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had hoptimum on tap last night. thought it was pretty excellent. also for chicago people: two brothers is brewing red eye again. coffee porter that is so, so good. find it!
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Apr 6, 2012 17:09
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Valencia posted:sourchat: Had a Rodenbach Grand Cru last night, greatly enjoyed that. I likened it to drinking Sour Straws and someone else said it was like drinking Warheads (in a good way). Definitely a good sipping beer, which was good because I got there late and only had time for one so I made it count. If you can get a hold of any of Rodenbach's Vintage series do yourself a favor and pick a couple up. I had their 2009 Vintage a couple months ago and it was the perfect Flanders Red. Tart cherry and apple with a subtle but complex chocolate and oak character to balance it out. I've had a lot of sour ales over the past year and this one was easily the best.
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Apr 6, 2012 17:13
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danbanana posted:also for chicago people: two brothers is brewing red eye again. coffee porter that is so, so good. find it! Coffee flavor was ok, but it was quite thin and the alcohol was pretty forward for me. It's ok this time around.
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Apr 6, 2012 17:24
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Paul Proteus posted:Coffee flavor was ok, but it was quite thin and the alcohol was pretty forward for me. It's ok this time around. The alcohol wasn't as forward for me, but then again I'd already had an espresso Yeti and Jolly Pumpkin iO that night, so my tastebuds could be off. I'd drink it again at the $5/snifter I paid.
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Apr 6, 2012 18:59
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Paul Proteus posted:Coffee flavor was ok, but it was quite thin and the alcohol was pretty forward for me. It's ok this time around. it was very coffee forward for me and i kind of expect (and prefer) a coffee porter to be thin.
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Apr 6, 2012 19:54
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Got some Hoptimum and Hop Stoopid for tonight  Also saw a 750ml Vintage 2007 Guldan Draak, is it worth the ~$18?
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Apr 7, 2012 00:33
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TenaciousTomato posted:Also saw a 750ml Vintage 2007 Guldan Draak, is it worth the ~$18? Crikey, the regular is not much less! I'd impulse buy out of curiosity.
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Apr 7, 2012 00:44
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Welp, it's going to be a good birthday weekend.  Bottled on 4/3  on a side note, yeah there's shops that really don't give a poo poo about bottle limits. Jack Skeleton fucked around with this message at 00:52 on Apr 7, 2012 |
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Apr 7, 2012 00:49
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Jack Skeleton posted:Welp, it's going to be a good birthday weekend. 
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Apr 7, 2012 01:10
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yo can i come to your birthday party Speaking of DIPA's, I had Bridgeport Hop Czar the other night. Very "meh", with the caveat I have no idea how fresh it was. It did have a nice, powerful aroma--you could smell the drat thing clearly with the glass a foot from your nose. Nothing bad about it but it wasn't so great that I'd buy it regularly.
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Apr 7, 2012 02:24
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Was at the beer store and was looking through their canned section and saw something I couldn't pass up: An 8 pack of Paulaner Hefeweizen cans for $7. Not the greatest beer in the world but definitely solid, especially for the price. Plus the cans are semi-tiny at 11.2 oz so it looks funny in your hand
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Apr 7, 2012 02:35
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^^^not gonna say anything^^^Jack Skeleton posted:Welp, it's going to be a good birthday weekend. enjoy yourself, but save me one. drinking a Mercury Brewing Co Local Harvest Five Mile Pumpernickel Rye Porter (jesus). the malt profile reminds me a bit of Founders IS, but it's not quite as rich and chocolaty with maybe a bit more earthy hops at the end. still pretty darn good and worth snagging a bottle or two if you see it (looks like they distribute to New England ((minus Maine)) and NJ). edit- poo poo you Philly people might wanna put this on your calendars. Evil Twin is moving to the US, huh? edit again- all the rye was hiding in the second glass of Five Mile Long Name- it was much more bitter and less chocolaty than the first glass, as well as a bit dry. weird, it was like an entirely different beer... maybe because i ate a cookie between glasses? funkybottoms fucked around with this message at 11:54 on Apr 7, 2012 |
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Apr 7, 2012 02:38
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Josh Wow posted:Was at the beer store and was looking through their canned section and saw something I couldn't pass up: For some reason my local beer store always has certain German and British beers at absurd prices, well under $1/bottle. I've taken the bait a few times and (unless I was just trying to get drunk) regretted it, they're always old as hell and taste like it. Hope yours fare better!
