What Beer Are You Drinking? Spring '09

[augustgarage]

I've found a few places with decent bottle selections (e.g. Galco's, a couple of the Whole Foods branches), but hadn't seen HOTD down here yet, so thanks for the tip.

The Red Trolley Ale comes across as a sort of failed experiment if you compare it to other seasonal red ales (e.g. Santa's Private Reserve by Rogue) - but I like the caramelized malt nuttiness which seems balanced more by the yeast rather than the hops. The flavor profile is a bit peculiar (somebody described the aroma as "tomato soup" on beeradvocate), so I could see not enjoying it. Why do you hate it?

I've had a lot of craft beers that I think are overrated (mostly California/Colorado micros) but only a handful that I found to be undrinkable (I'm looking at you Monkey Face Porter...of course I might have gotten a spoiled batch).

[Phischy]

Karl Strauss is just not a good beer brewer to me. I haven't cared for anything that they produce. I'm a pretty big homebrewer, and have taken the BJCP exam (waiting on my scores). They're lifeless and boring.

My favorite so cal breweries are Alesmith, Ballast Point and Alpine Brewing companies.

I'd be interested to hear which CA/CO brews you've thought were over rated.

[dave ziegler]

Speaking Of Home brewing last Night I had a wonderful Porter Brewed by my Friend and it was as good if not better then most Porters I have drank. And If there is one thing I love its porter.

I had my first Porter when I 19 yrs old mount Carmel pa. you would knock 3 times have your money ready and out would come a bag of 6 Kaiers Special Porter as fast as you got the brown bag the money was gone and the door closed. All you saw was a hand!

The Old Timers up in the Pa Coal regions called it Medicine! And I have Loved Porter ever since!

Dave Z

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Beer Its More Than Just A beverage Beer Is Food

[augustgarage]

Karl Strauss is just not a good beer brewer to me. I haven't cared for anything that they produce. I'm a pretty big homebrewer, and have taken the BJCP exam (waiting on my scores). They're lifeless and boring.

I'd never heard of the BJCP exam until now, so thanks for that!

My favorite so cal breweries are Alesmith, Ballast Point and Alpine Brewing companies.

I'd be interested to hear which CA/CO brews you've thought were over rated.

I've only had a couple offerings (Horny Devil and Speedway Stout I think) from Alesmith but none from the other two. I'll try them if I see them.

Over-rated brews:

CA: Ruedrich's Red Seal Ale, Anderson Valley's Boont Amber Ale, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale are all mediocre.

Everything I've had by Lost Coast has been unremarkable (Great White was OK). Really, there are very few NorCal brews I've had that are even as good as Anchor Steam...

Stone makes some interesting beers, but while I like Arrogant Bastard fair enough, I am really tired of hearing how it is "the best beer ever" from countless people. No way. Stone wouldn't even make my top 10 domestics.

I'm not big on several of the Lagunitas beers either (their IPA or their Russian Imperial Stout for instance), though I need to try/re-try a couple of their offerings.

WA/CA: (Seattle/Berkeley): Pyramid - the beers I've tried from them range from "meh" to "yuck"

CO: New Belgium - Skinny Dip is not very good. Fat Tire is pretty boring. 1554 and Abbey are decent (but neither comes close the majority of real Belgian brews). 2 below is forgettable.

I lived in Portland from '97 - '02, went to Belgium in '06, and have beer-loving family in Wisconsin so California has been a pretty big disappointment beer-wise. Next time I'm down in SD maybe I can trade you some of my home-made limoncello for some of your home-brew :yum: :grin:

[HipFlask]

Well my wife is out in California visiting releative's so I am home batchin it. One advantage of that is I can drink beer unfettered by my prohabitionist wife. She's actually not that bad but I do get a raised eye brow if I part take in beverages too many days in a row. But here is the list of most of the beers I have consumed since she's been gone.

1. 2008 Cuvee Van DeKeizer Blauw-Gouden Carolus this beer rated a 99 and is only brewed once a year on Feb 24th att 11%.

2. Bitburger Premium beer. It comes in a four pack for 3.79 at the local store.

3. Zotler Bier - Korbinian Dunkel. This is a classic Dark Lager. Yummie

4. Smuttynose IPA. This is a dry hopped and unfiltered beer. Got love the sediment and the hops!

5. Great Lakes Brewing Co. Edmund Fitzgerald Porter. This is a Smokey, Robust Dark porter is very very good. Bavarian Purity Law brewed.

6. 2 beers form Meantime There London Porter and IPA. These are 2 very good beers. Bottle conditioned as well. I think I see a trend in the beers I like.

7. New Glarus Wi. Brewery's Hearty Hop IPA. I drank a whole six pack at Poker night with the guys. 12 hours of poker. I was very aggressive and won. This hoppy beer help me through it.

