Beer in the new era

guinness all week.

going between goose island and berghoff lately, bought some 12 packs in chicago and transported them back west

bell's <3 <3 4 ever

tonight I had a Famosa, from Guatemala

http://www.1000bottlesofbeer.com/images/37.jpg

xp 2x

so this red and white is really something (and at $13.49 for 750 ml it's a good thing). if you're unaware, my understanding is that it's a witbier plus pinot noir grape juice that is then barrel aged. the taste is mostly witbier but you do get the wine thing (moreso when it's cold for whatever reason) and a 10% abv that you can't taste at all. not too light, not too heavy, and really fucking delicious.

bell's <3 <3 4 ever

― Tracy Michael Jordan Catalano (Jordan), Monday, January 26, 2009 8:22 PM (1 week ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

so true

I can't remember if this is the beer thread that had the "over hopped American microbrew" conversation, but on that note and the Bell's note I am drinking a "Hopslam" Ale, brewed with honey and coming in at 10% ABV. The honey balances the ridic amount of hops surprisingly well. It's still probably too much, but I kind of like it. I imagine some here would have a field day with the label:

http://i182.photobucket.com/albums/x68/LIONSTEETH/BellsHopSlam.jpg

Lonestar: still shitty, still cheap.

I think I've had two beers so far this year. I'll be remedying that this weekend.

i love hopslam!

Had an AleSmith Wee Heavy Scotch Ale tonight, pretty good (750 ml at 10% ABV = decent buzz). Would drink again.

i found the fiddler's elbow ale i had last week to be pretty good. english ale. medium-to-slightly fizzy. similar to old speckled hen, with a more bizarre aroma to it. some would say earthy but it's not quite... more pungent in the nose, refreshing in the throat.

that said, the stone chocolate stout was a more enjoyable, warming brew for the time of year. i go for the english ales in spring & summer, typically.

btw fiddler's elbow is a Wytchwood brew, same as the folks who make the Hobgoblin dark english ale, which i'm much more likely to get.

<IMG SRC=http://www.hoppocketwine.co.uk/images/wychwood%20fiddlers%20elbow.jpg>;

oh hell,

http://www.hoppocketwine.co.uk/images/wychwood%20fiddlers%20elbow.jpg

so i'm getting married this may, and considering it's one of my biggest interests/financial drains, i'd like craft beer to be well-represented at the reception.

i've been asking a lot of friends to get some input, and thus far people have given me basically three opinions:

1. offering some craft beer is all well and good, but you should also offer a bud or a pabst or something that everyone knows and likes
2. offer all craft beer, just make sure there are some styles that are accessible, too.
3. it's your wedding, get whatever the fuck you want

option 2 seems the best to me. i'd love to offer all great lakes (say, their 4 or 5 mainstay beers that are always available), b/c they're incredible, awesome beers that are also pretty accessible. i'm a native clevelander, too, so GL would represent my roots. though the wedding's in new haven, CT. and i know that GL isn't available, at least in package stores, in new england, so that might be a problem unless the venue knows a distributor who can get it.

but the same could be accomplished with say, brooklyn brewing co. - everyone knows them and the beers for the most part are pretty good (though i know there's much better out there.) i like how they're regional, too, as new haven is in the NYC/tri-state nexus, i guess.

what do y'all think? anybody plan a wedding and have to pick the beer?

before i even finished yr post i was thinking brooklyn would be perfect for this situation.

option 2 seems the best to me. i'd love to offer all great lakes (say, their 4 or 5 mainstay beers that are always available), b/c they're incredible, awesome beers that are also pretty accessible. i'm a native clevelander, too, so GL would represent my roots. though the wedding's in new haven, CT. and i know that GL isn't available, at least in package stores, in new england, so that might be a problem unless the venue knows a distributor who can get it.

get in touch w/ the public affairs/communications ppl at great lakes and explain the situation and then sort of vaguely ask for help--you never know, if theyre looking for good publicity opportunities they might supply yr wedding for free! esp. if u play up the "cleveland boy pining for home" angle.

ha! i did exactly that, max. they were very friendly and put me in touch with their new york distributor, who's based in buffalo. the buffalo dist. co. wasn't helpful, basically said "sorry we only do buffalo area."

