What Beer are you drinking spring 2011

[Chris24]

Just picked up some Firewalker Parabola

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2210/41815

[cigarnv]

Picked up a few 2010 North Coast Old Stock Ales this weekend as I have enjoyed other NC products.

This is a big boy coming in at 11.7% ABV. In the glass it is a dark copper color with a nice tan head. The aroma is malt, caramel, raisins and dark dried fruit. Very sweet nose with vanilla and a slight hint of mustiness.

This is a big, sweet beer/barley wine that hits you with flavors of caramel, malt, candied fruit and vanilla. I can detect no hops at all resulting IMO a beer that lacks balance. To me this is a very sweet, grab your attention beer that will become a bit boring to most before they finish the glass. Not much complexity and one dimensional to me.

I am usually a fan of big, rich and malt filled beers but this NC is missing the mark for me.

[Tennessee Dave]

Bell's India Pale Ale and Two hearted Ale. Both delicious.

[unclebunk]

Bell's India Pale Ale and Two hearted Ale. Both delicious.

How true. I can drink those two all day long and never get tired of them. (BTW: Bell's Two Hearted is their IPA, while the other is their standard Pale Ale.)

[cigarnv]

Founders Centennial with lunch today... a very nice and balanced IPA... worth looking for.

[AaronWF]

Bell's India Pale Ale and Two hearted Ale. Both delicious.

Mmmm... I love me some Two Hearted.

Drank a few Brooklyn Brewery India Pale Ales last night. Maltier than the Two Hearted, but great depth!

Also been chugging on Two Brothers Resistance IPA: DELICIOUS! And crisper than the previous two mentioned IPAs.

Also found myself enjoying Founders Dirty Bastard this past weekend. Well balanced and very drinkable.

[craigthom]

I stopped by Liquor Barn today to find they had just tapped a keg of Founders Double Trouble, so I got a small (32oz) growler bring home. Yes, I always have growlers in the car, just in case. Don't you?

[CorvallisCracker]

I always have growlers in the car, just in case. Don't you?

Yes, I do. I find they're an effective deterrent to break ins.

Oh wait...you're talking about bottles for beer. Never mind.

[craigthom]

Finishing off the half-growler of Founders Double Trouble (a great craft beer from Michigan, OscarV!).

I am too old to drink 32 ounces of 9.4% beer on one school night, so I split it over two. Maybe a little flatter today, but it tastes fine. I suspect, with this level of alcohol and hops, that this beer would last a few more days in the growler. I'm counting on my stockpile of bottles (in the fridge!) to last a few months.

It doesn't taste like it has that much alcohol, but that may be the hops covering the taste of the alcohol (I can usually taste the alcohol above 7% ABV).

(I'm sure glad the laws where changed so that it's legal for breweries to put ABV on the label" it makes it easier to avoid getting carried away. I think the reason it was illegal for so long is that they were afraid people would just buy the higher alcohol beer so they could get drunker. I'm sure people will (some people buy Stagg for that reason), but I don't think most people do, or they wouldn't sell so much light beer. And those people probably think that Canadian beer has more alcohol in it. And, really, they could buy more than twelve Buds for the price of a four pack of this scarily-hopped beer they couldn't drink.)

[RyanL]

Having a bottle of 2008 Schlafly Reserve Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels. Good stuff and if you are in the St. Louis area it is definitely worth picking up at $9.99 for a 750ml bottle.

[Special Reserve]

Finishing off the half-growler of Founders Double Trouble (a great craft beer from Michigan, OscarV!).

I am too old to drink 32 ounces of 9.4% beer on one school night, so I split it over two. Maybe a little flatter today, but it tastes fine.

Do you mean too old or too wise?

My capacity for beer has not diminished much over time but my desire to over imbibe has.

[craigthom]

Do you mean too old or too wise?

My capacity for beer has not diminished much over time but my desire to over imbibe has.

Excellent point. I certainly could drink it, but I know I wouldn't be happy with the results.

I discovered, for good or evil, that a local bar has a "pint night" each week which features one or two beers and souvenir glasses from the brewery. Thursday night they had Founders Double Trouble and Three Floyds Gumball Head.

The problem is that this is one of three bars owned by the same people, so that's three pint nights a week.

The good news is that, after checking the calendar, I discovered that most of the featured beers are of no interest to me. If I can be tempted by only three or four pint nights a month I'll be fine, at least until I run out of room for the glasses.

[Special Reserve]

I discovered, for good or evil, that a local bar has a "pint night" each week which features one or two beers and souvenir glasses from the brewery. Thursday night they had Founders Double Trouble and Three Floyds Gumball Head.

That's a great local bar that would have beer the quality of Double Trouble as a featured "pint night" beer.

What are some of their other features?

Will

[unclebunk]

Magic Hat #9. Hadn't had it in a while and it was crisp and delicious.

[cigarnv]

Last evening we had a few friends and a few SB’ers over to do a bit of beer tasting… here is how they stacked up on a 1 – 10 scale with 10 being the highest

Oskar Blues Gubna – Imperial IPA.. delicious, rich, sweet, balanced 7.5

Red Hook Copper Hook – American Amber – thin, bland, little taste 2.5

Yuengling Bock – Pedestrian, no real bock nuances, just OK 4.0

Firestone Double Jack – Imperial IPA – delicious, complex, balanced 8.0

Unita Cockeyed Cooper – Barley Wine – great brew, 11.1% abv, $9 at Costco 8.5

Zywiec Porter – from Poland, good, balanced, not real sweet, 9.5% abv, 5.0

Dogfish Head India Brown Ale – good average brown, Bells is better 6.0

Flying Dog Raging Bitch – Belgium IPA – different, food beer, decent 6.0

Dogfish Head World Wide Stout – Huge, rich, complex, decadently good 9.5

Best beer was the World Wide but at a big $$$. Best value was the Cockeyed Cooper which was excellent and a Costco selection (Greg G. discovered this one).

[craigthom]

That's a great local bar that would have beer the quality of Double Trouble as a featured "pint night" beer.

What are some of their other features?

Will

They've provided the list in a very user-unfriendly way. I'd rather just have a list, or a calendar, or something. Every time you click on something in that scrolling box it jumps back to the top.

[Special Reserve]

user unfriendly is right, but their beer selection is great. Must be standing room only or I wonder why they go all out with the beer selection.

[callmeox]

I went for a couple of session beers at an annual party last night, Wanderer Session IPA and Bitter American by 21st Amendment. It's great to have beers with complexity but without the burden of high gravity.

[smokinjoe]

My favorite beer while watching the Indy 500, on what is going to turn out to be a sun-filled scorcher, here Down South. Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier. :yum:

[BourbonJoe]

My favorite beer while watching the Indy 500, on what is going to turn out to be a sun-filled scorcher, here Down South. Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier. :yum:

Well you're finally drinking a decent wheat beer. I hope you put a slice of lemon in it?

Joe :usflag:

[HP12]

Beer in a can is back in vogue...Oscar Blues Ten Fidy Imperial Stout...yes, in a can and awesome "motor oil" - 10/50

[OscarV]

Cans keep out light better than brown bottles.

[craigthom]

And cans are lighter and cost less to transport. They are also more easily recycled (around here I can just leave aluminum cans by my trash can and they magically disappear).

[cigarnv]

Yesterday was BBQ and Rolling Rock....... While not a craft beer it does have its place....... an old favorite from my Philly days.

[dean_martin]

After doing some yard work late yesterday in the heat and humidity, I wanted something crisp and refreshing. Found an SN Summerfest 2009 in the back of the mini-fridge. Surprisingly, it hadn't lost it's bite.