• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Beer |OT|

Yeah I can't really drink Brown Shugga anymore after overdoing it a bit a couple times but I never killed a sixer!

Yo distantmantra, dunno when it'll get to Washington but the Stone/Baird/Ishii Green Tea IPA is out! Drinking a bottle now, it's delicious. I know this is slightly different cuz the ABV is a little higher but I really don't remember much of the previous batch since it was in 2011. Anyway, damn this hits the spot after a long day. Hides the 10% way too well!
 

PG2G

Member
Alesmith/Mikkeller are trying to sell the Beer Geek Breakfast x Speedway Stout for $25... for a non-BA oatmeal stout.

Ridiculous
 
I'm gonna be in Nashville at a convention for a week in February. I'll be staying downtown near the convention center. Anybody know a good beer bar I can haunt in the evenings?
 

sefskillz

shitting in the alley outside your window
I'm gonna be in Nashville at a convention for a week in February. I'll be staying downtown near the convention center. Anybody know a good beer bar I can haunt in the evenings?

You'll be near a decent Flying Saucer. There are *tons* of bars downtown, but if you want ones that focus on good beer you'll have to drive. Broadway Brewhouse in Midtown (across from Hattie Bs which is a must for any tourist), 12 South Taproom, Craft Brewed (lo grav only, but its purely a beer bar) are your best bets. Hurry Back has a decent selection every now and then so could be worth checking out if you end up nearby. Our distribution isn't great, so you probably won't be too impressed *shrug*.

We've had a lot of new breweries pop up recently, unfortunately none of them are that great. Yazoo and Jackalope are pretty close to each other and not bad for their more experimental stuff (Embrace the Funk sour series at Yazoo and the barrel series at Jackalope) but for the most part their regular lineup of beers are passable. Black Abbey focus on Belgian influenced beers and put some decent stuff out every now and then.

If you're into spirits at all, I'd suggest checking out Corsair too. They've got a cool little spot that has craft beer, but their focus is on whiskey and gin. They do some really interesting stuff. They recently got into brewing beer and the results have been promising.
 

codhand

Member
been to flying saucer twice, they have a huge list, but it was hit or miss for me, the food was downright bad. i had more fun drinking Buffalo Trace in a divey spot on the main strip listening to live music

nashville is a good time
 
I see Tennesee Brew Works and Czann in the same vicinity as Yazoo and Jackalope. But it seems like they've all got kind of weird hours on the taprooms. Is there some kind of local ordinance that says they can only be open from four to eight during the week?
 

sefskillz

shitting in the alley outside your window
I see Tennesee Brew Works and Czann in the same vicinity as Yazoo and Jackalope. But it seems like they've all got kind of weird hours on the taprooms. Is there some kind of local ordinance that says they can only be open from four to eight during the week?

TN Brew Works and Czann's are two of the newer ones in town, I haven't been too impressed with them.

No ordinance I'm aware of, Yazoo was the first one on the scene and always kept those kind of hours for their taproom. I think the others just followed suit, but we've definitely got some strange laws so maybe its something I'm not aware of.
 

Chris R

Member
I wish someone locally would create another beef festival so I could enjoy going to them again.

Biggest festival in the state is this weekend, but ever since 5 or 6 years ago the event is just overrun by broskis looking to get wasted for cheap. Then they get loud and start fights and it's just not a fun time at all :(

Some decent beers (no BCBS is a major bummer, but whatever) but the crowd is just so toxic I can't enjoy going and just skip it now
 
Is that the festival run by Midnight Sun? In the past the taplist has been absofuckinglutely epic.

2UoPzxTl.jpg


Wife brought back the JA and Grimm from Boston, the rest were Bottleworks pick ups today.
 

overcast

Member
What are your favorite Ciders? Friend really doesn't like beer, but I was thinking of getting him a nice 6 pack or a bottle of some pretty good shit.
 

injurai

Banned
What are your favorite Ciders? Friend really doesn't like beer, but I was thinking of getting him a nice 6 pack or a bottle of some pretty good shit.

Not had much cider, but Crabbie's Ginger Beer has been a good alcoholic option for my friends that aren't into the traditional alcoholic drinks. They can do you in pretty fast since there is nothing to encourage temperance in drinking. Taste good to boot.
 
Sea Cider from Vancouver BC, Finnriver from Chimacum, WA and Reverand Nats from Portland OR are my favorite cider makers. Finnriver's Cranberry Rosehip cider is tart as fuck.
 
Off to try a Lichtenhainer today, been interested in this style for a while but no one local has made it, and I've not gotten around to attempting it myself.

What are your favorite Ciders? Friend really doesn't like beer, but I was thinking of getting him a nice 6 pack or a bottle of some pretty good shit.
You could check out some of the French ciders from Normandy. Some of them are uncarbonated and cloudy. They go great with crepes for breakfast. ;)
 

codhand

Member
Off to try a Lichtenhainer today, been interested in this style for a while but no one local has made it, and I've not gotten around to attempting it myself.


