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[GiJoccin]

SPOKE TOO SOON!!

Got the last two at my local Whole Foods. I went over to get some eggs and found these guys hiding behind some Belgians.

that's probably because they taste like a belgian

some people who tried it liked it, but definitely wasn't for me

 

[Fleet_of_Foot]

Someone asked about summer beers. This one's nothing extravagant or exotic, but it's good. As all the Sam Adams seasonals tend to be. (Winter Lager is still my favorite, though.)

 

[goldlion054]

Saw this in a little party store and couldn't help myself. I've never been much of a red ale guy, but this wasn't bad at all.

 

[sharkmuncher]

Yum. Such an amazing beer for a hot, shitty day like today. Just sweet enough, with a hint of sour to balance it out. Sooo good. If you have never had a sour beer before, I highly recommend Monk's Cafe Flander's Red as your gateway drug.

Also:
Stella
Lindeman's Framboise
Piraat
Abt. 12
Maudite
Lucifer
Delirium Tremens
Delirium Nocturnum
Hoegaarden
Monk's Cafe

Achievement Unlocked! Try all Belgian Beer's on tap currently available on tap at any given time at Max & Joes!

 

[Suburban_Nooblet]

SPOKE TOO SOON!!

Got the last two at my local Whole Foods. I went over to get some eggs and found these guys hiding behind some Belgians.

I have been lookin for 120 for a year or so in Indiana.

 

[distantmantra]

Went back to Whole Foods today to pick up some Deschutes Black Butte XXIII, and they had one more 120 Minute IPA, let my buddy buy it.

Went to the afternoon Mariners game today, and did some happy hour drinking afterwards...

Walking Man Homo Errectus Imperial IPA
Fremont Brewing Summer Solstice Pale Ale
Hair of the Dog Blue Dot Double IPA
Deschutes Red Chair Northwest Pale Ale

Incredibly good day.

 

[fenners]

I have been lookin for 120 for a year or so in Indiana.

There's been none available nationally for a long time. They brewed a batch, it didn't come out right, and they had to dispose of it. It's taken them this long to get it right again and into the chain.

That gap's caused a huge spike in demand/infamy for it.

 

[sharkmuncher]

Awesome night of drinking sours and bottling a 6 month barleywine. I am so excited to actually drink it in a few weeks. It is quite tasty, and at 9.2% will definitely get the job done haha!

 

[distantmantra]

Can't wait for the Deschutes/Boulevard collaboration White IPA (parallel to the Black IPA that's the new hotness right now out here in the PNW). Should be shipping on July 11th.

 

[thespot84]

Can't wait for the Deschutes/Boulevard collaboration White IPA (parallel to the Black IPA that's the new hotness right now out here in the PNW). Should be shipping on July 11th.

jealous, definitely one of my favorites right there (never had the reserve though)

 

[distantmantra]

jealous, definitely one of my favorites right there (never had the reserve though)

Head brewmaster is a good family friend, he typically just gives us bottles of the Reserve Series beers, but I felt obligated to go out and buy a few.

You should be able to find it in stores. $12.99 a bottle. Best if aged until 6/15/2012.

 

[bumbillbee]

Head brewmaster is a good family friend, he typically just gives us bottles of the Reserve Series beers, but I felt obligated to go out and buy a few.

Will you adopt me? Please?

 

[HiResDes]

...I know it's way too early, but I got tired of all the standard summer fare and decided to pick up this little pack. I came away highly impressed, and I'd like to hail this the best American representation of the style I've ever had, beating out Sam Adams by a fair share.

 

[Peasant Princess-King]

One of my absolute fave brand of beers is a Louisiana local called Abita. I especially like the summer seasonal strawberry. Yum yum yum. I don't know if you can buy it anywhere else, but if you ever swing down here, you should definitely try it. Andygator is a close second to strawberry, I like that one every other season, but it is more considered a barley wine.

I also like Purple Haze, Blue Moon, Heiner Brau, Sapporo, etc. I luv beer!

 

[bob_arctor]

One of my absolute fave brand of beers is a Louisiana local called Abita. I especially like the summer seasonal strawberry. Yum yum yum. I don't know if you can buy it anywhere else, but if you ever swing down here, you should definitely try it. Andygator is a close second to strawberry, I like that one every other season, but it is more considered a barley wine.

I also like Purple Haze, Blue Moon, Heiner Brau, Sapporo, etc. I luv beer!

Hmm. They have Abita at Shoprite by me here in Jersey. May try it this week. Just stocked up on brew for the long weekend:

Dale's Pale Ale
Sierra Nevada Torpedo Extra IPA
Smuttynose Old Brown Dog Ale
Brew Free Or Die IPA

 

[HiResDes]

Smuttynose's Robust Porter is probably my favorite representation of the style bar none...And the S'muttonator is up there with the best Doppelbock I've had as well.

