The Beer Thread!

[nubbinator]

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today's poison.

it's okay.

That was one of the first beers to get me hooked on Belgians.

[demik]

yeah it's cool.

need more similar stuff

[Bromono]

You ever have one of those beers where you go "why the hell did it take me so long to try this?," well Bell's Hopslam is that beer for me. 

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Appearance:  tight, lacy head with good retention.  If you're not careful on your pour it will easily get away from you.  Good alcohol lacing.  Hazy golden color that doesn't appear clouded, but still hazy enough that you can't read a sheet of paper through the glass.

Aroma: huge hop bomb.  I was hit with the scent as I poured it.  I smelled grapefruit flesh and zest, slight tropical fruit (mango/papaya) and/or peach, and a sweet/sugary scent reminiscent of wild honey from areas without a ton of flowering fruits.  In other words, sweet, but earthy and not too floral or fruity.  This is always my weakest game area since I feel like I'm always slightly congested.

Taste:  The head is incredibly bitter, like taking a bite of grapefruit zest.  At first cold pour, it starts with a resinous pine hops flavor accompanied by malt (barley?) and honey sweetness and transitions to a bitter grapefruit zest finish.  The hops completely cover the booziness. As it warms, the alcohol becomes more apparent and the beer sweetens with honey and malt sweetness becoming more prominent and accompanied by grapefruit flesh and peach.

Rating: 9/10

I'd still take Drake's Hopocalypse most days of the week over Hopslam because I like the earthier notes with less sweetness, but Bell's Hopslam is a damn good IPA.  I think it would benefit from a little less honey or malt sweetness and drop to an 8.5-9% ABV instead of 10%, but overall a killer IPA that I would recommend in a heartbeat.


Next up are some Prairie beers from Bromono, an Eisbock from Mammoth Brewing (one of my favorite styles, but so few people do it), a Prairie I picked up on my own, and another local beer.

Aww man you got access to hop slam? It's on my list to try

[Bromono]

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today's poison.

it's okay.

Also you don't drink straight from the bottle do you? -.-*

You get so much more flavor from a glass

[demik]

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today's poison.

it's okay.

Also you don't drink straight from the bottle do you? -.-*

You get so much more flavor from a glass

nah, glass.

[Vittra]

Dieu du Ciel <3

Pesche Mortel speak through me!

That stuff has to travel all the way to the west coast to hit you though. Meh.

Now Drinking - Bellwoods Brewery - Justu

[nubbinator]

Beer number 2, Valiant Brewing Alpha Overdrive Quad IPA, 14.3% ABV, 100 IBUs.



Appearance: Short tight lacy head that develop well after you pour instead of as you pour.  Good head retention with significant alcohol lacing.  Dark amber color.

Aroma: Caramel and sweet malts, hint of herbal and floral hops with pine resin.  You can smell the alcohol in this one.

Taste: Overpowering caramel malt sweetness fading into raisin.  Malt sweetness is reminiscent of molasses.  Slight bitter pine resin finish accompanied by jaggery (raw cane/palm sugar) sweetness.  You can feel the booze in the finish, but it feels less potent than it is and remains a drinkable beer.

Score: 5/10

This beer is a huge disappointment to me.  It sounds fantastic by the description and Valiant has some amazing IPAs, but this just falls flat.  It's not bad for the style, but it's also not amazing.  In the end, it has far too much malt backbone and ends up being a sugary mess, albeit a mostly balanced mess.  If you want a beer that gets you drunk quick, it's the beer to go for, but it's hard to recommend it as a beer lover's beer.

[Bromono]

Beer number 2, Valiant Brewing Alpha Overdrive Quad IPA, 14.3% ABV, 100 IBUs.

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Appearance: Short tight lacy head that develop well after you pour instead of as you pour.  Good head retention with significant alcohol lacing.  Dark amber color.

Aroma: Caramel and sweet malts, hint of herbal and floral malts with pine resin.  You can smell the alcohol in this one.

Taste: Overpowering caramel malt sweetness fading into raisin.  Malt sweetness is reminiscent of molasses.  Slight bitter pine resin finish accompanied by jaggery (raw cane/palm sugar) sweetness.  You can feel the booze in the finish, but it feels less potent than it is and remains a drinkable beer.

Score: 5/10

This beer is a huge disappointment to me.  It sounds fantastic by the description and Valiant has some amazing IPAs, but this just falls flat.  It's not bad for the style, but it's also not amazing.  In the end, it has far too much malt backbone and ends up being a sugary mess, albeit a balanced mess.  If you want a beer that gets you drunk quick, it's the beer to go for, but it's hard to recommend it as a beer lover's beer.

Weird looking IPA, Maybe a rye?

[nubbinator]

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Beer number 2, Valiant Brewing Alpha Overdrive Quad IPA, 14.3% ABV, 100 IBUs.

