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― ian, Thursday, 5 February 2009 04:41 (fifteen years ago) link
oh hell,
http://www.hoppocketwine.co.uk/images/wychwood%20fiddlers%20elbow.jpg
so i'm getting married this may, and considering it's one of my biggest interests/financial drains, i'd like craft beer to be well-represented at the reception.
i've been asking a lot of friends to get some input, and thus far people have given me basically three opinions:
1. offering some craft beer is all well and good, but you should also offer a bud or a pabst or something that everyone knows and likes2. offer all craft beer, just make sure there are some styles that are accessible, too.3. it's your wedding, get whatever the fuck you want
option 2 seems the best to me. i'd love to offer all great lakes (say, their 4 or 5 mainstay beers that are always available), b/c they're incredible, awesome beers that are also pretty accessible. i'm a native clevelander, too, so GL would represent my roots. though the wedding's in new haven, CT. and i know that GL isn't available, at least in package stores, in new england, so that might be a problem unless the venue knows a distributor who can get it.
but the same could be accomplished with say, brooklyn brewing co. - everyone knows them and the beers for the most part are pretty good (though i know there's much better out there.) i like how they're regional, too, as new haven is in the NYC/tri-state nexus, i guess.
what do y'all think? anybody plan a wedding and have to pick the beer?
― mark cl, Tuesday, 24 February 2009 21:40 (fifteen years ago) link
before i even finished yr post i was thinking brooklyn would be perfect for this situation.
― He grew in Pussyville. Population: him. (call all destroyer), Tuesday, 24 February 2009 21:42 (fifteen years ago) link
get in touch w/ the public affairs/communications ppl at great lakes and explain the situation and then sort of vaguely ask for help--you never know, if theyre looking for good publicity opportunities they might supply yr wedding for free! esp. if u play up the "cleveland boy pining for home" angle.
― max, Tuesday, 24 February 2009 21:46 (fifteen years ago) link
ha! i did exactly that, max. they were very friendly and put me in touch with their new york distributor, who's based in buffalo. the buffalo dist. co. wasn't helpful, basically said "sorry we only do buffalo area."
but i'm gonna ask the management at our reception venue about GL. since they buy tons of booze all the time for events, they might know a distributor that could get it.
― mark cl, Tuesday, 24 February 2009 21:50 (fifteen years ago) link
hrm
― max, Tuesday, 24 February 2009 21:54 (fifteen years ago) link
sometimes it's easier to get a keg through a distributor than bottles.
― Tina Fey's narrative bonsai (I DIED), Tuesday, 24 February 2009 21:55 (fifteen years ago) link
well brooklyn would def be easy to get in new haven
― max, Tuesday, 24 February 2009 21:55 (fifteen years ago) link
option 3: it's your wedding....
― whatever, Tuesday, 24 February 2009 22:01 (fifteen years ago) link
there is new england brewing co, which is located in CT and has pretty good beer and the elm city lager is something most anyone would drink, i think.http://newenglandbrewing.com/brews.html
― mizzell, Tuesday, 24 February 2009 22:05 (fifteen years ago) link
tbh i've never had NEBC. i should give it a try.
xp - i like the spirit behind option 3, but i guess i'm just not that kind of host. i'd rather have my wedding guests be drunk and happy and liking the beer than be sour over some russian imperial stout b.s.... besides i guess my own tastes have tamed quite a bit recently. i kind of overdid it with the RIS and double IPAs last year. if i can find a good amber or traditional pale ale, or a scotch ale or something a bit more balanced, it impresses me just as much.
― mark cl, Tuesday, 24 February 2009 22:25 (fifteen years ago) link
so back to general beer discussion... some friends and i went to the berkshire brewing co. the other day, actually to consider beers for the wedding, but ended up just being a fun trip in itself.
was pretty awesome - totally free of charge, and we lucked out by having BBC's actual brewmaster lead the tour rather than just some guide. he was very generous with the free samples. we ended up having 3-4 full beers there. since living up here in western MA i've gotten to be a pretty big fan of berkshire. favorite's probably their traditional pale ale, def. their most complex beer. rich and caramely up front w/ a nice bit at the end but nothing over the top at all.
― mark cl, Wednesday, 25 February 2009 21:03 (fifteen years ago) link
(i would actually consider BBC for the wedding but the reception venue will only do bottles, for some reason, and bbc only does the 22 oz bombers. i'd defintely prefer kegs in any case but no big deal)
― mark cl, Wednesday, 25 February 2009 21:06 (fifteen years ago) link
i've been returning this week to the Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout. Much more drinkable than the Brooklyn Chocolate Stout, in which you can really taste the alcohol.
― ian, Sunday, 29 March 2009 05:41 (fifteen years ago) link
hay dudes just went to a bar on 4th ave full of horrible micro brews you wouldve loved it - did u know theres a type of beer served warm and flat on purpose - btw max they had settlers of catan there
http://www.pacificstandardbrooklyn.com
― ice cr?m, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 02:27 (fifteen years ago) link
Thursday, April 2nd @ 8 PM in the Pub Room
An Evening With North Coast Brewing
Featuring Barrel-Aged Old Rasputin XI on Draught!
This is going to be awesome. This is like the only positive thing about living in the Chicago suburbs.
― t0dd swiss, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 02:50 (fifteen years ago) link
aw icey thank u 4 thinkin of me
i think warm flat beer is called british beer?
― rip dom passantino 3/5/09 never forget (max), Wednesday, 1 April 2009 13:29 (fifteen years ago) link
warm flat beer is great u guys are crazy
― just sayin, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 13:40 (fifteen years ago) link
i live in london btw
i dig the occasional warm flat beer; better than the endless succession of IPGayz that they probably run through that place.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 13:46 (fifteen years ago) link
no it's called British ale. don't besmirch beer by relating it to that vile shit.