 

[jamallinthesame]

I'm having some Coronas and super hot wings.

Fuck you all

 

[distantmantra]

Did the first brewery tour of the summer on Saturday.

South Seattle Tour:
Big Al's
Georgetown Brewing Co.
Emerald City Brewing
Epic Ale's
Schooner Exact

Also stopped in at Super Deli Mart, Seattle's worst kept secret in regards to bottle shops.

Epic Ales was FANTASTIC. The owner/brewer was so personable and you can tell he enjoys what he does. Plus, he makes extremely unique beers. Had a saison, a sour, a sour sout and a summer ale brewed with epazote. I cannot recommend checking them out enough. You will definitely learn something.

Picked up these guys along the way...

 

[AcridMeat]

Out last night, unfortunately the name of it escapes me but I had a double IPA that was quite nice. Their site doesn't have up to date info on the drafts.

Then when we went to a dive bar I switched to some Boont Amber Ale.

 

[GhostWriter24]

I'm currently drinking a Raging Bitch Belgian-Style india Pale Ale, whatever the fuck that means.

For all I know, it could be donkey piss, it's gettin me pretty fucked up.

 

[distantmantra]

I'm currently drinking a Raging Bitch Belgian-Style india Pale Ale, whatever the fuck that means.

For all I know, it could be donkey piss, it's gettin me pretty fucked up.

Not a fan of Belgian IPAs. Those are two flavor profiles that should be kept apart in my mind. But whatever, have fun man!

 

[HappyBivouac]

I loved the raging bitch. Thought it was great. I think it's been a pretty polarizing beer though.

 

[midramble]

I thought this was funny. Found it when I was on a long layover in salt lake city Utah

By the same token I had one of their oatmeal stouts and it was pretty good.
Captain Bastard

 

[distantmantra]

Best bottle art ever? Best bottle art ever.

Beer is pretty fantastic as well.

 

[AcridMeat]

Oh that bottle is indeed nice. Don't think I'll be able to find it here though.

Celebrated the 4th with Anchor Steam. Best I could do in short amount of time that I would be happy drinking.

 

[InVinoVeritas]

I recently discovered this gem at a local restaurant. It's been a fixture in my house ever since.

I've been homebrewing for about 9 months now, do we have a separate thread for that on GAF or do we lump it into this one as a beer catch all thread?

 

[Randy5554]

Nice refreshing beer for the hot summer days.

 

[distantmantra]

I've been homebrewing for about 9 months now, do we have a separate thread for that on GAF or do we lump it into this one as a beer catch all thread?

Same thread. Sharkmuncher is a big homebrew fan.

 

[BobTheFork]

Info please? Who makes that galactic and whence can I acquire it?

 

[distantmantra]

Info please? Who makes that galactic and whence can I acquire it?

Hopworks Urban Brewing out of Portland, OR. It's a limited summer release, picked up a bottle today at my neighborhood bottle shop for $9.

http://hopworksbeer.com/

From their site:

Robust caramel malt flavors battle NW Centennial and Cascade hops for interstellar supremacy. Throw down your quarters before it’s game over.

Look for Galactic Imperial Red in 22oz bottles and on draft in Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Northern Idaho.

 

[Rei_Toei]

Is it not a beautiful sight? Franziskaners, Tripel Karmeliet and La Trappe Pure. Bliss. But it's for a small party tonight (almost done with uni) and for the next months I'm going to deprive myself of beer in an attempt to establish the relationship between my gut and beer.

 

[Like the hat?]

I've had a goose island fleur that I had been aging but I couldn't help myself. So good.

 

[Diseased Yak]

Home brewers, I beseech thee! I really want to get into brewing at home, but googling said hobby is akin to dunking one's self into the deep end. Where to start? What site to buy my hops from? Can I has beer now please?

All these questions and more I have, please point me to a worthy FAQ or such. Thanks, my booze-brewing brothers.

 

[fenners]

Home brewers, I beseech thee! I really want to get into brewing at home, but googling said hobby is akin to dunking one's self into the deep end. Where to start? What site to buy my hops from? Can I has beer now please?

All these questions and more I have, please point me to a worthy FAQ or such. Thanks, my booze-brewing brothers.

I'm on my third batch of homebrewing. I use Austin Homebrew Supply for my gear + ingredients because they rock & because they're five minutes away from where I work

There's a lot of good videos/guides on Youtube + HomebrewTalk.com, but frankly, the best thing you can do is buy a book - "How To Brew" by John Palmer. He's got an older version online free at http://www.howtobrew.com/ but it's worth spending $15 to buy the book itself. . It really is a great guide on how & why you do what you do when brewing.

 

[thespot84]

Is it not a beautiful sight? Franziskaners, Tripel Karmeliet and La Trappe Pure. Bliss. But it's for a small party tonight (almost done with uni) and for the next months I'm going to deprive myself of beer in an attempt to establish the relationship between my gut and beer.

