CAG Beer Drinkers Unite! Beer Snobs and Cheap Ass Drunks Welcome!

Speaking of stouts, can any of y'all recommend me some decent "entry" ones? The darkest brew that I've found I like is New Belgium's 1554, but I know I can do better.
(Note: I hate coffee.)

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Is anyone else going to order those two New Belgium globe glasses for the price of one? If you have codes from brews from 4 sixers, 2 12 packs, or a 24 pack, you can get two of the glasses for $5 (before shipping).
I'm going to order them tonight, so I can have them to celebrate the end of the semester on Friday. I'm thinking my friends and I will get some Duvel and Chimay, since we've heard great things about them.
 
[quote name='rabbitt']
Last time I was at the beer store, I wanted to pick up a 4-pack of the Breakfast Stout, but it was $16. I've heard it's good, but that's steep.[/QUOTE]

Seems like prices on a lot of Stouts is up a lot this year.

I used to get Ten Fidy for $10.99, it's been $16.99 a 4 pack everywhere I've seen it this year.

Granted, I'm in a different state now, but most every other beer is a buck or two cheaper than what I paid before moving.
 
I was in Milwaukee for Thanksgiving and beer was cheaper than here in Indiana. It seemed like most 12 packs were 2 bucks cheaper.

I picked up a Capital Brewery Winter Ale and it's a Sam Adams Winter clone. Even the label color scheme is the same.
 
You'd think Wisconsin and Indiana would be pretty similar. If anything, I'd expect Indiana to have some of the lowest alcohol taxes in the country considering every other tax rate is so low.
 
Could be other reasons I suppose. Or Indiana just partly makes up for lower taxes in other areas by higher "sin taxes" on alcohol and tobacco etc.

Or the tax is just low in Wisc. since there are a lot of breweries there, and maybe more of a lobbying presence in their state legislature vs. Indiana. Hard to say without knowing the specifics.
 
RE: stouts - we picked up a few 4 packs of Founder's bfast stout in NC a few months back. It was around 16 I think. You can get Old Rasputin for half that and it is a great beer. Rogue's XS Russian Imperial Stout is great but also pricey. I think I hear Rogue's XS stuff is going to 7oz. nips.

I'm drinking a good bit of Sweetwater's Festive Ale. It's cheap at 8.99 a sixer and packs a punch at 8.6% ABV. Not a bad winter spice beer - but doesn't blow me away either.

depascal - your a lucky guy to be in Indy - you can get three floyds!!! Hook us up with some trades! You know Dark Lord is like the holy grail of Russian Imperial Stouts! Have you ever gone for Dark Lord day?

Our local beer group, Free the Hops, just did a blind IPA tasting and here are the results if anyone is interested. They'll be doing a RIS one next. I didn't participate in this one but hope to get in on the RIS one. Understand these are all available in our state (AL) so there are a certainly some top names (Stone, Green Flash, Bear Republic, etc.) that are not here because we don't have distribution of these here yet.

1. Sweetwater IPA - 4.26
2. Two Hearted Ale - 3.93
3. Great Divide Titan - 3.82
4. Mojo IPA - 3.63
5. SN Celebration Ale - 3.6
6. Flying Dog Snake Dog - 3.32
7. Good People IPA - 3.3
8. Boulevard Single Wide IPA - 3.26
9. Abita Jockamo - 3.06
10. Hitachino Nest Classic Ale - 2.89
11. Brooklyn East India Ale - 2.86
12. Pennichuck Halligan IPA - 2.61
 
My friend just finished brewing his first batch of mead. It will be his last. Its disgusting. Gets you wasted though...if you can stomach it.
 
[quote name='depascal22']Good looking out, bord. I'll definately be on the lookout for Sweetwater.[/QUOTE]

It's very good if you're into the more citrusy/grapefruity type of hops in the east coast style IPAs. One of the best of that style.

I like it, but I like the more piney hops of west coast IPAs like Stone more personally.
 
[quote name='Nirvanaguy777']My friend just finished brewing his first batch of mead. It will be his last. Its disgusting. Gets you wasted though...if you can stomach it.[/QUOTE]


How long did your friend let it sit in secondary?

We let ours sit for about a year.
It is definately not beer but turned out very drinkable and enjoyable.
Plus gets ya piss drink and makes ya feel like a viking.

