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

[quote name='LXL_Guy']Just bought a case of Sam Adams Cherry Wheat. Thought I'd try something new. Not too sure if I should have bought this one. It's kind of like drinking cough syrup.[/QUOTE]

Not a big fan of the Cherry Wheat either. I want to like it... but that syrupy cherry flavor is a bit off-putting.
 
[quote name='Jackovasaurus']Goose Island IPA! I know, not really a microbrew, but it's delicious. Also, I have to rep for the Chi whenever i get the opportunity.[/QUOTE]

I would say Goose Island falls into the microbrewery category, maybe just one of the bigger ones...

They make a good Belgian too, called Matilda.
 
[quote name='metaphysicalstyles']My wife has been looking for a "chocolate" beer that isn't too hoppy... any recommendations? She tried Sam's Chocolate Bock... and didn't like it.[/QUOTE]

Rogue Chocolate Stout is supposed to be really good, I've never tried it though. You could check out the reviews on Beer Advocate to see what you're in for.
 
[quote name='metaphysicalstyles']My wife has been looking for a "chocolate" beer that isn't too hoppy... any recommendations? She tried Sam's Chocolate Bock... and didn't like it.[/QUOTE]

You might give Left Hand's Milk Stout a try. Young's Double Chocolate Stout. Possibly even Bell's Kalamazoo Stout. All these are around 6% abv - so not high grav and pretty easy drinking. You might browse the milk/sweet stout section at beer advocate (here's the top 25 in that section):

http://beeradvocate.com/lists/style/82

If you have access to Duck-Rabbit - I see it's in the top 25 - you could give it a try though I don't know how widely they distribute. (I'm not really a big fan of theirs but they specialize in stouts/porters)
 
[quote name='depascal22']Just got back from California and I had so many new beers that I lost track. I did have a Pliny the Elder IPA out of Santa Rosa that was so good, I seriously considered ways to smuggle a growler in my carry on. Hops without overpowering a perfect 8%ABV. You can taste the beer instead of being overpowered by a "barley wine".[/QUOTE]

Had the Pliny while in CA last week. Agree with your assessment. Damn good IPA. Very hoppy, but well balanced.
 
[quote name='weezyweazel']I REALLY like Southern Tier's "Phin and Matt's Extraordinary Ale". Nice, smooth APA.

Since Sierra Nevada stuff is already available to you, I would give their seasonal Celebration Ale a shot. It's an IPA, so expect a lot more hop kick.[/QUOTE]

I will look for that next time I go out for beer. Celebration was actually pretty good.

I haven't tried their Harvest but I look forward to trying it. I do however have a bottle of their estate ale and am looking to try it during Thanksgiving.

Anybody know if they sell Barley Wine in the US?
 
[quote name='cindersphere']
Anybody know if they sell Barley Wine in the US?[/QUOTE]

Yeah - actually Sierra Nevada's Bigfoot is a really nice barleywine. Also look for Rogue's XS series Old Crustacean. Two of my favs.
 
Just looked it up on the website this review gave me a chuckle.

"…Bigfoot® captures the imagination, and its character is as big as the name implies, with a huge hoppiness in its earthy aroma, a chewy palate, and a great depth of flavor.”
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– Michael Jackson
 
Beer reviews, like wine reviews, can be pretty funny. I think generally the beer ones don't take themselves quite as seriously though! (earthy, chewy) ;)

Yeah - Michael Jackson was this huge beer guy - wrote several books on the subject. He actually died a few years ago. But I also always got a chuckle thinking about the other MJ drinking a beer with that fancy ass glove on any time the beer MJ came up.
 
Weyerbacher Blithering Idiot is probably my favorite Barleywine.

Brooklyn's Monster is another good one. Stone's Old Guardian is good as well, but very hoppy for a barley wine.
 
[quote name='metaphysicalstyles']My wife has been looking for a "chocolate" beer that isn't too hoppy... any recommendations? She tried Sam's Chocolate Bock... and didn't like it.[/QUOTE]

Young's Double Chocolate Stout
Southern Tier Choklat
Southern Tier Jahva
Southern Tier Mokah*
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

*The Mokah is a seasonal beer from Southern Tier that is a combination of the Choklat and Jahva and is the best of the 3. It is a Spring seasonal so the 2011 version comes out in April but you can still find the 2010 versions at beer stores.

Choklat is out right now and is really good. It is 11% so be careful!
 
[quote name='bordjon']Beer reviews, like wine reviews, can be pretty funny. I think generally the beer ones don't take themselves quite as seriously though! (earthy, chewy) ;)

Yeah - Michael Jackson was this huge beer guy - wrote several books on the subject. He actually died a few years ago. But I also always got a chuckle thinking about the other MJ drinking a beer with that fancy ass glove on any time the beer MJ came up.[/QUOTE]

Yeah MJ was apart of the early craft brew scene and wrote the big book of beer correct? One of my professors waxes poetic about him, Ken Grossman Dan Gordon and the brew master at a local brewery called Sudwerks (They all seem like pretty nice dudes from the presentations they gave in my class a couple of weeks ago).
 