8. New Glarus Wi. Uff-da bock. This is a stand by and is always in the frig. My wife and her friends like this beer.

9. And a third New Glarus brew. Their Stout. This one has that heavy chocolate taste very good stuff.

My favs so far have been #3, #1 and #4 with both beers in #6 in the best runner up category.

[augustgarage]

What is the New Glarus stout called? The only stout I've seen from them is the seasonal coffee stout (also, I agree Meantime Londo Porter is pretty tasty).

[OscarV]

It was unusally warm today, so I sprung for a 6 of Czechvar.

[HipFlask]

I will have to pick up another 6 pack of the New Glarus Stout. I must confess I don't remember what the label read other than the sticker on the neck of the bottle that read "Stout". It could be your coffee stout or perhaps a Irish style stout. I will get back to you on that.

[Phischy]

I'd never heard of the BJCP exam until now, so thanks for that!

I've only had a couple offerings (Horny Devil and Speedway Stout I think) from Alesmith but none from the other two. I'll try them if I see them.

Over-rated brews:

CA: Ruedrich's Red Seal Ale, Anderson Valley's Boont Amber Ale, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale are all mediocre.

Everything I've had by Lost Coast has been unremarkable (Great White was OK). Really, there are very few NorCal brews I've had that are even as good as Anchor Steam...

Stone makes some interesting beers, but while I like Arrogant Bastard fair enough, I am really tired of hearing how it is "the best beer ever" from countless people. No way. Stone wouldn't even make my top 10 domestics.

I'm not big on several of the Lagunitas beers either (their IPA or their Russian Imperial Stout for instance), though I need to try/re-try a couple of their offerings.

WA/CA: (Seattle/Berkeley): Pyramid - the beers I've tried from them range from "meh" to "yuck"

CO: New Belgium - Skinny Dip is not very good. Fat Tire is pretty boring. 1554 and Abbey are decent (but neither comes close the majority of real Belgian brews). 2 below is forgettable.

I lived in Portland from '97 - '02, went to Belgium in '06, and have beer-loving family in Wisconsin so California has been a pretty big disappointment beer-wise. Next time I'm down in SD maybe I can trade you some of my home-made limoncello for some of your home-brew :yum: :grin:

The BJCP study guide is online there, just have to look to see when a test in your area. The last 2 tests for So Cal have been in San Diego. One important aspect of testing is off flavors.

Not that impressed with Cali beers? Sir, no offense, but you're drinking all the wrong stuff. Cali wins more medals at the Great American Beer Fest than any other state. And the county of san diego last year won more medals than Oregon and Washington...combined. www.gabf.org

SNPA is a good standby, but West Coast IPA from Green Flash is really good. So is their IIPA. Ballast Point is making inroads with their specail release beers that have very limited distribution but are fantastic. I was at Pizza Port San Clemente last weekend and their Infamous Stout was hands down amazing.

I go to Portland about 2x a year and most of their beer is about average. Lots of brewpubs putting out tons of beer, but a lot of it isn't remarkable. I have had some outstanding beers there, don't get me wrong. On a whole, it's 2nd or 3rd place to SD.

Now: Go find great beer!

[augustgarage]

Picked up Sierra Nevada 2009 ESB, Ballast Point Wahoo Wheat Beer, and Dogfish Head Palo Santa Marron.

[dave ziegler]

Last night it was Tommy Knocker Coco Porter and Anchor Porter just can't have enough good porters!

Dave Z

[Phischy]

I'm judging the Porter catagory tonight for my region's entries into Nationals. 8 people judging 39 beers. Ought to be very interesting!

Last night I had North Coast Old Ale, Port brewing Old Viscosity, Russian river Blind Pig, and 8oz of the Barrel Aged Imperial Porter Decadance by Alesmith...oh my god...the perfect blend of bourbon and beer. So so so good. Oh and a bottle I shared of Affligem Noel.

[augustgarage]

I guess that means you passed your test? Congrats.

Speaking of bourbon and beer, have you tried the Goose Island Bourbon County Stout? Saw some at a store up here but hesitated based on price. I usually go for the Allagash Curieux when I want a bourbon barrel-aged ale.

Picked up Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA, several of my go-to Belgian and German beers, and a good selection of California brews (Blind Pig and Pliny the Elder from Russian River, Saison de Lente from The Bruery, a dusty bottle of Yulesmith Holiday from Alesmith, etc).

I also grabbed a Hitachino Next Extra High, which is aged in sake casks...

[Phischy]

I do not know yet if I passed, but the fact I've taken the test puts me at the lowest ranking of 'apprentience'. If I score 60+ then I'm an 'official' judge. The rankings are: Recognized/Certified/National/Master/Master + and to get into each catagory you have to score a certain number and then also have enough expierence points.