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Appearance: Short tight lacy head that develop well after you pour instead of as you pour.  Good head retention with significant alcohol lacing.  Dark amber color.

Aroma: Caramel and sweet malts, hint of herbal and floral malts with pine resin.  You can smell the alcohol in this one.

Taste: Overpowering caramel malt sweetness fading into raisin.  Malt sweetness is reminiscent of molasses.  Slight bitter pine resin finish accompanied by jaggery (raw cane/palm sugar) sweetness.  You can feel the booze in the finish, but it feels less potent than it is and remains a drinkable beer.

Score: 5/10

This beer is a huge disappointment to me.  It sounds fantastic by the description and Valiant has some amazing IPAs, but this just falls flat.  It's not bad for the style, but it's also not amazing.  In the end, it has far too much malt backbone and ends up being a sugary mess, albeit a balanced mess.  If you want a beer that gets you drunk quick, it's the beer to go for, but it's hard to recommend it as a beer lover's beer.

Weird looking IPA, Maybe a rye?

Nah, just a Quadruple IPA.

[tstackhouse]

Did someone say beer??

Here's part of the haul from a recent roadtrip!

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Did you grab any Prairie Apple Brandy Noir at all o.o

Btw there is a dude with a huge bat behind you.

Hope you are not dead

I don't think the shop had any...  That's me in the mirror holding a light like a nerd for the shot XD

[tstackhouse]

Pocket post, please ignore...

[nubbinator]

Another beer review.  I picked this one up while grabbing another beer for Bromono.  This is one of those beers I've heard talked about a lot, so I figured I should try it and see what I think.

21st Amendment Brewery Hell or High Watermelon



Aroma:  Briney or bitter melon scent.

Appearance: Large foamy head that develops as you pour.  Poor head retention.  Straw yellow.

Taste:  Slightly sweet and bitter watermelon and wheat at first sip.  Watermelon has an artificial flavor taste to it.  Unbalanced separate finish of sweet melon with wheat and bitter mineral or copper taste.

Score: 3/10

Honestly, if I was at a bar and my two options were this or Coors, I'd take Coors all night long over it.  I know some people think this is a great beer, but it is just awful and unbalanced to me.  Maybe I got a bad can because mine was far from nice and refreshing like I've heard so many describe it.  And it's not like I don't like wheat beers or watermelon in beers.  I love good wheat beers and Anderson Valley's Briney Melon Gose is an interesting beer I would gladly drink again.  I don't know what it is with this beer, but it has a funk to it that doesn't work and it just falls flat for me.

[digi]

Another beer review.  I picked this one up while grabbing another beer for Bromono.  This is one of those beers I've heard talked about a lot, so I figured I should try it and see what I think.

21st Amendment Brewery Hell or High Watermelon

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Aroma:  Briney or bitter melon scent.

Appearance: Large foamy head that develops as you pour.  Poor head retention.  Straw yellow.

Taste:  Slightly sweet and bitter watermelon and wheat at first sip.  Unbalanced separate finish of sweet melon with wheat and bitter mineral or copper taste.

Score: 3/10

Honestly, if I was at a bar and my two options were this or Coors, I'd take Coors all night long over it.  I know some people think this is a great beer, but it is just awful and unbalanced to me.  Maybe I got a bad can because mine was far from nice and refreshing like I've heard so many describe it.  And it's not like I don't like wheat beers or watermelon in beers.  I love good wheat beers and Anderson Valley's Briney Melon Gose is an interesting beer I would gladly drink again.  I don't know what it is with this beer, but it has a funk to it that doesn't work and it just falls flat for me.

It's a daytime brew you beer-nub :D, not everything has to be a west coast triple IPA bomb! It has it's place.

[nubbinator]

I was treating it as a daytime brew.  Like I said, maybe I got a bad bottle, but it's a mess with a horrible finish.  A wheat beer should not have a bitter mineral finish and it should be light and refreshing.

[digi]

I was treating it as a daytime brew.  Like I said, maybe I got a bad bottle, but it's a mess with a horrible finish.  A wheat beer should not have a bitter mineral finish and it should be light and refreshing.

maybe you got poop breath too

[nubbinator]

Nope.  I mean, if you love sour skittles and want a beer similar to that but with less sour and more bitter, then it's a great beer for you.

[digi]

Nope.  I mean, if you love sour skittles and want a beer similar to that but with less sour and more bitter, then it's a great beer for you.

I'm just giving you a bad time nubbies. In my opinion, it's a 6/10 for daytime-class brew. I think a 3/10 is pretty low.

Do you like wheat beers in general?

[nubbinator]

Nope.  I mean, if you love sour skittles and want a beer similar to that but with less sour and more bitter, then it's a great beer for you.

