Beer in the new era

Which reminds me, the weather is finally starting to cool off, and that means it's almost time for BROOKLYN...BLACK...CHOCOLATE...STOUT!

xp i'll keep an eye out for those, their marketing is v. uncool

I didn't like the one Brewdog I had; maybe a freshness issue, maybe just not my thing, but it was foul-smelling in my pint glass, and monstrously hoppy but in an unpleasant way. Would retry one, I guess, but there are so many great beers made closer to home.

i would love to try brewdog but it doesn't look like they have samplers and i'm risk adverse to buying a whole case of one of flavor generally...

i also like beer that's really boozy cause i like getting drunk

must try that brooklyn chocolate stout. i'm quite impressed by the level to which brooklyn lager still is nice despite its near ubiquity around where i am in london, it's never a disappointment.

xpost woeful, i am ashamed when i drink punk ipa (which i love) in case someone imagines me buying it and thinking "what a punk i am". i rip the labels off (that's how fucking punk i am.)

and yeah i can imagine it doesn't make as much sense, same here with some US beers v UK ones with price obv a factor too.

more xposts i fucking love high alcohol content booze but there are times when it's dangerous!

ok, this watermelon beer is... not amazing. not terrible, but i guess i was hoping it would be fruitier? and it's kinda dry.

How is the availability of New Belgium and Widmer in PA? For reasonably priced, readily-available ales I like NB's Ranger and Widmer's Rotator series of IPAs.

And here was my Brewdog review a couple years ago:

Wow, Brewdog Hardcore IPA (Explicit Imperial Ale) REALLY did not work for me. I love Imperial IPA's, double IPA's and the like, but this is much closer to a barleywine IMO, with a very malty sweetness and almost syrupy mouthfeel. (And I like barleywine a lot, too, but I found this unpleasant; it left a really bizarre aroma in my pint glass.)

i think my depot will order whatever i ask them to, but only by the case

yeah the hardcore ipa is kind of weird, it is, as you say, a bit like cough mixture. drank it once or twice at a party but more in a silver bullet to get me trashed way, rather than for the taste.

if it doesn't taste good u might as well drink hard liquor imho

xpost woeful, i am ashamed when i drink punk ipa (which i love) in case someone imagines me buying it and thinking "what a punk i am". i rip the labels off (that's how fucking punk i am.)

lol

i drank 4 bottles of that w/ a box of guylian chocolate seashells a while back......punk rock flavour combo there

Best beer I've had recently was Three Floyd's Zes Zes Zes. Supposedly a saison, but taste more like a slightly different zombie dust to me.

irl lol at "slightly different zombie dust..." No idea what that was until I researched. 100/100 on Ratebeer!

at the depot this afternoon i picked up a case of Hell or High Watermelon

I had this for the first time when I was in D.C. recently. (21st Amendment doesn't distribute to Illinois.) Anyway, I liked it! The watermelon is noticeable enough to liven up an otherwise basic wheat but not so prominent that it's super-fruity or cloying or anything.

xp Zombie Dust is delish, it's true.

Hell or high watermelon is literally the worst beer I have ever had

Other 21st amendment beer is great tho, that's just a huge misstep.

high-alcohol beer is generally my preference as well, especially since beer is so bready and filling that I usually don't feel like drinking more than two or three

still kind of a "how far we've come" moment for me that london beer drinkers are fancying pints of brooklyn lager on a regular basis

High ABV FTW. Really, all my favorite beers are at least 8%.

I think 6% is kind of a floor for me

and that's mostly for beers for hot weather

See mostly when I go out it's for quite a while, what I find dangerous about high abv is I don't seem to drink the beers more slowly or in lesser quantities. Then bang!

I had four-packs of Ommegang Hennepin and North Coast Brewery's Pranqster recently - both tasty domestic micro-brews in a Belgian style (saison & golden ale).

Not to knock your enjoyment, but I've always found Ommegang brews to be a little lacking.

Anybody besides Omar had Le Merle? I got a bottle last week, 1st purchase under the state's new reasonable beer laws, and liked it pretty well. It's a saison.

ok i know that this sounds like i have gone crazy, but if you see a 12 pack of the sierra nevada beer camp sampler, buy it immediately - 4 of the best beers i have had this year. yeah, its $20 or something, but thats less than a couple of good bombers so suck it up.

The only Ommegang I've had is Hennepin, so I can't speak for the others, but it seems like a pretty good version of a saison to me - comparable to Saison Dupont for instance, but maybe that's lacking too?

I like Le Merle, too. Pleasantly creamy, iirc.

Haven't tried Le Merle, but I like Pranqster, so if I see it, I'll buy some.

I've also had their Old Rasputin, which is a very strong, bitter stout - probably not the best thing to have with food, but pretty well balanced.

Never like much I the OMG beer I've drank.

Last night enjoyed a Two Brothers Philosophers' Stone (black saison) and my first Dale's Pale Ale. Along with the G'Knight Imperial Red I had last week, I'm quite enjoying the Midwestern encroachment of Oskar Blues.

i've been drink a ton of Founders Porter lately. At $8.99 a 6 pack by my house you can't go wrong and i think i'm the only one buying it.

also on the really cheap porter tip
http://clatl.com/binary/aee1/Zywiec-Porter-329x400.jpg

at 9.5% abv and $1.80 for 500ml this is an awesome deal for a good beer.

if you like Polish beer, look for Warka. ime it's around the same price as Zywiec and more flavorful (tho that porter is a good one)

Do the people who knock Ommegang beers just not like Belgian-style beers in general, or do they find them lacking as compared to others of a similar style (names would be helpful)?

My taste has moved away from Belgians over the years, with the exception of Saisons/Flemish Reds/Lambics.

No I actually find Ommegang a little weak as belgian style beers go

The Bruery make some of the most exciting belgian style beers i've had in awhile

if you guys happen to see this around, nab it. wonderful!

http://ab.haresrocklots.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/ab-ein-toasted.jpg

found my sixer at cap'n'cork in los angeles.

So the place half a block away now has Jacobins Rouge on tap. Perfect topper for my sour obsession, probably time to move on tho.

i'd be all over that if i saw it for sure xp

Bruery is good. I need to try more of theirs.

i've also been loving the Wells Banana Bread Beer

http://www.theperfectlyhappyman.com/uploads/wells-banana-bread-beer.jpg

Bourbon County Brand Stout being release today in the Chicagoland area. A giant clusterfuck of people chasing trucks and store owners fielding hundreds of calls asking about availability.

ah i've had that einstok a few times, very nice. their pale ale not amazing but that one is great.