Good beer is just like wine in the sense that it needs the right glassware. A real bar will have several glasses for their specialty beers, and for IPA the pint glass will always taste better then bottle.

Also, the 60 is great, but as discussed earlier the 90 is just so much better. Really round flavor and rich hop.

Been drinking some stone ruination too and it delivers!

Interestingly, finished off the rest of the 6 pack last night with Indian food and I liked it a lot better. It goes *very* well with spicy food, so I think possibly it just needs the right pairing to be worth drinking.

I had the Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA and the 90 Minute IPA last weekend. I found the 90 minute to be far more drinkable. The 90 just seemed smoother with a more hoppy flavor, but less overall bitterness. I just wish I could find the 90 somewhere local. I have some of the Raison d'Etre waiting on me, but I've not sampled it yet.

The 90 minute, of which I'm having some now, has always tasted like a grownup 60 minute when I've thought about it. Of course the cost of buying a six pack of 60 compared to the 90 minute 4 pack sometimes leans me over towards the 60 regardless.

The Sam's here in Fort Lauderdale sells 24-bottle Variety Packs of Leninkugel's. Good stuff, and South Florida is awesome because of the abudance of "safe beers" here, every bar has Yeungling or Leni's.

I had the Three Philosophers this weekend. Holy crap. I though I'd had some pretty good Belgian-style dark ales before, but the sheer complexity of flavor here is amazing.

It's my new favorite beer.

I'm going to have to try everything I can get from Ommegang now.

I had the Ommegang Abbey Ale over the weekend and was very impressed. Really good, well-balanced beer. Also very affordable (picked up my 750mL bottle for $5.50) for the quality it has. I'm not a huge fan of Belgian-styles (the fruity overtones always seem a bit strong), but this one really impressed me.

I also had the chance to have some Raison d'Etre and Sierra Nevada Summerfest. I've loved Dogfish Head stuff in the past (specifically the 60 and 90 minute IPAs), but the Raison d'Etre just seemed like it was trying too hard. I felt its sweetness wasn't really balanced out, and the whole thing came off as too syrupy to me.

The Summerfest, on the other hand, was one of the better summer seasonals I've had in a while. Well-rounded flavors, but not intimidating: this is a summery beer that stands on its own but remains very drinker-friendly.

I tried some Fat Tire this past week while out in Colorado, simply a delight to drink, reminds me of a Killians but much smoother, a real winner, I brought home a case.

I'll be in California at the end of next month, (Santa Barbara area) anyone have any recommendations for watering holes out there, and special brews to sample?

if you're going to be in california, be sure to sample the Stone offerings (especially if you aren't able to get them at home)

arrogant bastard and ruination are two of the best beers made in the US imo.

and i agree with the syrupy comment regarding raison d'etre. i wish it had more carbonation to offset the thickness/sweetness.

I got a chance to try Arrogant Bastard this weekend in Louisville (can't find it in North Carolina), and it's definitely an amazing beer. Strong flavor, but well-rounded. The closest comparison I can make is that it's a more advanced Rogue Dead Guy Ale.

Definitely going to be looking for someplace to sample other Stone brews out here.

I'm DC area too, you're probably seeing Lindeman's. It's a decent lambic and usually the first one people are exposed to. I prefer their Frambiose (raspberry) to the others. I haven't found many good places in the city to buy beer for home consumption. If you're going to a bar Brickskeller (Dupont), or The Saloon (U st) are good bets. Sadly the only place I've found to buy beer outside the city is Total Wine. There's one in Fairfax that I go to, and there's two or three others around the area.

Oh, and if you happen to have a taste for wine, or scotch, Schneider's by Union Station is great.