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Apr 7, 2012 02:41
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I found a bottle of Pipeworks End of Days at West Lakeview Liquors (one of my favorite bottle shops in Chicago), and I'm sipping it now. It's good, but not great: Smooth stout flavor with a nice, moderate burst of heat from the ancho chiles on the finish, but not much flavor from the cocoa nibs or vanilla. The body's a bit thin as well, and it's a tad fizzier than I'd prefer. Still, it's a fine beer considering how young the brewery is. And the name and bottle art are less embarrassing than Ninja vs. Unicorn. 
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Apr 7, 2012 03:07
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Deviant Dale's finally came to New Jersey and I picked up a 4 pack for $15 after tax. I'm not sure I'm a fan of this, it's a solid beer showcasing a nice bitter blend of citrus and pine, but I wish the malts were a bit more present. I have a Palate Wrecker as well, but I'm going to save that for another night.
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Apr 7, 2012 03:37
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Docjowles posted:For some reason my local beer store always has certain German and British beers at absurd prices, well under $1/bottle. I've taken the bait a few times and (unless I was just trying to get drunk) regretted it, they're always old as hell and taste like it. Hope yours fare better! i put a lot of blame on the drat Germans' steadfast refusal to stop using green bottles. Come on masters of engineering! That's why the cans seem awesome, completely takes that out of play.
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Apr 7, 2012 03:52
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Docjowles posted:yo can i come to your birthday party Everything from Bridgeport is very "meh", so I doubt it was a freshness problem. In fact, Bridgeport has taken the "Meh" crown from Widmer in Portland, IMO. Widmer is making some pretty good seasonal and experimental stuff these days.
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Apr 7, 2012 03:59
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Perfectly Cromulent posted:Everything from Bridgeport is very "meh", so I doubt it was a freshness problem. In fact, Bridgeport has taken the "Meh" crown from Widmer in Portland, IMO. Widmer is making some pretty good seasonal and experimental stuff these days. Yeah, Widmer has stepped their game up for sure. I really liked the Oatmeal Porter and Spiced IPAs they put out in the last couple of months.
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Apr 7, 2012 04:18
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I got a growler of Columbus Brewing Company's IPA tonight, and it was really good, especially for the price. I got it for $8.99/64 oz growler, and it was well worth it. I'm glad they finally started to distribute to my neck of the woods! I'm kind of curious if Oskar Blues is going to start distributing to OH, they seem to be distributing to a lot of other east coast states. I really want to try some of their beers!
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Apr 7, 2012 05:13
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Perfectly Cromulent posted:Madrugada Obscura is much better than Clutch, IMO. Definitely try some if you can you can get your hands on it. Will do, ASAP. Kraven Moorhed posted:Had Sculpin on tap tonight, and while it's a decent beer, I'm a bit confused why everyone's freaking out over it. Seems like another case of Oberon to me. My opinion on this: "west coast style", or IPA's with lighter malt bills (most likely using sugars to bump up OG), are more my style. I dislike IPA's with an emphasis on malts and prefer malt to take a backseat to my hops. I like citrus, mango, and hemp in my IPA's. When it comes down to single IPA's, I rate Just Outstanding (from Kern River) as #1, Sculpin as #2, and Alesmith's IPA as #3. As with all IPA's, the sooner you get it from the brewery, the better. Since I have had the pleasure of sitting in (or near) all these breweries, I consider their IPA's to be top notch. With that said, every one has different tastes, and what works for you may be a bit different than everyone else. I live in the western portion of the US, so my tastes are obviously skewed when it comes to IPA's from anywhere on the east coast. I guess in summary: We all have opinions and you are totally entitled to not freak out over Sculpin!
