Beer in the new era

That would be the IPOO (I'll get my coat).

And I think Pyramid and Widmer can be that cheap because both companies are fairly large operations. Beer is cheap to make regardless of alcohol content. Also it may be that now we're going into Spring they're clearing out their "Winter" styles.

tried the dogfish aprihop last night -- pretty delish. pricey though ...

Had New Belgium's Le Terroir yesterday, which was great. Sour and sweet and bitter all in one beer!

xposts - I haven't seen Pyramid Imperial IPA, is it this?

http://brewpublic.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Pyramid-Outburst.jpg

$6.99 (or yipes $5.99!!) is insanely cheap, I can't get anything decent in my area for that price. It's only supposed to be available for February and March, so it seems too early to be blowing out remaining stock. No idea... how is it?

I like the Le Terrior.

Have I mentioned the Firestone Walker Double Jack in here yet? That has become my new favorite Double IPA. Other double (or triple) IPA's I've had recently:

Emelisse Triple (delicious)
Imperial Hatter (cask)
Avery DuganA IPA (sort of blah, I've never liked Avery brews
Founder's Double Trouble (good, but lacked the nuance of a Double Jack).

Also tried DFH's My Antonia, which is their new imperial pilsner. Reminded me a lot of the Golden Revolution that they released several years ago, which I loved.

What else? Half Acre Over Ale in a can. Good, but not a style of beer I drink very much at all, so not my favorite.

Is anyone else on Untappd? Be my friend. http://untappd.com/home

Yeah that's the Pyramid. I've only had one of them and it was after a few other beers so I can't really judge it on its own yet.

Pyramid and Widmer are big enough that they almost feel like Bud or Miller to me. There are so many other craft beers here in the PNW that I kind of pass these guys over in favor of new or different things, or stuff I really love but can't get in six packs for whatever reason. But $6 for six packs of imperial IPAs or stouts is something I can't pass up.

Drinking that Brooklyn Local One stuff now. It's slightly disappointing after those Unibroues -- it tastes a little bit pizza crusty or something.

had an aussie ipa called "little creatures" at the rake, good beer pub in south london, it was incredibly expensive but fucking great.

this stuff is ridiculously overrated imo, but then i have drunk a lot of it

Have I mentioned the Firestone Walker Double Jack in here yet?

Reviewed in this week's Reader, in fact. Looking forward to trying it. I'm pretty sure I had a Firestone Walker in Portland last year (not the Double Jack) and liked it quite a bit.

The Reader reviews beer??? Bizarre.

I wish I had a double ipa right now. And I'm in bed.

It's not a regular feature or anything -- one of their editors (Philip Montoro) is a beer geek, so he just writes about stuff randomly. This was in the "One Sip/Bite" feature that's sometimes in the Food/Drink section.

He also tipped me off to one of the best beer stores in the city.

Went there a few times when I lived closer to Addison. Now my main store is Armanetti's.

How do I find you on Untappd, Jeff? I just joined, though I'm not sure how useful it will be for me, since I don't have a smartphone.

I found you.

Prob won't be that useful as it is primarily for mobile check ins. Get a new phone!

Eh.

Right, then you'd have 100000000 ilx posts. But think of your friends. That need to know what beer you are drinking at every moment.

FWIW I had some majorly fucked up dreams after drinkiing Local One. My mom asked what I was doing this weekend and said that she needed me to slay the antichrist. When I woke up I thought I was in "the realm of evil" for like 2 or 3 minutes.

Bell's Brewery is pretty great. Just came here to say that.

Do you mean the Bell's line of beers or the actual brewpub in Kalamazoo?

The line of beers. I haven't been to their brewpub, although I'd like to!

both are pretty great tbh

I had a good conversation about their beer yesterday. I think the key is that they fuck around with extra hops, interesting flavors, and some other variations, but their beers always end up tasting fairly balanced.

last night:

http://www.theperfectlyhappyman.com/uploads/rodenbach-grand-cru.jpg

so good

I buy that frequently.

Increasingly finding Brooklyn Brewery beers lacking. I have some Brooklyn Lagers in my fridge right now and find myself not even wanting to drink them. The Local 1 was actually gross to me the second day. I poured it out. Maybe a bad bottle?

Just tried Sapporo for the first time...that is definitely a new favorite of mine, mostly because it reminds me of Spotted Cow, Wisconsin's finest

Anyone tried New Glarus??

I've enjoyed New Glarus beers, but they no longer distribute in the Chicago area, so the only time I've had one in the last 7(?) years is when I went to the brewery itself in 2007.

beer bracket:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/artsandliving/foodanddining/features/2011/beer-madness/

Smuttynose IPA over Bell's Two Hearted? I cry East Coast bias.

(J/k, I like both beers.)

Although I've had surprisingly few of the other beers in the bracket.

I love the anticipation of shopping for a kind 6 pack on the way home from work.

I have a lot of stress about buying six-packs. I want to try new beers but don't want to be saddled with 72 oz. of beer if I don't like one. Then there's the issue of buying something that my girlfriend might also like; I don't always think about this (after all, she can buy her own beer if she doesn't like it), but I usually try to be considerate.

i just got a couple Surly six packs, which is a treat since it's not sold in wisconsin (only minnesota). also been enjoying:

bell's hopslam
o'so lupulin maximus (has hop cones in the bottles!)

jaymc, apparently Armanetti's on Lincoln just added a "build your own six pack" section, which I'm actually very excited to try out.

Oh nice. I've never actually been to that store, though I often gaze at it wistfully while driving back from TJ's.

TJ's itself lets you build your own 4- or 6-packs, too, though the selection is limited.

i'm down with the build your owns if you can find them well stocked

I don't get why it is illegal in Illinois to just buy singles, but apparently it is.

The only place I've ever actually done the make your own six pack thing is actually World Market lol

I dint understand that law. I buys singles sometimes, but it's usually something like worldwide stout. One single bottle.

I don't get why it is illegal in Illinois to just buy singles, but apparently it is.

Is it? I've bought singles at In Fine Spirits. Not bombers, either, but 12 oz. bottles.

Well, they had a sign to that effect in World Market when I created my own six pack...but maybe that's not the most authoritative souce?

They have the same sign in some jewels. I think the small beer stores just don't follow the law.

have we talked about nugget nectar in here? am highly suspicious of rated american microbrews but nugget nectar is a real winner, possibly a classic.

TJs lets you build your own six-packs too. not that they have tons and tons of beer or anything. just fyi.

i drank a stone pale ale that jeff left at my house.

new glarus is awesome responding to someone upthread

on the other hand i have had the worst beer in recent memory and it is the Summit Gold Sovereign. total fucking torturous bullshit. avoid.

we have a bunch of "pick-six" places around here. Plus they punch a card when you reach 10 and you get six free.

The grocery store nearest my home has this going, but it's $8.99 and with only a couple exceptions, it's all beers that sell for $6.99 or under for a six pack in the selection. I haven't seen anything too amazing in there, yet, but I might have to try it eventually.