I picked up four packs of Sun King's Osiris Pale Ale and Sunlight Cream Ale.

The Pale Ale is super hoppy without the high ABV that's normal for Pales and IPAs.

I won't get the Cream Ale again. It tastes like a domestic pilsner with the high price tag of other craft beers.
 
Picked up a six of Magic Hat Howl - a schwarzbier - on a whim before we went to visit some friends for the night. It's a decent beer but nothing special I didn't think. 4.6% and pretty strong carbonation (maybe the best part) - just a real light roasted taste and not much else for me. I just looked it up on beer advocate and found it surprisingly got a A- from the bros - I didn't think it was near that good - on par with SA black lager...
 
Picked up some Thomas Creek Up The Creek Extreme IPA, Highland Oatmeal Porter and a Corsendonk gift set. Had the IPA last night - 12.5% ABV! At first I thought it was nice. Good carbonation (which seems to have become important to me lately for some reason) nice balance of grassy/citrus bitterness and very little alcohol burn for such a big beer. I *thought* it was going to be an easy drinker but turns out it wasn't. And as I continued to sip on it the aftertaste was a bit harsh for my liking (maybe the alcohol sneaking in.) It became a bit more of a chore than I'd hoped. I do think I'd buy it again though.

The Highland Oatmeal Porter is real nice. Roasty and smooth and smokey at the end.
 
The latest in the Sierra Nevada 30th Anniv. Series is pretty tasty. It's called "Our Brewer's Reserve. It's described on the label as a mixing of an oak aged version of their Bigfoot Barleywine, the celebration ale and the pale ale.

Tastes mostly like the Big foot, with some nice oak flavor and a nice blast of hops in the finish. Complex, but well balanced.

Also grabbed the right Stone Verticle Epic and got the 10/10/10 this time after mistakenly grabbing the 09 version last time. Saving that for when I'm done with all my end of the semester grading as a reward (hopefully Tuesday).

Also grabbed a sixer of the 2010 Anchor Christmas which is pretty tasty, and a 4 pack of Old Rasputin which is one of my all time faves (sipping on one now).
 
So I was able to get one of these gems....

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The store I got it at was limiting it to one per customer since they only received six cases. I got it Friday and one of my co-workers went Saturday and said they were already down to the last case. I think I'm going to save it for New Years. Cannot wait to try it.
 
That infinium ale how much was it?

Also another question for home brewers. Any recomendations on books that would be good for someone just starting? I'm looking for one that will tell me what to do and not to do. Also I understand that if the beer is to sweet or bitter it is a sign that something went wrong. So I'm looking for a book that also has that in it.
 
For those in the south east....the Sweet Water Happy Ending is out. Great, hoppy imperial stout and nice bang for the buck at $8-9 a six pack and 9% abv.
 
I went out and got a 5 liter mini keg of Newcastle brown ale only to have my friend give me another one for Christmas. I now have 10 liters of frothy goodness to enjoy. Apparently he wants me to become an alcoholic. :lol:

I miss Goose Island Hex Nut Brown. :cry:
 
I'm hardly a beer afficionado. A bottle of Michelob Light works just fine thankyouverymuch, but I recently tried one of the local microbrews, Great Lakes. I didn't care for the porter and two ales I tried, but the two lagers (Elliot Ness and Dortmunder Gold) were fantastic.
 
Yeah, when you first get into microbrews, the lagers will be what you dig at first as they're the closet to the mass produced lagers you've been drinking.

If you keep trying stuff, over time you're tastes will likely evolve. When I first started branching out I mostly hated IPAs, Stouts and Porters. Now I love those types of beers, and with IPAs the hoppier the better! :D And there are now very few lagers I can stomach drinking.
 
[quote name='sendme']looking for somthing irish for new years. Would like a beer so any ideas?[/QUOTE]

well you got guinness and murphys (both good). if you can find it kilkenny cream ale is good. they you have lighter stuff like harp & smithwicks. they should all be relatively easy to find except for kikellys which i pretty much never see.

i enjoyed some guinness last night as a matter of fact. i was just going to buy a 6 pack, but the 12 pack was only 4 bucks more. rite-aid wants me to drink to destroy my liver more.
 
[quote name='sendme']Did not know harp was Irish. Will look for the others. Thanks.[/QUOTE]

harp is made by guinness, called harp because of the guinness logo (a harp).
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Yeah, when you first get into microbrews, the lagers will be what you dig at first as they're the closet to the mass produced lagers you've been drinking.

If you keep trying stuff, over time you're tastes will likely evolve. When I first started branching out I mostly hated IPAs, Stouts and Porters. Now I love those types of beers, and with IPAs the hoppier the better! :D And there are now very few lagers I can stomach drinking.[/QUOTE]
You're probably right. I could drink the American pale ale again. It had a nice flavor, but the bitterness... I could get used to it though, and I'm looking forward to trying other brands. The IPA was just too much (keep in mind, I don't drink much period, beer or otherwise). The porter had too strong a coffee flavor. Not being a fan of coffee it didn't sit well with me. It did have a nice aftertaste though, strangely.
 
