Beer in the new era

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.

21st ammendment make some really wonderful brews. never had the watermelon one as i've been seriously warned off it from a few friends.
lately been trying a few (out of 18) Mikkeler single hop american style ipa's. it's interesting to taste the hops individually, but the fascinating part to me is how the nose of each beer doesn't necessarily give a idea of taste. i.e. one might smell kinda nice and flowery but not have a bunch of hoppiness on the mouth; and conversely a few haven't really had much smell but then take a sip and you're transported. i really like what this brewer is doing in general anycares

I'll add to the warnings, horrible stuff.

Anybody else catch Sierra Nevada's "Beer Camp" 12-pack? 3 bottles each of 4 styles they don't usually do: A juniper black ale that has juniper berries in it that I only detected at the end of my first bottle, so not overwhelming or gimmicky, I liked this one. A California Common (a style I had never heard of) that's kind of an ale/lager hybrid. Loved that one. A Weizenbock that's good enough, I suppose, but I'm not really a fan of these. And an IPA that I haven't tried yet. This seemed to be in a few stores only for a couple weeks. Bevmo didn't even carry it, I got lucky and found what seemed to be the last box at a supermarket.

IIRC, Anchor Steam is the prototypical California Common.

xpost quaffed a bottle of the ipa from that beer camp thing. the beer store must've broken down their 12-pak cuz it was the only one i saw. was in the 8%-ish range and was Sierralicious.
gonna crack open a wierd looking one tonight from Brew Dog (Scotland) called Dogma (ale brewed with honey, kola nut, poppy seed and guarana). no idea what guarana or kola nut taste like and i hope it's not very honey-ed but i've liked the beers i've had by these guys before so thought i'd give it a shot

IIRC, Anchor Steam is the prototypical California Common.

Yes, oddly enough I was at a Bevmo grand opening a few days after trying the SN CC, and they had a guy from Anchor giving out samples and he mentioned it. Nothing for decades, then two mentions within a week of each other.

I can spare MN/WI IPA fans some time and trouble with Lilja's Argosy "Fully Laden" IPA from Black River Falls, WI: Yuck.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_eziDJu6Xj9I/S1zFMkvwdiI/AAAAAAAAAjQ/8Ryb6VmarY4/s200/091Lilja03.jpg

Had a pretty interesting witbier last night: 5 Rabbit 5 Lizard. That style often has mild citrus notes, but this was a little more assertive: spicy and grapefruity. But still very drinkable.

http://ijustwanttofitin.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/gord-0209-ks-beer_lo1.jpg

So these are $18 for a case (i.e. 24 fucking beers) at Costco. Bought them for a party and have pre-sampled the Pale Ale and India Pale Ale. Not bad at all -- better, in fact, than a lot of more expensive beers I've tried, though not truly special or anything. Apparently they're brewed by the company that makes Saranac.

I wonder if it's part of their licensing deal that the have to have the ugliest label possible.

I was in a bar by myself last night, sitting at the bar having drinks and dinner. Often when I am drinking/dining alone, I am on my phone, browsing the internet, logging the beers I drink, reading twitter, etc. Out of the blue the bartender asks me what my Beer Advocate ID is??? I told him I didn't have one, that I read Beer Advocate, but I'm not one to write reviews (I would be horrible at it, other people do it much better). I wonder if he thought I was reviewing the bar or the beer I was drinking? It was a weird encounter.

Best beer I had last night, Biscotti Break, but Evil Twin Brewing. It was delicious. Tasted like oatmeal cookies and espresso.

but = by

i have enjoyed the firestone walker union jack IPA lately.

The double jack is one of my favorites.

Lately I've been enjoying some darker brews:
Kostritzer Schwarzbier - very crisp and smooth with a slight smokiness, reminiscent of a Guinness Stout
Lake Placid Ubu Ale - a bit sweeter and hoppier, but still pretty drinkable

i have been drinking surly furious like my life depended on it

yeah that Firestone is good, also really enjoyed the Green Flash IPA from some California brewery.

went a little out of town and stayed with friends over the weekend, had dinner at a brewpub that does British style Real Ale (tiny bubbles) beers and they were quite good! Usually I like a good amount of fizz but these had excellent flavor.

i am on a quest for a slap you in the face IPA with minmal/no sweetness, anyone have any suggestions?

also i am intrigued by that weird sam adams sampler pack with identical beers with the only variable being which hops they use just as a hone my palate sort of thing but i want to know that the beer is not shitty before i get a 12 pack. zero confidence in sam adams, but it seems like such a cool idea to me.

slap you in the face IPA with minmal/no sweetness

Lagunitas Little Sumpin'? minimal sweet but serious hop-slap action.

jjjusten I was in yr town drinkin' surlys (and primo and nordeast) the weekend before last. adrian's bar & grill ftw.

as far as IPAs like that, I dunno... seems like they're mostly on that sweet/bitter balance lately in my experience. great lakes commodore perry, maybe?

i have been drinking surly furious like my life depended on it

Surly's no longer available in Chicago -- I should totally have my friend in Minnesota bring me a six-pack when she comes to town next weekend.

my gf's brother always asks us to bring dogfish head products when we go visit him in the cities, apparently they're no longer available there

beer exchange program, imo

I drank about 12 of the Full Sail Session Lagers throughout the day Monday. Really drinkable stuff.

yeah the commodore perry is pretty good, thinking something more like the sierra nevada torpedo (or even reg sierra nevada), summit ipa, surly furious - almost a bitter thing

i have just started to come around on the lagunitas stuff recently, the first beer of theirs i had tasted like lawn clippings and the second one was that brown sugar thing which is like 180 degrees out of phase with what i like in a beer.

i was suprised how much i liked the new belgium belgo actually, pretty good for that whole belgian style ipa crowd

xpost wait i have been to adrians! its aok!

xxpost yeah i think i heard that the dogfish head dude ran into some super irritating thing w/the licensed bev association up here and basically threw up some middle fingers and is never going to distro here again ;_;

I was in a bar by myself last night, sitting at the bar having drinks and dinner. Often when I am drinking/dining alone, I am on my phone, browsing the internet, logging the beers I drink, reading twitter, etc. Out of the blue the bartender asks me what my Beer Advocate ID is??? I told him I didn't have one, that I read Beer Advocate, but I'm not one to write reviews (I would be horrible at it, other people do it much better). I wonder if he thought I was reviewing the bar or the beer I was drinking? It was a weird encounter.

― Jeff, Wednesday, September 7, 2011 5:08 PM (1 hour ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

lol i drink/eat alone while sitting at the bar on the reg and would be baffled if that's what someone assumed i was doing

I feel like there's a higher percentage of ilxors that do the solo eating/drinking at the bar than in the general population

My people

amen brother

I feel like there's a higher percentage of ilxors that do the solo eating/drinking at the bar than in the general population

^ I do it all the time. Especially when traveling for business.

one of the few small pleasures of traveling for business imo

And especially if you're a beer geek. You can usually get more informed beer talk (and free taster samples!) from the bartender than from waitstaff at a table.