Beer in the new era

my default assortment pack is the brau brothers one because i love literally every beer in there (even the strawberry wheat! no really!)

but you cant get that outside of mn right now so nananana booboo sucks to be yall

btw is it sad that the reason i am most excited to go to an upcoming wedding in philly is so i can drink the monks sour red ale?

depends, do you hate the ppl getting married?

also trying to figure out how to bring back a case of the yards brewery stuff, which is fucking fantastic imo, esp the brawler:

http://www.yardsbrewing.com/ales_brawler.asp

xpost no its m1ch3ll3, who is one of my closest friends! (i think you might remember her from like a million yrs ago) i just really really like that beer and cant get anyone here to track it down for me

and since were on the subject if anyone has any suggestions for other sour beers that would be ace - its really hard when you are one of the rare freaks that really like sours because NO ONE stocks them, at least not around here.

philly is one of the great underrated beer cities as far as i can tell, tho maybe its rated really highly and i dont know

Last night at Hopleaf I had the limited-edition Lagunitas Fusion Ale -- which was quite good. I think I've been spoiled a bit by IPAs, because my first reaction was that it wasn't hoppy enough, but then as I kept drinking, I found it pretty refreshing. And it still had a lot of character.

My gf ordered a Short's Magician -- which usually isn't distributed outside Michigan, but Hopleaf acquired a few bottles when Short's was in town for the recent Craft Brewing Conference. Anyway, it was kind of weird. It billed itself as a "dark red ale"; I picked up notes of black bread and baker's chocolate but also a slightly unpleasant sourness.

i had no idea this thread was so full of mentalism

philly is one of the great underrated beer cities as far as i can tell, tho maybe its rated really highly and i dont know

I always thought Philly was well known as a great beer city!

I love Monks.

haha I know it's in MN and all but I am looking at the website for Brau Brothers and thinking the "Brothers" part of their name is deeply ironic

really want to try this beer
http://philadelphia.grubstreet.com/hitachino.jpg

^^^good stuff imo, I've had a couple of theirs

pricey but good

i saw that some place had it on tap,can't remeber where though

hey TC-erz waht is best beer bar in the cities and should we go there for all of the beers

still thinking on question 1, but answer to question 2 is def yes

Muddy Pig is pretty incredible selection wise actually

I am almost done with school and ready to vacate the memory hole

I remember that!

Yeah, Muddy Pig has mondo selection, but I have more than once had beer a bit flat or off-flavored there; prob the result of too MANY taps. I like Buster's on 42nd and 28th, too; super-small, though.

I spend more of my time at Town Hall than those two combined.

yeah, Town Hall is pretty great, esp w/patio. also: on my home from school, so

God, Monks is so friggin good.

i am also down with town hall as an ok spot, and the beer is really pretty good.

all those hitachinos are so so good, except the ginger brew one, which is kinda more LOL than good

http://www.joesixpack.net/images/Bells_Hopslam.jpg

Finally got around to dropping the loot for a sixer of this tonight, from a store in Ann Arbor that allegedly gets preferential product directly from Bell's. Regardless of whether there is any validity to that claim, I've now heard two unrelated reports from two of my most trusted beer insiders that this shit is now there all-time favorite beer ever. Those are some tall words. The question I now face is if this has been overhyped to such a point as to ensure disappointment & even if not, could it really have been worth the $21.95?

oops rong bbc tags

http://www.joesixpack.net/images/Bells_Hopslam.jpg

my feelings on hopslam are mixed. its ok. would never ever ever pay $22 for a sixer tho.

sorry did not see that you had bought it already - was trying to get all consumer reports on you. it is a totally worthwhile beer to drink, just not sure that i would commit to a 6 pack i guess?

the first of these hopslams will be chilled to sub-arctic temperatures & poured into a large red wine glass (beer glass collection is in storage atm). For the sake of comparison, maybe I should drink the next one at room temp. from a brown paper bag?

I have had so many beers over the past few weeks. Craft Brewers Conference was in Chicago.

If anyone wants a full write-up, I would be happy to give details.

