Beer in the new era

Had that Petrus aged red tonight. Not what I expected (though if I had read the label, a couple of discrete cherries on the front and "...with the intrigue of tart cherry" on the back, maybe I would have guessed). It reminded me of a cherry Coke/Dr Pepper, but not in a bad way. More sweet than sour, but thankfully not too sweet. I may buy this again. 8.5% abv, in a 750 ml bottle.

A nice surprise tonight, the little bar in my wife's little hometown on the Minnesota prairie has an extensive offering of Boulevard bottles.

hop ranch is maybe even better than dirt wolf

My wife's uncle gave me a 4 pack of oaked Arrogant Bastard for Christmas. It's not exactly my thing but pretty good for free beer. The oak overwhelms the rest of the beer imho but then again I've only had like a single regular AB before.

habanero sculpin - novelty beer! srs habanero heat in the throat.

Not great. A waste of good sculpin.

Been working my way through a sixer of the Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. Not bad, but I had some Lagunitas IPA before that, and I think that one actually nailed the balance of fresh hop flavor and bitterness better (ie., more hop flavor, less bitterness).

xpost: i wouldn't say i waste, it's actually kind of good in a weird way i think. but not drinkable at all. after a few sips i was done. i am not a spice fanatic. do spice fanatics like this beer? the same people who buy all those insane hot sauces. who wants to drink a pint, much less a growler???

i really liked the spicy mango founders back series from this year, partially bc it was legit spicy. i'd like to try a spicy sculpin.

Mango magnifico was fantastic. Much better than habanero sculpin.

Been working my way through a sixer of the Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. Not bad, but I had some Lagunitas IPA before that, and I think that one actually nailed the balance of fresh hop flavor and bitterness better (ie., more hop flavor, less bitterness).

― o. nate, Saturday, December 28, 2013 6:57 PM (Yesterday)

Lagunitas IPA is dry-hopped (ie, not fresh hopped). Both are good beers at any rate, just two different styles.

green flash palate wrecker kind of disappointing - its not bad, but it comes across as a less well put together lagunitas sucks imo

That is an odd comparison as Palate Wrecker is one of the most bitter (149 IBU) double IPAs out there whereas Sucks is almost on the complete opposite side of the IBU spectrum (for a west coast style double IPA). I agree that both have unusual grain bills, but the tastes are like night and day to me.

My local was out of Sucks last night, so I opted for Green Flash West Coast IPA instead. As great as that beer is, I prefer Sucks. Have not yet tried Palate Wrecker.

More new beers in the past week:

Black Rocks 51K IPA*
Black Rocks Coconut Brown*
Ale Asylum Hopalicious -- solid recommendation from Jordan on this one
Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard
Lift Bridge Hop Dish IPA
Dubuisson Scaldis de Noel -- very good, and I am decidedly not a fan of most Christmas ales
Jolly Pumpkin Bam Noire
New Holland The Poet Oatmeal Stout

*These from the brewery proclaimed "the best in the Upper Peninsula" (of Michigan, my homeland) and surprisingly good considering that most/all beers made there are mainly tourist-oriented and thus kind of lacking, though I will say the coconut aspect of the brown caught me off guard. There are not a lot of palm trees on the shores of Lake Superior. The IPA would stand up to most regional craft offerings, though it wasn't particularly distinctive.

Great Lakes brewery recently started showing up by me. everything i've had from them has been pretty great.

did anyone else try that He'Brew Jewbelation (17%, 17 malts, 17 hops)? i enjoyed it, definitely a crazy beer though.

yes, i love the jewbelation beers

I was gifted a bottle last night. Gifter figured most bottles are never consumed, bought mostly for the novelty.

Had the Hill Farmstead Edith that CAD sent a me awhile ago. It was lovely.

Gifter figured most bottles are never consumed, bought mostly for the novelty.

^i can't even process this

def can age those jewbilations

I held a Jewbilation in my hands last week, but couldn't bring myself to buy it (~$15 for a bomber?).

Drinking a Ballast Point Big Eye... The local had no Sculpin. This is rly good tho.

^i can't even process this

Sorry, I was writing in passing, on a phone. I meant the person who bought it for me figured it was often purchased for the Jew-centric novelty. He-Brew, Jew-bilation, etc. Like, ha ha, what do we get our Jewish friend? This super Jewish branded beer, of course.

Yeah that seems fair. It does seem really hokey.

Oh, I see. When I first came across it I thought it was gimmicky, but that was years ago and the name doesn't register anymore. I thought you were talking about that beer itself.

Had the Hill Farmstead Edith that CAD sent a me awhile ago. It was lovely.

― Jeff, Thursday, January 2, 2014 6:19 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

oh good! i think that may be my favorite of their regular saison rotation.

I've never had a bad beer by them. So solid.

Pour Decisions: Newish St. Paul brewery I hadn't had anything by until New Years Eve. Maroon & Bold (Double Infuriatingly Passive Aggressive ale) was weird: actually an imperial red ale, murky, unfiltered, barely carbonated, and rather malty/sweet up front. The hops are mainly in the finish. Sort of like someone's semi-successful homebrew experiment. Also pricy. Would not re-buy.

i feel like the name "pour decisions" was....not a good choice.

i saw a guy at tired hands yesterday wearing a pour decisions t-shirt and had no idea what it referred to

Yeah, PD's rep from the outset has been brewing beers that don't fit traditional styles, but this was not a good first example for me.

^^^ isn't this also Surly's MO?

it sounds like a bad version of arrogant bastard based on what you're saying (xp)

I had a Pour Decisions Patersbier a little while ago at Ward 6 (super recommended ultra local bar/restaurant on St. Paul's east side for locals) and it was pretty fantastic actually.

This guy: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29624/88304/

Also, oscar blues is coming to mn

Sorry I mean Oskar Blues - forever proving that awesome beer sometimes comes with the worst graphic design imaginable.

surprised they weren't already there!

My understanding is that mn beer distribution is a total shitshow - but getting green flash, ballast point, and Oskar blues all in a 4 month period gives me hope.

i am srsly in need of a surly care package :(

the gas stations around here stock dale's pale and dogfish head, which is great and all, but i'm missing my home brews :(

Just picked up a 4 of Over Rated tbh.

Also a bottle of Solemn Oath \m/ RAVAGED BY VIKINGS \m/

so I just skeptically tried that trick where you put a metal spoon in the opening of an opened beer bottle, and holy crap, it works! Two days later my corsendonk 750ml is still fully carbonated.

yeah we do this with cava all the time.

I was in Tampa for the Outback Bowl last week and there as a pub called, creatively, "the Pub" in a mall near where i was staying. Great selection, i had the some bourbon barrell ale (forget the name) also had very many London Prides on tap, which were extremely tasty.

hmmm gbx maybe we can work something out if someone wants to tell me how to ship beer properly

this is the super-detailed guide on how to ship beer properly: http://alewatcher.blogspot.com/2010/11/new-trader-tips.html

speaking of- dear cad + dan i finally got a bunch of bubblewrap so yr boxes will def go out this week

Yeah I ran out too, plus I don't think one of my boxes is sturdy enough (dude in cad's link would definitely sneer at it) so I'm in the hunt for another. The freezing of Chicago the past few days hasn't helped on those fronts, either.