Beer in the new era

It's a German lager - so it can't be that bad. Not as good as an HB Original, but few beers are.

every German I've ever met thinks it's bad (maybe just cause it is the most well known german beer among americans), I probably couldn't tell the difference between it and a lot of other German pilseners, though.

For mass-distributed Germans, it's not my favorite, but I'd still take it over Corona, or pretty much any American domestic brand. Of the mass-distributed Germans, my order of preference goes St Pauli Girl >>> Lowenbrau > Becks.

Svyturys White, which is a super drinkable unfiltered wheat from Lithuania.

Just saw this in the grocery store near my office, might try it. it has pull tab tops, I think.

last night for bday celebration:

stone smoked porter
la chouffe
le merle
also received a bottle of Harviestoun ola dubh:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3655/3570876234_d63437d7f3.jpg

http://www.harviestoun.com/OlaDubh/
http://www.insidebeer.com/articles/20090703_3

http://www.drunkenpolack.com/images/reverend.jpg
was loving this over the weekend

nice omar! i see old engine oil around here and there, maybe i'll pick up a bottle.

oh btw becks is probably the lesser of the common german imports but it's good and mysteriously cheaper at my store than any other european 12 pack. so everytime i buy a 12 i have to be like "do i like pilsner urqell $2.50 more than becks"

Went to a dinner last night that featured beer pairings from Three Floyd's.

Drank the following:

Jinxproof | Continental Pilsener 5.1% bottle
Admiral Lord Nelson | English Style ESB 5% draft
Gumballhead | American Wheat 5.5% draft
Alpha King | American Pale 6.5% draft
Behemoth | Barley Wine 10.5% bottle

I'd had Gumballhead and Alpha King before; the former is probably my favorite American wheat, and the latter is a big, hoppy, but very drinkable pale ale. The surprise was how good the Admiral Lord Nelson was -- had a nice kick to it, in contrast to some other ESBs I've had, which can sometimes be too mild.

Gumballhead is Godhead

looking forward to a thanksgiving down south where bell's two hearted ale and new belgium beers are sold!

christmas ales!

the bruery's "two turtle doves"
affligem noel
rogue santa's private reserve
st bernardus christmas ale

oh man omar, la chouffe
i've never seen it in the states, i might be just looking wrong

WAIT

i have seen la chouffe and i just had some

the one on the left i think

http://www.beerbottlecollector.com/Quickstart/ImageLib/MVC-006Sken.jpg

sorry, the right

yah la chouffe is all over my local store that sells Belgians (in Chicago)

picked up a 750ml of one of these guys there the other night, shit was good as hell

http://www.beerpusher.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/hi-eng-label.gif

$12 tho :/

Got Life and Limb (a Dogfish Head and Sierra Nevada collab.) at a place in Chicago. Really, really good.

Also had Founder's Canadian Breakfast Stout. Ridiculously good beer.

I am drinking wine tonight :(

Where in Chicago?

They tapped Life and Limb at Sheffield's last night. No idea if they still have any.

Hopleaf had it for like one night, but were tapped out by the end of the night.

had a Lagunitas Little Sumpin Extra Ale and a Lagunitas Hop Stoopid Ale tonight as a birthday traet

both quite fine, super sharp and hoppy like i like beer to be.

Lagunitas Brown Shugga has been on tap everywhere in Chicago. I love that beer and am frankly surprised at how often I have seen it this year.

I had a Port Breweing Imperial Pils that was totally decent on Sunday. I think it was called Panzer.

Had the Mikeller Santa's Helper Monday night... it was good, but not my favorite of the style.

Lagunitas Brown Shugga has been on tap everywhere in Chicago. I love that beer and am frankly surprised at how often I have seen it this year.

Thought about getting that at Clark St. Ale House tonight, but went with Three Floyds Alpha Klaus Porter instead. Maybe I'll go back.

I have seen Brown Shugga at the following places: Kuma's Corner, Jerry's Sandwiches, Jake Melnick's, Small Bar on Division, Bavarian Lodge in the suburbs, Sheffield's and Hopleaf I think.