We put cranberry and apples in ours as well. Also I think we used wine yeast. The end product had champagne-like notes but very few bubbles. Got complements from people who enjoy mead and we enjoyed so we are happy.

I would suggest shelving it for a few more weeks, then give it another taste. If it tastes really bad/makes you sick toss it, dont chance it.



Our next batch that should be done in a week or so is a sumarian ale.
Light ale with figs, dates, raisans in it. Should be interesting.

Then our indian spice, then our dr.pepper porter. lol
 
[quote name='depascal22']I prefer the Western IPA's also but I'll try any beer that's so well recommended from a fellow beer lover.[/QUOTE]

Definitely. And like I said, it's one of the best of the style. I get it pretty often, despite preferring the west coast styles since it is good, and it's on tap all over the place since I live in Atlanta where it's brewed.
 
I'm having a 2007 Terrapin Imperial Pilsner tonight. Our Whole Foods got in a few cases of the stuff. I guess Terrapin had been holding some back. It was part of their monster beer tour seasonal stuff but it has since been replaced by Gamma Ray I believe. It's not bad at all - has a crazy sweet aroma but the taste is real well balanced the sweetness up front pretty quickly gives way to a decent bitterness for a 2.5 year old bear. Real mellow - I guess to be expected for the age.

Had a Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA a couple days ago. 20% ABV! It claims to be a hopheads dream but it's way, way too sweet and tangy - really very little bitterness - and this beer was only 7 months old. Could definitely taste the alcohol on this one. I'll stick with 90 Min. thank you very much.

Will be having a "real" hopheads dream tomorrow night. Stone 13th Anniversary! Now this stuff is great - I'm a huge fan of strong reds though. It's just got it all!
 
Heading to Lake Tahoe this weekend. Can't wait to get some Sierra Nevada on tap. I've been looking for their Torpedo IPA for a while but the only place east of the Mississippi that sells it is in Milwaukee.
 
I finally had my first drink with co-workers/friends. I ended up having Coke and Captain mixed together. Initially I was given too much Captain, where I said it tasted like shit really loud. Then, they re-mixed the drink with less Captain and it wasn't bad. I'm kind of tempted to have it again, but I won't drink again for a while. I had a little buzz from it.

Yeah, finally someone convinced me at the right time.
 
Reno sucks for beer.

Salt Lake City, however, has a the great Wasatch Brewery. Tried their Hefe-weizen and Polygamy Porter. Both were excellent.
 
[quote name='depascal22'] I've been looking for their Torpedo IPA for a while but the only place east of the Mississippi that sells it is in Milwaukee.[/QUOTE]

Huh? I bought some in Maryland before I moved, and saw some in Hop City in Atlanta last week. I don't care for it much personally.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Huh? I bought some in Maryland before I moved, and saw some in Hop City in Atlanta last week. I don't care for it much personally.[/QUOTE]

It must be like Fat Tire. It's really hit and miss. I never found Torpedo here, or in North Carolina, Ohio, or New York but we have Fat Tire.

Just curious but what didn't you like about it, dmaul?
 
It wasn't bad, I just didn't like the type of hops or something. It was a little bland I didn't' enjoy the type of bitterness it had much.

I prefer their regular pale ale, their anniversary ale (most years) and their celebration ale to the torpedo.
 
Had two Bell's Java Stouts last night. It's actually brewed with coffee beans. Tons of coffee taste. Bitter up front - little tiny bit of sweetness in the middle - bitter finish. Not a super hoppy bitterness - more a roasted/burnt coffee bitterness. 7.5% ABV - was very drinkable - no boozy taste at all for me.

Gave away my last Stone 13th Anniversary ale to a friend for his bday. He's not a huge craft beer but generally has something in the fridge (had a Hazed and Infused while over there for dinner.) I'm curious to see his thoughts on it as it's been one of my favs this year.

Hey dmaul - have you had any Terrapin Hopsecutioner yet? I hear it's seeing a limited release in atl and athens and maybe a few other places in the state just to test the waters.
 
