What beer are you drinking? Winter 12/13

Southern Tier Unearthly DIPA. Reminds me of DFH90 with that thick smooth maltiness.

That's the second endorsement for a Southern Tier brew. I'll have to put it on my list.

Getting ready to pop open a Clown Shoes Supa Hero...

Southern Tier puts out a strong line up. Check out BA for expressions and ratings.

I had some Hopslam with lunch and just opened a bomber of FFF Dreadnaught. I love hops.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by unclebunk

In England, many pub owners/managers hire a "cellar man" (if they lack the knowledge and expertise to handle the chore themselves) to continually monitor the beer's progress until it is ready to be served. Having spent many hours in pub cellars picking their brains as to how it's all done, I learned rather quickly that it really takes a great deal of time to learn the ropes, given that each keg of beer is different, and that a novice will inevitably end up serving an inferior pint. I'm afraid that may often be the case here in the US which is unfortunate but understandable.

This year I will be attending the event linked below which takes place every spring just outside Boston. It's a fabulous time!

http://www.nerax.org/home/what-is-real-ale.html

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That looks like a lot of fun! Yeah, not only do I wonder about the experience of the bartender in drawing from a cask, but I wonder about the contents of the cask itself. Is the beer meant for cask conditioning different from the beer that goes in a regular keg? The bartender at Firkin said they had ZD in the cask the other week. Would that be different from the ZD used in a regular tap - other than the fact that it's not as cold or carbonated?

The best cask-conditioned ale I had in Chicago was at Owen and Engine. It was some kind of Scottish brew made with heather instead of hops. Totally unique and very tasty!

I'm drinking some GI Night Stalker as I casually watch San Fran get a spanking in a rare moment of respite from what has been a LONG last week and a half. The hops have died down a bit since my last bomber a month or two ago. It's a shame. Still pretty darn good, but without the hop kick, the finish is a little sweeter than I prefer.

Edit: my respite was just totally interrupted for like 25 minutes. What good is respite if its just gonna be interrupted??

Edit again: I clearly misused the term 'spanking.' See what happens when my respite is interrupted?

3 good ones today. Orval, Rochefort 10 and Founder's Breakfast Stout

Finishing my Hopslam from last year to get ready and buy some from this year. Bell's really makes good beer.

Best regards, Tony

Enjoyed some FFF Rye da Tiger. Deliciously creamy and wonderfully hopped. I think those Floyd boys may just know how to brew a pale ale....

Today my buddy pulled out a Magnum of 2006 Anchor Christmas Ale. We followed it up with a magnum of the 2012 release. The 2006 was overall better by our account with more depth and a more balanced profile. The 2012 was sweeter and hoppier and probably more drinkable. Both were really good, as I usually find this release, but having the two together was special. Thank goodness for patient friends, I don't think I could hold onto something that long!