LucidityAxel

I finally got a chance to try a Weihenstephaner last week -- I had heard great things about their hefeweiss, and the local pub had a dunkel on tap. I really enjoyed it and I would highly recommend it for any fans of either style.

 

Monocle

Finally got around to trying Founder's Breakfast Stout last night. Now that was a really tastey beer! Wonderful blend of coffee and chocolate flavors, and the alcohol was completely disguised. Only had two in the four pack, so I am going to save the other two for later.

Is it just me, or are a lot of companies now shifting away from the 22 oz. bottles? Weyerbacher is using a lot more four packs, Insanity seems to be the only 22 Oz. bottle I have seen this year from them, Slam Dunkel, Heresy and the Imperial Pumpkin all shifted to four packs. Bear Republic also now is selling Red Rocket in a six pack, though I admit that size form at may have just reached here on the East Coast.

Speaking of Bear Republic, grabbed a Racer 5 six pack for the weekend.

 

Apate

Racer 5 in a six pack on the East Coast is great news. I'm going to have to look for that.

Yesterday I got some Gordon Biersch Blonde Bock and it's pretty good. It's not the best I've had, though, so I'm open to any alternative suggestions.

See you, auntie.

 

Apate

Hi there, beer thread.

Last night I was looking at the beer list and I see "Old Chub, $4." I've never heard of it, but it turns out to be a scotch ale from CO, 8% ABV. It had a thicker taste than Sam Adams' Scotch Ale, earthy on the palate but still pleasant. It was well worth the money. I also had a Victory Pilsner, but that was unsurprisingly delicious.

At home, I have a case of the Sam Adams' brewmaster's collection from Costco. The Black Lager and Scotch Ale were nice surprises. the Boston Ale was decent, as was the White (although it didn't really remind me of a Belgian White at all).

See you, auntie.

 

Denogran

While I'm not generally a huge Dogfish Head fan( their 60 and 90 min IPAs being a huge exception ), I tried a Palo Santo Marron last night and it was delicious. At %12 ABV and $15/4 pack, it's not a beer for the faint of heart. But it's certainly delicious - glad someone out there's crazy enough to try to make beers like this.

 

Maligne

Old Chub is good stuff. Dale's Pale Ale (another from Oskar Blues) is even better. They (and recently, Caldera) are my go-to guys for events where glass isn't allowed or cans are more convenient.

Speaking of, Caldera's IPA is incredible. Don't bother with the Pale but if you can get the IPA definitely do.

Finally, I was able to get some Torpedo. It really surprised me, in a good way. I expected the subdued excellence and consistency of all of Sierra Nevada's brews, and it was definitely there. Only not so subdued. I mean, it's not over the top like a Hopslam but it's definitely got all the makings of a great IPA. I think they really hit it out of the park with this one; hopefully they continue to produce it and the distribution gets a little better.

Inform your dealers and whores of my credit, and pour me a goddamned drink!

 

Monocle

The Black Lager from Sam Adams is great just for the fact it is a decent Schwartzbier that is pretty common. It's a style that is a bit uncommon here in the US. Sam's and the one Saranac makes, which is one of their better beers, are the only two I can readily find here. Well we do sometimes get Black Voodoo from Dixie Brewery, but that's pretty rare here in NJ, even before Katrina wrecked their Brewery back in 05. Now I see their stuff like once a year.

I did go to my good beer store this weekend, but didn't get anything super amazing when I stocked up. Now that Summer is approaching, it's Wheat Beer time, and I just am not a big fan of Wheat Beers. Well okay I like Dunklewiezens. Grabbed some new Trippels and IPAs to try as well as some Bear Republic Hop Rods to stock up on.

I did get an Imperial Indian Red Ale from Rogue, Cap'n Sig's Northwestern Ale, which I had never tried before. Was rather decent. A lot of Rogue stuff is either hit or miss for me, but I enjoyed this one.