Gonna pick up a seasonal ale later tonight so I can have next week for Christmas. I'm leaning torwards either St. Benardus Christmas Ale or Delirium Noel. I had the Bernardus last year so I should try something new and just go with the Delirium. It looks delicious:

14735116760939064112401.jpg
 
[quote name='bordjon']
Hey dmaul - have you had any Terrapin Hopsecutioner yet? I hear it's seeing a limited release in atl and athens and maybe a few other places in the state just to test the waters.[/QUOTE]

I saw one in Hop City, but didn't pick it up yet. I've been underwhelmed with Terrapins offerings so far. Have their Wake 'N' Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout in the fridge now. It's ok, but a bit thin in the body for an imperial.
 
Found a great place on the South Side of Indy. It's called Shallo's and they advertise that they have over 500 beers available throughout the year. They must've had over 25 beers on tap and some of it was very obscure.

I went with:

Two Bros. Heavy Handed IPA -- my favorite of the night, very hoppy, like a super powered Sierra Nevada
Bell's Christmas -- my least favorite, i could taste the spice but it was a jumbled mess of a beer to me
Breckenridge 471 IPA -- least hoppy IPA i've ever had, not too bad but not what I expected
Left Hand Fade to Black -- Black ale, tastes similar to Guiness

Here's the review from the beer advocate: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/3025
 
I'm right there with you on the Bell's Christmas. It's garbage to me. I've got a few left in the fridge - maybe I'll have them after I've already had a few decent beers for the night! Kinda surprised me because everything I've had from Bell's has been great so far.

Had some Saranac Octoberfest last night. It was ok - not bad but not great - just sorta meh.

Will be taking a few different beers to our family get-together. Sweetwater Festive Ale, Old Raspy, Moylan's Hopsickle and some SNPA. Gonna let me nephew and nephew-in-law try some stuff they probably haven't had before (well besides the SNPA.)

Apparently Hopsecutioner has made it over here now so when I see some I'll pick it up and give my opinion on it.
 
Just stocked up for the remainder of the year and New Year's bash.

Newcastle, Red Stripe, Sam Adams Cream Stout and San Miguel Dark. *cheers*
 
Picked up a couple beers while at Whole Foods last night.

Bell's Kalamazoo Stout--this was pretty good. A bit thin bodied for a stout, but nice coffee and chocolate flavor.

Also grabbed a bomber of the lastest Terrapin Monster Seasonal, The Dark Side. A take on a belgian style imperial stout, and a Chimay gift set that had the white, red and blue label Chimay's and a chalice glass.
 
I didn't are for the Terrapin The Dark Side. Way to thin body and sweet for an imperial. Podge is a much better Belgian Imperial Stout. I'm about to give up on Terrapin as I've yet to care for any of their beers I've tried.

The Chimay's were good as always, though I still don't dig their Tripel (the white label) that much as it's a bit bitter for the style.
 
Picked up some things that have been on my radar: a 4-pack of North Coast Old Stock Ale (2009), 4-pack of Founder's Breakfast Stout, and a single Oaked Arrogant Bastard.
 
Picked up New Belgium's Folly Pack. Very very good beer that I might make my go to in the future. The 1554 tastes alot like Guiness but I had them back to back and actually prefer 1554.

And you can't go wrong with Fat Tire, 2 degrees below, or the Abbey Belgian style ale.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']The Old Stock and Oaked AB are very good. Haven't had the Founder's, but have heard good things about it.[/QUOTE]

Glad I made some smart choices. I was holding out on the Founder's because the steep $16 pricetag, but I saw it at two places for $12 and had to snag it.

Also, my local market has a couple other new things in stock that I passed on. For the first time, I saw AleSmith's Speedway Stout and Brooklyn Local 1, 2, and Schneider-Hopfen-Weisse(?).
 
[quote name='depascal22']Picked up New Belgium's Folly Pack. Very very good beer that I might make my go to in the future. The 1554 tastes alot like Guiness but I had them back to back and actually prefer 1554.

And you can't go wrong with Fat Tire, 2 degrees below, or the Abbey Belgian style ale.[/QUOTE]

I've found all of the New Belgium Stuff I've tried to just be ok--good but nowhere near great. I've had the Fat Tire, 2 Degrees and 1554. Probably liked the 2 Below best of those.