Don't leave those on their side for too long, the beer can react with the bottlecap...

Edit: missed the part about the party tonight, happy drinking!

 

[Yaboosh]

Don't leave those on their side for too long, the beer can react with the bottlecap...

Edit: missed the part about the party tonight, happy drinking!

The beer won't react with the bottle cap if it is properly sealed. There is nothing to react with.

 

[distantmantra]

The beer won't react with the bottle cap if it is properly sealed. There is nothing to react with.

Beer Advocate feels differently, and this is pretty consistent with everything I've heard from people in the beer industry. Some of this applies to corked beers, other parts apply to all sealed beers.

Now there's a lot of debate surrounding storing a beer upright vs. laying it down like a wine, specifically towards corked bottles. Some "experts" have faith in the old school wine way, that a corked beer should be kept on its side in order to keep the cork from drying out, while others believe that it doesn't really matter. In our opinion, ALL beer should be stored upright. Here's why we believe so, along with some other interesting facts about storage and cork:

Cork cells are impregnated with a waxy material, called suberin, that is almost impermeable to water or gases. Cork is also buoyant due to the presence of trapped air in the cavities of the waterproof dead cells. When cut these cells act as suction-cups and become adhesive, thus making them ideal bottle stoppers.
Natural cork is sometimes prone to drying out, however we've never had any problems -- even with beers aged 10+ years upright. Today's modern plastic/synthetic, screw cap, agglomerated, technical and capsulated corks are a lot less prone to shrinkage, to the point where it's not even worth worrying about. If a beer has been both corked and capped or corked then waxed, cork shrinkage is definitely not a major concern.
The inside of the bottle already contains its own humidity level, and as a result will not dry out the portion of the cork inside the bottle if stored properly. So the idea of laying a beer down to ensure that the liquid touches the cork to prevent drying is a moot point -- remember "almost impermeable to water", the cork is not going to act like a sponge. It's the cork exposed to the open air that should be of concern, however an ample amount of humidity is all that is required to stop any exposed cork from drying out during long-term storage.
Cork problems are usually a sign of a bad cork or a cork that has passed its lifespan, not necessarily a sign of poor storage. Agglomerated corks last for about 1-3 years before beginning to disintegrate. Plastic corks eventually lose their elasticity, too. We suggest contacting the brewery to find out what type of cork they used, and its expected lifespan.
Long storage of a beer on its side can create a yeast ring (or water-mark) inside the bottle, which will not settle. Storing a beer upright will ensure that the yeast compacts to the bottom of the bottle.
The upright storage method decreases the amount of exposed beer thus slowing oxidation of the beer.
Another real good reason for not storing a beer on its side is that long exposure to the cork (especially non-taint treated natural cork) can impart cork flavours within the beer. The alcohol in beer draws out that mouldy/musty character of the cork and in fact can taint the beer. In our opinion this doesn't add any wanted complexity to the beer. Natural cork can also harbour certain fungal bacterias which are believed to create an off-flavour compound called 2,4,6, Trichloroanisole or simply TCA, which renders its victim lifeless and dull to the taste.
Many vintage beers are kept on beer shelves for quite some time before being sold. Don't you think beer stores would shelve their corked beers like wine, if they were meant to be laid-down like wine?
We've spoken to dozens of brewers, who all recommend the upright method of beer storage. Even world-renowned brewers like Chimay and Riva suggest that you store all of their beers upright.
Just because a self-proclaimed "beer expert" recommends that beer be laid-down like wine, doesn't mean that they are 100% correct. There's more than one opinion in the world, and opinions change over time.

 

[sharkmuncher]

Home brewers, I beseech thee! I really want to get into brewing at home, but googling said hobby is akin to dunking one's self into the deep end. Where to start? What site to buy my hops from? Can I has beer now please?

All these questions and more I have, please point me to a worthy FAQ or such. Thanks, my booze-brewing brothers.

I'm on my third batch of homebrewing. I use Austin Homebrew Supply for my gear + ingredients because they rock & because they're five minutes away from where I work

There's a lot of good videos/guides on Youtube + HomebrewTalk.com, but frankly, the best thing you can do is buy a book - "How To Brew" by John Palmer. He's got an older version online free at http://www.howtobrew.com/ but it's worth spending $15 to buy the book itself. . It really is a great guide on how & why you do what you do when brewing.

Right here will give you all the info for your first few batches. Morebeer, or any similar site such as Austin Homebrew, Midwest Supplies will all have a variety of starter kits of varying price based on what's included. I started with the basic 2 plastic bucket kit and a 5 gallon pot from Walmart and you can make great beer. Just grab the kit, a large pot (or use one you may already have) and get an extract recipe kit, and read the first few sections of how to brew online and you will be set. If you like it, there are infinite expansions, tweaks, recipes and information. Once you get the basics down, you can make brewing as simple or complex as you want.

