Beer Thread

[Chè]

North Coast Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

The imperial stout was very thick and had all kinds of great flavors going on.

Will

Old Rasp is one of a select few that I keep a case on deck at all times. The annual "Anniversary" iteration is really the stuff.

[WinstonSpencer]

Today, drank some Magic Hat #9, Stella, and Stone 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA. Of course the Stone stood out. It was a really good beer. The nose had a strong blu cheese aroma. There was a great hop presence and some sweetness on the finish. It was full-bodied but still very drinkable.

[wild]

A few of my beer club members and I went on a Northern Az Brewery tour this past weekend. Lots O' fun and Lots O' beer!

Our first stop was the newest brewery in the state, the Lumberyard:


Next was the smallest brewery of the tour, the Flagstaff Brewery:


Third was a favorite of many, the Beaver Street Brewery which also owns the Lumberyard:


Last stop for the day was the Grand Canyon Brewery. New up and coming brewery in a quaint Rt. 66 town:


The next day we headed south to Sedona and visited Oak Creek Brewery at Tlaquepaque:


Then headed over to the original Oak Creek Brewery:


We finished the tour with a stop at a local vineyard outside of Cottonwood. Before the tasting began they asked me if I knew much about wine, I said "It comes in a box right?" I then got schooled at Page Springs Cellers:


This was a great trip and a great way to get out of the heat.

[Cyris]

Very nice Wild! A couple of my favs listed there, I will need to check out the new ones next time I am up north.

[Chè]

Has anyone tried Goose Island's "Bourbon County" stout?

[cigarsarge]

I've had it...Nice stuff.

[TheRichLife]

Has anyone tried Goose Island's "Bourbon County" stout?

It's a great beer, but I'm not sure it's $20 for a 4-pack of 12 oz bottles great. Our local brewery, Boulevard Brewing, makes a "Bourbon Barrel Quad" that I think is every bit as good as the Goose Island, but is $8 for a 750ml bottle.

[Chè]

It's a great beer, but I'm not sure it's $20 for a 4-pack of 12 oz bottles great.

I've only been through a couple of these. Agree, good stuff & cost is a definite consideration.

[Chè]

Hopefully this is a cool spot to introduce this but if not it certainly can be instated as a separate thread.

Some nice ales were mentioned in posts preceding. I was curious if any of us subscribe to "aging"? If so:

1. How long typically do you hold off?
   
2. What's the oldest item you have on hand?
   
3. How strongly do you feel about the results you've achieved?

Me:

1. No real strategy in place. I mostly rotate through stuff but try to make a mental note of how things tasted at the time etc.
   
   
2. Finished a 2004 Chimay Blue about 3 weeks ago. I believe the oldest items I have now were purchased in or vintaged 2006.
   
   
3. Sorta on the fence. I recognize some things that I felt originally were over the top, were more to my liking later on. Other not necessarily over the top things such as the 6 year old Chimays, I didn't really find significantly improved or huge alterations in taste.

[nhcigarfan]

I've had to let some strong ales I've brewed age up to a year. I made some holiday cyser (mead made with cider) and have been aging that 5 years now.

[Chè]

II made some holiday cyser (mead made with cider) and have been aging that 5 years now.

...Something I know little to nothing about. Is it aging in bottles or in wood?

[nhcigarfan]

Bottle

[wild]

My Chimay Grande Reserve' lasted 4 years as well as my Chocolate RIS. My Oak Aged Bourbon Porter is on it's third year and I don't see it lasting another due to its popularity.

[Chè]

What are some brews you guys might describe as "dinner" ales?

[mrtr33]

So, I live in a beer-deprived shithole. Any time we go out of state, I make sure to pick up some kind of beer we can't get here. I don't drink a whole lot of beer, and I prefer microbrews. When I do drink it I want it to taste like something. But in a pinch, I prefer the Beast Lite. But that's for another thread....

Anyways, my pick this past weekend was Dale's Pale Ale, from Oskar Blues brewery in Colorado. Anyone have any opinion on this brew? What enticed me was the fact that it's a Pale Ale with a high alcohol content and it's presented in a can. I've long heard that beers are best in cans (plus you can crush them on your forehead), but have seen very few that opt for the can instead of the bottle.

Any opinions?

[badwhale]

So, I live in a beer-deprived shithole. Any time we go out of state, I make sure to pick up some kind of beer we can't get here. I don't drink a whole lot of beer, and I prefer microbrews. When I do drink it I want it to taste like something. But in a pinch, I prefer the Beast Lite. But that's for another thread....

Anyways, my pick this past weekend was Dale's Pale Ale, from Oskar Blues brewery in Colorado. Anyone have any opinion on this brew? What enticed me was the fact that it's a Pale Ale with a high alcohol content and it's presented in a can. I've long heard that beers are best in cans (plus you can crush them on your forehead), but have seen very few that opt for the can instead of the bottle.

Any opinions?

I like this beer. It's strong, yes, but it has a nice clean straight up IPA flavor. Crisp and delicious. It reminds me a lot of Stone IPA.

Will
PS the Ten Fidy Imperial Stoudt is pretty good from them too.

[Eville]

Has anyone tried Goose Island's "Bourbon County" stout?

Had a couple of these this summer and picked up a 4pack from 2007 this weekend. I must say that it is very much to my liking. Considering that the local beer pub sells many beers for 4$/pint, I don't mind the $5 price tag.

Another great stout I've found is the Founder's Kentucky Breakfast Stout. It really is a full breakfast in a bottle

Also, today, just bottled my first brew, a pumpkin spice porter.

[Chè]

Had a couple of these this summer and picked up a 4pack from 2007 this weekend.

Nice acquisition. I recently picked up a 4 pack of the 2008. Was contemplating a second - $19 is a bit pricey, but then again, that comes with a lil' age attached.

Heard a lot about the Founder's but haven't ever had the pleasure.

What about "the Abyss"?

[lgabrick]

I do like Founder's brand, especially Double Trouble. My favorite (though a bit pricey at $20 a six pack) is Bells Hopslam. They come out with it once a year during the winter-spring time. It is delicious. Bells Oberon is good too, they come out with that every summer. I wonder who owns budweiser because I don't know what they were thinking about when they came out with Bud Light wheat. It is way too expensive for a cheap wheat beer that is not that good.I was really surprised by Sam Adams Noble Pils. It is delicious and cheap.

[Eville]

Just opened up a bottle (22oz) of Great Divide Dunkel Weiss. Ever since I got back I have been on a quest to find a good German style dunkel, and this hits the spot. Not perfect, but I knew it was going to be good when the label said "just dont put any lemon in it."