 

Denogran

I also snagged Torpedo for the first time this last weekend, and I thought it was a good intro IPA. I'd classify it as a good session IPA( but then again, I absolutely love Green Flash's Palate Wrecker, so I'm probably not typical when it comes to hops and IPAs ). SN has added it to their year-round distribution, so you should be able to find it a lot easier than in the past.

 

Apate

Yeah, Dale's is good, too. I hadn't realized that they were from the same brewery. I've found Dale's "on special" at a few local places recently.

See you, auntie.

 

Westvleteren

When it comes to Oskar Blues, i'm all about Ten FIDY... but as I've made abundantly clear by now, i'm a stouthead.

My supermarket carries Southern Tier OAT now. My supermarket. Down at the corner. This is such an unbelievably awesome thing to me, and a sign of the craftbrew pulse starting to beat ever stronger.

I also want to give another shout-out to Longtrail for their Imperial Coffee Stout. Pretty crazy for a beer of that quality to come out of that brewery imo. I can grab $9 growlers of it, which is nuts. Makes for a fair-priced, hell of a Saturday sucking down a growler of that.

Oh, it's almost summer... I forgot I should be moving onto heffes now. (Though, I seem to have been moving towards "Stout Lite" lately for the warmer weather, ie Murphy's and Guinness nitro cans. Sort of refreshing to drink a completely dull, non-complex stout now and then.)

Tried Schneider-Weisse hefe the other day... meh. I'm a big fan of Weihanstephaner's dunkel. Or their non-dunkel. Paulaner gets my other nod; I don't seem to like the Ayinger offerings as much as it seems I should. A lot of folks complain about the phenols in Weihanstephaner but I dunno, I seem to prefer it for whatever reason.

 

Calandil

While it's likely as not that none of you will ever get the opportunity to try it, there's a restaurant in Richmond, VA called Comfort. They have a really outrageous whiskey selection and an almost-equally-impressive beer list. Many of the beers they carry are local or regional, small-batch or the like.

Recently, I was there and had a whiskey-barrel stout with my dinner, and it was one of the best drinks I've ever had. If you're able, stop by there sometime and see if they still have the whiskey-barrel stout. Of course, I don't know who made it. It was a smallish brewery I'd never heard of before, but it was a damn fine pint.

 

Maligne

I actually work about 5 minutes from Comfort. I've never been myself but I've heard great things about their food. Nothing about their beer selection though - I'll have to check it out. Funny you should mention it in regards to Richmond, however, since we're so blessed with Capital Alehouse.

Inform your dealers and whores of my credit, and pour me a goddamned drink!

 

Calandil

Huh, small world. You should really check it out. It's one of the best restaurants I've found here. That and Croaker's Spot in Jackson Ward. If you make it to Comfort, their pork chop is really, really good and you can't leave without ordering the banana pudding. Seriously. It's like a hybrid banana pudding and creme brûlée and it's a a religious experience.

Capital Alehouse, for my money, is a good spot to booze, but not much else. I've never been too impressed with their food, but the local beer selection there is dynamite.

 

Alerian

I've become a fan of Port Townsend (WA) brews lately. Had their pale ale at a fish & chips place. It was very good and so I picked up their Scottish and amber this past weekend at the neighborhood QFC and was impressed with both of those as well.

I think they're only available in the Seattle area and the Olympic Peninsula, but you're if in the NW, they're working checking out.

 

Slickshoes

I was very pleased to find out I live about a quarter mile from a micro brewery called Firehouse. I had been drinking their ale on tap at a local place but never realized I lived right next to them. Now I can go right to the source.

I have always been a huge fan of micro breweries and San Diego has a vast array. There is a place called Pizza Port in Carlsbad that has so many different brews it would take months to try them all. I'm still working on it.

 

Denogran

Pizza Port has a restaurant in Solano Beach too, which is closer to you if you're down by Firehouse. Also, Ballast Point has a tap room at the Homebrew Mart on Linda Vista Road, which is also pretty close to you. They have some pretty tasty beers too.

Also, there's Stone brewery up in Escondido, which is just plain amazing, and the actual Pizza Port/Lost Abbey brewery is up in Escondido as well, though I've not had a chance to go there.

