The Beer Forum - It's really a thread but we're too drunk to notice. - Page 154

Apate · 10/04/10, 1:32 PM

All this talk about Great Divide convinced me to check out their Rye Lager. Very tasty, and even more drinkable than it's ~7% would suggest. I tend to judge a lot of lager-style beers harshly, but the flavor in this one just works.

Kaubel · 10/06/10, 7:43 AM

Originally Posted by Birdemani

If you get Lagunitas in your area you should start seeing them in 6 packs soon, we just started getting them here. It went from a limited release to full production about two months ago. The Sumpin Wild is now the limited release ale. Little Sumpin gained a lot of momentum because it was compared to Gumball Head from 3 Floyd which is utterly impossible to find. I could always be swayed to send you some Kaubel if it takes too long for them to hit the shelves near you.

I'm sure it'll show up around here. If not, I'm swinging down south to San Antonio next month to run a half-marathon and can always look there as well. (While I also pick up several sixers of Shiner in a can.)

Tyrsis · 10/08/10, 12:35 PM

Went to a new Gastropub last night (Urge, in Rancho Bernardo) and had a Russian River IPA (ho-hum) and a Mikkeller Rauch Geek Breakfast.

That Mikkeller was fairly nuts. Very smoky, I got an odd tingling on the tongue. It wasn't the alcohol content (only 7.5%) so I guess it's the carbonation? Good stuff, but fairly expensive ($15 for 1 Pint 9 OZ)

Shabadu · 10/08/10, 6:02 PM

Russian River's 2 Plinys (Elder and Younger) are pretty much my holy grail of beers. The massive line at the ECBF this year in front of a very nondescript 8.5x11 sign written in marker really attested to it's reputation. You Just Can't Get It in Massachussets. Need to find a way to get a serious amount home from LA when I'm out there for Blizzcon.

Tyrsis · 10/08/10, 8:12 PM

Originally Posted by Shabadu

Russian River's 2 Plinys (Elder and Younger) are pretty much my holy grail of beers. The massive line at the ECBF this year in front of a very nondescript 8.5x11 sign written in marker really attested to it's reputation. You Just Can't Get It in Massachussets. Need to find a way to get a serious amount home from LA when I'm out there for Blizzcon.

Younger is not bottled, and is only available sometime around February. Elder is fairly common on tap in SoCal though, and can be found in bottles as well.

Kaubel · 10/09/10, 5:04 PM

Originally Posted by Kaubel

I'm sure it'll show up around here.

Didn't find any today while out shopping, so instead I grabbed two 6-packs of New Dogtown Pale Ale ($6.99 each, woot!). Anyone who has access to this but hasn't tried it yet should be punched in the ear.

Tholofonos · 10/10/10, 3:13 AM

One of the local taverns has a beer of the month promotion, so despite the fact that I'm not a huge fan of beer, I allowed myself to get dragged along, because if you come early enough in the month, you get a special glass to keep. Being October, this month they distributed a huge (1.4 L) glass stein. It probably says something about me that my first thought was "Hmmm, I could keep a raid's worth of soda in this thing" (in the finest tradition of ElitistJerks, I have tested and found this knee-jerk reaction to hold up in experiments).

Anyway, the beer that I got along with the stein was an absolutely wonderful Märzen called Spaten Oktoberfest. Seasoned beer fans might find it a little boring, but for an occasional drinker like me, it was perfect. It's light and slightly sweet without tasting watered or weak, and the aftertaste was excellent - I found myself sipping in order to enjoy it for longer. Get it for your friends who say they don't like beer!

Beardstorm · 10/12/10, 6:48 PM

Tried Samuel Smiths Imperial Stout today, first time trying anything in this stule. It turned out to be lovely stuff pouring a deep ruby colour, full of creamy roasted goodness and extremely drinkable to the point that you cannot taste the 7%. Regret only having one bottle around and will definately have to pick up some others in this style to compare.

Alwayz · 10/13/10, 7:38 PM

Gave a beer called Bluetongue Pilsner a try tonight, for an Aussie variety. Very sweet with a smooth finish. Pretty good for a lighter beer. Not very filling, so very good beer with a meal.

♦ Birdemani · 10/16/10, 5:38 PM

I typically don''t like APA but the beer expert at Binny's South Loop (Chicago) listened to what beers I've been drinking and told me to pick up a 4 pack of Daisy Cutter from Half Acre. This is quite easily the best APA I've ever had and it's good enough to compete with my favorite IPAs (but not quite as bitter). It only comes in cans and you can find it on tap in a handful of bars around town; when poured at home it's very head-y so make sure you pour it perfectly. The a very floral and hoppy aroma filled the entire room in a few moments after opening.