Resources:


Homebrewtalk.com
Midwest Supplies
Morebeer

Austin Homebrew

That should get you started

 

[InVinoVeritas]

I'm lucky enough to live 2 minutes from a Northern Brewer supply store. They have been great and have an excellent selection. Just wanted to add their link to your above list of resources:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/

After doing extract brewing and steeping/partial mashes for 9 months, I'm thinking about taking the step to all grain. This would mean no more stovetop brewing for me though, as I would have a hard time doing a full boil on the electric range. How drastic is the flavor difference between doing extract batches and all grain batches? Worth the extra expense and time?

 

[AndyD]

I'm lucky enough to live 2 minutes from a Northern Brewer supply store. They have been great and have an excellent selection. Just wanted to add their link to your above list of resources:
http://www.northernbrewer.com/

After doing extract brewing and steeping/partial mashes for 9 months, I'm thinking about taking the step to all grain. This would mean no more stovetop brewing for me though, as I would have a hard time doing a full boil on the electric range. How drastic is the flavor difference between doing extract batches and all grain batches? Worth the extra expense and time?

I do full grain on an electric top. Its not the easiest thing and I have a giant pot, but its doable.

 

[Lopson]

Lads and gents, I present to you the best beer Portugal has to offer: the Super Bock Abadia.

 

[TheRagnCajun]

I've had Sam Adams summer ale. Definately worth a taste, its good stuff.

Have yet to try other summer beers.

 

[InVinoVeritas]

I do full grain on an electric top. Its not the easiest thing and I have a giant pot, but its doable.

How do you manage to get 6 gallons boiling? It takes forever for my range to get 3 gallons going, I can't imagine trying to do double the amount...

 

[sharkmuncher]

How do you manage to get 6 gallons boiling? It takes forever for my range to get 3 gallons going, I can't imagine trying to do double the amount...

Depends on the pot and the stove. The stove in my apartment can just barely get 6 gallons going with my kettle over 2 burners. I will probably be moving to a propane burner and brew in my parking lot whenever it is nice enough outside.

Just got my new 10 gal brew kettle! Hopefully I can get it boiling double burner style on my stove, otherwise its off to spend more money.

Make sure to put some foil down between the burners. The radiant heat is pretty extreme and will burn nasty, hard to remove stains if there is any kind of food or anything on the surface between the burners.

 

[Sleepy]

Sam Summer:

Someone asked about summer beers. This one's nothing extravagant or exotic, but it's good. As all the Sam Adams seasonals tend to be. (Winter Lager is still my favorite, though.)

Had a 12 of this over the weekend. Pungent. Can't really say if I like it or not, even after drinking 12.

Picked up a six of Longhammer IPA; okay, if a bit light-tasting.

 

[distantmantra]

Picked up a six of Longhammer IPA; okay, if a bit light-tasting.

Longhammer is a very light IPA, especially for something made in the PNW. Full Sail's standard IPA is also a bit of letdown.

 

[Like the hat?]

one day I'll try my hand at home brewing...

 

[Blablurn]

some update from china: chinese's qingdao beer is not that good...even though its fairly cheap, it's taste is pretty bitter. but i found some love for japanese asahi beer here. really nice.

 

[sharkmuncher]

After seeing this post on Mountain Sun's FB feed:

Hey Folks...The Arctic Wheat is back on at both Boulder pubs! Brewed with lemongrass and mint that is added at the end of the boil to create a slight crispness! At 4%ABV Arctic Wheat has the the lowest alcohol percentage of all Mountain Sun Ales!

I decided that it is something I must try! Instead of whatever mint/lemongrass mix they used, however, I think I am going to just brew up some Sleepytime tea (Chamomile, Spearmint and Lemongrass) and add it to the beer either at flame out or to a secondary? I'll have to try adding to bottles at small scale in the kitchen before beginning, brewing reseach can be such hard work sometimes. Think of how much beer I would potentially have to drink to get it right. Darn

 

[distantmantra]

After seeing this post on Mountain Sun's FB feed:

I decided that it is something I must try! Instead of whatever mint/lemongrass mix they used, however, I think I am going to just brew up some Sleepytime tea (Chamomile, Spearmint and Lemongrass) and add it to the beer either at flame out or to a secondary? I'll have to try adding to bottles at small scale in the kitchen before beginning, brewing reseach can be such hard work sometimes. Think of how much beer I would potentially have to drink to get it right. Darn

Alcohol and a tea that makes you sleepy? Uh oh! I should visit when I'm in Omaha in September and help you do "research."

Actually, that sounds pretty interesting. We've been seeing beers with lemongrass in them for a bit out here in Seattle, so it's worth a shot.