The Beer Forum - It's really a thread but we're too drunk to notice. - Page 159

shadowane · 12/26/10, 5:05 PM

I have a bottle of Old Ruffian actually but I'm not sure how old it is. And I like my barleywines sweeter so the mellow hops was a pretty nice surprise.

The best beer I opened, though, was a bottle of Troegs Splinter Blue. Tasted like a geuze with some hints of cherry. Really fantastic.

Kaubel · 12/27/10, 11:15 PM

Just opened a bottle of Dogfish Head's Red & White and I'm really enjoying it. It's been a while but the first thing it reminded me of is La Fin du Mond only with a lingering taste of grapes after you've swallowed it. Grab a bottle if you ever see one.

Tyrsis · 12/28/10, 1:56 PM

RE: Las Vegas Beer Bars

I hit up Burger Bar in Mandalay Bay (awesome burgers, fantastic bottle selection. Bottle prices are hilariously expensive though. VE 10.10.10 for $30 = LOL.)

First Bar and Grill at Palazzo is decent too, and no where near as expensive as Burger Bar.

flyinfungi · 12/31/10, 11:31 AM

Tonight I am hosting a New Years party. We usually purchase craft beers at the local store. If anyone lives in Minnesota and can recommend any liquor stores that have a good selection and purchase by the bottle I would appreciate it.

nataku · 01/03/11, 1:37 PM

Nice to see lots of craft beer fans in this thread still.

Just tried the 2010 release of The Abyss by Deschutes Brewery from Oregon. Really good imperial stout that's surprisingly smooth on release, with only a hint of alcohol from the bourbon barrels. Complex flavor profile of coffee, chocolate, licorice, vanilla, and oak that should only get better with age. This may be running out at most stores that carry Deschutes beers by now but worth a purchase.

I'm trying to get some Bell's Hopslam that should be coming out some time this month. Being from California, I'm limited to on-line stores that ship here, but people who get Bell's distribution should look out for it. Delicious DIPA the one time I had it and looking forward to several bottles this time.

futured · 01/03/11, 5:27 PM

I don't think anyone has mentioned it directly but I managed a bottle of Dogfish's "My Antonia". It's a lager that is brewed with pilsner malt and a couple different varieties of hops (including the noble hops). It's not particularly strong for them as it's only ~7.5% ABV. I have to say though it's absolutely fantastic. A lot of their other creations are tasty but this beer is just smooth. The hop taste is still there, however it's much more subdued that usual making it a rather balanced beer. If I can find more I might have to stock up an a few bottles and see how they age.

♦ Birdemani · 01/03/11, 11:57 PM

For the Chicago area fans I have two things for you:

A mostly bi-weekly column that updates the craft beer happenings around town:
Chicago craft beer Examiner - Drinks | Examiner.com

Also, a new local brewpub opened up on Dec 24th in Chicago, it's located on Halsted and Randolph and called "Haymarket Pub & Brewery." They are launching their beer line on Jan 20th, but they will always have a very large list of crafts and imports (32 draft tappers behind the bar). The owners will also make sure to put a big focus on local beers. Coming up this week they have a Founder's beer night:
Founders party this Wednesday at 6pm! Tentative lineup: Pale, IPA, Red's Rye, Porter, Canadian Breakfast Stout, Old Curmudgeon, Backwoods Bastard, Nemesis, Double Trouble, Black Biscuit, Dirty Bastard and Newago County Cherry aged in maple syrup barrels!

The storefront was hard to notice the last time I was there as the awnings and lights were not installed yet. It's on the SE corner of the intersection. Their website is rather bland right now but they are very active on Facebook.

Apate · 01/04/11, 11:13 AM

Originally Posted by futured

I don't think anyone has mentioned it directly but I managed a bottle of Dogfish's "My Antonia". It's a lager that is brewed with pilsner malt and a couple different varieties of hops (including the noble hops). It's not particularly strong for them as it's only ~7.5% ABV. I have to say though it's absolutely fantastic. A lot of their other creations are tasty but this beer is just smooth. The hop taste is still there, however it's much more subdued that usual making it a rather balanced beer. If I can find more I might have to stock up an a few bottles and see how they age.

I liked this one a lot as well. It's very drinkable, worth a repeat purchase. I'd put it up next to something like a Prima Pils (Victory). It's a great beer, but not really exemplary of the style.

Bell's Batch 10,000 is a very drinkable and complex dark ale that is definitely worth checking out.

Harpoon's Leviathan Barleywine hit the shelves recently. It's much more English than American barleywine, but it's incredibly smooth for the ABV and style.

Also, I've really been enjoying beers from Terrapin lately. They have a great hop characters in their hoppy brews, and I'm discovering that I love their stouts, as well. The Wake-n-Bake is amazing, the Moo-Hoo is very palatable, and the Big Daddy Vladdy is getting opened some day soon.

shadowane · 01/05/11, 8:29 PM

I had another of my North Coast Old Rasputin tonight and, man, what a great beer. I enjoyed this one even more than the last one too. Nice mix of vanilla, roast with a little bit of hops to balance it. Great beer.

Alwayz · 01/06/11, 4:02 PM

Tried a Fuller EGB last evening. Was very smooth and a little sweet, but a strong hop finish for bitterness. Harpoon Winter Wamer was also a nice seasonal brew. Very strong taste of cinnamon without over spicing the ale. My favorite seasonal ale so far is Shiner's winter brew. Has strong notes of peaches and roasted pecans as a finish, but may be too sweet for some.

bonlain · 01/07/11, 2:56 PM

Originally Posted by shadowane

I had another of my North Coast Old Rasputin tonight and, man, what a great beer. I enjoyed this one even more than the last one too. Nice mix of vanilla, roast with a little bit of hops to balance it. Great beer.

Definitely one of my favorite beers. I also agree that Dogfish Head's Red & White was damn good, wish I had more.

Docjowles · 01/07/11, 3:02 PM

Old Rasputin also ages ridiculously well. A friend had a pack in his basement that was maybe 3-4 years old and broke out a bottle recently. Sooooo good

Tyrsis · 01/07/11, 4:04 PM

Finally made it down to a true bottle shop in Downtown San Diego. I was there for about five minutes... and spent $100 bucks. I got:

- 2 bottles of Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
- Ommegang Chocolate Indulgence
- 3 bottles of Liefman's (Cuvee Brut, and kriekbier) I was looking for fruitesse, but they didn't have any

- Ballast Point Victory at Sea '10 (I'm going to age this one. Tastes like burnt chocolate fresh... much smoother after a year.)
- Great Divide Oak Aged Espresso Yeti

It's funny, the main reason I went down was to get a bottle of Deschutes Abyss. The owner says, "Man I had 16 cases last week. All gone." Luckily, Neighborhood had it on tap. Cocoa on the nose and front of the tongue... iced espresso on the back.

Really, I went there to get a bottle of North Coast Old Stock 2009. But $25 for such a small bottle? Ugh, beer is an expensive hobby! But a tasty one.

Naiihel · 01/09/11, 9:28 PM

Yeah. Delete this post.

shadowane · 01/10/11, 8:03 AM

Not that it really matters, but that post was from 2008. And milk stouts are brewed with lactose sugar, not lactic acid. It's not fermentable by most yeast strains so the sweetness is retained throughout the brewing process.

On a beer note, I got to try some Three Floyds stuff Saturday. Dark Lord, Moloko, Black Sun and Dreadnaught. The Dark Lord was really good as expected but even the other three were very tasty. Makes me wish they distributed to Philly.