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Apr 7, 2012 05:26
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Midorka posted:Deviant Dale's finally came to New Jersey and I picked up a 4 pack for $15 after tax. I'm not sure I'm a fan of this, it's a solid beer showcasing a nice bitter blend of citrus and pine, but I wish the malts were a bit more present. I have a Palate Wrecker as well, but I'm going to save that for another night. Loving Deviant Dale's, quite honestly! I'm on my second tallboy in 2 days, and it just continues to impress. I also got a bottle of Southern Tier Unearthly, and I'm not too fond of it in retrospect - felt overly syrupy/sweet.
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Apr 7, 2012 05:49
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Podima posted:Loving Deviant Dale's, quite honestly! I'm on my second tallboy in 2 days, and it just continues to impress. I also got a bottle of Southern Tier Unearthly, and I'm not too fond of it in retrospect - felt overly syrupy/sweet. Sounds like my tastebuds aren't broken in respect to the Unearthly. God it's pretty awful.
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Apr 7, 2012 05:50
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Midorka posted:Sounds like my tastebuds aren't broken in respect to the Unearthly. God it's pretty awful. I picked up a bottle of Gemini, which is 50% Unearthly. Hopefully it's not too bad!
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Apr 7, 2012 06:00
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deadwing posted:Yeah, Widmer has stepped their game up for sure. I really liked the Oatmeal Porter and Spiced IPAs they put out in the last couple of months. I absolutely hated the spiced IPA. I think it may be the worst beer I've had so far this year. The aftertaste was really bad for me.
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Apr 7, 2012 07:16
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Tried "Upslope Craft Lager" for the first time with dinner tonight. In a word:  poo poo was awful, if I had to choose between that and say PBR or High Life at the same price, I'd take the PBR. I know a touch of sulfur is acceptable in lagers but this smelled and tasted like a fart with a bit of corn and diacetyl for good measure. It's like they ran down the list of off-flavors you can have in a pale lager and dutifully ticked them all off. Truly loving gross, avoid.Ratebeer has it at a whopping 23% rating so apparently I am not alone in my hatred. Docjowles fucked around with this message at 07:43 on Apr 7, 2012 |
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Apr 7, 2012 07:39
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Docjowles posted:Tried "Upslope Craft Lager" for the first time with dinner tonight. In a word: i thought the Upslope brown and export stout SUPER HASSLER sent me were both pretty good, although the brown had this oddly strong chocolate taste for the first few sips.
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Apr 7, 2012 11:52
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Docjowles posted:For some reason my local beer store always has certain German and British beers at absurd prices, well under $1/bottle. I've taken the bait a few times and (unless I was just trying to get drunk) regretted it, they're always old as hell and taste like it. Hope yours fare better! Yea they were fine, at least as good as any other Paulaner I've had. I was kinda worried there wouldn't be any yeast at the bottom, but it was there.
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Apr 7, 2012 14:41
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That's too bad about the Upslope lager. Their IPA is decent, if a little bit generic "west coast". Perfectly Cromulent posted:Everything from Bridgeport is very "meh", so I doubt it was a freshness problem. In fact, Bridgeport has taken the "Meh" crown from Widmer in Portland, IMO. Widmer is making some pretty good seasonal and experimental stuff these days. The only good thing about Hop Czar is that it's lie $7 for a six pack of very hoppy, 7.5% beer.
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Apr 7, 2012 18:38
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I made a video for the Ratebeer Scavanger hunt. I will say ahead of time never drink a beer this way. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xHjR8oJ1Vw&context=C4c0fa45ADvjVQa1PpcFNsUQkqLbNej7rQtsrJch2cRQa9Ju-hRt4=
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Apr 8, 2012 06:46
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Kosher man posted:I made a video for the Ratebeer Scavanger hunt. I will say ahead of time never drink a beer this way. pretty gross, but i did get a chuckle out of the very end.
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Apr 8, 2012 11:51
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Kosher man posted:I made a video for the Ratebeer Scavanger hunt. I will say ahead of time never drink a beer this way. that poor Cantillon tumbler is forever mared.  This guy had a funny approach to the same challenge, and is apparently your teammate. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCcGp0gwyXI Go Team Tubes!
