Beer in the new era

allagash saison has a significantly different finish from allagash white.

I guess? They seemed pretty similar to me, but I;m sure you're right.

I'm aiming for Friday night for barrel-aged beer fest, btw. Do these things sell out?

Typically within minutes, but more sessions and bigger venue seems to have made things better.

Not sold out yet! Waiting until tomorrow so that I'm not the only of my friends to get tickets for Friday.

I know, I'm kind of surprised. Also they raised the price this year so I'm sure that helped too.

Actually, it looks like Friday and Saturday night are both sold out and may have been for some time, there's just been no formal announcement, and the site makes it seems like there are still tix. However, I did check to see about Saturday afternoon, and there did seem to be tickets for that. But it was ringing up as $65 + fees (fuck Ticketmaster), so screw that. For $65+ of drinking I know I can have a much better time elsewhere, on my own schedule.

Huh. I tried for Saturday afternoon late yesterday afternoon and couldn't find anything available. It was telling me there was nothing available for all three sessions. Anyway, looks like I'll be passing on FOBAB again this year.

I kinda wish these things would go on sale on a weekend, when I can guarantee that I'll be able to access my computer. Work days make it really tough, like getting called into a 3-hour conference call yesterday that started at 9:45.

I have no beef with the $65, this is one of the few festivals that is worth it for me. You get tons of one-offs and special releases, not breweries just bringing their normal regular lineup beers.

$65 plus fees. How much were the TM fees, btw?

$5.20 order processing fee
$2.50 print at home fee

I'll spot you $7.70! Join me!

Can't! Got stuff going on that afternoon, the only time there are/were tix left.

PRINT AT HOME FEE?!??!?!?!

I just don't have the time, nor really the $, for fobab. Josh otm re: drinking beer on your own schedule.

Speaking of drinking beer on your own schedule, how about a 99 pack for $99?

http://www.thrillist.com/drink/nation/peacemaker-anytime-ale-99-beer-pack-for-99

I've just moved to the US from the UK, and I'm struck by the number of craft brewers that don't put the alcohol content anywhere on the packaging. It might well be a legal requirement in the UK that's the primary reason for making it clear, but at the same time, it's one of the first clues you look for when faced with a completely unknown beer. I'm just curious what the reasons for not showing it might be. Beyond cultivating an air of mysteriousness, why hide it? Particularly when it can usually be found on the internet anyway.

Huh, where are you living? I believe it's state jurisdiction rather than federal.

here's a good post on the topic

http://www.notchsession.com/2010/11/label-fun/

aha - thanks for that. someone did suggest that the alcohol content of big name 'lite' beers might have something to do with it, and the mention of Coors in that story adds credence to that theory.

i'm in Houston, TX for a three year stretch. very much enjoying the beer at the moment. couldn't resist picking up some of these...
http://cdn.beeradvocate.com/im/c_beer_image.gif

sorry - sneaky beer advocate html coding

http://cdn.beeradvocate.com/im/beers/123416.jpg

so maybe I'm perverting the purpose of this thread, but sometimes eight pints of Guinness is the most satisfying experience you can have

i don't see anything wrong with that.

I'd have to get up and pee a lot.

Some fun news -- a new brewery is opening literally a block and a half, if that, from where I live. Full site isn't up yet but they've been posting on FB etc.

https://www.facebook.com/barleyforge

General preview by a friend:

http://blogs.ocweekly.com/stickaforkinit/2014/08/barley_forge_brewing_costa_mesa.php

Annnd listing of their initial offerings. I'm not expecting the world to suddenly change but it's going to be nice to have somewhere I can just literally walk to and back in five minutes.

http://www.brewbound.com/news/barley-forge-announces-opening-beer-lineup

Remind me why I buy anything from Evil Twin that's not an Imperial Porter/Stout again?

bc justin blaeber is delicious

Ok, I haven't actually had that yet. When will it be released again?

i have long been reluctanct to spend more than $10 on a six-pack but shit if there isn't a big leap in quality when you even just go up to $12. have gotten a little tired of the beers at my local store in the lower range so i am spending a little more, it seems worth it. bought the stone saison and it's fucking incredible

This Lips of Faith biere de garde is great.

Wow, my liver's out of shape and that 9% is saying "lol I fly at u face"

treesh and i hit up monk's tnite - they had a bunch of russian river on tap. pliny elder + i tried the sierra nevada collab - kinda saison'y? spicy. i liked it! not as good as pliny the elder tho.