They're all basically stuff I'll get if that's the best a place has on tap or in 6 packs. Which isn't often for me as even the grocery stores around me have some stuff in the same price range that I like better be it Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada, Dogfish Head 60 Min, Sweetwater's offerings etc.
 
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Well my nephew didn't care for any of the beer - he just drank SNPA. He's not too big on craft beer culture. My other nephew (in-law) lives in Philly and is aware of, but hasn't been too, Monk's Cafe. He's somewhat familiar with craft beer and he really liked both the Old Raspy and the SW Festive Ale.

The moylan's hopsickle was awesome. Packed a real punch. A bit piney up front and grapefruit towards the end.

Now trying to decide on what to have for new years - think I may go with some DFH oddities like Theobrama and Midas Touch. Or Bell's Sparkling Ale (tripel) might be appropriate!
 
I was slighlty underwhelmed by Monk's Cafe when I went their in November. Don't get me wrong, it was good. I just had too high of expectations given all the rave on beer sites.

I think The Brick Store Pub here in the Atlanta area (in Decatur) is better. It's bigger and has an extensive Belgian selection (on tap and bottle) in the upstairs bar and a great selection of micros and imports from elsewhere in the downstairs bar.

http://www.brickstorepub.com/home/

Only negative is that it tends to be packed--especially Thurs, Friday and Saturday Nights. Either go early or go late (seems to thin out some after 11--open until 2 am).
 
Just cracked open my first Hopsecutioner. Low carbonation - a bit dry and smooth. Very bitter. A bit piney, a bit citrus, a bit sweaty gym towel. Warming at the end. Verdicts still out for me though as I'm only half way through the first glass.
 
Oh yeah dmaul - I've been wanting to check out the brick store for some time now but I just really don't make it over to atl much at all. If I ever get a chance I'll definitely check it out - looks like a cool place - thanks for the suggestion!
 
Had some good beers last night and currently.

Sweetwater Happy Ending Imperial Stout--really like this one. Basically it's a super hopped english style Imperial Stout. Get that hop blast up front that you'd get in an IPA or DIPA, but in the body of a IS with the chocolate malt flavor underneath.

N'ice Chouffe--Brassierie d'Achouffe's christmas offering . Pretty damn good. More sweetness and spices than some of the other Belgian Christmas ales I had like Corsendonk's and St. Bernardus's.

Heavy Seas Yule Tide Belgian Style Tripel Ale--Clipper City's latest offering in their Mutiny Series of big beers in 22oz bombers. Very interesting for a tripel. Not as sweet as most, and a lot of different fruits going on in the flavor.
 
Anybody got any good winter beers to try? I'm not a fan of stouts and I like medium or light-bodied beers. I went all out with the fall/harvest/pumpkin ales so I'm trying to get some seasonal brews in before the spring batches come out in a few months.

Also anybody in the Maryland area, be sure and hit up any Ram's Head tavern in the Annapolis area, their Fordham beers are top-notch (and join the World Beer Club while you're at it!)
 
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Lot of good belgian winter beers out now. I've had and enjoyed the following this year: N'ice Chouffe. Delierium Noel, Corsendonk Christmas. St. Berardus Christmas.

Haven't had much I liked on the domestic front. Didn't like this years version of Anchor's Christmas Ale (it's different every year). Fat Tire's 2 Below Ale is ok. Sam Adams Winter Lager is always a solid stand by. Sweetwater Festive Ale is pretty good.
 
Where are all the beer drinkers?!?

Had a Green Flash Imperial IPA tonight - great stuff - so well balanced - such a pleasant buzz too!

Tried out some Flying Dog Double Dog Ale the other day - a double pale ale. It's ok - nothing great - I've really never been too impressed with their stuff though (still want to try their Horn Dog barley wine.) But at 11.5% ABV it certainly packs a punch!

Hopsecutioner just missed the mark for me - I hear they are going back to the drawing board with it and rightly so I think. So many have tried to compare it to SW IPA (their local competition) and it's nothing like that - and then others say it's more west coast - I think it fell short of both of those...

And I may have to rescind my previous comment about Bell's Christmas Ale. I had one following a Bell's Java Stout the other day while watching the BCS national championship game (RTR!) and it was really nice - was picking up some strong cherry hints that I never got from it before. I have a couple left and I'll be paying closer attention to them - may save one for a year or so.

Prost!
 
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