Beer in the new era

Per Imperial stouts, people seem to like Old Rasputin, which is all over the place.

Yeah Old Rasputin is pretty good, but I don't know that I'd compare it to other Imperial Stout's I've head.

if you ever see it on nitro drop what you're doing and drink that

Definitely haven't done that! Maybe Old Rasputin is just one of those that has kinda been spoiled by over-familiarity. It isn't bad, by any means, but a couple places around our house that serve good food, that's always like the one dependable not boring beer they have.

Green Flash double Stout is a nice around pickup in these parts.

I've really liked all the Green Flash stuff that has made it to my regular bars. Rayon Vert, which I guess is their namesake, in particular.

Great Lakes blackout stout is v v good fyi

Boulevard Brewing Farmhouse Ale is really good.

Ok, so I decided to participate in the office secret santa, in which we're allowed to request something, so I'm thinking beer. What's a good $20-25 beer or beer pack/set that would be reasonably available in New York?

the belgian/trappist sets are always good, i've been seeing a boulevard set around that would be fun

Dozens of boxes of BCS at the south loop Binnys..

I think it's only $21 there too.

Oh man, wish I would've known that. Paid the $29 at the place near my office. Ugh. Dude from the Binny's I spoke with specifically told me the South Loop location was all sold out. Idiot.

re: secret santa - 4 pack of cuvee de jacobins would be my go to choice

Totally gonna get a bomber of RevBew "FistMas" for a coworker in our office secret Santa exchange.

Ha, I went to the Burnham Market today. That guy was so nice, and so on the ball for a convenience store, that I didn't mind the price, really. Help the little guy for at least making an effort.

But yeah, Binny's has piles and piles of it right now. I counted at least a couple of dozen cases.

grabbing some of this tonight!

http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/occasional-rarities/hellhound-on-my-ale.htm

so i went to this victory tasting -- i don't know, i find their stuff generally blah across the board -- but got a bunch of yum looking beers while there including the hellhound and a cappuccino lagunitas stout that came recommended (among other stuff)...

I'm going to a place tonight that has the Cappuccino Stout, pretty excited for that.

Oh wow you're going to Trader Joe's?

(Because they have Cappuccino Stout bombers for $3.99, well at least my local does).

Good to know! But I meant on tap.

had mikkeller's christmas beer last night, one of them. it tasted like a cake. very enjoyable but more than half would be sickly i reckon.

i had a delicious sam adams gingerbread stout this weekend, a good lagunitas cappuccino stout, a lot of really delicious original sin hard cider from whole woods growler which might be the best hard cider i've ever had, and some blue point blueberry ale which i don't like as much as the wild blue. oh, and the samuel smith imperial stout which was okay... not as good as the sam adams surprisingly!

http://www.syossetbeverage.com/image_library/zt9k5e.jpg

seriously this was delicious ^

Beer update for me (I'm drinking so freaking well these days it's pretty decadent):
had a really good Delirium Noel last night, also grabbed a Santa's Little Helper and a YuleSmith. Today I picked up (2) bottles of Troegs Mad Elf (they wouldn't sell me any more), a Southern Tier 2XMAS, Sierra Nevada Celebration and Narwal, Main Beer Company Mean Old Tom, and an Elysian Peste Chocolate Chili Ale (mainly bc it says it's brewed w/ chipotle, cayenne, ancho, guajillo, and pasilla peppers and I was curious).

there was a limit on mad elf? wow.

also cool that maine beer stuff is making its way down to you. i was unmoved by mean old tom but if you see their hoppy beers with a recent bottling date scoop those up.

yeah, my beer store told me that the maine stuff doesn't come down here very often. i don't know if this was a one time delivery or if it'll become more frequent. they also promised me they'd try to get the hill farmstead on tap -- which i am greatly anticipating.

oh yeah, that's a must

also re mad elf, i was at whole foods last week and they said they sold all out of the mad elf a month ago and weren't getting any more. i don't know if it was more limitedly available this year, or what. i mean, you'd think there's be a lot floating around philly.

i haven't really noticed this year but we were swimming in mad elf up here last year, i distinctly remember multiple stores having stacks of cases of the stuff