The best beers I have had in the past few weeks:
Lost Abbey Amazing Grace
The Bruery Melange 3
Two Brothers Imperial Cane & Ebel
Stone Old Guardian 2007
Surly Four

April 2010 in Chicago for beer is historic.

just not sure that i would commit to a 6 pack i guess? - jus got paid & I was feeling fancy. Plus, I didn't want to fall madly in love with the first one & then not be able to follow it up.

Imperial Cane & Ebel? Tell me more. Regular old Cane & Ebel is one of my all-time favorites.

also, Double Crooked Tree from Dark Horse is fantastic, while we are talking double ipas

t0dd swiss, I bow to your knowledge of obscure & wonderful-sounding beers.

I remember being kind of over the moon for the Cane and Ebel when i had it, but dont kow if it was the imperial or not.

had some psycho hopslammy thing at my local (life is so much better with good bars in walking distance) but i forgot to catch the name. 9.0% ABV i remember, but the name not so much. was ok but not a second glass beer for sure. finished off w/ the summit IRA (which i think i mentioned upthread but wow again, hooray for summit making their second drinkable beer) and then a pint of Fulton which is a MN beer without distribution and is ok.

home now trying the goose island IPA because it was on clearance at the liquor store and ehhh. not bad, but nothing really all that interesting here. maybe i am spoiled by the availability of the furthermore knot stock, but i need a lot more black pepper in my IPA to take notice at this point, if thats what yer going for.

Imperial Cane & Ebel was a CBC exclusive / small batch brew. They had it at Jake Melnick's for like two days.

The beer itself really blew me away. It was the Cane & Ebel on steroids. I really wish they would make it yearly. It is the best beer I have ever had from Two Brothers, and that is saying something.

Pillbox: I spend way too much money and time on beers.

I spend way too much money and time on ___________. - I feel u bro

For Chicago people: Binny's has a great sale on all U.S. microbrews. It is time pick up some beers that you always thought were overpriced!

..holy sweet jesus this hopslam is delicious. My favorite of the Bell's main line, by MILES, has always been the Two-Hearted Ale. & this is very similar to that, but smoother & crisper & w/ subtleties that I don't really have the knowledge to accurately describe. Out of no sense of obligation to my purchase, I am PLEASED. A++ Wld Recommend.

Finally got around to dropping the loot for a sixer of this tonight, from a store in Ann Arbor that allegedly gets preferential product directly from Bell's. Regardless of whether there is any validity to that claim, I've now heard two unrelated reports from two of my most trusted beer insiders that this shit is now there all-time favorite beer ever. Those are some tall words. The question I now face is if this has been overhyped to such a point as to ensure disappointment & even if not, could it really have been worth the $21.95?

― in movie 2001 resurrect thread on planet jupiter (Pillbox), Thursday, 22 April 2010 04:13 (1 hour ago)

the deal with a lot of IPAs is that the fresher, i.e. when it was bottled, it is, the better it's going to be. someone above posted a bottle of russian river's pliny the elder, another one of the more highly regarded IPAs on the market and all over the label it basically says "don't wait! drink it now!" so on that, the hopslam is available basically all through january and some of february iirc. a few weeks old bottle i had awhile back is absolutely bonkers and well worth the $20+ price tag in my opinion. that company's two hearted ale is another well worth seeking out also!

*their

Had a Summit India Style Rye Ale last night. Nice and very rye-y.

22 bucks for a sixer?????

I've typically been disappointed by bells beers, but I do love the hopslam.

this strong ale fest is coming up near me. wish i could go, but the wife and baby would probably not be too into it: http://beeradvocate.com/events/info/31621 maybe next year.

in other beer news ... good lord: http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-beer-travelers/2010/04/12800-for-a-bottle-of-beer.html

Wow. Thought about going to Dark Lord Day this year, but it's supposed to rain.

Apologies if this has been discussed here, I haven't kept up with the thread
7 Eleven rolls out Game Day,a store-brand beer

I am going to Dark Lord Day.

I had a glass of the 2009 vintage on tap at the Publican over the past few weeks.

It was not one of the ten best beers I had over the past few weeks.

Take from that what you will.