Beer|OT| Crazy for the hazy

eyeball_kid · Mar 16, 2018

Picked up this year's Stone Russian Imperial Stout, which they've rebranded as the Totalitarian.

On the plus side, it's less sweet and less reedy than their old RIS. But the mouthfeel is still very thin for a RIS, and lacks the caramelized sugar notes typical of the style. Stone just doesn't seem to know how to make a good RIS. But it's not the worst one I've had.

jarnet87 · Mar 18, 2018

a shop down here got some Half Acre cans and a keg or two. They had Navaja on tap, and I took home a can of Gone Away, Daisy Cutter, and Daisy Capra.The Navaja on tap was great. Gone Away was good as was Daisy Cutter. Yet to drink the Daisy Capra.

Distantmantra · Mar 20, 2018

Saw this at Fred Meyer. $8.99 a 4-pack. Totally bought it on a whim and it's good.

riotous · Mar 20, 2018

Distantmantra : They are putting out a peated scotch ale aged partially in their Utopias barrels (and other whiskey barrels hence the partially), super curious about that one.

Lotto · Mar 21, 2018

https://www.pastemagazine.com/artic...s-association-has-officially-categorized.html

This seems like it was long overdue but good to see it finally categorized. Although I feel like there are gonna be subsets emerging from this soon enough ("Milkshake" IPAs are kind of hazy/juice IPAs.)

LocalA · Mar 24, 2018

Stopped at a nearby liquor store and was pleasantly surprised to see Witch's Hat Brewing getting some slight distribution in southeast MI - only their Train Hopper IPA in bottles, but I'm glad to see another great semi-local brewery on the shelf. Bought a six-pack, and while it's your standard American-style IPA, with my recent trips into NEIPA-land it's nice to have a beer that reminds me of when I first started getting into craft brews.

Lately I've been in that mood too, bought a sixer of Two-Hearted Ale from Bell's and ControversiALE from Short's as well for a change from the NEIPAs and barrel-aged beers.

ErnieMcCracken · Mar 25, 2018

Took our daughter to Champaign to see the women's B1G Gymnastics Championship and wasn't passing up a trip to Binny's while I was there.

That place is so damn dangerous. Could've tripled that easily. I'm intrigued by that Goose Ardberg barrel stout since I love the peat and the reviews are obviously all over the place since it's quite a polarizing flavor profile.

Smylie · Mar 25, 2018

Loving the beers here on Oahu. Who can tell me how well crowlers fare on airplanes? Let's assume they're in Ziploc freezer bags and surrounded by clothing.

Distantmantra · Mar 25, 2018

I've broughts crowlers back on planes before, you're fine.

LocalA · Mar 26, 2018

ErnieMcCracken said:
Took our daughter to Champaign to see the women's B1G Gymnastics Championship and wasn't passing up a trip to Binny's while I was there.

That place is so damn dangerous. Could've tripled that easily. I'm intrigued by that Goose Ardberg barrel stout since I love the peat and the reviews are obviously all over the place since it's quite a polarizing flavor profile.

Every time I visit Illinois, I have to check out Binny's and it is always an expensive trip but so worth it. I was wondering about that Goose Island stout, read about it and was disappointed that it wouldn't hit MI distro. Brewery Vivant had a very peat-y version of their BA Quad on last year and that was SO good but very complex due to that unique profile. Haven't had anything like it since.

Robiin · Mar 26, 2018

Went on a day trip to Sweden today (live in Norway), and while both countries have state-driven monopolies on alcohol (over 4.7% for Norway and over 3,5% for Sweden), Systembolaget in Sweden really shits all over Vinmonopolet here. For half the price of ANYTHING in Norway, I picked up a bunch of nice stuff.

So far I've tasted:
Stigberget - Amazing Haze. Had this before, a great NEIPA. Really citrusy and not as sweet as some NEIPAs I've had. Great stuff.

Stigberget - West Coast IPA. Almost the same as Amazing Haze honestly. I could barely tell the difference. Great beer.