This morning I looked it up and found I'm not the only one that loves this beer
Daisy Cutter Pale Ale - Half Acre Beer Company - Chicago, IL - BeerAdvocate
Chicagoist's "Beer of the Week:" Half Acre Daisy Cutter Pale Ale - Chicagoist
Half Acre Daisy Cutter

Binny's was telling me that you can't get it in the burbs, distribution is within Chicago limits only. He didn't know what distribution was like outside the local area.

Also, if you live in the area and love beer you must get down there. I've never seen such a large collection of craft and imported beers, plus the tap room is a great place to try out some crafts you've never had before.

Tyrsis · 10/18/10, 12:28 PM

Hoo boy, that was a fun weekend... I went to Ballast Point's 14th Anniversary celebration. $20 bucks got me a BP taster glass with 10 tickets.

I tried:
BP Bourbon Barrel Aged Sea Monster Stout 2010
Habanero Sculpin IPA (this was good. spicy aftertaste)
Cocoa Nib Black Marlin Porter
Cherry Hout (big line for this... sour as all hell. Not my cup of tea, but the wife likes it.)
Rum Barrel Aged Three Sheets Barleywine (the only thing I flat out did not like. No bueno.)
Double Dorado IPA (this might be better than Sculpin...)
Abandon Ship Smoked Lager (the smokiness is intense.... I almost went back for seconds)
Lagunitas Lil Sumpin' Wild
Firestone Walker Double Jack

I also picked up a bomber of Stone's 10.10.10 Vertical Epic. Smells and tastes like a belgian pale ale; sweet dry aftertaste (must be the wine grapes?) Not too impressed... too sweet to drink an entire bomber of it. Hopefully it ages well.

Apate · 10/18/10, 2:01 PM

I think that all of the Epics age well, or at least they seem to so far.

I'm very jealous of the double jack - I'm getting another 6 of Union Jack ASAP because it's dominating my cravings.

Recent standouts I've tried:
Black Xantus - Probably the most hardcore of the Imperial Russian stouts I've encountered. It's black as night, cloudy, strong, and full of chocolate/coffee notes. It's Old Rasputin amped up.
Deschute's Cascade session PA - Fantastic. Light hop notes like a baby Ruination, but excessively drinkable like hop soda. I picked this up in NV and now I really wish I could get it in NoVA/DC.
Bell's Hell Hath no Fury - good, not great. the keg dried up more quickly than the beer warranted, but it was good stuff. Nothing stood out though; I'd like to try some more on tap.
Ommegang Cup o Kyndness - tastes more like Ommegang than anything else. Underwhelming.
Otter Creek IIPA - Nice, solid IPA. Yet another one that fits the "go-to" IIPA bill.
Nocturne Dark Lager - Very much a good lager and a good dark brew. It's light and sessionable with the right amount of flavor for the style.

Smaug · 10/20/10, 10:55 AM

Here's some swiss beers for you:

Feldschlösschen - Lager. They will try to sell you this for rather high prices all over the place as the traditional swiss beer. Don't bite. You won't miss anything.
Tell - Lager. The swiss beer with the best performance/price ratio. Really cheap but still very drinkable, also in large quantities.

Now the good stuff:
Turbinenbräu - Lager, Rice or Malt. Small local brewery in Zurich. Comes in 3 variations and a 4th seasonal one.
Quöllfrisch - Lager. Very original swiss beer, from the heart of switzerland. Fresh; excellt if consumed very cold.
Apenzeller Vollmond - Unfiltered. One of my favourites. It's not cheap but about as good as it can get. Matured in wooden barrels.

There are a lot more beers, but if you are looking for decent dark or very light ones there is not much to be had here unfortunately.

Tyrsis · 10/22/10, 11:53 AM

If you're one of the ant-social networking guys who loathes Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, and FourSquare, then this is not for you....

But anyway, I've been using this for a while, it's sort of fun. They just came out of beta and they're now open to the public. It's called Untappd. It's sort of a mesh between Yelp and FourSquare. You can select the beverage you're drinking and where you're drinking it.

If you want, you can post it to FB, Twitter, or 4SQ, and you earn titles / badges in the process. I'm personally a sucker for this stuff, but you all might not be.

Untappd - A Fun, New, Mobile-Based Social Network for Beer Enthusiasts.

Apate · 10/22/10, 2:04 PM

Sounds like RateBeer, but hopefully less total shit. (seriously, ratebeer can DIAF or stop Force Closing out of nowhere) I'll definitely check it out and try to send some feedback. There's really no good beer app out there right now.

e: Ah, no app yet at least