I'm just giving you a bad time nubbies. In my opinion, it's a 6/10 for daytime-class brew. I think a 3/10 is pretty low.

Do you like wheat beers in general?

Yeah, I like them quite a bit when they're done well.  Like I said, I could have gotten a bad can, but this was terrible.  Bitter and sweet with a strong mineral taste.  Maybe they didn't clean their equipment properly or something, but it really was a pretty awful brew.  A 3/10 may be a little low, but I really couldn't justify higher than a 4/10 based on taste.

[digi]

Nope.  I mean, if you love sour skittles and want a beer similar to that but with less sour and more bitter, then it's a great beer for you.

I'm just giving you a bad time nubbies. In my opinion, it's a 6/10 for daytime-class brew. I think a 3/10 is pretty low.

Do you like wheat beers in general?

Yeah, I like them quite a bit when they're done well.  Like I said, I could have gotten a bad can, but this was terrible.  Bitter and sweet with a strong mineral taste.  Maybe they didn't clean their equipment properly or something, but it really was a pretty awful brew.  A 3/10 may be a little low, but I really couldn't justify higher than a 4/10 based on taste.

Yea, you must have got an old can for sure. What are your top 3 wheat beers?

[Bromono]

If you guys like wheat beers you need to try live oak Hefeweizen.

It's rated number 2 of all hefes on beer advocate.

Very common here in Austin

[nubbinator]

Crap, it's been a while since I've gone out and searched for one (especially since they're less common in California), but there was a bar in Seattle called Die Bierstube that had some fantastic German witbiers.

I'm trying to remember ones I've liked.  Franziskaner Weissbier Hefeweizen, Ayinger Hefeweizen, Allagash White, Lagunitas A Little Sumpin Sumpin.  I know there are others, but I'm blanking since I usually go for Belgians, Porters, Stouts, Sours, Goses, IPAs, and Barleywines.

My stomach isn't a fan of the beer right now either.  I wonder if there were traces of a cleaning agent left or something and that's the bitter taste.

[digi]

Best wheat beer (that I've tried) is Trout Slayer from Big Sky....I put Wheat Ale in a separate category from Hef's. I'll keep an eye for that next time at the L-I-Q.

[digi]

Crap, it's been a while since I've gone out and searched for one (especially since they're less common in California), but there was a bar in Seattle called Die Bierstube that had some fantastic German witbiers.

I'm trying to remember ones I've liked.  Franziskaner Weissbier Hefeweizen, Ayinger Hefeweizen, Allagash White, Lagunitas A Little Sumpin Sumpin.  I know there are others, but I'm blanking since I usually go for Belgians, Porters, Stouts, Sours, Goses, IPAs, and Barleywines.

Lagunitas A Little Sumpin Sumpin! There you go, that's a great brew.

I'm not much for sours (they give me heart burn) haha.

BTW - Nubbies, have you tried Green Flash double IPA (purple label)? That's reaaaal good.

[nubbinator]

I honestly can't remember.  I generally try to pick up all new beers each week, so I forget unless it was a standout to me.

[digi]

I honestly can't remember.  I generally try to pick up all new beers each week, so I forget unless it was a standout to me.

Brewed right down the road from ya in SD, try it...you're welcome

[meiosis]

Another beer review.  I picked this one up while grabbing another beer for Bromono.  This is one of those beers I've heard talked about a lot, so I figured I should try it and see what I think.

21st Amendment Brewery Hell or High Watermelon

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Aroma:  Briney or bitter melon scent.

Appearance: Large foamy head that develops as you pour.  Poor head retention.  Straw yellow.

Taste:  Slightly sweet and bitter watermelon and wheat at first sip.  Watermelon has an artificial flavor taste to it.  Unbalanced separate finish of sweet melon with wheat and bitter mineral or copper taste.

Score: 3/10

Honestly, if I was at a bar and my two options were this or Coors, I'd take Coors all night long over it.  I know some people think this is a great beer, but it is just awful and unbalanced to me.  Maybe I got a bad can because mine was far from nice and refreshing like I've heard so many describe it.  And it's not like I don't like wheat beers or watermelon in beers.  I love good wheat beers and Anderson Valley's Briney Melon Gose is an interesting beer I would gladly drink again.  I don't know what it is with this beer, but it has a funk to it that doesn't work and it just falls flat for me.

Had this last Summer, biggest regret..

[demik]

all three compliment each other

[tullyvivi]

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all three compliment each other

hmmm ice ream and beer... noice

[Waateva]

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all three compliment each other

How are they working today?

[demik]

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all three compliment each other

How are they working today?

Stomach hates me. Still watching scrubs!

[DALExSNAIL]

Probably in my top five, but that's not saying much haha

[tullyvivi]

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Probably in my top five, but that's not saying much haha

Can't be better than not your father's root beer ?

