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 8:29 pm "tastes like a blueberry muffin with brown sugar dusting"

Going for the same crowd there ace.

I hear the hipsters are all about the shitty web design too.

My local

Wait a minute! Your local has a frozen slushee beer with raspberry puree, a stout with raspberries, cherries and vanilla, a beer described as "everything you like about pumpkin pie" and a beer "using bloody Mary mix, pickle brine, whole serrano peppers and lime juice." Not knocking it, hell I'd love to try their collab with Death & Co: "sour ale brewed with oats, pineapple, raspberry, meyer lemon, agave nectar and a touch of smoked malt." That sounds amazing to me. I'm all about smoked beers.

ETA: and a beer made with flaked rice and jasmine puffed rice!

I wasn't making fun of the brewery, just pointing out with those descriptions they're trying to attract a certain crowd.

I like some of the fried shoes too, had a few from Trillium called Daily Serving that were excellent alcoholic smoothies.

I'm only drinking one though, maybe two

Funny you mention stouts, even I was first into craft I basically drank only stouts. Now it's incredibly hard to find one that isn't cramed marshmallow fluff or whatnot. I can't typically handle more than a smaller of those, wife loves them though.

Pumpkin stouts low on spices are doable, the pie in a glass is a no go.

The Sybian wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 9:16 pm

Wait a minute!

Yup, and I drink the NEIPAs, the West Coast, and sometimes the stouts they have. The Pump Action isn't bad for a pumpkin beer (GABF Gold like 3 or 4 times!)

Nearly every place here is something somewhat similar unless it's a niche brewery (lager only or the like.)

Oh, and rice is very much used as an adjunct super clarifying and cheap, so sort of cheating.

The Sybian wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 9:07 pm I like the nitro and cold brew coffee, but you can keep the pumpkin beers.

No, Syb, fuck YOU!

A couple of weeks ago, I came home from work exhausted, and I drank a can of Yuengling in the shower! And it was great! Actually, no it wasn't! But it served its purpose! And for that reason alone, it was great!

(Which beer should I pour next? This is like a 'Choose Your Own Adventure' for The Swamp?)

Rush2112 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 9:17 pm I wasn't making fun of the brewery, just pointing out with those descriptions they're trying to attract a certain crowd.

I like some of the fried shoes too, had a few from Trillium called Daily Serving that were excellent alcoholic smoothies.

I'm only drinking one though, maybe two

Funny you mention stouts, even I was first into craft I basically drank only stouts. Now it's incredibly hard to find one that isn't cramed marshmallow fluff or whatnot. I can't typically handle more than a smaller of those, wife loves them though.

Pumpkin stouts low on spices are doable, the pie in a glass is a no go.

I was joking about defending the brewery, as I know you don't know them, but it is a really cool place and the owners are really cool. I was so excited when they opened and it's been fun watching their success.

Not sure about the fried shoes, but those carnies will deep fry anything!

I hear ya on the stouts, it was my first love. The pastry stout craze is going overboard, but I do like some of them. Had a great one with lactose, nilla wafers, vanilla aged in rum and bourbon barrels. Could only drink one, but at 14% and 750 ml, that's all I need.

bapo! wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 9:25 pm

The Sybian wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 9:07 pm I like the nitro and cold brew coffee, but you can keep the pumpkin beers.

No, Syb, fuck YOU!

A couple of weeks ago, I came home from work exhausted, and I drank a can of Yuengling in the shower! And it was great! Actually, no it wasn't! But it served its purpose! And for that reason alone, it was great!

(Which beer should I pour next? This is like a 'Choose Your Own Adventure' for The Swamp?)

I was waiting for a friend a few weeks ago and I had a Fat Tire. First one in close to a decade. It was fantastic.

and if I were you I'd go DIPA, but I nearly always do.

And Syb next time you're in CO. 4 Noses is one of the must hits, up there with Weldwerks/Wiley, Outer Range and Knotted Root.

Rush2112 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 9:41 pm and if I were you I'd go DIPA, but I nearly always do.

Too late for that. I wake up early these days. Maybe half of a macro. Yuengling 4 Lyfe!

I had Victory Hop Devil last year for the first time in a while. It was like drinking history. IPAs don't taste like this anymore. Nice that it's still an option, tho.

Rush2112 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 8:29 pm "tastes like a blueberry muffin with brown sugar dusting"

Going for the same crowd there ace.

I hear the hipsters are all about the shitty web design too.

My local

So they want the blueberry and brown sugar adjunct customer but rather than get that blueberry and brown sugar adjunct customer by adjuncting in blueberry and brown sugar, they instead just toss out tasting notes to secretly pull them in?

mister d wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 11:26 pm

Rush2112 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 8:29 pm "tastes like a blueberry muffin with brown sugar dusting"

Going for the same crowd there ace.

I hear the hipsters are all about the shitty web design too.

My local

So they want the blueberry and brown sugar adjunct customer but rather than get that blueberry and brown sugar adjunct customer by adjuncting in blueberry and brown sugar, they instead just toss out tasting notes to secretly pull them in?

It's supposedly an TIPA. I'm pretty well versed in hops and such and I'm not sure one tastes of muffins and sugar. Their fruited sours have a shitton of adjuncts. If they had a pilsner (rather than a cream ale, which is probably what the brewer drinks) they'd pretty much be hitting the hot beer type trifecta.

No actually the head brewer is only called "The Adjunct Dumper" because they used to be going out with a part time college professor but then things went downhill ...

Sorry, the cool brewery you thought would impress is simply a hipster hangout, no reason to use your good comedic material here.

bapo! wrote: ↑Wed Sep 29, 2021 9:50 pm Too late for that. I wake up early these days. Maybe half of a macro. Yuengling 4 Lyfe!

I appreciate Bapo! going PA strong. Yuengling is great for what it is. The new brews are all pretty terrible(Summer, Oktoberfest). The Chocolate porter isn't bad.

Any beer in the shower is a good beer.