Yeah, it's just a matter of tastes evolving. I was much the same. HATED IPAs several years back.

But as I started drinking more micro brew lagers etc. I gradually started liking more bitter beer, and now go to a point where many IPAs I thought were too bitter years ago are now a bit bland and not bitter enough for me!

The coffee-ish one's you may never get into if you don't like coffee as that too is an acquired taste! Used to hate coffee--and now I grind my own beans and buy the bold and extra-bold styles! :D
 
[quote name='RAMSTORIA']harp is made by guinness, called harp because of the guinness logo (a harp).[/QUOTE]

I found that out when I saw it on a 6 pack at walmart today. Never new it. I have always ordered it at bars and it was served in a glas. Might pick that up.
 
Well my new years is now set. Picked up a 4 pack of Wexford Irish Cream Ale, 6 pack of Harp, bottle of rogue john john hazelnut ale, 6 pack of Weihenstephan and a bottle of Infinium Ale. Wonder if I will even be up to see 2010 end and 2011 start.
 
Finally got hold of the Guiness Foreign Extra Stout. $11 for a four pack is a little pricey but in line with what I pay for imports and craft beers.
 
Finally found Brooklyn Brewery's Black Chocolate Stout after casually looking for 5-6 years. It is great. Haven't especially cared for other chocolate stouts, but this one lives up to its reputation. Also picked up Old Rasputin.
 
Got a six pack of winter ale Magic Hat a week ago. It's okay, but I can only stand to drink 1 a night. I realized I prefer my dark beers to have a high alcohol content since I really only like to drink 1 or 2. Any more than that and it just starts tasting funky.

The wife made some nice Japanese food for our "end of the year meal." I was craving a Kirin. I always thought Japanese beers are the best to have with meals. They don't fill you up, a good chugging beer. Next time I'm in the supermarket I'm picking up a sixer.

I had some nice drinking over the holidays. Didn't over do it this time. But X-Mas night I had a few glasses of wine and that stuff always gives me a nasty hangover. Funny cause I never get hangovers even when I drink hard stuff, but wine always gets to me. I wonder what it is about wine.
 
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I didn't have much exciting over Christmas - some Flying Dog pils I think it was - and some Bass. New Year I had a year old Big Ol Belgian Blue Balls from Sweetwater's dank tank series - 8% abv fruit beer made with blueberries - tasted great and I'm not a fruit beer guy but this was awesome. I guess it's like a double Sweetwater Blue or something - I haven't had one of those in years though. Also had a Smuttynose imperial stout and a whole bunch of Heavy Seas peg leg imperial stout. The Heavy Seas stout wasn't so great and the Smuttynose was just decent. Doubt I'll buy ether again.
 
[quote name='jbuck138']Finally found Brooklyn Brewery's Black Chocolate Stout after casually looking for 5-6 years. It is great. Haven't especially cared for other chocolate stouts, but this one lives up to its reputation. Also picked up Old Rasputin.[/QUOTE]

That is a great stout - as is old raspy. If you ever see any Foothills Sexual Chocolate give it a try. Also Ommegang's Chocolate Indulgence is a pretty good chocolate stout.
 
Had some Inukshuk IPA from O'Dempsey's out of Atlanta I believe. Really well balanced and very drinkable beer. Also had some Boulevard Dark Truth Stout from their smokestack series - 9.5% abv and a very interesting stout. Belgian yeast, German hops, English malt - really, really liked this one - my wife said it's her new favorite. That dark fruit up front from the yeast and then roasty and smokey on the back end - really complex beer!

But I had some wine tonight - we cooked a really nice steak in the skillet (USDA Prime!) and made a wine reduction with an older cab sav!
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']The coffee-ish one's you may never get into if you don't like coffee as that too is an acquired taste! Used to hate coffee--and now I grind my own beans and buy the bold and extra-bold styles! :D[/QUOTE]

These are the dark beers I lke the best. Never been a fan of guniess, but if it's got an interesting flavor and I've already downed a few I want a coffeeish beer.

Anyone into liquor. Gotta say - myself I dig the bourbon. Also been getting into rum more...
 
Had a banana beer a few weeks ago. Anyone else try this? It was nice, I'll defiantly buy again.

[quote name='camoor']Anyone into liquor. Gotta say - myself I dig the bourbon. Also been getting into rum more...[/QUOTE]

I like a good Irish Whiskey every now and then. Rum not so much, but there is a rum called Kraken that isn't bad. Somebody got me a Brandy for X-Mas, didn't care much for it.
 
[quote name='rabbitt']HOPSLAM. Had one on tap tonight and picked up a six for my studies.[/QUOTE]

It's that time of year again!
 
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