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
yea
― mark cl, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 19:47 (fifteen years ago) link
double IPAs either seem to get a ton of shit or else dorks claim they're the ONLY REAL BEER & all else is for pussies
my feeling is they're just one style & in the right circumstance they can be pretty tasty. they're are so many awesome and delicious styles of beer though and i don't want to limit myself to just one of them
― mark cl, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 19:51 (fifteen years ago) link
^^^ great attitude
― rip dom passantino 3/5/09 never forget (max), Wednesday, 1 April 2009 19:51 (fifteen years ago) link
joe you could learn something from mark--i bet he doesnt even care if people went to space
(i was once one of those dorks tbf)
― mark cl, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 19:52 (fifteen years ago) link
see the thing that kinda gets my goat abt the micro brew culture is so much of it seems to be abt the miutea of the process over the more subjective qualities of flavor and style. add the extreme double bock gracious! crazy ingredients n strong flavors at the expense of subtlety aspect and thats why imo it appeals to dudes so much. also their bottle labels are why so universally awful.
― ice cr?m, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 19:54 (fifteen years ago) link
but maybe i care too much... my heart is too big and judgmental
― ice cr?m, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 19:55 (fifteen years ago) link
my greatest beer experience recently was enjoying copious amounts of barleywine in SF in february. excellent, A+.
― hello my name is peter francis geraci are you in debt (omar little), Wednesday, 1 April 2009 19:56 (fifteen years ago) link
shut up and drink xp
― open up a cat of whup-ass (dan m), Wednesday, 1 April 2009 19:56 (fifteen years ago) link
will not
― ice cr?m, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 19:57 (fifteen years ago) link
do a cask ale keg stand
― open up a cat of whup-ass (dan m), Wednesday, 1 April 2009 19:57 (fifteen years ago) link
i'm not sure it's so much "loss of subtlety" as much as like, we know lagers in general have a simpler palette than these super-heavy ales, but it's totally valid for beer to be cold and refreshing and something that you want to drink multiple bottles of. like those beer rating sites are a joke because certain styles start with a massive built-in advantage.
i think a lot of people go through a beer dork phase, i did a bit in lol college. but then i started to think why would i ever want beer to be like fucking wine and bought a case of red stripe. don't get me wrong i still love trying new/weird beers but it's more of an occasional treat than a life directive.
in general i think there's only a few american IPAs worth a damn. the new sierra nevada torpedo is pretty good if you only have one.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 19:58 (fifteen years ago) link
sry that got really long cause you guys kept writing good stuff. icey you are like 100000x OTM re: label designs. there are several brands i won't even try cause the design is so bad.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 19:59 (fifteen years ago) link
http://www.beermonthclub.com/newsletters/images/Boulder-MojoIPA_SM.jpg
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 20:00 (fifteen years ago) link
worst label designs - magic hat, smuttynose
― rip dom passantino 3/5/09 never forget (max), Wednesday, 1 April 2009 20:01 (fifteen years ago) link
i know joe hates bk beers but i like their labels
who gives a good goddamn about the labels, drink up
― hello my name is peter francis geraci are you in debt (omar little), Wednesday, 1 April 2009 20:04 (fifteen years ago) link
otm
― open up a cat of whup-ass (dan m), Wednesday, 1 April 2009 20:04 (fifteen years ago) link
i don't like magic hat's labels either
― Mr. Que, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 20:04 (fifteen years ago) link
though max, being an artist, should have good critiques
― hello my name is peter francis geraci are you in debt (omar little), Wednesday, 1 April 2009 20:05 (fifteen years ago) link
i dont h8 bk like i do crazy microbrews - just think theyre kinda meh - will drink their pils w/o complaint
― ice cr?m, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 20:05 (fifteen years ago) link
[see the thing that kinda gets my goat abt the micro brew culture is so much of it seems to be abt the miutea of the process over the more subjective qualities of flavor and style. add the extreme double bock gracious! crazy ingredients n strong flavors at the expense of subtlety aspect and thats why imo it appeals to dudes so much. also their bottle labels are why so universally awful.― ice cr?m, Wednesday, April 1, 2009 2:54 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark
― ice cr?m, Wednesday, April 1, 2009 2:54 PM (3 minutes ago) Bookmark
yea, i can get with this in some ways. right now i'm all about trying to learn more about traditional styles and all that. the american breweries that have most impressed me lately have tended to be the more 'conservative' ones more or less, say great lakes, bell's (tho they have their extremes), ommegang, brooklyn.
but at the same time i appreciate brewers trying to mess around and try out weird new styles. think about it - for like 60 years after prohibition, american beer was boring as shit! before prohibition it was one of the most diverse in the world! i get annoyed at the double IPA HOP OVERLOAD bullshit too but in the end i've got nothing against brewers trying out weird stuff
― mark cl, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 20:05 (fifteen years ago) link
i get annoyed with SUPER HOPOVERLOAD IPA as well, but what can I say, double IPA's are delicious, my favorite kind of beer
― Mr. Que, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 20:06 (fifteen years ago) link
fyi worst beer label in the US is from my hometown:
http://www.keweenawbrewing.com/images/beers/RedjacketLogo.png
― open up a cat of whup-ass (dan m), Wednesday, 1 April 2009 20:07 (fifteen years ago) link
but yea some labels are AWFUL
― mark cl, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 20:07 (fifteen years ago) link
see weyerbacher
hahaha! is the beer called DOUBLE IPA GAY MINER HOPFEST
― Mr. Que, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 20:08 (fifteen years ago) link
http://www.weyerbacher.com/cwo_images/image20.jpg
― mark cl, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 20:08 (fifteen years ago) link
presentation is important - i want my beer to look good - im into how things look
― ice cr?m, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 20:10 (fifteen years ago) link
^^^^ "designer"
― rip dom passantino 3/5/09 never forget (max), Wednesday, 1 April 2009 20:11 (fifteen years ago) link
that's why u should pour it into a glass, looks best then
― mark cl, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 20:11 (fifteen years ago) link
fuck, good-looking american microbrew labels is a much tougher nut to crack.
i like sierra nevada and brooklyn well enough for starters. oh yeah i dig victory labels too.
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 20:12 (fifteen years ago) link
http://thefullpint.com/pics/stormking.gif
― call all destroyer, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 20:13 (fifteen years ago) link
srsly this shit is so classic:
http://www.lovebrew.com/images/Pint_glass_300x509.jpg
― mark cl, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 20:14 (fifteen years ago) link
Bell's Kzoo stout is one of the best imo, but I am a Ladislav Hanka stan.
http://www.thebarleyblog.com/images/label_kalamazoo_stout.png
― open up a cat of whup-ass (dan m), Wednesday, 1 April 2009 20:14 (fifteen years ago) link
my fave labels are basically regular bud, miller high life, rolling rock, red stripe
― rip dom passantino 3/5/09 never forget (max), Wednesday, 1 April 2009 20:15 (fifteen years ago) link
these might even be better:
http://www.acemart.com/renderImage.image?imageName=graphics/00000001/products/LIB14801.jpg
― mark cl, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 20:15 (fifteen years ago) link
what do u guys think of ommengang's labels?
― mark cl, Wednesday, 1 April 2009 20:16 (fifteen years ago) link