Beer in the new era

This could be useful:
http://beeradvocate.com/lists/popular

Goose Island, Three Floyds, Two Brothers, Half Acre, Founders, Bell's, Mad Hatter

Old Style

really digging southern tier lately, esp. the 2x IPA and the Unearthly.

did not like the southern tier hop sun...way too piney for me.

two hearted IPA from bell's is great

not sure if harpoon's IPA is available in the midwest, it's the greatest IPA ever

unibroue's maudite (canadian) is kind of a belgian thing if you're into that

xp to tim

god i wish they distributed bells here in ma.

yeah, I had to go to PA to find some

I just picked up a 12pk Southern Tier pale ale sampler yesterday, haven't gotten into it yet though.

Thanks all - I'd looked at beeradvocate but hadn't thought to look at the popular list. Their forums are just a bit frightening.

Forgot to mention we stopped in at Bells on our drive from the East Coast to the Midwest. So great. That cream stout is ridiculous.

not sure if harpoon's IPA is available in the midwest, it's the greatest IPA ever

Are you saying that to be provocative? Because I live in the Midwest, it's available here, and it's the shittiest IPA I've ever had.

Actually, that's not quite true. It's not shitty, just really unremarkable and not really an IPA, IMO.

Forreals - there are so many IPAs better than that. Just better made, not accounting for taste.

midwest runs the IPA game. like, i'm pretty sure you can't get O'so beer outside of wisconsin, but the lupulin maximus is amazing: http://www.osobrewing.com/ourbeer.php

there is literally a hop cone in every bottle.

Tim you might want to look into Three Floyds 22oz "bomber" bottles, a lot of interesting styles to be had there that aren't available in 6pk form.

Another midwest favorite of mine is Great Lakes, they've gotten plenty of ILX love before. I especially like their porter.

not sure if harpoon's IPA is available in the midwest, it's the greatest IPA ever

Are you saying that to be provocative? Because I live in the Midwest, it's available here, and it's the shittiest IPA I've ever had.

― jaymc, Tuesday, May 17, 2011 4:54 PM (36 minutes ago) Bookmark

provocative beer opinions lol

I've drank many many IPAs over the years and harpoon's IPA is still my favorite beer to drink (of any kind) but I'm also not a big fan of the hoppiest hop hopper now with xtra hops trend in brewing

what makes it not an IPA, I am curious

i miss bell's

I don't need my IPAs to be mega-hoppy, but Harpoon IPA tastes to me like a characterless mild pale ale.

Agree

Thirded. But thanks for the new screen name Edward III!

BTW, no offense intended, drink what you like! I have quite a few Harpoons when I visit friends out east, and it's not bad.

I just checked ratebeer.com, Harpoon is 42 IBU, which is on the low end for an IPA, and rated a 77/100 by site users (usually a pretty accurate barometer imo.)

I really like Harpoon IPA! But maybe it just reminds of being in college in Boston in the late 90s.

When I visited my friend in Woostah we went out for seafood and drank plenty of 'em, I wasn't complaining. I also drink gallons of Abita when I'm in New Orleans, which is not a beer I would actively seek out at home. Sometimes setting and memories enhance the experience.

I think it's just what an east coast IPA was ten to twenty years ago, before the mouth-cauterizing revolution spread all over the country? i.e. what many might now consider a pale ale?

That's totally possible.

granted i have a cold and my tasting may not be the most accurate, but really enjoying this breckenridge vanilla porter.

Last night I had a BrewDog Storm (a whiskey cask-aged IPA), which is the most I've ever paid for a single 12 oz. bottle ($8.50).

Some of the reviews on BeerAdvocate are hilariously bad. I didn't mind the taste at all, but the under-carbonation bothered me a bit. It poured like unfiltered apple cider. Is this a British thing?

Yes. Sometimes.

He's getting:

3 Floyds Dark Lord 2009
Goose Island Pepe Nero (I thought this tremendously good)

plus two from these:
New Glarus Spotted Cow
New Glarus Snowshoe
New Glarus Dancing Man Wheat
Bells Batch 10,000
Bell's Special Double Cream Stout

We kind of failed to get to sufficient offies in Chicago, so the above were drawn from what we had in hand after MI / WI plus donations from kind friends.

hey dear wisco friends, on my honeymoon i had many of your native impossible to find in mn brews and there is one in particular that i only found in one bar in the south that i would like to know more about - Lake Louie brewing? it was a pale ale and it was awesome.

kinda new glarused myself out by the end of the trip.

My local Whole Foods seems to have doubled the size of their beer stock, so I've got some browsing to do. Still shitty prices, though.

Goose Island Pepe Nero (I thought this tremendously good)

Yes, it is quite good, isn't it? I've got a single bottle (the last of a four-pack) in the fridge now.

I think it's just what an east coast IPA was ten to twenty years ago, before the mouth-cauterizing revolution spread all over the country? i.e. what many might now consider a pale ale?

I'm kind of feeling this - I love strong / double / imperial IPAs, though I dislike ones that are only hoppy with nothing else going on. There are so many of them around the northwest now that they're kind of my default beer and I notice that a lot of east coast / midwest IPAs taste like pale ales to me now.

I've been really digging the Avery White Devil and North Coast Pranqster as summer beers - I don't like IPAs as much when it's hot out but I love witbiers and strong Belgians a lot and these seem to be all over, not terribly expensive, and available in 12oz bottles.

I'm also pretty into the Odell IPA and Myrcenary double IPA - I started seeing these about a month ago and they're great. I don't give them up entirely in the summer.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/etienne_saint/amspelllite.jpg

bier

tonight i drank 2 lagunitas ipa (bottles) and 1 guinness (draft.)
not very exciting but delicious.

I could drink all IPA's all the time.

Last night:

Lagunitas, Maximus IPA - Really really good.
Avery, IPA
Southern Tier, Phin & Matt's Extraordinary Ale
Southern Star, Pine Belt Pale Ale

would anyone be willing to send me some bells oberon or three floyds gumballhead, we cant get it out here.

obviously i'd pay for it.

Southern Tier, Phin & Matt's Extraordinary Ale

Had this at Clark St. Ale House last week -- was underwhelmed.

Southern Tier Hop Sun, not good. TOO PINEY.

Peak Organic Summer Session Ale = another highly successful brew from a company that sounds like a fake microbrew dreamed up by InBev. I'm genuinely anti "summer ale" but this one isn't cloyingly floral, sweet or spicy, just a lighter ale with a very slightly apricot flavor.

not feeling sam adams summer ale

I don't think I've ever felt a summer ale. I dont really drink beer types seasonally.

not feeling sam adams summer ale

― ☂ (max), Saturday, June 11, 2011 11:51 AM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

i know ppl always say things like this but i feel like its gotten worse recently

Sam Adams is just never really my thing, no matter what variety

had the flat earth angry planet and it tasted exactly like beer. pretty boring, esp from those guys.

Guys when I was in Montreal, La Fin du Monde was only $3.50 a bottle at this bar we went to. I was going to sit there chugging them all afternoon but after two I remembered they're 9%

basically this 21st amendment 'hell or high watermelon' made my afternoon

in a p chill and not at all revelatory way

friend brought a bottle of Oro de Calabaza over and won the night. i've been really into sour beers recently and this has that, in a more subtle way with other delicious things happening.