― Local Garda, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 13:49 (fifteen years ago) link
Southern British Ale please, up North we have heads on our beers.
― problem chimp (Porkpie), Wednesday, 1 April 2009 14:42 (fifteen years ago) link
the whole pump that evokes the milking of a cow would put anyone off ale.
mind you Guinness is best room temp and flat
― Local Garda, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 14:44 (fifteen years ago) link
the warm flat beer is called cask beer and i was unaware that i was ordering from that section of the menu - i mean i didnt see that it said cask beer but also i wouldnt have known what that meant - it shouldve said "cask beer (warm flat beer)"
― ice cr?m, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 14:59 (fifteen years ago) link
people should really deal w/their personal issues before ordering a beer imo
― open up a cat of whup-ass (dan m), Wednesday, 1 April 2009 16:00 (fifteen years ago) link
horrible beer is more of a public health issue really
― ice cr?m, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 16:04 (fifteen years ago) link
cask ales are pretty dope, there are a few bars in l.a. that always have one on tap.
― hello my name is peter francis geraci are you in debt (omar little), Wednesday, 1 April 2009 16:54 (fifteen years ago) link
icey what is yr favorite beer then?
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 16:56 (fifteen years ago) link
I had a good local craft beer (don't remember what it was) at El Prado in Echo Park a couple weeks ago -- have you been to that place?
― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Wednesday, 1 April 2009 17:02 (fifteen years ago) link
some brewery around there in east LA produces them--i cant remember the name of it but they always had one at the york.
― rip dom passantino 3/5/09 never forget (max), Wednesday, 1 April 2009 17:03 (fifteen years ago) link
i like tons beers im really into the pinkus pils right now - old reliables paulaner pacifico - i buy pilsner urquel as far as beers that can be found anywhere xp
― ice cr?m, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 17:03 (fifteen years ago) link
Ha, I had some people over the other night and someone brought Pilsner Urquell and there was a discussion about whether it was skunked, and I took a sip and was like, "No, that's just how it tastes."
― Bianca Jagger (jaymc), Wednesday, 1 April 2009 17:09 (fifteen years ago) link
i think it's craftsman that is always on cask at the york? yeah el prado is pretty dope, vv good bar. probably my favorite beer bar in town, despite having a comparatively small selection and virtually no food.
― hello my name is peter francis geraci are you in debt (omar little), Wednesday, 1 April 2009 17:10 (fifteen years ago) link
xp yeah i kinda stopped drinking urquell for that reason but i'll still cave and buy stella every once in a while.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 17:12 (fifteen years ago) link
ever drink jever its like urquell but more
― ice cr?m, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 17:29 (fifteen years ago) link
no i haven't--don't recognize the bottle actually. but i feel like drinking some pils today so i'm gonna try to track it down.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 19:12 (fifteen years ago) link
cask ales are great! ur crazy ice cr?m
― mark cl, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 19:15 (fifteen years ago) link
not all are great, i should say. but a traditional stout, porter or strong ale or something on cask is delicious
― mark cl, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 19:16 (fifteen years ago) link
i went to delaney's tap room, in new haven CT, two times this weekend. they had an IPA on cask and it really didn't seem very appealing.
― mark cl, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 19:17 (fifteen years ago) link
plz explain to me what the desirable qualities of cask beer are - i mean it just seemed flat and warm
― ice cr?m, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 19:19 (fifteen years ago) link
well, if it was actually WARM, then the pub you went to isn't serving it totally right. should ideally be around 50 degrees, though anywhere from 45-60 is okay.
but in any case, the beer's flavor profile will be a lot more pronounced if tasted around 50 degrees. you'll get more the of subtleties and layers of flavours than you would from an ice-cold beer.
also, re: it tasting "flat" -- carbonation even in microbrews isn't a totally natural occurence -- towards the end of the brewing process a lot of breweries stick this rod-thing into a tank that emits carbon into the beer
― mark cl, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 19:35 (fifteen years ago) link
but yea if you really are into pilsners and similar beers, cask-conditioned ales will seem pretty off.
are you into stouts or strong ales at all?
― mark cl, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 19:37 (fifteen years ago) link
yah mean it wasnt completely room temperature it was slightly cool - but are there any particular qualities of cask beer that dont have to do w/it being naturally carbonated and served not that cold
― ice cr?m, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 19:38 (fifteen years ago) link
im not really into stouts or strong ales particularly - tho maybe on occasion - def not any of this double ipa concentrated beer noise
― ice cr?m, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 19:39 (fifteen years ago) link
xp - one quality of cask ales is that they tend to be fresher -- they're not filtered, still contain yeast, and fermentation is still going on in the cask
― mark cl, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 19:43 (fifteen years ago) link
all that contributes to a more pronounced flavors
― mark cl, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 19:44 (fifteen years ago) link
tbh though i'm no brewer and i could be fucking up everything i'm saying
― mark cl, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 19:45 (fifteen years ago) link
to me the most decent thing a cask ale can do is be a good mild UK-style bitter with really low carbonation (i drink beer in spite of the carb and avoid soda like the plague tbh).
the original (UK) concept of an IPA is not that fucked, and normal-tasting UK ales are not really big in the USA--where somehow we twisted them into ridic double IPAs which make you want to pass out about 3/4 way through glass #1.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 19:45 (fifteen years ago) link
cask is an old school style right
― ice cr?m, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 19:46 (fifteen years ago) link