The Beer Thread - Part 2

[tippy]

After a 7 year break, I've started drinking beer again. There's not much else to do here. LOL. This one, with 9% alkyhol, is for drinking in the garage only so I don't hurt anyone on the way home.

[LennyH]

The Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale seems particularly killer this year. I still have some left over from last year and there is no comparison. The freshness of the hops really stands out.

[Jason Bivins]

Yeah man, it is good this year. Had a few on tap recently and was reminded of how much I dig it. Also been enjoying things from The Bruery, who have just started distributing in NC. This evening was a Black Orchard.

[LennyH]

Yeah man, it is good this year. Had a few on tap recently and was reminded of how much I dig it. Also been enjoying things from The Bruery, who have just started distributing in NC. This evening was a Black Orchard.

It's definitely great, but I'm not sure how much of the contrast I am seeing is because I stocked up on a few cases last year and have been drinking it all along. There is a night and day difference between the 2 years right now. I know that IPAs don't keep very well but does one year make it taste like a totally different beer? Apparently.

I have to get some on tap. There's a place near where I work that has it. Just a matter of getting my lazy ass over there. They also get Blind Pig IPA, which I have yet to try.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

I had a couple of nice beers last night during dinner at a local German restaurant. I started out with a nice refreshing Radeberger Pilsner and switched to an Ayinger Altbayrisch Dunkel for my main course of Bayerische Schweinshaxe (pork shank). The pilsner was, well, a pilsner. Very easy to drink without a whole lot of complexity. The Ayinger was almost black with a hint of coffee but not heavy at all. Both were on draught.

[walto]

[bruce massey]

We did a Sam Adams event last week. Their new seasonal Noble Pilsner isvery good. Imperial White was a hit but the top dog was the two bottles of Utopias that we featured. $15 bucks an ounce and it was quite remarkable.

Blind tasting I would sear it was a nice port but it is a beer.

A fun event.

[LennyH]

Dude. I would totally make a bong out of one of those bottles.

[bruce massey]

Apparently an empty bottle went for $300 on ebay!

[Chris D]

This gets smuggled out of Wisconsin.

[Jason Bivins]

New Glarus is one of my faves! I might even be in Mad-town for a brief visit next month and get to sup on some.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

Anybody ever had any of these beers?

http://www.chow.com/blog/2010/02/strong-beer/

[LennyH]

Anybody ever had any of these beers?

http://www.chow.com/blog/2010/02/strong-beer/

I've had the Dogfish head Stout and one that in the picture at the top: North Coast's Old Rasputin. Both pretty intense brews.

When I go intense it's usually imperial IPAs and some strong ales. Stouts are something I only enjoy once in a while.

[steve(thelil)]

The Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale seems particularly killer this year. I still have some left over from last year and there is no comparison. The freshness of the hops really stands out.

As Lenny (and JBiv) said, this year's Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale is delicious. (Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is my "go to" brew). I just had some for the first time this week and I wish I had bought more than a six pack. I'm gonna be on the lookout for some more. And my father-in-law, who has never been into IPAs, couldn't stop talking about how good it was.

The reviews of it on BeerAdvocate.com were interesting. Not everyone liked it, because of its extreme hopiness for an (alleged) winter ale, but a good percentage of the people who liked it LOVED it. One A+ review finished with "If I knew how much I'd like it when I bought some I would have picked up a case or seven."

[LennyH]

...(Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is my "go to" brew)

Mine too. I almost always start Friday and Sat evenings with one or two.

About 2 hours and counting .

[Jimmy Cantiello]

My son, who lives in Philadelphia, is visiting this weekend. He stopped by Friday night with several bottles of his own home brew. The ones he brought were dark and full flavored but not heavy. I was pretty impressed. The carbonation was just a little too much for my taste but overall it was very good. I told him he should name it "Philly Deep Brown".

[hermann]

From time to time I buy 'Zwergenbraeu'. A damned good taste of Pils.

[Pete C]

"Philly Deep Brown".