St. Peter's Brewing Co. - Cream Stout. One of the worst stouts I've had honestly. It tasted more of pure alcohol than anything, and it's only 6.5%. I've had Imperials that were less harsh...

Amundsen - Ink & Dagger IPA. Funny how this Norwegian beer is half price in Sweden... But Jesus what a mild IPA. It smells fantastic, but tastes of nothing. Maybe a tiny bit of bitterness at the end. I could drink this like water. I had to check the date but mine turned out to be relatively fresh, so I don't know what the lack of flavor was because of. Would be dangerous to have a few of these on a hot summer day...

Lotto · Mar 28, 2018

ErnieMcCracken said:
Took our daughter to Champaign to see the women's B1G Gymnastics Championship and wasn't passing up a trip to Binny's while I was there.

That place is so damn dangerous. Could've tripled that easily. I'm intrigued by that Goose Ardberg barrel stout since I love the peat and the reviews are obviously all over the place since it's quite a polarizing flavor profile.

Nice pick ups. Valley of the Hearts Delight was what really changed my mind about sours. Seems to change a little bit every year but looking it up on Untappd I had a 2014 batch that I still remember to this day.

Smylie · Mar 29, 2018

Back from a week on Oahu, and had a tremendous time at Inu Island Ales, Beer Lab HI, and Lanikai Brewing Company. All three highly recommended if you're in the area.

Oh, and my crowler and two cans survived the two flights home just perfectly.

ShinAmano · Mar 29, 2018

Anyone trying for dark lord tickets this year?

Sinneslöschen · Mar 29, 2018

ShinAmano said:
Anyone trying for dark lord tickets this year?

Yeah, I'll be trying.

ShinAmano · Mar 29, 2018

Sinneslöschen said:
Yeah, I'll be trying.

Good luck...hope we score :)

Chance Hale · Mar 30, 2018

I've really been enjoying the New Belgium Trippel which the liquor store down the street has(live in Colorado, all other stores limited to 3.5 percent) but want to try some real Tripels and the much bigger chain a mile or two away generally has a huge import selection. Any recommendations?

Barls · Mar 30, 2018

Chance Hale said:
I've really been enjoying the New Belgium Trippel which the liquor store down the street has(live in Colorado, all other stores limited to 3.5 percent) but want to try some real Tripels and the much bigger chain a mile or two away generally has a huge import selection. Any recommendations?

Oh man, I love a good Tripel. You should be able to find Tripel Karmeliet pretty easily which is one of the gold standards. Funkwerks has a Golden Strong, which while not exactly the same is a similar style and delicious (along with Duvel). Delerium Tremens is also pretty easy to get a hold of and quite good. La Fin Du Monde is a Canadian riff on the style which I also enjoy quite a bit. Most of the Belgian examples (St. Bernardus, Westmalle, La Trappe, Chimay) are good. Also, Long Strange from Boulevard is a good example. I'd also venture into the Belgian Dark Strongs or Dubbels if you like a tripel. Similar fruity yeast character with a little more dark malt/sugar, but far from being stout-like.

Chance Hale · Mar 30, 2018

Appreciate it, will check the almost silly 3 story store tomorrow night for some of the selections mentioned. Have had the St. Bernardus abt 12 a few times which I liked quite a bit so I'm least familiar with one brewer there lol.

Sinneslöschen · Mar 31, 2018

ShinAmano said:
Good luck...hope we score :)

Got a couple Group B. Any luck?

ShinAmano · Mar 31, 2018

Sinneslöschen said:
Got a couple Group B. Any luck?

Same :) can't wait.

I had three browsers open all waiting in line...popped open the phone and went right through. Ha.

Smylie · Apr 1, 2018

Anyone tried the new KBS over the past day or two? How is it?

Link · Apr 1, 2018

It totally slipped my mind that's it's April 1st today. Time to put on pants and pick up some KBS.