but i'm gonna ask the management at our reception venue about GL. since they buy tons of booze all the time for events, they might know a distributor that could get it.

hrm

sometimes it's easier to get a keg through a distributor than bottles.

well brooklyn would def be easy to get in new haven

option 3: it's your wedding....

there is new england brewing co, which is located in CT and has pretty good beer and the elm city lager is something most anyone would drink, i think.
http://newenglandbrewing.com/brews.html

tbh i've never had NEBC. i should give it a try.

xp - i like the spirit behind option 3, but i guess i'm just not that kind of host. i'd rather have my wedding guests be drunk and happy and liking the beer than be sour over some russian imperial stout b.s.... besides i guess my own tastes have tamed quite a bit recently. i kind of overdid it with the RIS and double IPAs last year. if i can find a good amber or traditional pale ale, or a scotch ale or something a bit more balanced, it impresses me just as much.

so back to general beer discussion... some friends and i went to the berkshire brewing co. the other day, actually to consider beers for the wedding, but ended up just being a fun trip in itself.

was pretty awesome - totally free of charge, and we lucked out by having BBC's actual brewmaster lead the tour rather than just some guide. he was very generous with the free samples. we ended up having 3-4 full beers there. since living up here in western MA i've gotten to be a pretty big fan of berkshire. favorite's probably their traditional pale ale, def. their most complex beer. rich and caramely up front w/ a nice bit at the end but nothing over the top at all.

(i would actually consider BBC for the wedding but the reception venue will only do bottles, for some reason, and bbc only does the 22 oz bombers. i'd defintely prefer kegs in any case but no big deal)

i've been returning this week to the Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout. Much more drinkable than the Brooklyn Chocolate Stout, in which you can really taste the alcohol.

hay dudes just went to a bar on 4th ave full of horrible micro brews you wouldve loved it - did u know theres a type of beer served warm and flat on purpose - btw max they had settlers of catan there

http://www.pacificstandardbrooklyn.com

Thursday, April 2nd @ 8 PM in the Pub Room

An Evening With North Coast Brewing

Featuring Barrel-Aged Old Rasputin XI on Draught!

This is going to be awesome. This is like the only positive thing about living in the Chicago suburbs.

aw icey thank u 4 thinkin of me

i think warm flat beer is called british beer?

warm flat beer is great u guys are crazy

i live in london btw

i dig the occasional warm flat beer; better than the endless succession of IPGayz that they probably run through that place.

i think warm flat beer is called british beer?

no it's called British ale. don't besmirch beer by relating it to that vile shit.

Southern British Ale please, up North we have heads on our beers.

the whole pump that evokes the milking of a cow would put anyone off ale.

mind you Guinness is best room temp and flat

the warm flat beer is called cask beer and i was unaware that i was ordering from that section of the menu - i mean i didnt see that it said cask beer but also i wouldnt have known what that meant - it shouldve said "cask beer (warm flat beer)"

people should really deal w/their personal issues before ordering a beer imo

horrible beer is more of a public health issue really

cask ales are pretty dope, there are a few bars in l.a. that always have one on tap.

icey what is yr favorite beer then?

cask ales are pretty dope, there are a few bars in l.a. that always have one on tap.

I had a good local craft beer (don't remember what it was) at El Prado in Echo Park a couple weeks ago -- have you been to that place?

some brewery around there in east LA produces them--i cant remember the name of it but they always had one at the york.

i like tons beers im really into the pinkus pils right now - old reliables paulaner pacifico - i buy pilsner urquel as far as beers that can be found anywhere xp

Ha, I had some people over the other night and someone brought Pilsner Urquell and there was a discussion about whether it was skunked, and I took a sip and was like, "No, that's just how it tastes."

i think it's craftsman that is always on cask at the york? yeah el prado is pretty dope, vv good bar. probably my favorite beer bar in town, despite having a comparatively small selection and virtually no food.

xp yeah i kinda stopped drinking urquell for that reason but i'll still cave and buy stella every once in a while.

ever drink jever its like urquell but more

no i haven't--don't recognize the bottle actually. but i feel like drinking some pils today so i'm gonna try to track it down.

cask ales are great! ur crazy ice cr?m