Let's talk Beer (1 Viewer)

[Zen Butler]

Welcome Bob, click the links in Ron and my signature from a great collective list. I appreciate the fact that you are the first HTF member to address me as Reverend.

Thank You.

 

[Shane Martin]

Found out why I can't get Fat Tire in Oklahoma. It is pasteurized and needs to be kept cold and due to Oklahoma's wierd laws, we're not allowed to sell beer in a fridge with more then 3.2%

Regardless, It's still VERY good beer. Definitely a good lawnmowing type beer.

 

[Mark Romero]

Aaahhhh, Three Floyds Alpha Klaus for winter. Yum. Tonight's sampling included an Anchor Our Special Ale 2004 and a Thirsty Dog Siberian Night Imperial Stout.

 

[Greg_R]

Time to bring this thread into 2005!

While visiting my parents, I got to try a few East Coast offerings:

- Ommegang Three Philosophers

- Ommegang Rare Vos

- Ommegang Hennepin

- Dogfish Head 90-min IPA

- Dogfish Head Raison D Etre

I didn't get a chance to write down any notes but they were all pretty good (but not spectacular). If you see them at your store be sure to give them a try!

 

[Greg_R]

anyone? anyone?

 

[Lew Crippen]

Still here and reading Greg—but I’ve never heard of those beers, much less tasted them.

 

[Ron-P]

I don't have much to contribute as of late, been stuck on my favorites, the Dead Guy Ale and The Stone Pale Ale. Had a New Castle last night, an enjoyable brew. I do prefer it on tap more-so then out of the bottle.

 

[Joe D]

Ron,

What movie is that in your signature?

I haven't had a lot of new beer lately.

Sam Adam's Winter Larger and Alaskan Winter Ale were pretty good.

Dogfish's Raisin D'Etre was decent but not something I'd buy again.

 

[Ron-P]

Joe, that is from "Corpse Bride", the up and coming new film from Tim Burton. It's due out late September.

 

[Neil Joseph]

Looks good, like Nightmare Before Christmas.

P.S. I drink a beer from time to time.

 

[Ron-P]

Had myself a D. Carnegie & Co. Stark Porter over the weekend. What a wonderful brew. The nose is malty, with coffee and hints of chocolate. The body is thin with malts dominating, earthy with hints of chocolate and coffee. A very drinkable brew, smooth with a slight bitter / alcohol finish. Brews in at 5.5abv. Recommended and best served at room temp.

 

[Zen Butler]

Ron, if you remember I was the first to bring you a bottle of that at your last meet. You loved it back then too. LOL!

 

[Mark Romero]

Been hanging out in New England for the past 2 weeks. Some good stuff up here. John Harvard's makes some nice stuff as well as Cambridge.

 

[Dan D.]

Mark, sounds like you are near Boston. You should get over to Beer Works. Their Nut Brown is very good, as is their Centennial Alt if they happen to be brewing it (every 100th batch).

 

[Nathan Eddy]

Well, I've been away for a while, but that time has been spent productively! Since last November, I've truly come to know what beer is. Now, this is after a decade or so of drinking "dark beer" and thinking that I knew a secret by drinking Beck's Dark or Negra Modela.

But I've been home brewing since November. I'm on my 7th batch now. Let me tell you: you don't know beer until you make it with your own hands. You don't KNOW the contribution 40L crystal makes compared to 120L crystal until you've brewed a batch with each. You don't KNOW the specific taste of black patent malt until you've learned how many ounces per 5 gallons is TOO MUCH. I've learned that I don't really like chinook as a bittering hop.

In the process of sampling commercial beer to find inspiration, I've discovered Rochefort 8 and Stone's Double Bastard. I've learned to love barley wines and imperial stouts. I've learned to drink beer in the 50-60 degree F range, and how this "opens up" a beer (and exposes the flaws in inferior beers).

My latest experiment is to use Belgian Strong Ale yeast in an IPA, to give some fruity malt base to the intense citris hops. It's in the primary now, and I can't wait to try it.

If you guys really love beer, you ought to give this a try. I got started for around $100, and I can make fantastic brews from 60 cents to $1 per bottle--and I haven't even gone all grain yet, which is cheaper and better (I do extract brews with a partial mash).

Being a "spectator" or consumer of good beer is defintely fun. But being a producer of good beer is even more rewarding.

 

[Ron-P]

Tried a couple new brews this past week while on vacation in Mammoth.
The Mammoth Brewing Company up in Mammoth Lakes makes some excellent brews. I had two different ones while up there.
The Mammoth Pale Ale. A medium bodied brew, nice and hoppy with hints of citrus and pine and a clean, crisp finish. Would make for an excellent summer brew and not too bad with it's 5.90% abv.
The Mammoth Double Nut Brown Ale. This one kept me drinking all week, a beautiful brew. An earthy brew, medium bodied, with a strong nutty flavor with hints of coffee. Very minimal carbonation and bitterness makes this a very drinkable brew. ABV is 6.00%.
I tried to get by the brewery so I could bring some home but it was closed every time I went by so no luck.

 

[Mike Wladyka]

Well, I finally tried a young's double chocolate stout. I have to say that it was fantastic. I may have to try some more stouts, being that my only venture into stout land was with guiness (yuck). Good thing I am still young because I have a lot to learn about beers.

This thread definitely helps, thanks guys.

 

[Ron-P]

Young's is an excellent stout, glad to hear you liked it Mike. I will also agree that Guiness is, as you say, "yuck". It's like the Coors of stouts, terrible stuff.
If you can find it, try the Steelhead Extra Stout, it's one of my favorite stouts.

 

[Zen Butler]

Agreed Ron on the Steelhead, a great stout. I, though am not so quick to discredit Guinness Extra Stout. The spritzy stuff that is available in the bottle is much different than that of the tap variety. Guinness Extra Stout is a great stout with breakfast (mushroom and cheese omelet mmmm) and does not overpower. Certainly, not the rock n' roll stouts we are coming to love but a classic none the less. With hopped-up versions of IPA's, stouts and other classes...it's easy to dismiss the classics. A hyperactive, but near-perfect Stone Ruination IPA should not by any means snuff a Fuller's IPA by its' number of I.B.U units alone.
Guinness was the gateway drug for many of us beer-lovers. It's a brew that although lacks the depth of some the newer, craftier, if not busier stout interpretations, is still one that will always be a welcome friend.

 

[Ron-P]

I've just never gained an appreciation for Guinness, even the tapped version, does nothing but let me down. My neighbor loves the stuff and is the only stout he drinks. To each his own but if I'm looking for a stout I want it heavy and full of character, not like a bottle of Evian.
If were headed into the direction of a breakfast beer I'd throw down the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, a great breakfast brew with a breakfast pizza.