You could check out some of the French ciders from Normandy. Some of them are uncarbonated and cloudy. They go great with crepes for breakfast. ;)

so basically another vote for Domaine Dupont

let us know how the Lichtenhainer is
 
Hmm. I've looked around and it seems like a mixed bag. Though I did notice that most people who enjoyed an aged Pumking, had a bottle from previous years. This years didn't meet the quality of previous years, so maybe that has something to do with it.

Okay.. so weird to quote myself but I felt the need to update on this one. When I found some Pumking still hanging around I bought two bottles (this was the same day of my previous posts asking about cellar-ing a bottle). So I cracked open a bottle today (not aged) and it was noticeably more bitter than even the bottles that I had back in November. So I'm going to go ahead and cut my losses, so-to-speak, and just drink them sooner rather than later. My guess is, aging would only lessen the pumpkin flavor and increase the bitterness.
 
so basically another vote for Domaine Dupont

let us know how the Lichtenhainer is
I had the Cidre Bouché last year, and personally wasn't a huge fan. Can't remember why though. A couple of years back when in that region, there were a ton of ciders easily available and most of them were very good. I haven't seen many of them back home, unfortunately (and probably wouldn't remember half anyway).

The lichtenhainer was really quite interesting. The sour part was a little thin for what I want out of a Berliner style beer, but the smokiness was quite interesting and made it no less refreshing. Someone else had a couple of sips and said all they got was smoke, but I found it rather well balanced. I certainly wouldn't turn my nose up at one if I got the chance to try another.
 
I had the Cidre Bouché last year, and personally wasn't a huge fan. Can't remember why though. A couple of years back when in that region, there were a ton of ciders easily available and most of them were very good. I haven't seen many of them back home, unfortunately (and probably wouldn't remember half anyway).

The lichtenhainer was really quite interesting. The sour part was a little thin for what I want out of a Berliner style beer, but the smokiness was quite interesting and made it no less refreshing. Someone else had a couple of sips and said all they got was smoke, but I found it rather well balanced. I certainly wouldn't turn my nose up at one if I got the chance to try another.

I'm not big on smoked beers and can't say I've liked any sour+smoky beers I've had so far but I'd give it a shot, always cool to see old styles like that resurrected.

I like cider a lot but haven't bought much here mostly because of the price and scarcity of anything really good. But yeah, a nice cidre brut plus a proper galette is straight-up heavenly.
 
Good beer night tonight, so far:

Modern Times (Modem Tones) City of the Sun: fantastic new IPA, imagine the crispness of Blind Pig with tropical and melon notes from the Motueka and Mosaic hops. This is the beer Stone Delicious IPA wishes it could be. Can't wait for this to come to cans later this year!

Bruery Hottenroth: I've had some berliner weisse that have been stored past their prime but the batch from last summer has only gotten better. Can't believe this is only 3%ish, super tart and delicious.
 

andylsun

Member
Was in a pub last night and the waitress said they had a Brooklyn beer pale ale, so I ordered it.

Came in an 8oz glass and turned out to be their Monster Ale which is a 10.5% barley wine. Tasty but hadn't planned for it and it hit harder than expected.
 

codhand

Member
it's funny how much Monster ale is still out there, given that it stopped being brewed three years ago. i think it is just, within the last six months, starting to taste good
 

andylsun

Member
After getting back from the Pats game at 2am this morning, I'm going to recover by re-brewing the Pilsner (disaster) from last weekend.

Have rice hulls, all pump connections are tightened and the pump is correctly positioned.

Here we go
 

codhand

Member
oh man, i'm about to venture my first home brew, you guys will maybe get a kick out of the home brewing kit, my friend "re-gifted" to me, so now i got this glass jug, some vaccum sealed colombus and simcoe hop pellets, haha, and he orders a bag of dried simcoe, odds are in favor of this beer sucking bad. did i mention i have little to no interest or talent at brewing and am total noob status? i will probably end up pouring in some orval dreggs and saying fuck it
 

andylsun

Member
oh man, i'm about to venture my first home brew, you guys will maybe get a kick out of the home brewing kit, my friend "re-gifted" to me, so now i got this glass jug, some vaccum sealed colombus and simcoe hop pellets, haha, and he orders a bag of dried simcoe, odds are in favor of this beer sucking bad. did i mention i have little to no interest or talent at brewing and am total noob status? i will probably end up pouring in some orval dreggs and saying fuck it

Everyone starts somewhere. My goal for my first batch was to have something drinkable, if only barely.

Sanitation is probably most important, and fermenting at the right temperature. Everything else is just incremental improvement.

Also, don't rush. You need plenty of time to brew and not watching the clock. I tend to only brew when I've nothing else planned that day.
 