[DALExSNAIL]

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Probably in my top five, but that's not saying much haha

Can't be better than not your father's root beer ?

A lot better imho, this tastes like a thick ale with a sweet toffee aftertaste

[LiquidEvilGaming]

 I don't have a bottle handy but one of my personal favorites is Gulden Draak (Dark Triple).  Totally adore the stuff and goes down quite easily given the rather high ABV.  It is however quite hard to find in MA and fairly expensive when you can.

[dgneo]

Snagged this the other day. Gotta say, I'm a huge fan. Silky smooth, and their Coffee Stout is actually pretty damn good.

They had an IPA version as well, not sure which it was tho.

[digi]

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Snagged this the other day. Gotta say, I'm a huge fan. Silky smooth, and their Coffee Stout is actually pretty damn good.

They had an IPA version as well, not sure which it was tho.

mmm "dark & inviting"..

[Bromono]

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Snagged this the other day. Gotta say, I'm a huge fan. Silky smooth, and their Coffee Stout is actually pretty damn good.

They had an IPA version as well, not sure which it was tho.

I dislike Nitro IPAs.

I enjoy carbonation to my beers. I had the Guinness Nitro IPA. I finished a can and the rest sat in my fridge forever. It tasted flat and lifeless.

But I guess that is the point, "Creamy and smooth"

Ill take "Hoppy and Bitter" IPA over a "Creamy Smooth" IPA any day.

[nubbinator]

I'm in the same boat.  The mouth feel is interesting, but  not my preferred.  If I want smooth and creamy I'll have ice cream. Additionally, you have to make a beer with over the top flavors to survive the nitro.  Most nitros I've had ended up tasting rather bland because they weren't an assertive beer to begin with.

[Lurch]

I have a few bottles of beer sitting on my desk at work; I couldn't fit them in the box for a recent trade.

If anyone wants them, cover shipping and they are yours.

1x Yards Brawler
2x Weyerbacher Last Chance IPA
1x Troegs Perpetual IPA

[Bromono]

I have a few bottles of beer sitting on my desk at work; I couldn't fit them in the box for a recent trade.

If anyone wants them, cover shipping and they are yours.

1x Yards Brawler
2x Weyerbacher Last Chance IPA
1x Troegs Perpetual IPA

I know Nubs trades a lot.

I can also send some Austin beer your way if you wanted to trade.

I am hitting up Jester king this weekend.

[chyros]

Ah, I'd do anything for a drink. I'd give my goddamn soul for just a glass of beer.






Hi, Lloyd .

[Lurch]

I have a few bottles of beer sitting on my desk at work; I couldn't fit them in the box for a recent trade.

If anyone wants them, cover shipping and they are yours.

1x Yards Brawler
2x Weyerbacher Last Chance IPA
1x Troegs Perpetual IPA

I know Nubs trades a lot.

I can also send some Austin beer your way if you wanted to trade.

I am hitting up Jester king this weekend.

Word up! I would be down to trade for some Austin brews. I recently traded with nubs, and I used seekabrew.com to make sure I was sending him stuff he can't find locally. The beers on my desk are leftovers from that trade.

Shoot me a PM if you want to organize a trade!

[Volucris]

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today's poison.

it's okay.

Okay? It's just about the best and most available Tripel out there. Although perhaps you were relating to your style preference. To each their own I suppose...

[demik]

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today's poison.

it's okay.

Okay? It's just about the best and most available Tripel out there. Although perhaps you were relating to your style preference. To each their own I suppose...

I was mostly mocking nub's book report style post on what he was drinking. I actually really like it.

[nubbinator]

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today's poison.

it's okay.

Okay? It's just about the best and most available Tripel out there. Although perhaps you were relating to your style preference. To each their own I suppose...

Dear Diary:

I like beer

I was mostly mocking nub's book report style post on what he was drinking. I actually really like it.

[jwaz]

Okay? It's just about the best and most available Tripel out there. Although perhaps you were relating to your style preference. To each their own I suppose...

Yeah, I don't think that stuff is all that great. Available? Sure... Unibroue just doesn't do it for me anymore, good entry level Belgian style ales though.

[Dernubenfrieken]

For anyone who has a trader joes nearby, they should get the providential/dark ale from there. Its produced by Unibrue, and its absolutely the best deal you can get for good beer.- something like 6 bucks for a 750mL bottle.

[jwaz]

Been so lazy about posting pictures or even taking them to begin with but here's a few from the last month or so. Some real gems in there.

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This one's for nubs:

[drewba]

Been so lazy about posting pictures or even taking them to begin with but here's a few from the last month or so. Some real gems in there.

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This one's for nubs:

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Where are you getting your loons?

[digi]

Been so lazy about posting pictures or even taking them to begin with but here's a few from the last month or so. Some real gems in there.

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This one's for nubs:

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And how was that Sierra Nevada AHS??