The Beer Thread

Ao- · Mar 9, 2015

joeboo_sl said:
I totally agree. I hate sour candy, always did as a kid. Sour beer is no different.

There's quite a bit of variation in "sours", though the ones you'll want to avoid are ones with Brett. You could try the lacto ones (different type of sour, I guess, but not really sour in the traditional sense).

Khane · Mar 9, 2015

Ameraves_sl said:
I don't even think sours should be classified as beer. Shit tasted closer to a cider.

While you probably did have a sour it sounds like it wasn't a geuze (traditional, non flavored) and instead had a flavored Lambic which are like dessert beers. Don't give up on the styles because of one bad experience. Sours happen to be one of the hardest styles to get right and take a long time to make which is why there aren't that many from domestic breweries in the US and also why they are so expensive.

opiate82 · Mar 9, 2015

I think you definitely need to be in a different mindset when delving into sours. I always think of them more in terms of drinking a bottle of wine as oppose to drinking beer. I also completely understand if they aren't for you, not every beer style is for everyone. For example, I just cannot get into Belgians at all. I can appreciate some of the ones I have had for their quality and character, but they all taste like they were dry-hopped with banana Runts to me (also don't like German Hefe's for the same reason). Even with saisons I prefer either French or farmhouse (brett) variants over the ones done with Belgian yeasts strains.

Khane · Mar 9, 2015

I'm with ya on the saisons but only because I love sour stuff. I really dig the banana character the belgian yeast gives off. Hefes and Belgian Whites are my go to summer beers.

Fifey · Mar 9, 2015

I can't do sours either, a bit too much for me. I do love some saisons though. I had a five loco the other day, can't remember who makes it but it's a saison with caffeine in it, was a perfect sunny day drink.

Joeboo · Mar 10, 2015

Alex_sl said:
I was down in LA for the weekend and went to a spot calledBeer Belly. The beer selection is very respectable. They even have Bell's beers. Two Hearted Ale in the can and their barleywine on tap. I didn't even know Bell's made a barleywine! It's fantastic. This was the first time I had ever seen Bell's beers on the west coast. We met these cats from Michigan there and they said the same. Apparently Bell's has started to distribute in SoCal and are working their way up. Really hope we start getting it around here sooner than later.

Beer Belly was featured on Diners Driveins and Dives a while back. Did you get the duck fat fries or the Duck French Dip? They looked incredible

Alex · Mar 10, 2015

We were going to a concert down the street and didn't have time to eat. It was an hour wait for food so we just drank beers outside at the patio. The food looked amazing though and I plan on going back next time I'm in the hood.

Joeboo · Mar 10, 2015

Yeah, that's the downside of DD&D featuring a place. All the foodies move in an make it crowded. My favorite little BBQ place in KC was a small hole in the wall I used to frequent. Then it got on DD&D and blew up, they had to expand, the place is like 5x as big now and a good half hour wait no matter when you go. Great for the business owners, sucks for me personally. I hate waiting in line, I pretty much refuse to do it. I'll eat a McDonalds hamburger before I'll wait 45 minutes for anything, no matter how good it is.

Lost Virtue · Mar 10, 2015

Decided to treat myself tonight since I've cut back on beer (in favor of more carb-free and delicious Bourbon).

Akeema · Mar 10, 2015

I am mainly an IPA/Ale guy but I am looking to try some more Stouts and Porters. I've tried a few Stouts from DFH, Lagunitas, North Coast(Old Rasputin), Stone. Any suggestions? I have a Total Wines and More near me, that place is basically Toys'r'us for alcoholics that I am going to hit up for the weekend and would like some new stuff to try.

Lost Virtue · Mar 10, 2015

Akeema_sl said:
I am mainly an IPA/Ale guy but I am looking to try some more Stouts and Porters. I've tried a few Stouts from DFH, Lagunitas, North Coast(Old Rasputin), Stone. Any suggestions? I have a Total Wines and More near me, that place is basically Toys'r'us for alcoholics that I am going to hit up for the weekend and would like some new stuff to try.