My local spot got ahold of a keg of Habanero Sculpin this past weekend. Oof. Part of me couldn't understand why anyone would do such a thing. The other part of me just couldn't stop drinking it. Still haven't managed to catch a taste of the Grapefruit Sculpin, but I'm watching out for it.

oh man, i'm about to venture my first home brew, you guys will maybe get a kick out of the home brewing kit, my friend "re-gifted" to me, so now i got this glass jug, some vaccum sealed colombus and simcoe hop pellets, haha, and he orders a bag of dried simcoe, odds are in favor of this beer sucking bad. did i mention i have little to no interest or talent at brewing and am total noob status? i will probably end up pouring in some orval dreggs and saying fuck it
Homebrewing has definitely improved my overall appreciation for beer. A simple, hoppy-ass pale is one of the more foolproof first brews you can do. It may not turn out how you expect, but there's nothing like drinking a beer you made with your own hands. You could be surprised.
 
oh man, i'm about to venture my first home brew, you guys will maybe get a kick out of the home brewing kit, my friend "re-gifted" to me, so now i got this glass jug, some vaccum sealed colombus and simcoe hop pellets, haha, and he orders a bag of dried simcoe, odds are in favor of this beer sucking bad. did i mention i have little to no interest or talent at brewing and am total noob status? i will probably end up pouring in some orval dreggs and saying fuck it

Throw away the yeast that came with the pack and grab something like Danstar Nottingham dry yeast, pretty much foolproof and will get you at least a drinkable, if not pretty decent beer, especially if you can find a room or basement that is anywhere between 55-65 or so.
 

Milchjon

Member
So Mikkeller is partnering with Germany's biggest brewing company to sell their beers through their crafty label.

On one hand this is gonna lead to some great debates.
On the other I wonder how it'll turn out. Braufactum is giving some outrageous best by dates on their imported stuff (pretty sure I saw a Firestone Walker Double Jack that was supposed to be good for another 18 months) and in my experience a ton of Mikkeller beers age absolutely terrible.
 

andylsun

Member
Attempt 2 to brew Pilsner failed again.

Rock solid stuck mash, even with rice hulls. Managed to pull about 2 gal (over 10 mins) and then it stopped. Grain bed was so solid I could barely break it with my long spoon.

I think it's pumping from the mash tun to kettle is causing the problem. The pump is pulling too much and compacting the bed, even with a low flow rate.

I'm going to change how I use the pump and gravity feed to a pot from the mash tun then pump to the kettle. I think this is called a lauter grant. Should still be able to recirculate the wort after a fashion and not have to lift anything. Can't get my mash tun high enough to directly feed into the kettle on its burner.

Brew attempt 3 will be on Sunday
 
Attempt 2 to brew Pilsner failed again.

Rock solid stuck mash, even with rice hulls. Managed to pull about 2 gal (over 10 mins) and then it stopped. Grain bed was so solid I could barely break it with my long spoon.

I think it's pumping from the mash tun to kettle is causing the problem. The pump is pulling too much and compacting the bed, even with a low flow rate.

I'm going to change how I use the pump and gravity feed to a pot from the mash tun then pump to the kettle. I think this is called a lauter grant. Should still be able to recirculate the wort after a fashion and not have to lift anything. Can't get my mash tun high enough to directly feed into the kettle on its burner.

Brew attempt 3 will be on Sunday
Damn. Sorry to hear it. Sure sounds like you're getting compaction due to the suction. I've never used a Chugger or a March or similar, but it did always seem to me like the flow rates on them were way too high. If you're getting decent flow via gravity, a grant may be the way to go. I suppose it's easy enough to just use a bottling bucket to give it a go.

Let's hope third time is the charm.
 

andylsun

Member
Damn. Sorry to hear it. Sure sounds like you're getting compaction due to the suction. I've never used a Chugger or a March or similar, but it did always seem to me like the flow rates on them were way too high. If you're getting decent flow via gravity, a grant may be the way to go. I suppose it's easy enough to just use a bottling bucket to give it a go.

Let's hope third time is the charm.

Yes, taking a pump that can do 7 gpm (minute) and throttling it to approximately 7 gph (hour) seems a little bit much.

I learnt to do all grain brewing on a friend's 10 gal system that did pump from the MLT to the kettle, so it's doable, but not yet on my system.
 

dekline

Member
oh man, i'm about to venture my first home brew, you guys will maybe get a kick out of the home brewing kit, my friend "re-gifted" to me, so now i got this glass jug, some vaccum sealed colombus and simcoe hop pellets, haha, and he orders a bag of dried simcoe, odds are in favor of this beer sucking bad. did i mention i have little to no interest or talent at brewing and am total noob status? i will probably end up pouring in some orval dreggs and saying fuck it

My first brew was definitely drinkable. I mean, it had no business on a store shelf or in a restaurant, but then again many beers don't. Most of the enjoyment for me was knowing that "I made this". The subsequent batches showed some improvement, but I had to step back from homebrewing for a while.
 
Top Bottom