Sinneslöschen · Apr 1, 2018

Smylie said:
Anyone tried the new KBS over the past day or two? How is it?

Yeah, picked up a 4-pack. Not as much coffee as some years, but a good amount of chocolate and barrel.

Smylie · Apr 2, 2018

Sinneslöschen said:
Yeah, picked up a 4-pack. Not as much coffee as some years, but a good amount of chocolate and barrel.

Had some this afternoon, and that's the perfect description.

Lotto · Apr 4, 2018

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/sd-fi-green-flash-foreclosure-20180403-story.html

Fuuuuuuuuuuck. I'm more sad about what's going to happen to Alpine. They probably make my favorite beers of all time. HFS, Nelson, and Keene Idea are all stellar beers that are still super distinctive to me. Still have yet to find anything similar to them. Looks like both companies are going to be completely dissolved. The tasting rooms will continue to exist I think, but only time will tell.

eyeball_kid · Apr 4, 2018

Lotto said:
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/sd-fi-green-flash-foreclosure-20180403-story.html

Fuuuuuuuuuuck. I'm more sad about what's going to happen to Alpine. They probably make my favorite beers of all time. HFS, Nelson, and Keene Idea are all stellar beers that are still super distinctive to me. Still have yet to find anything similar to them. Looks like both companies are going to be completely dissolved. The tasting rooms will continue to exist I think, but only time will tell.

DAMMIT. Alpine :((((

Pat @ Alpine not holding back:

That development drew barbed comments from McIlhenney. "I don't have a lot of faith in the management," he said, "especially if they keep Mike on management.

"He has no business being in this business. His business prowess is abysmal."

Trying to build a 50-state distribution brewery was kind of folly. I gotta agree with Pat, but I wish he would have discovered that beforehand.

Angry Grimace · Apr 4, 2018

eyeball_kid said:
DAMMIT. Alpine :((((

Pat @ Alpine not holding back:

Trying to build a 50-state distribution brewery was kind of folly. I gotta agree with Pat, but I wish he would have discovered that beforehand.

I don't agree with Pat on anything because Pat is an asshole and always was. He used to hang around local beer bars just being kind of unfriendly and annoying. Before he sale was a cantankerous type and just like now, popped off at random people all the time.

After a while nobody ever believed anything Pat said because he always promised that things were going to happen with Alpine that never actually happened. "We're expanding this year," or "we found a contract partner," or "this is the year I stop popping off on social media at people from Los Angeles who like my beer" or "trust me this year Exponential Hoppiness sales won't be completely fucked," or "the green flash sale won't affect the taste of Nelson."

The idea of Pat trying to tell anyone they don't know how to run a business is legit hilarious.

eyeball_kid · Apr 4, 2018

Angry Grimace said:
The idea of Pat trying to tell anyone they don't know how to run a business is legit hilarious.

Sure, he was a curmudgeon from what I heard. Didn't seem to care about getting big or didn't want to. There's a few of those around. I don't really care about that. Alpine made fantastic beer in their prime.

And now I'll never have a shot of having the best RIS I ever had again, their Boris:

Distantmantra · Apr 4, 2018

I'm still shocked Alpine sold to Green Flash in the first place. Seemed like they had a good thing going, and from what I've been told the beer was still just as good if you drank it on site at Apline.

ChrisR · Apr 5, 2018

Trying Alaska's new DIPA "SMaSH Galaxy".

Single Malt, Single Hop, Double IPA... Incredibly smooth. If I had the tools, I'd check the ABV, because it doesn't taste close to 8.5 at all, but when I'm on my ass after two bottles I'll believe it lol.

Barls · Apr 7, 2018

So the local Whole Foods has Old Stock Barrel Reserve on tap for $5/12oz pour...someone got a pretty good buzz at the grocery store today. Seriously though, one of the, hands down, best barrel aged beers on the market, and no one cares!

eyeball_kid · Apr 7, 2018

Barls said:
So the local Whole Foods has Old Stock Barrel Reserve on tap for $5/12oz pour...someone got a pretty good buzz at the grocery store today. Seriously though, one of the, hands down, best barrel aged beers on the market, and no one cares!

