Beer!

Discussion in 'Food and Drink' started by jexby, Sep 28, 2015.

  1. OJneg

    OJneg The Most Insufferable

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  2. JoelT

    JoelT Friend

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    I picked up a single of Stone Xocoveza the other night and enjoyed it so much that I went back tonight to my local craft store (the beautifully and appropriately named, "Booze Mart") and grabbed a 6 pack. Worth checking out if you're in to stouts. This is really yummy and strikes a nice holiday sensibility without being over the top or overly contrived.

    Cocoa, coffee, a touch of vanilla and an underlying cinnamon and nutmeg spicyness on the nose. The spices on the nose become more apparent as the beer warms. Really a wonderful smelling stout. The nose carries over to the taste; lots of chocolate and coffee, with a vanilla sweetness and the cinnamon/nutmeg spicyness. The finish has subtle pepper notes and a slight touch of heat (not much - this isn't a "hot" beer). Everything is well integrated and balanced. Slightly sweet but not cloying. The alcohol is very well hidden, though at 8.1% it's definitely not as big as many of it's imperial brethren.

    If I had any criticism's it would be that I would prefer just a little bit more body, but this is probably more the result of drinking quite a few 10%+ imperial stouts lately. Also, the carbonation is perhaps just slightly aggressive IMO, but it smooths out a bit when sipped slowly and warmed in a glass - far from a deal breaker. Regardless, a really delicious beer. Recommended.
     
  3. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

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    my taste buds this season have shifted away from the St. Bernardus Xmas toward more subtle brews like Scaldis Noel and Delirium Noel.
    usually the St. B Xmas benefits from aging, so a couple bottles will sit in the basement until summer to smooth out.
     
  4. CEE TEE

    CEE TEE MOT: NITSCH

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    Just had a Troeg's Mad Elf Ale...better when warmer and as a counter-point to a spicy snack. That brought out the sweetness and enjoyable spice. Otherwise, I prefer the Troegenator as well. And the Troegenator barrel-aged off tap in Philly is quite good, I thought.

    What I found absolutely surprising/interesting/delicious to me (maybe not anyone else) is Troeg's Cultivator Helles Bock. Candy corn and grapefruit. Again- nobody else in this niche thread may like it as much as I did. I asked the restaurant in PA to sell me some to take home to CA because it pushed some unlikely buttons.

    Oh happy nose! The overall interest/complexity/balance of nose-palate made the 12 a real treat for me. Hope it does not disappoint.


    Jexby: let me know if you find La Chouffe Bok 6666. That is one that I have not had yet and I do like the Scaldis, had the St. B Xmas Monday night in a sampler and liked a lot about it. Scaldis sweeter and more approachable unless you don't like sweetness in beer.

    Something to mention from Monday night's samplings: Prairie Artisan Ales "Bomb!" Oh my...balancing boulders of huge flavor. Smelled like concentrated cold coffee extract. Don't get if you hate coffee. I'll stop there and see if anyone else has had this one. Phew. I shall seek it out again.
     
  5. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    Just wanted to let people know my Belgian adventure is over and a warning that I am going to blow up this thread with a ton of beer and beer paraphernalia pics.
     
  6. keanex

    keanex Martian Bounty Hunter - Friend

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    Did a little unplanned stout-off and realized that even when I dust my bureau is dusty. I need a new dust cloth I guess. Either way, first up

    Great Lakes Ohio City Oatmeal Stout
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    This beer sucks. Don't buy it. it smells like the ashtrays when I clean them out of the cigar lounge. It tastes watery and bland as shit. Buy Sam Smiths instead.

    Next up!

    Great Lakes Blackout Stout
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    A yearly favorite of mine, lost a lot of quality since. Did they get bought out? I dunno, but their beer has significantly gotten off-track of what they used to be. Like this and the Ohio City beer would not have been released a few years ago.

    Lastly Flying Fish Exit 1: Bayshore Oyster Stout
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    Hometown favorite. Trumps both of these overall, though it could be more viscous. Chocolatey and roasty with a light dryness overall. Really well done and tasteful.
     
  7. fraggler

    fraggler A Happy & Busy Life

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    If I could drink beer all day, it would probably be this:
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  8. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

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    Wow nice looking! Hope the balance is there as well.

    Am all in on Scaldis Noel and Delirium Noel for the next 48 hours.
    Starting right after breakfast.
     
  9. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    I actually had Delirium Noël at the Delirium Brasserie in Brussels! Much better than the other Christmas beers I have had.
     
  10. C.C.S.

    C.C.S. Friend

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    Been a while since I've posted in here, but I haven't disappeared. Been drinking some good stuff recently. Got Rogue beers and glasses for Christmas and got to try Old Crustacean for the first time. Bottled in 2013.

    That beer was not quite what I expected from a barleywine. A little hoppier than I thought it would be, with a little less fruity presence on the nose and on the palate. Pleasantly sweet, but not overbearing, with some lingering bitterness on the finish. Pretty dry, but that was a good thing, and enhanced the experience plenty. Served out of a Rogue goblet.

