Beer in the new era

i really need to have mother of all storms again--first time it was a revelation, second time it was just ok

xp really wanted to do the beer pairing thing at luksus when i was in the area, but it's a good thing i spent that $140 elsewhere

is this beer pairing idea popping up in other place much? seems like beer sommeliers just became a thing 3 years ago

*places

never tried mother of all storms either, loving these pacific nw tips

I was thinking Monk's, Marias, and one of the Small bars needed to be on the Chicago list, but at the same time I'm fine with there being some hidden jewels out there.

Also I'm going to be in Portland in March and am very interested to hit up Gigantic and also Saraveza.

Monk's downtown? They can have good tap lists, but I'd have to leave them off by how annoying the afterwork crowd there can be. No issues with any of the Smallbars, in fact, one should definitely be there.

what are can't miss beer bars in the boston area ? i'll be up there for work and will maybe have time to get out this time around.

i'd recommend going to cambridge and hitting lord hobo and cambridge brewing co. which are a short walk from each other. depending on where exactly you're gonna be there are a couple other places worth checking out, but that's the trip i would make if location isn't a factor.

also i just checked out the beer list at new-ish oyster bar row 34 and it's really, really good for mass.

I enjoyed jm curley's as well. I regret not making it to CBC.

Bought a six pack of Bells Java Stout. It's OK, a little thin, a little bitter. Paired well with pulled pork.

i'm staying by Boston Common but will be working in Cambridge and Brookline . Will have a car though so that might work out.

kendall sq. in cambridge is a quick trip by subway from the common if you don't want to drive around too much. if you're in brookline you could also check out the publick house tho i don't really dig it there.

word thanks
if i'm going to be hanging anywhere for awhile i'll post on the boston thread if anyones around to meet up.

yeah sounds good!

xps gigantic is great too! the location is a bit more out of the way than most places here so i don't get there often. i always end up getting in sorta lengthy discussions with strangers there, ime it happens at small-ish breweries more than any other bar environment

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/01/10/261398742/american-beer-fans-praise-the-heavens-a-trappist-brewery-in-u-s

Only MA for now- hopefully cad can hook the rest of us up

I had this beer called jai alai tonight and it ruled. It was an IPA but it was like bright orange and tasted very citrusy.

I also had some beers from Evil Twin, including a porter called Lil B that was very distinctive, if not necessarily my "thing." Y'all should go to Torst in Greenpoint.

i <3 jai alai. it has been my go-to IPA since it started being available in NY. it is similar to lagunitas sucks IMO but available year round. so good when it's fresh.

torst is a cool bar but if i went there regularly i would be broke as a joke.

maybe it's just me or the day i went but i just wasn't feeling the vibe at torst

it's not a cozy neighborhood bar, but they have good beer, and if you bring some friends along it's as fine as anywhere else imo.

yeah agrarian blows my mind. those guys were at the farmhouse fest at saraveza in spring of last year in these silly tie-dyed logo shirts and were rocking the gnarliest white-dude dreads i have ever seen. i wanted to hate their beers for obvious yet stupid reasons but i unabashedly liked the 3-4 beers they had there.

hahaha I don't know those dudes but that is soooo Eugene

i like the olives they served with the cheese platter at torst a lot

the bro who served me at torst was at the same beer fest i was at in vermont a few months later, but i recognized him too late to say anything.

thanks for chilling that bottle of mamouche down to appropriate serving temp, bro.

Occurred to me tonight that Lagunitas Sucks tastes almost exactly like Three Floyds Gumballhead.

Wha??????

yeah i don't get that at all

i have never had a three floyds beer.
had my first lagunitas sucks of the season last night tho and damn do i love that beer.

^^^

Heh, I might agree with that statement if you said Lil Sumpin Sumpin* instead of Sucks as LSS is Lagunitas' hopped up wheat beer.

Starting to realize the palettes on ILX are pretty unusual! It's kinda like when I search the ILM archives and find all these Dexys Midnight Runners and Brooks & Dunn threads.

i don't really like most wheat beers or belgian-y beers. i am a weird guy, i know.

palate~~~

not liking wheats or belgians is not partic. weird--i do with limited amounts of both. gumballhead was excellent the one time i got to try it tho.

i want to try three floyd's zombie dust so bad but it's tough to come by.

dittos

totally lives up to the hype imo

The more I think on it, yeah, Gumballhead is much ...fruitier. But there's something about the sticky aftertaste of Sucks that reminds me of the the 3F.

I've been lucky with Zombie Dust recent. I think I've drank three 6-packs in the last couple of months.

I've thought, at some point, that Lagunitas Sucks has a somewhat similar hop profile to Gumballhead and that both are also similar to like Firestone Walker Pale 31 and Two Brothers Sidekick? I probably don't know what I'm talking about though.

Since you guys have mentioned Lagunitas Sucks lately I've been looking for it at the stores, but I always see a shelf tagged "Lagunitas Seasonal" with some other Lagunitas beer in that spot. Has it become like Bourbon County where it gets snagged as soon as it appears?

Not quite that bad around here, I usually see it the most in Whole Foods. It's availability seems to be more available than Zombie Dust, but less available than Celebration.

Speaking of Bourbon County, I stop into the liquor store next to my train stop basically every day after work to see what may be new in the color. And almost every day they have a single four pack in the cooler. I've bought that single four pack before, and the very next day there is always one more. I think he's putting his stock out there one at a time?? Not sure why he is employing that strategy.

Last year there were stacks and stacks of BCBS at the big Binny's, but this year they either similarly eased/secreted it out or simply had less to sell. Lagunitas Sucks I usually don't have trouble finding at all. Same situation, stacks and stacks at Binny's. But then, I haven't been to the big Binny's in a while, maybe it's hard to find there, too.

Local little Binny's out here had a few four-packs of Central Waters BBS. I hear good things.

idk what a binny's is but i want one by me

I liked the coffee variety of the Central Waters stuff better than Bourbon County, I think because I'm not a coffee drinker and the flavor was a little less intense.

xp http://www.binnys.com/ -- the "big Binnys" is roughly the size of a standard US grocery store.

And there's a new big one coming! Expanding from 33,000 to 50,000 square feet! Or is it done now?

Everything that Central Waters has put in a barrel has been from pretty good to absolutely fantastic. Barleywine being the best.

It's not done but the LP one is expanding greatly. It will have a tap room!

closest binnys to me:
Chicago - Hyde Park [699.6 Miles]

brb