How about Deep Brown Filly, with a horse on the label?

[jesus marion joseph]

From time to time I buy 'Zwergenbraeu'. A damned good taste of Pils.

Pic for Hermann.

[Jimmy Cantiello]

How about Deep Brown Filly, with a horse on the label?

That sounds cool but I would spell Filly as Philly just to keep the origin of the brew in perspective and I would keep the horse on the label. Not that my son is gonna give Samuel Adams a run for their money any time soon.

[steve(thelil)]

How about calling it 'Belgium Can Bite Me Brown?"

[jesus marion joseph]

How many times does a Belgian have to bite you before you turn brown?

[rollhead]

In case you missed this:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/24/di...agewanted=1&em

[claude]

We are having an office party at a local place that has a great beer menu. Being a petit Frenchman who doesn't handle his liquor well but who wants to try some really good beer, what would y'all recommend. By that I don't mean that I want to limit myself to low-alcohol beers, just that I will be limiting myself to two bottles and I want to try out a couple of interesting ones. I know most of the beer that's on tap since it's primarily local, but I was wondering about some of the more exotic stuff from far away.

Here's their beer menu

I like some of the descriptions of the beers they don't like:

Sleeman Clear, 341ml
Low calorie and low carbohydrate beer. Perfect if you are desperately thirsty, on a diet or a girly man. 4%abv


Stella Artois Legere, 330ml
Very light gold colour. Low in alcohol and taste. Good for those who do not really like beer. 4%abv

[LennyH]

...what would y'all recommend.

Do you like hoppy, bitter beers, claude? If so, give the Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA as well as the Southern Tier IPA. Both solid India Pale Ales.

If you like Belgian Ales, I would recommend the Orval Trappist Ale. It's interesting and unlike any other Belgian I have had.

Anchor Steam is a good beer but I'd recommend it more strongly if it were on tap. There are other beers on the list that I'd be more apt to drink on tap as well. Unibroue Maudite Ale is another one in that category for me. Great on tap.

Can't comment on several of the breweries that seems to have several entries on the list. Smaller Canadian breweries, I think, that don't have distribution here.

[rollhead]

If you like Belgian Ales, I would recommend the Orval Trappist Ale. It's interesting and unlike any other Belgian I have had.

These are my favorite Belgians:

[LennyH]

Rochefort is killer.

[claude]

Do you like hoppy, bitter beers, claude? If so, give the Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA as well as the Southern Tier IPA. Both solid India Pale Ales.

I haven't had the opportunity to try a lot of different beers, hence my throwing out for an opinion. I have liked the pale ales that I've had in the past so I'll probably give the dogfish head ipa a try. My favourite of the local beers is the Picaroons Best Bitter, so I do tend in that direction.

If you like Belgian Ales, I would recommend the Orval Trappist Ale. It's interesting and unlike any other Belgian I have had.

Anchor Steam is a good beer but I'd recommend it more strongly if it were on tap. There are other beers on the list that I'd be more apt to drink on tap as well. Unibroue Maudite Ale is another one in that category for me. Great on tap.

Can't comment on several of the breweries that seems to have several entries on the list. Smaller Canadian breweries, I think, that don't have distribution here.

I'll probably throw in the Belgian Ale for a second and if I keep going after that it won't much matter. The smaller Canadian breweries are the ones I know a bit better since they're local (and quite good to my unpracticed palate) but I want to try some different stuff since this will be paid for out of the firm.

[LennyH]

My favourite of the local beers is the Picaroons Best Bitter, so I do tend in that direction.

That's an English style and will be way less bitter than the Dogfish Head and the Southern Tier. You have been warned .

A lot of people think Dogfish Head 60 Minute is one of the best IPAs out there I don't like it very much, honestly. But I'm in the minority so give it a shot. Their 90 Min IPA, OTOH, is killer on tap (another beer that's a totally different animal on tap).

Have fun.

[rollhead]

I am a fan of the Dogfish 60 minute. And I like the Stone IPA.