    I also have Shakespeare Stout, Morimoto Imperial Pilsner and yet another Dead Guy (a consistently excellent beer) in my fridge. Probably gonna ring in the New Year with a couple of those.

    Currently having a Firestone Walker Union Jack IPA. Not as bitter as I'm accustomed to, but very full flavoured, with citrus and pine from the hops and a slight dry bread flavour from the malts. This is my second one and I still can't quite pin it down or describe it perfectly. Regardless, it is a brilliant IPA, and will certainly be a repeat purchase if I can continue to find it.

    Had Yeti Imperial Stout from Great Divide. Like drinking chocolatey coffee with some burnt caramel. Truly delicious, but a 4-pack wasn't enough.Again, I can't describe it accurately, and I was enjoying each sip too much to care to take any tasting notes. Buy some if you can. You deserve it, and the beer deserves it.

    I also have some Obsidian Stout and Fresh Squeezed IPA, by Deschutes. Both fantastic. I've been drinking the Obsidian from Rogue (Spiegelau) Stout glasses, which emphasizes the sweetness and what I perceive as caramel or sugary aromas. Obsidian might tie Black Butte as my current all-time favourite beer and Fresh Squeezed represents what hops really can do for a beer. Pure, hoppy goodness in a bottle. I recommend both highly.

    tl;dr: I live in a town where great beer is easy to find and easy to purchase. I love great beer. I'm happily drinking.
     
  11. keanex

    keanex Martian Bounty Hunter - Friend

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    Troegs Troegenator - easily of my favorite beers on this earth. Malty with a burnt edge to it, some dark fruits, brown sugar, and caramel. This beer is big and delicious.

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    Alpine Hoppy Birthday - Alpine finally made it to NJ, but it's being brewed by Green Flash. No idea if this is spot on with the original Alpine stuff, but this is just okay. It's likely that you have a brewery making a pale ale or IPA as good as this. A bit piney and orange pith.

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    Alpine Duet - So yes, Green Flash brewed and all, but 7% with 45 IBUs is pretty odd for an IPA and it tastes as such. Tastes super boring, super bland, super overrated. This beer used to be hyped, but it's super mediocre ESPECIALLY at the price of admission. No thanks.
     
  12. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

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    I was not impressed at all with the Green Flash brewed Alpine either. I used to like Green Flash's Orval clone but now that's gone so I don't bother with them too much anymore.

    I cleared out my local Total Wine of month old Schlafly Export Stout this week too. They had mislabled as the Christmas Spiced Ale so it was under a dollar a bottle. I lucked out and it's a very good Guinness Foreign Export Stout clone. It lacks the slight lactic bite of FES and Cooper's Best Extra Stout but has much more dark fruit to the finish. All are much better than the overly sweet Lion Stout or the metallic, Labatt brewed Guiness Export you can find on supermarket shelves in the US.
     
  13. Cspirou

    Cspirou They call me Sparky

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    I was saving the Westvleteren 12 for a special occasion, but today seems as appropriate as any other day. There was no Westvleteren glass where I was shopping so I got this one because it was a wide open glass and I really like the bowler logo. I wish I could tell you what beer it's for but I forgot what the merchant told me.

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  14. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

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    Westy 12 = Heavenly Glory!
    :piratemug:
     
  15. dubiousmike

    dubiousmike Friend

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    Any other Ballast Point fans lurking out there? I know they've been bought out, but the sculpin ipa and grapefruit sculpin remain as good as ever.

    On the darker side, I recently tried "Death by Coconut" (porter) for the first time. That is one tasty porter. I usually stick to Black Butte but will be making a point of getting this again soon.
     
  16. keanex

    keanex Martian Bounty Hunter - Friend

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    Ballast Point was bought out? Ugh everyone is getting bought out. Love their stuff though
     
  17. MrTie

    MrTie Friend

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    Oh hey, Spring just showed up.
     
  18. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

    Pyrate Slaytanic Cliff Clavin
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    Yep that's why you're seeing Ballast Point being pimped on shelves now. They make good stuff, it's just overpriced since they changed from the wooden fermentation vessels, modernized, and increased capacity.
     
  19. keanex

    keanex Martian Bounty Hunter - Friend

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    The prices have actually gone down here. Ballast Point was always expensive in NJ, even their cheaper beers bottomed out at $10 a 6 pack, Sculpin was always $15. Now I'm seeing Sculpin for $14.
     
  20. Psalmanazar

    Psalmanazar Most improved member; A+

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    It used to be a supply and demand thing on the East Coast but that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. I did a sixer of the Grapefruit Sculpin when it was new and that was it. I just have no desire to get two Sixers of Sculpin when I can get three six packers of another IPA that's just as good. All of the non-fruit Ballast Point beers just end up shelf turds in my area as they're so overpriced while I see the fruit stuff being picked up by women and guys who would otherwise be buying stuff like Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy or Blue Moon. Constellation Brands is getting the Corona demographic into craft beer.
     

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