Beer in the new era

i've had this bottle for a few months waiting for the right time to crack it open w/ a friend. Tokio, made by Brew Dog
http://www.bighospitality.co.uk/var/plain_site/storage/images/publications/hospitality/bighospitality.co.uk/new-products/18-brewdog-tokyo-beer-banned-from-sale/2849629-1-eng-GB/18-Brewdog-Tokyo-beer-banned-from-sale_dnm_large.jpg
18.2% alc. and billed as "intergalactic fantastic oak aged stout

http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/libations/jabmleasuuiIGqzhCFCJrjAlyJGvandxnxJHyoqklpFfgpHzqgByuCyxFloo/p73.jpg.scaled500.jpg

Have this waiting for me in the fridge. First pumpkin-flavored beer I've ever bought, but apparently the pumpkin is subtle and not at all sweet.

no it's not sweet at all--i mostly got spice (like cinnamon and nutmeg). didn't really work for me but ymmv.

bah, that doesn't sound like it's up my alley, but I've never disliked a sixpoint

westmalle dubble is what sam adams was modeled after. sweet and sour with a bunch of black currant flavor.

it was the consensus favorite of the 4 dubbels we had but still can't hold a candle to westvleteren's.

OK, here is everything I tried at the barrel aged beer fest. Some really good stuff, but I drank so much, hard to remember what everything tasted like. There's probably more I forgot to log, as the session progressed, the pours when from 2 to 4 oz and then it all blurred together.

Horse Feathers Rye - Upstream Brewing Co.
Dosvidanya - Destihl Restaurant and Brew Works
Luck Leiah - Goose Island Beer Co.
Askew - Two Brothers Brewing Company
Old Market Iowa Coffee - Upstream Brewing Company
Sweet Southern Kiss - Goose Island Beer Co.
Bourbon Barrel Aged General Porter - Revolution Brewing Company
Schlafly Reserve, Imperial Stout - Schlafly Beer
Barrel Aged Small Animal Big Machine - Half Acre Beer Company
Utopias - Boston Beer Company
Steve it to Bieber - Haymarket Pub and Brewery
Red Poppy Ale - The Lost Abbey
Pappy Van Muckle - Sun King Brewing Co.
Honey B - Goose Island Bear Co.
Sled Dog - Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery
King Henry - Goose Island Beer Co.
Bourbon Count Brand Manhattan Stout - Goose Island Beer Co.
St Dekkera Forsaken Barrel Lambic - Destihl Restaurant and Brew Works
Ghost Pepper Bourbon Count Stout - Goose Island Beer Co.
Black Note Stout - Bell's Brewery, Inc.
XOCOLATL - Goose Island Beer Co./Rick Bayless collaboration

Favs were the ghost pepper stout and Pappy Van Muckle, but I don't think I had a bad beer all night. Well, the Utopias was 26%, so it barely tasted like beer.

Dude next to me at my local chipped in $40 for a bottle of the Cable Car Kriek from Lost Abbey... I threw in a couple bucks for a taste. Very dry for a kriek, but if you are into Belgian sours, esp lambics, then this should probably be at the top of your want list right now.

A friend who brought a bunch of beer back from Wisconsin keeps talking up the New Glarus Two Women

Don't remember if I've had that; my favorite New Glarus is Moon Man.

I really like the Autumnation fwiw, although it's definitely something I'd only drink one of in a sitting. The pumpkin is in there, but it tastes like actual pumpkin, not pumpkin pie, and it really is sublte. Mostly it tastes closer to other wet hopped ales I've had than to any 'flavored' beer I've had.

really dug the new belgium lips of faith "Kick" and i normally hate pumpkin ales. but its probably all gone now.

i have been drinking case after case of brooklyn pennant ale, mainly because my beer store is blowing it out at $14 a case. its ok.

Yeah, penant ale is just ok, like most brooklyn brand beers. At one time I remember really liking that beer but I think i dunno my palate got more sophisticated or something?

I just brought back a sampler 12-pack of New Glarus beers, and Moon Man is definitely my favorite. Two Women is pretty good too -- would probably hit the spot perfectly on a hot summer's day. Spotted Cow is disappointing.

Also brought back a bomber of Alaska Smoked Porter, which I am very very excited to try.

Yeah, some people go nuts about Spotted Cow, which I don't quite understand. Although I guess it's the flagship beer, so for a lot of people it's probably their first/only experience with New Glarus.

We don't have New Glarus in stores here :/

Apparently Flying Dog also stopped distributing in my area, which I don't quite get. We still have Bell's, though

I'm not sure anyone outside Wisconsin has New Glarus in stores.