I was judging with a certified level judge and we made it through 12 of the 29 poters, next group did 9 and the other two groups did 6. We went so fast simply because I was judging the beers damn near what the certified level judge was doing. So I thought that was good, my buds were dialed into what I was sensing and it agreed with what the higher ranking judge thought.

The Bourbon County Stout is expensive, but it's SO good. It generally takes me about an hour to sip my way through 12oz...and it needs to warm up a bit to really release the flavor.

[funknik]

Stopped into a favorite NH local brewery after hiking yesterday . . . Moat Mountain Brew & Smoke House. My wife and I each had a Blueberry Wheat and filled our two growlers with another gallon of the stuff to bring home -- it was pretty good. The fruit flavor was very understated as to be almost indistinguishable, but still present and crisp and smooth.

I also can see from my desk at work 5 cases of Yuengling Lager cans. My boss just visited his folks in PA this weekend and, since he knows that I'm a Yuengling fan, I'm hoping at least one of those cases is for me. They have been sitting here all day and he hasn't mentioned anything to me about it -- the anticipation is killing me.

[texascarl]

A new brew from Kansas City's Boulevard, their 'Single Wide IPA'. Very piney hops, nice bite. I've kinda moved away from IPAs in recent years, but there was a time this would have been right up my alley.

http://tinyurl.com/c8xu4l

[MissingKY]

Wow, Carl, I was just about to post that I'm trying that one for the first time tonight, too. I think the Single Wide IPA is pretty tasty with a nice hoppiness. The mouthfeel is just a little thinner than I'd like, but it's a nice beer.

Boulevard seems to do pretty well with their beers. I got a sampler 12-pack of theirs a few months ago, and all of the beers were solid. Their dry stout and American Pale Ale were particularly nice.

[gr8erdane]

I'm quaffing off a growler of Left Hand Imperial Stout that alas! was too heavy to pack off for the Sampler. When I picked this up last week I got to sample an early batch of their new IPA that will soon join their bottled lineup. Keep your eyes out for the 400 lb Monkey. It's not as hoppy as some IPAs I've had but is still big on taste. I finally found the Oskar Blues brewery here in Longmont but have yet to zero in on their tasting room. Tomorrow I plan on continuing the search...

[texascarl]

It's nice to see folks in Chicago drinking KC's Blvd beer. FWIW, I drink a lot of your Goose Island, turnabout is fair play. Their Kolsch is a summer fave around here.

Boulevard has a draft-only Maibock available right now. I'ma make it a point to go find some on tap and give it a taste before it goes away.

[Phischy]

I'm quaffing off a growler of Left Hand Imperial Stout that alas! was too heavy to pack off for the Sampler. When I picked this up last week I got to sample an early batch of their new IPA that will soon join their bottled lineup. Keep your eyes out for the 400 lb Monkey. It's not as hoppy as some IPAs I've had but is still big on taste. I finally found the Oskar Blues brewery here in Longmont but have yet to zero in on their tasting room. Tomorrow I plan on continuing the search...

During GABF I did a tour of breweries north of Denver. The old Oskar Blues and their main bar is up the road in Lyons. I'm not sure if their production facility in Longmont actually has a tasting room. If you haven't been to Lyons, check it out. That bar is a Blast! I've been there twice so far, and now they're calling their yella beer as well.

Cans of Ted Fidy...yum. I also dig all their beer, if you can get it barrel aged, you're a total bastard...I'm dying to try that. maybe on at GABF next year.

[ggilbertva]

Found some Alagash White at a local package store. I really like this beer.

[gr8erdane]

Thanks to Chris (Klepackage) I've been introduced to the OB bar in Lyons and I've been told they have a tasting room somewhere near the brewery in southern Longmont but successive trips to find it have been less than successful, ending in stopping in at Left Hand to drown my sorrows. I did purchase a six of Mama's Little Yella Pils and it's not bad for someone who doesn't like heavy beers. The can actually says malt liquor on it for some odd reason. Guess they want to eventually sell it in 40 oz cans...

[Klepackage]

Thanks to Chris (Klepackage) I've been introduced to the OB bar in Lyons and I've been told they have a tasting room somewhere near the brewery in southern Longmont but successive trips to find it have been less than successful, ending in stopping in at Left Hand to drown my sorrows. I did purchase a six of Mama's Little Yella Pils and it's not bad for someone who doesn't like heavy beers. The can actually says malt liquor on it for some odd reason. Guess they want to eventually sell it in 40 oz cans...

Just head south on Hover until you cross the diagonal. Take a left (east) on Pike which is the first intersection after Hover and Diagonal. It's on the left side in the big buildings just past the community college. If you go through the next intersection, you've gone too far.

[Rake]

Very fresh Pliny and Cantillon Vigneronne on tap at the Falling Rock today. Heaven.

[augustgarage]

Very fresh Pliny and Cantillon Vigneronne on tap at the Falling Rock today. Heaven.

The Elder or the Younger?