so that evil twin nomader weisse is fucking awesome! so much depth of flavor for a light sour, really makes me want to hunt down more westbrook. @ $2.50/can this isn't cheap but it is definitely on the cheap-ish end of things i could see myself drinking quite a lot of

got to try a bunch of other great collaborations recently:

boneyard & three floyd's armored fist imperial cda - i've been finding that my favorite cdas/black ipas combine imperial stout thickness/sweetness/complexity with a super bright/clean hop presence. this one might be the best so far, though barley brown's chaos is p competitive too

boneyard & alpine brewing chingadera IIRA - have been pretty let-down by a lot of IRAs but this is a great tropical IIPA with a a complementary malt character that doesn't ruin the fun with added bitterness, probably closer to a barleywine than anything else

reverend nat's and barley brown's envy imperial hopped cider - another wholly unique offering from reverend nat's... who the hell else has even attempted something like this? imagine if you made an incredibly strong and well-balanced west-coast IIPA (prob closest to the enjoy-by series or other stone offerings) with suuuuper-unfiltered cider like you find at farmers markets. hands down the best use of hops in a gluten free beverage i've ever tasted, even if GF is not a concern of yours this is 100% worth seeking out

had a faction brewing anomaly milk stout this weekend. it tastes just like a stout but it looks like this:

http://i60.tinypic.com/o58fhz.jpg

brewed with cacao nibs, coffee and lactose. a very weird taste/visual experience.

My brother in law and I laid waste to the craft beer samplers at the Minnesota state fair over the weekend. I really enjoyed the Indeed and Bent Paddle offerings.

This time of the year is truly the gloomy end of summer for me as we enter the autumnal days of pumpkin ales followed by undrinkable holiday ales.

I love Pumking and Warlock but then I have sweet tooth and am a fiend for pumpkin pie

anyone been to Beer for Beasts in past years and how did you like it?

Faction beer reminds me of Carton Brewing's Regular Coffee. Tasted just like a coffee with two sugars and a cream (regular in NJ) but was a light colored cream ale.

Went to the Toronado Seattle grand opening party on Saturday. Some fun stuff on tap. Had Lost Abbey Duck Duck Geuze, Boneyard/Alpine Chingadera, and Surly Cocoa Bender. Food menu was out of this world too. The space lacks much character but I chalk that up to how quickly the place has gone up.

RE: Pumpkin beers, Elysian are usually pretty decent. Punkacinno (or however you spell it) sounds pretty great. Pumpkin/Coffee stout. Almanac Heritage Pumpkin Barleywine is also out of this world.

Brett Fest and a Goose Island tap takeover coming up this week.

yeah it's kinda depressing how many pumpkin beers are out already. definitely a fan of pumpkin in beer but it is still super hot outside, nutmeg and cinnamon are the last things i want to taste right now

I'm sure I've said in this thread somewhere already my feelings on pumking.

Also, all beers should be all the time. The least of my worries is if a brewery releases a fall beer in the summer.

Had Lost Abbey Duck Duck Geuze, Boneyard/Alpine Chingadera, and Surly Cocoa Bender

dang...

This time of the year is truly the gloomy end of summer for me as we enter the autumnal days of pumpkin ales followed by undrinkable holiday ales.

― Jersey Al (Albert R. Broccoli), Tuesday, September 2, 2014 6:45 PM (44 minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah for me it's gonna be like a month of oktoberfests and then porters and stouts. no pumpkin beers ever.

xps - maybe i just don't want the summer to end yet, and it feels a bit like an early push for "holiday season"... can't we just have some back-to-school oktoberfest things for a while?

i def do not agree that "all beers should be all the time", at least in terms of personal taste if not distribution. drinking seasonally can be super fun, and context/setting definitely plays a part in my appreciation of nearly everything

my love of winter ales has cooled considerably, but I still look forward to buying Sierra Nevada Celebration on the regular in two months or so

I will rep for the Anchor as well

i am a fan of pumpkin beer but do not like that kind of beer that tastes like a christmas tree. "winter warmer." more like winter wwwwgross

The beer people I follow on twitter got SO ANGRY about fall beers being released in July/August. Like it's the worst thing ever. They'd rather there be nuclear war than have a pumpkin beer a few weeks early.

Oh, and I have stated before. Or at least I stated that I'm sure I've stated. Let's just state this for the future of all time and be done with it.

I'm sure I've stated my pumking hate before. I just don't get it, I would rate it as one of the worst beers that I've ever had that is supposed to be good.

― Jeff, Friday, October 4, 2013 9:28 AM (10 months ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Toronado Seattle

This is an interesting development that I was unaware of.

I love that Lost Abbey (and/or Toronado SF or SD) is just sitting on untapped kegs of Duck Duck Gueze for special occasions. Do you remember how flat the pour was? Almost every Lost Abbey bottle I've ever opened was heavily lacking in carbonation but I know their procedures with keg beer is different (forced co2 injection) than bottling.

most recent duck duck gueze was carbed perfectly, surprising me and everyone present when i opened it

The beer people I follow on twitter got SO ANGRY about fall beers being released in July/August. Like it's the worst thing ever. They'd rather there be nuclear war than have a pumpkin beer a few weeks early.

― Jeff, Tuesday, September 2, 2014 9:10 PM (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I live in the south. No reason at all for this transition down here. It can be 75 degrees at thanksgiving where i live.