North Coast Brewing has some great beers, but when was the last time you ever saw anything new from them? The market is different than it was in the early 2000s; you've got to build buzz, put out limited stuff, do collabs, etc. That's why no one cares, because North Coast does pretty much nothing to get their name talked about. They're just rarely part of the conversation these days.

I just looked on their news section and they have an article on Feb of this year proclaiming their first-ever DIPA. Like really? I'm not saying they need to keep up with every fad, but they need to keep up more with market trends. I have a special fondness for North Coast as it was the first real craft brewer I discovered and Old Rasputin remains a legendary RIS, but the brewery feels really out of touch.

(that's a legit good price for that beer though, I just can't bring myself to drink in a grocery store)

Barls · Apr 7, 2018

eyeball_kid said:
North Coast Brewing has some great beers, but when was the last time you ever saw anything new from them? The market is different than it was in the early 2000s; you've got to build buzz, put out limited stuff, do collabs, etc. That's why no one cares, because North Coast does pretty much nothing to get their name talked about. They're just rarely part of the conversation these days.

I just looked on their news section and they have an article on Feb of this year proclaiming their first-ever DIPA. Like really? I'm not saying they need to keep up with every fad, but they need to keep up more with market trends. I have a special fondness for North Coast as it was the first real craft brewer I discovered and Old Rasputin remains a legendary RIS, but the brewery feels really out of touch.

(that's a legit good price for that beer though, I just can't bring myself to drink in a grocery store)

This is what I hate about the current state of Craft Beer. Nothing against you, but why do they have to do something new? If you're having a conversation about the best Imperial Stout in the US and Old Rasputin isn't mentioned, something is off. Old Stock still has nothing on the shelf that is as consistent and complex and drinkable for an old ale / barely wine. Brother Thelonious and Pranquester are still top of their class in American-made Belgian styles and Scrimshaw and Blue Star and excellent examples of their respective styles.

I see the same thing discussed with Boulevard and Summit all the time. They seriously don't have a bad beer in their lineup and many of their beers are up there amongst the best in the world, but because they don't make a super XXXtra juicy hazzzze bomb IPA, people think they're shit and stuck in the 2000s. I get the business decisions behind chasing what's new and understand how crazy the market is, but it bums me out that a brewery that consistently makes awesome beer has a hard time just doing their own thing .

Sinneslöschen · Apr 7, 2018

This discussion reminds me I was just hearing some people discuss how Russian River isn't quite so hyped or respected among new beer fans because of the styles they brew.

West coast IPAs are no longer hot, only hazy New England IPAs are. Their barrel aged sours no longer get as much interest as good sours are being brewed all over the country. And RR sours aren't fruited.

5 years ago it would be unthinkable to consider Russian River an old boring brewery as some beer fans do today. (I vehemently dissagree of course)

eyeball_kid · Apr 7, 2018

Hey, I'm not saying it's right, but I think Stone is a good example of an old school American craft brewery that has moved with the times. They still make many of the same beers, but they release limited beers often and play with new styles, and as such they're still seen as current. What got you a lot of attention and sales in 2000 won't do it these days. There's so many more breweries now. It's like what happened to the music industry, there's a ton of stuff all over the place that are all vying for the customer's attention, especially now that regional beers are getting wider distribution.

Distantmantra · Apr 8, 2018

I do my best to ignore hype and just buy whatever my local breweries are making.

With that said, buddy just got back from Vermont and brought me these bad boys:

I've had many HF saisons in the past and S&S #6 years ago, but it's been a while since I had their hoppy stuff.

ShinAmano · Apr 9, 2018

Sinneslöschen said:
Got a couple Group B. Any luck?

Where are you staying. We are in Hammond Friday night and I am bringing a ton of good stuff to pop.

Sinneslöschen · Apr 9, 2018

ShinAmano said:
Where are you staying. We are in Hammond Friday night and I am bringing a ton of good stuff to pop.