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Apr 8, 2012 15:53
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those of you who live in Total Wine country might be interested to know that they've done a site redesign, making their inventory searchable and sortable and including release status (year-round, seasonal), a brief description of the beer, BA scores, and, in some instances, estimated in-stock dates. marked-down seasonal beers have their reduced pricing posted, although there is no indication that it is a special price.
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Apr 8, 2012 17:18
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Had some Hoptimum last night and it was not bad, but I think must have burned myself out on IPAs before IPA season even started. It wasn't really doing much for me. I'm not even sure why.
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Apr 8, 2012 19:09
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So, killed a bottle of He'Brew Funky Jewbelation Friday night. Label tells me it's a blend of "Jewbelation Fifteen (aged 3 mo), vintage Jewbelation (aged 9 mo), Bittersweet Lenny's RIPA (aged 1 mo), Origin (aged 14 mo), Reunion 2011 (aged 7 mo), and Messiah (aged 14 mo). Some of those are aged in rye whiskey barrels, rest are aged in bourbon barrels. They might as well have aged it in coffins on the far side of the moon and then buried it at sea for a decade and then filtered it through a nuclear reactor while they were at it, just to increase the "jesus christ what is this" factor. All-in-all, very complex, very heavy, fairly hot. Totally unable to figure out which flavors came from where, though. I can't pull Reunion or Messiah out of the riot that is the palate on this one. Slightly sour notes, dark fruit all over the place, rye, definitely some bourbon. Heavy and syrupy and fig-like and spicy... Interesting to say the least. I have one more bottle that I will have to sit down with before I can figure out what to really say about this beer (DFH 120' destroyed my tastebuds earlier, before I drank it on Friday - oops).
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Apr 8, 2012 19:30
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Somehow a bar in town actually managed to have Ommegang's art of darkness on tap. Rather expensive but worth every penny. It got me interested in Belgian ales again after never giving them much attention.
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Apr 8, 2012 19:34
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What got ya'll into craft beer? For me it was my family offering me a La Fin du Monde last Christmas which is still one of my favorites to this day.
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Apr 8, 2012 22:19
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My dad keeping a well-stocked fridge (mostly Newcastle and Stone stuff, but still) and being very encouraging. Also  to La Fin Du Monde, I have a bomber of that in my new beer fridge right this second. Mindblowingly good.Another question - how do you all mark your cellared beers with years and stuff of when you got them? I know some beers have dates printed on them, but not every brewery does that.
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Apr 8, 2012 22:36
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TenaciousTomato posted:What got ya'll into craft beer? For me it was my family offering me a La Fin du Monde last Christmas which is still one of my favorites to this day. When I did americorps in Oakland after college (in Michigan) my partner was an utterly badass retired African American Studies PHD who'd quit her tenured, university level teaching job and joined the corps for what I can only assume are dark reasons. We were at a bar together after one of our first days at work. I ordered a bud light. She laughed in my face, called me a sissy and bought me an Old Rasputin. Haven't looked back since.
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Apr 8, 2012 23:08
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TenaciousTomato posted:What got ya'll into craft beer? For me it was my family offering me a La Fin du Monde last Christmas which is still one of my favorites to this day. I think for me it was a buddy teaching me to homebrew. At the time I drank a lot of PBR, High Life and 40's (collegelol) and sometimes Sam Adams and Guiness. I immediately fell in love with the process of brewing but realized I had no goddam idea what styles existed or what made a beer bad or good. So I just kind of dove into it and started trying beers and reading about them to figure out what I liked and what I wanted to brew.
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Apr 8, 2012 23:19
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TenaciousTomato posted:What got ya'll into craft beer? For me it was my family offering me a La Fin du Monde last Christmas which is still one of my favorites to this day. I grew up with neighbors from Germany, so I knew American beer was lovely before I was old enough to drink beer. The first beers I had were Guiness and Bass and hefes. I really started getting in to beer way more recently. My wife and I split a 750 of Duvel. Then some Ommegang beers. Then Unibroue. By then the die was cast.
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Apr 8, 2012 23:51
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