Add in Karl Strauss, Green Flash( some of the best IPAs ever ), and Coronado Brewing Company and you can easily fill up a couple of weekends down here by only visiting delicious breweries.

Also, if you're in SD, definitely check out Hamiltons and O'Briens - they're simply awesome beer bars.

 

Slickshoes

Yea I knew there was also one in Solana, which I found funny considering they are pretty close to each other. Stone is amazing.

I also enjoy San Diego Brewing Co., BJ's and Oggi's. I'll definitely check out Green Flash I've never heard of it. Where is Hamiltons?

I'm going to BJ's this weekend, Tatonka stout and Pizookie yum!

 

Denogran

Hamilton's Tavern. It's in South Park, and is an amazing beer bar. Pool tables, a really chill vibe, decent pub food and a great beer selection. I'm told their bottle selection is great too, although I never get past their tap list.

 

Tynnan

For those in the Baltimore area, the microbrewery/restaurant/bar The Brewer's Art makes some fantastic beer, and I've recently started seeing 750-ml bottles of one of their iconic brews, Resurrection, at liquor stores around the area. Reso is a pretty rich abbey-style ale and is definitely worth hunting down if you're able to find it. Incidentally, Esquire named The Brewer's Art as the #1 Bar in America, and they're not exaggerating.

 

Apate

Brewer's Art is excellent! Their food isn't bad, either (try the rosemary garlic fries or the portabello). I'm a whore for Belgian ales, and every time I go there I find myself ordering a bunch of Ozzys. It doesn't help that the tap is flashing metal horns, either.

For those in the DC area, Rock and Roll Hotel (14th & H NE) now carries Allagash white, Hop Devil, Brooklyn Lager, and Dead Guy Ale. the last of which I am currently still digesting. They are actually looking to add one more beer to their selection, preferably <$6 and in a green bottle or a can. I'll gladly e-mail the bartender if anyone has a good suggestion.

See you, auntie.

 

Serik

I need to echo the sentiment on O'Briens. It has to be one of the few things I miss about living in SD. (Back on the East Coast, and if anyone is familiar with growing up East side and later living in Cali, the pace of life there just doesn't work). Get yourself on the email list, and you won't ever be disappointed.

The best part was the ever-changing tap handles. The only guarantee is that you'll find great beer and the gals at the bar really know their stuff. My bar in Philly (as much as love my bartender) suffers from stagnation, in that the only variety tends to be whatever the current seasonal Sam Adams is.

 

Pyrenus

I highly recommend Hobgoblin, brewed by Wychwood Breweries in the UK. I can find it here (midwest US) without many problems.

Spaten Optimator is probably my second favorite. I also like their Oktoberfest.
Adam's Oktoberfest is probably the only Sam Adams I like. I find most of their beers too bitter.
I'm a huge fan of brown ales in general.

I tried my hand at homebrewing and decided it wasn't for me. I made an irish red and a heifenweizen. Neither were bad, but for the effort/cost, I was brewing for fun, and I prefer the taste of the store bought varieties.

 

Monocle

When I home brew, I often do it to get beers that I just can't buy. I usually stick to flavored stouts in that case, as I have a really good stout base recipie that I can fiddle with. It is a lot of work, and because of that, I do not do it as much as I used to.

I made a black cherry stout that ended up tasting great. Odd cobination, to be sure.

Hobgoblin is decent, have you tried some of their other beers? I tried their Scarecrow, but it really didn;t do anything for me. If you are getting Wychwood's stuff, your are may also get Orkney's beers. I love their Dark Island, it is a great Old Ale.

 

Slickshoes

I was born in NJ, then moved out here to SD. Of course I was very young then and wasn't quite a beer drinker yet but I can comment on the "pace of life". It seems like every one on the east coast is constantly on edge and under some sort of duress after living in California.

I will definitely check out O'Briens after all the good referrals.

 

Karoo

Wychwood has some good beers but the best thing about them isn't what's inside their bottles. It's the bottles themselves.