My go-to "darker" beer for a decent price is Dragon's Milk by New Holland (readily available, hence my "go-to"). But I have been on a HUGE Bourbon barrel-aged beer for the last few months. Hoppin' Frog's barrel stout is great too (one of my favorite beers overall)!

opiate82 · Mar 10, 2015

Akeema_sl said:
I am mainly an IPA/Ale guy but I am looking to try some more Stouts and Porters. I've tried a few Stouts from DFH, Lagunitas, North Coast(Old Rasputin), Stone. Any suggestions? I have a Total Wines and More near me, that place is basically Toys'r'us for alcoholics that I am going to hit up for the weekend and would like some new stuff to try.

Anything by Firestone Walker is always worth a buy.

Khane · Mar 10, 2015

Lost Virtue_sl said:
Decided to treat myself tonight since I've cut back on beer (in favor of more carb-free and delicious Bourbon).

One of my favorites.

Lost Virtue · Mar 10, 2015

Khane_sl said:
One of my favorites.

I think it is just as good as any Cantillon. I typically prefer 3F lambics overall, but it is not available around me. I do like Cantillon's fruit lambics though

Pemulis · Mar 11, 2015

Speaking of Bell's, a friend brought me back a six pack of Hop Slam from a business trip in the midwest - a special treat, since Bell's doesn't distribute to NJ. I'm a huge Two-Hearted fan, so I had very high expectations. Unfortunately, I really didn't find it to be anything special, and certainly not worth the cost. On the label, it says something about IPA brewed with honey, and it tastes exactly like a higher-ABV IPA with some of the hop bite rounded out by the honey. Definitely did not make my top 10

Alex · Mar 11, 2015

I like Two Hearted Ale more than Hopslam. Hopslam is good but it's not worth the price or rarity.

McCheese · Mar 11, 2015

A long time ago I posted here looking for a beer from Vermont with a snake-like name. I finally got around to tracking down the name, and it's called "Switchback" (no idea why that made me think of a snake, but it did).

Any of our New England bros know Switchback Ale? My friend was up in VT a couple years ago and he really loved it. His birthday is in a couple months, so I'd like to track down a 6-pack or two but I've never seen it for sale in the Maryland area.

Khane · Mar 11, 2015

Yes, I just had a bomber of it (the ale) last week in fact. It's a decent beer, don't think they distribute outside of VT.

Ao- · Mar 12, 2015

pemulis_sl said:
Speaking of Bell's, a friend brought me back a six pack of Hop Slam from a business trip in the midwest - a special treat, since Bell's doesn't distribute to NJ. I'm a huge Two-Hearted fan, so I had very high expectations. Unfortunately, I really didn't find it to be anything special, and certainly not worth the cost. On the label, it says something about IPA brewed with honey, and it tastes exactly like a higher-ABV IPA with some of the hop bite rounded out by the honey. Definitely did not make my top 10

Alex_sl said:
I like Two Hearted Ale more than Hopslam. Hopslam is good but it's not worth the price or rarity.

Two-hearted is an anomaly. It's an amazing beer, it's one of their flagship beers, and it's relatively cheap. I've got tons of stories of friends who "don't like IPAs or hops" but drink Two-hearted because it's "good". Hopslam fresh is still one of the better IPAs I've had, but you've got to actually keep it cold, otherwise it loses a lot of it's hop characteristics.

McCheese_sl said:
A long time ago I posted here looking for a beer from Vermont with a snake-like name. I finally got around to tracking down the name, and it's called "Switchback" (no idea why that made me think of a snake, but it did).

Any of our New England bros know Switchback Ale? My friend was up in VT a couple years ago and he really loved it. His birthday is in a couple months, so I'd like to track down a 6-pack or two but I've never seen it for sale in the Maryland area.

I've got a Coworker in rural VT that loves it. He doesn't drink much beer, but that's his go-to.

Tenks · Mar 17, 2015

I saw a news bit on CBS Sunday Morning about the founder of Stone trying to break his beer into the German market. Apparently craft brew is starting to take off so much over there the "big beer" places are trying to challenge it by bringing up ancient laws of purity that state anything labeled "Beer" can only consist of the basic beer ingredients. So him having chocolate and cinnamon and all that removes it from being labeled Beer because of this middle ages law lol.

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