List of empty bottles in my front room following semi-impromptu Saturday night tasting session where four of us turfed out some bits and bobs which had been hanging around in our cupboards:

Grain Blackwood Stout
Durham Brewery White Stout
Schneider Weiss Unser Aventinus
Evil Twin Biscotti Break
Struise Rosse 2011
Kernel / Buxton NZ Pilsner
Cohort Belgian Double Black Rye PA
Dark Star Green Hop
Struise Motuecha
Arbor Ales Impy Stout
Buxton Smokey and the Band Aid Imperial Smoked Rye Porter
Troubadour Obscura
Adur Black William Stout
Brewfist Jale ESB
Westoek Flemish Triple Ale
Struise Pannepot Grand Reserva 2008
Goller Rauchbier
Jester King Le Petit Prince
Struise Elliot Brew Imperial IPA 2011

Biscotti Break is great. Have you tried Imperial Biscotti Break? That Buxton sounds intriguing.

Struise Elliot Brew Imperial IPA 2011

how was this, tim? have one at home.

i had a dream about beer last night. i don't remember anything about it except that i was drinking lots of beer and it was delicious.

i had a dream that i came into possession of a bunch of baby polar bears and had to figure out where to put them and how to feed them. it was actually really stressful, your dream sounds a lot better.

Elliot Brew - I love it, but Struise are probably my favourite Belgian brewery of all now, and certainly the one where I get the most excited about drinking something new / different. If you look on the likes of beradvocate it's their dark, dark beers (like Pannepot, Pannepeut, Black ALbert) which get the really stellar ratings, but I think their lighter beers (like Elliot, Ignis & Flamma, Svea) tend to be not only delicious but also have such amazing balance even when they are very hoppy.

Jeff, I haven't tried the Imperial Biscotti Break, will keep my eyes peeled for it when I'm in the US over Xmas.

elliot is a collab with mikkeller right? the one i have is anyway. unless that's a special one-off. it does say elliot on it though.

The first bottle I had did have Mikkeller on it* but subsequent bottles haven't - I guess they made the first brew(s) together, but then Struise have kept on with it. That is only a guess though.

*Actually on Saturday I looked for the word Mikkeller on the bottle but couldn't see it and wondered whether I had misremembered. Apparently not.

Finally tried Young's Double Chocolate Stout and was a little disappointed. You can really taste the "chocolate flavor" that's added a bit too much, so even though it's not overly sweet, it's a bit candy-like.

I also had Pinkus Organic Munster Alt, which was good but I think the style may not be my bag, or maybe it's just something for warmer weather.

i tried the 21st century amendment fireside chat bc someone said it was better than the watermelon beer. it was canned 09/24/12, and was pretty awful. it had way too much going on, was super nasty tasting, bad mouth feel, and it has a kind of metallic aftertaste (i guess from the can?). i'm wondering if maybe it's impossible to get good 21st century stuff (or maybe just traveling all the way across the country in an aluminum can automatically skunks the stuff?).

it is better than the watermelon thing, but i also dislike that one. brew free or die is good, and their black ipa is good as well.

of course, everything ever is better than that fucking watermelon beer so

oh hey look what i am going to tonight:

http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/598469_10151340222405590_1332544124_n.jpg

i noticed u posting that on fb. jealous!

oh, the bitter american from 21st amendment is good too. i dont like the monks blood, but if you are into that style, ive heard good things

so basically mordy, youve had the 2 they make that i hated the most. congratulations?

yay. i'm so lucky

I also know that they do contract brewing, so i have the advantage of it being brewed for my area about 2 hours north of the city

So now Costco has gift boxes of Ommegang -- three 22oz bottles plus a beer glass for like $20. Pretty good deal. Bought one for my office secret santa person. I'm forgetting the beers atm, I think maybe it's the rare vos, the chocolate indulgence and one of their standards (witte? hennepin?) I don't love Ommegang but I think they're a solid brewery.

ppl weren't kidding. that sierra celebration is a seriously delicious IPA

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/12/12/166987378/a-sign-from-above-needing-new-roof-monks-sell-rare-beer-in-u-s

yes plz