I actually live in Chicago so I plan to drive down the morning of. If you want to meet up with my group at the event though, that would be cool. We will have plenty of fun stuff to share. Hopefully we can snag a picnic table.

ShinAmano · Apr 9, 2018

Sinneslöschen said:
I actually live in Chicago so I plan to drive down the morning of. If you want to meet up with my group at the event though, that would be cool. We will have plenty of fun stuff to share. Hopefully we can snag a picnic table.

Bad ass. 100% will do. I'll be dicking around in Chicago Friday for a while. Bringing up a boatload of stuff...and hoping that the 72oz limit is not strictly enforced. Otherwise will have to decide how to have some outside in the lot to go back for when supply gets low. Last time I went I brought in 10 bombers...

Sinneslöschen · Apr 9, 2018

ShinAmano said:
Bad ass. 100% will do. I'll be dicking around in Chicago Friday for a while. Bringing up a boatload of stuff...and hoping that the 72oz limit is not strictly enforced. Otherwise will have to decide how to have some outside in the lot to go back for when supply gets low. Last time I went I brought in 10 bombers...

Yeah, I don't think they should be too strict, like I am guessing around 100oz (4-5 bombers) will still be fine. But probably a bit more strict than years past.

I will probably have a Yeti cooler in my car for storage.

eyeball_kid · Apr 10, 2018

The KBS is quite nice this year, not as heavy on the coffee and not quite as boozy hot as I remember. Nicely balanced.

ShinAmano · Apr 11, 2018

eyeball_kid said:
The KBS is quite nice this year, not as heavy on the coffee and not quite as boozy hot as I remember. Nicely balanced.

Agree. Went through mine real quick.

Anniversary week in RVA...have triple crossing kicking it off Friday and Saturday with their 4th...licking hole has despot day Saturday and veil 2nd anny starts Tuesday and goes through sunday...bye money.

Smylie · Apr 11, 2018

If y'all are listening to Untappd's Drinking Socially weekly podcast, you should be. It's incredibly good and interesting.

Distantmantra · Apr 13, 2018

Maui Brewing has an absolutely beautiful facility in Kihei. The new restaurant space is amazing.

VileZero · Apr 13, 2018

Do any of you home brew? Wasn't able to find a thread specifically about home brewing, but I'm thinking of starting. There's a really great home brew store not too far from where I live, so I was gonna go there and explore - maybe hit a brewery on my way there, and pick up a starter kit or something. There's a lot (A LOT) of advice and tips online, just wish I knew someone else that did it. It'd make me feel a little more comfortable about diving in.

Kind of weird, I guess. I never considered myself a beer lover. But once I started trying some craft beers, I really started changing my mind. My favorite are lagers, and my all-time favorite has got to be a good Kolsch. I travel to Vermont every summer, and while the Alchemist is the brewery to beat - I've really taken a fancy to the Von Trapp Brewery. They only brew lagers, and their Kolsch is utterly divine. I live in Maryland, so we've got the Flying Dog Brewery nearby - I like it. If anyone has good brewery recommendations in the DC area, please let me know!

Barls · Apr 13, 2018

VileZero said:
Do any of you home brew? Wasn't able to find a thread specifically about home brewing, but I'm thinking of starting. There's a really great home brew store not too far from where I live, so I was gonna go there and explore - maybe hit a brewery on my way there, and pick up a starter kit or something. There's a lot (A LOT) of advice and tips online, just wish I knew someone else that did it. It'd make me feel a little more comfortable about diving in.

Kind of weird, I guess. I never considered myself a beer lover. But once I started trying some craft beers, I really started changing my mind. My favorite are lagers, and my all-time favorite has got to be a good Kolsch. I travel to Vermont every summer, and while the Alchemist is the brewery to beat - I've really taken a fancy to the Von Trapp Brewery. They only brew lagers, and their Kolsch is utterly divine. I live in Maryland, so we've got the Flying Dog Brewery nearby - I like it. If anyone has good brewery recommendations in the DC area, please let me know!