You're in Iowa, right?

Most of the normal new Glarus brews are disappointing to me. I've heard the more limited releases are Better. yet to try though.

Yeah. I believe they aren't distributed outside Wisconsin.

FWIW Spotted Cow is one of my favourite American brews - something I particularly look forward to when I'm off to WI. Nothing stunty about it, just solidly delicious. I'm a very big fan of New Glarus beers in general, as it goes, so feel free to disregard my opinion.

The fellow behind the bar at the Glarner Stube in New Glarus was completely thrown by my English accent, probably the strongest reaction I've ever had to not sounding American. It's a treasured memory.

I'm pretty stoked about the Goose Island Batch 5000 I brought back with me from Chicago - also made a run up to Wisconsin for New Glarus/Summit stuff, and it all survived in my checked luggage on the way back.

Heading to Vermont this weekend for the Hill Farmstead bottle release and a Heady Topper run - the latter when fresh is better than Pliny imo and worth digging up if you're in New England (their cans should hit Boston sometime next year).

man heady topper is so good

i've been wanting to get up to Alchemist for a minute now. gotta make it happen soon

I went to a tapping of Surly Darkness (next to impossible to find in the Chicago area, normally) the other night. Good stuff, although heavy-ass beers like that are not really my thing anymore.

Unrelated, I think I'm going to make this for T-giving this year:

http://fred.newhollandbrew.com/beer/beer-brined-turkey/

Founders CBS on tap in Jersey City tomorrow!

The Graham Ave C-Town was unloading Corsendonk Christmas Ale at $5 for a 750ml. Really nice stuff -- similar to the strong dark ale by Unibroue that TJ's sells as its holiday ale every year.

It's Hopslam season.

black chocolate stout bitches

i have crossed the line and am now homebrewing with a couple of friends. we'll see how this goes

we started off with a cider just to kinda get the hang of the process because its stupid easy, and it worked out ok, but the one we just started is a collab with surly that is a modified furious recipe. stoked, unless it becomes contaminated and kills us all.

Last night I had a Daly Double (IPA) from Half Acre, the brewery in my neighborhood. It was deliciously hoppy and refreshing.

Afterwards, though, I opened a Bell's Amber that someone had left in my fridge on NYE. It was the first Bell's Amber I'd had probably a few years, and I thought it tasted kind of gross. I used to not mind it, so either they've adjusted the recipe or my beer palate has changed.

(I'm guessing the latter.)

I didn't leave it there.

I have a couple of Daly Doubles but haven't tried them yet.

had some surprisingly great beer in south carolina. westbrook brewery.

Failed attempt to get some Bourbon County Stout Coffee today. It's getting ridiculous how hard it is to get some releases in this town.

Kinda digging Ruthless Rye IPA, but I'm surprised Sierra decided they needed another IPA. Also, I miss Glissade.

Ooh Ruthless Rye is the shit. IMO it's different enough from their Pale Ale and Torpedo to justify its existence.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/ct-met-rare-craft-beer-20120129,0,2474298.story

I was not standing in line.

Tempted to try this:

http://i.imgur.com/ZNdy3.jpg

Brewed in the famous 'Dublin' suburb of Tallinn, presumably.

Konigshoven Quad is a bad mamajamma.

And Green Flash's Hop Head Red is not terrible, either.

Had a Van Honsebrouck Kasteel Cuvee du Chateau. 11% ABV but drank really easy (8 oz worth, anyway). Good, not too sweet. A "strong dark ale" style, sez the web.

homebrewed furious clone is the business. we have gone hogwild here and have a belgian that we just bottled and a pale ale in the fermenting bucket. once you buy the right $$$$ supplies this is actually a pretty awesome money saving hobby!

Kostritzer Amber (allegedly out of one of less than 300 kegs available in the USA): Good! Better than most ambers (not really a fan of the style) and a nice surprise at $5 a pint.

Haandbryggeriet Double IPA: Whoa. Expensive. Drunk. Good. Starting to become a big fan of this brewery.

^you have my attention. i wonder if i can get that anywhere up here?

although southern tier's double ipa is both awesome and not expensive.

possibly? I got the Haandbryggeriet at Binny's in Chicago. iirc it was $9 for a big (22oz?) bottle.

Sadly haven't been drinking a lot recently. Snagged a bottle of Firestone walker sucaba, barrel aged barley wine, but I think I'm going to stash it away for awhile

Dan, have you been to West Lakeview Liquors? They have a decent selection of Haandbryggeriet, iirc.

Pliny the Younger today! Woo!

Had some barrel aged Anchor yesterday, very good. I don't think it's available in stores, though.