Basically what I am saying is that you will find it at a lot of places. I wouldn't go back to that specific place just for Brown Shugga.

i love all the Lagunitases i've had so far so i'll keep an eye out for brown shugga

was actually lookin for Goose Island Honkers Ale tonight but could not find it for some reason. weird cause it's not like it's exotic or anything (?)

also another beer that has basically been my NFL beer since september is Lakefront Riverwest Stein. Milwaukee's (Actual) Best. super "sessionable" amber lager

I am drinking a Three Floyd's Dreadnaught tonight. Possibly my favorite double IPA ever.

agreeeeee

yo Brown Shugga is 10%!!! I call it "double beer".

It is what I call "dangerous beer"

because it is so good.

Yeah, so I went to Hopleaf tonight and had the Lagunitas Brown Shugga, per your recommendation. Excellent stuff.

Can you taste the brown sugar?

i wouldn't say that you can taste the brown sugar, but there is a nice sweetness that is definitely unique.

Trader Joe's has their anniversary ale again. It is really just a Unibroue dark ale in a 750ml bottle for 5 bucks. This is a damn good deal. Belgian style of course.

I bought that a couple weeks ago. Think I'm going to save it for NYE.

bummed i bought a four pack of the Dogfish Head Midas Touch. tastes too grape-y, really off-putting. :(

Deal alert: Trader Joe's Vintage Ale 2009, 9% ABV, tasty, sweet & spicy dark ale, 750 ml bottles for $5. The cork says Unibroue so I'm guess that's who makes it. Quite good.

Oh, lol xpost

I splurged for a Chouffe "Dobbelen IPA Tripel" last night that had just monster head on it and was not nearly as hoppy as an American Double IPA would have been, but still quite fucking awesome.

oh, and btw, go EASY on it. Whoa.

two hearted ale can be found nowhere in the northeast :(

have been enjoying the hell out of this however:

http://blogs.eveningsun.com/troublebrewing/full.jpg

^^^total classic.

i picked up some sierra nevada celebration which imo does the "sweet, hoppy beer you only want one of" thing correctly

had some dieu de ciel route des epices. rye beer brewed with peppercorns. maybe a little too peppery and weird.
also, the dieu de ciel solstice d'hiver which is a darker barleywine. this is a totally great brew.

some things that I bought that i am going to "cellar" in my closet:
dogfish head olde school barleywine
dogfish head raison d'extra
two brothers why winter oak-aged barleywine (this came in a 3L bottle, and i guess only 100 were made)

also have a 1.5L bottle of Chimay Blue and a few of bottles of dogfish head 120 minute IPA sitting in the closet that i have had for about 6 months now.

c'mon, I can't be the only one drinking beer in this holiday season!

I had a couple of Delirium Noels at a bar out in the suburbs.
Now I am drinking some Rogue Dead Guy.

Is anyone else confused about why Rogue calls Dead Guy an ale when the Maibock style it is considered is a definite german lager style?

yuletide beer run

--sixer of third coast (never had it)
--sixer of two-hearted
--750ml of duchesse de bourgogne (SO FUCKING GOOD)

Got a growler of IPA from the newly opened brewery tonight, it's really good but the other beers are kind of lackluster.

Going to drink a Dogfish Sah'tea at some point in the next day or two - the wife spotted it and saw it was based on a Finnish beer so we needed to try it out. Apparently it has juniper in it and the wort was boiled with sauna rocks?

Goddamnit that Trader Joe's Vintage Ale was good. Even the non-beer-drinker lady liked it. I'm going to try to pick up some more tomorrow if they haven't run out.

Going to drink a Dogfish Sah'tea at some point in the next day or two - the wife spotted it and saw it was based on a Finnish beer so we needed to try it out. Apparently it has juniper in it and the wort was boiled with sauna rocks?

whawhawhawhaaaaa?

xmas beer gifts for others:

4-pack of Goose Island Matilda
La Chouffe Golden Ale
Hitachino Weisse

would those sauna rocks be used or new?

I think they should make beer with rocks boiled from Rehobeth Bay.

i picked up some sierra nevada celebration which imo does the "sweet, hoppy beer you only want one of" thing correctly

Really, you get sweet from the Celebration? I find it quite citrus-y. Def. my beer of choice this holiday season; I always want more than one!

Celebrating Christmas Eve tonight with Two Brothers Heavier Handed IPA.

They've got video of it, not really sauna rocks at all. Plus he says sauna wrong, but everyone does that:

http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/occassional-rarities/sahtea-0.htm