I've been home brewing for about 9 years now. I know there's a few of us floating around in this thread who would be more than happy to answer some questions. As far as best advice I can give to someone starting out, see if you can find a local homebrew club. See how other people brew and watching the process a few times helped me figure things out way faster than reading books, forum posts, podcasts or youtube videos. I don't know a single homebrewer who would care if someone just getting into the hobby wanted to come and hang out for a brew day. Also, AHA Big Brew day is coming up on May 5th. See if you can find an event nearby. They are generally clubs or groups of people getting together at a house or public venue and brewing for the sake of promoting the hobby. Looks like there's already 3 events registered in the DC area.

VileZero · Apr 13, 2018

Barls said:
I've been home brewing for about 9 years now. I know there's a few of us floating around in this thread who would be more than happy to answer some questions. As far as best advice I can give to someone starting out, see if you can find a local homebrew club. See how other people brew and watching the process a few times helped me figure things out way faster than reading books, forum posts, podcasts or youtube videos. I don't know a single homebrewer who would care if someone just getting into the hobby wanted to come and hang out for a brew day. Also, AHA Big Brew day is coming up on May 5th. See if you can find an event nearby. They are generally clubs or groups of people getting together at a house or public venue and brewing for the sake of promoting the hobby. Looks like there's already 3 events registered in the DC area.

The home brew store I'm going to this weekend has a really sizeable Big Brew Day! I was thinking of checking that out - I think I will now! It sounds really chill - just a bunch of people brewing, they're giving out free food... sounds like it'll be a good time. One of the things that has most attracted me to home brewing is just how relaxed it seems to be. Maybe because there's a lot of waiting involved? I'll definitely find out if there are groups around that get together - would love to look over someone's shoulder and see the process in action.

As a home brewer, do you have any beers that you particularly like to make? Any that are super tough - shouldn't be tried by a newbie? Or are they all relatively straightforward?

Barls · Apr 13, 2018

VileZero said:
The home brew store I'm going to this weekend has a really sizeable Big Brew Day! I was thinking of checking that out - I think I will now! It sounds really chill - just a bunch of people brewing, they're giving out free food... sounds like it'll be a good time. One of the things that has most attracted me to home brewing is just how relaxed it seems to be. Maybe because there's a lot of waiting involved? I'll definitely find out if there are groups around that get together - would love to look over someone's shoulder and see the process in action.

As a home brewer, do you have any beers that you particularly like to make? Any that are super tough - shouldn't be tried by a newbie? Or are they all relatively straightforward?

I've been mostly into pale/amber ales and lagers lately, since that's what I like to have on tap. I'd say start out with a mid-gravity (1.040 - 1.050) American or English ale (Pale, Amber, Brown, Porter, Stout, whatever). There's nothing inherently difficult about most styles unless you are doing a lager (which helps to have good temp control) or some 10+ % monster where it helps to have the ability to get a big clean starter and go through some extra steps to promote yeast health. Other than that, the process is pretty much the same. It also depends on how you plan on starting out. If you go the extract route, I've had good luck making either American wheat beers or German Hefeweizen using wheat malt and maybe steeping a light crystal if I'm feeling motivated.

VileZero · Apr 16, 2018

So just to update - I did end up getting a home brew kit! Got a really nice kit that seems to have all the essentials. Got a kit to make a Kolsch, which I'm going to do this weekend. Then on Big Brew Day, I'll be back to get ingredients for another (probably an IPA).

I went to a brewery after, and all the people that worked there were really nice and gave me all kinds of great advice. Two of the most consistent pieces of advice I got were:

1. Get a turkey fryer. They said it's much better for beer making than using a stove. So now I'm doing research into the right kind.
2. After I make my first batch, if I really do enjoy it, never get bottles again and switch to using a keg. They said it's much less work for cleaning.

Beer|OT| Crazy for the hazy

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