The Beer Thread: 2007 – 2008

[TooLiveBrew]

Beer/sweet/dorky

 

[wisconsinfan47]

Rang in the 65-degree Saturday on the porch with, ironically, Capital Autumnal Fire.

 

I've always loved Capital, and this is no exception. How they make this brew so smooth and drinkable at 8.5% ABV is beyond me. It's dangerously drinkable. Cheers once again to Middleton's finest.

 

Pacifico and Miller Lite were part of the festivities too. Pacifico especially is perfect for afternoons and evenings like Saturday. Bottle collection up to 35.

[fstorm1]

Theft bounty: $50,000 worth of beer

Mount Pleasant - Where's the party?

 

Three men are suspected today of taking a trailer filled with $50,000 worth of Miller Beer from the lot of a Racine County trucking firm.

 

According to Mount Pleasant police, the three men arrived at Hribar Trucking at 9:33 a.m. in two semi tractors stolen from Will County, Illinois. The three men were able to leave with one full trailer full of Miller Beer.

Alright, who did it? Come on, fess up.

[gypcasino]

Just tried Capital's Maibock for the first time, and it was pretty tasty.

I've got Sprecher's Irish Style Stout in the fridge but haven't tried it yet. I'm a big fan of all their beers.

And I also fell for the big shiny display at Pick N Save and got a six pack of Landshark Lager. It says it's made by the Margaritaville Brewing Co but I saw somewhere that AB is involved. I'm sure beer snobs will hate it without even tasting it but I thought it was decent. It would be good on a warm day tailgating at Miller Park.

[diomedeh2]

Been a while since I contributed here, but I see the thread has fallen on hard times...

 

Anyway, I'm completely, hopelessly, utterly smitten with Belgian ales right now. The golden ale, the STRONG golden ale, the Belgian IPA, the farmhouse ale (saison style)! I really thought I'd pinnacled in terms of personal beer drinking, then I found this and it has changed my life.

 

Obviously there's the old standby Duvel. And the Pranqster from North Coast Brewing. Both are mighty tasty (and potent) golden ales.

 

BUT...recently (sadly only recently) I've discovered the saison style farmhouse ale. Hallelujah.

 

List time:

 

Fantome Saison - sweet, almost tart, beer with a slightly sour (aka delicious) finish. A delight.

 

Saison Dupont - again a touch of fruitiness, but not overwhelming. This is a masterpiece, no denying.

 

Foret - From the same brewery as the above Saison Dupont, an organic version of their delicious farmhouse ale. Absolutely delicious and incredibly pricey.

 

La Piraat - Belgian Triple IPA. Need I say more? 10.5%? Yea. And it's pretty much amazing.

[TooLiveBrew]

La Piraat - Belgian Triple IPA. Need I say more? 10.5%? Yea. And it's pretty much amazing.

http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/laugh.gif

 

 

Has anyone been able to find that Grolsch Blond? Hopefully we can triumphantly update the thread title!

[wisconsinfan47]

I'll keep my recent tastings short and sweet:

 

Ale Asylum Hoppalicious: Hoppy, indeed. Very good. A-

Capital Maibock: Solid: great way to start spring, as advertised. B+

New Glarus Raspberry Tart: So fruity and tart that I half-expected to find little seeds. Not on the level of Belgian Red, but tasty. B+

Leine's Summer Shandy: *sigh* As with Berry Weiss, Leine's does not capture the art of subtlety. C

Newcastle Brown Ale: Pretty decent. Pretty smooth. Mildly nutty. B-

[Marc Newfield of Dreams]

Love the Newcastle. Good for breakfast while watching soccer at the pub http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

Has anyone had Blue Moon's seasonal, Rising Moon? I saw it, and was intrigued... not enough to buy a 6 pack though.

[Schlitz001]

New Castle is my least favorite beer that everyone else seems to like. I'm just not a big fan.

 

I have had the Rising Moon beer and it's not to tasty. Don't expect the smoothness of a Belgian White that Blue Moon is. Rising Moon had a delicate bite that overshadows the flavor. I did get to try fresh Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale after touring the Coors Brewery and that stuff is good.

 

Right now I'm drinking a Fish Tale Amber Ale. Overall a good, but not great Amber Ale. The package says it's organic and I'm not entirely sure what that means.

[JumpinMacFlash]

Rising Moon wasn't too bad. I didn't think the lime taste was too overwhelming or anything. It's not too bad, but refreshing. It's worth the 6-pack.

 

I figured I'd add a couple others to the list...I tried New Glarus Road Slush this last week. Bitter but tasty, oatmeal stout. I tried it cold and at room temperature and it's better warm, oddly enough. Also tried Leinie's Northwoods Lager, which I was a huge fan of. Nice mild taste, not too heavy...just clean and delicious.

 

Second edit, why not? I almost forgot, my girlfriends grandparents had me try this German import that I honestly can't remember the name of for the life of me. Beer had never tasted so good at 10:30 a.m.

[Schlitz001]

I'm not sure if you can find it over here, but while I was in Germany, I tried several bottled beers/soda combinations including a lemon lime soda, Fanta and Cola. The Cola beer was 4% alcohol and tasted alright, the others were 2% alcohol and not so good. It was really the last thing I expected in Germany.

[TooLiveBrew]

The package says it's organic and I'm not entirely sure what that means.

 

Iirc, it means the ingredients used were grown organically...

 

By this guy:

 

http://www.portalplanetasedna.com.ar/archivos_varios/hippie.jpg

[TooLiveBrew]

Ok, so I'm not even sure why I ever deviate from Deschutes Brewery anymore. Every time I go back, I feel like I've done something dirty by leaving. They've recently released their Cinder Cone Ale. Just look at that sexy brew, being all delicious.

 

Got a 92 at ratebeer.com & a B+(browsers)/A-(site) at Beer Advocate. Just plain awesome.

[logan82]

Paulaner Heffe Weiss. I know, I know another weiss. It is very good though. My wife reccomends Sprecher's Imperial Russian Stout. Chocolate and coffee flavors.

[TooLiveBrew]

Tried (from Trader Joe's) the Northwest's Best Puget Sound [Golden] Ale. It's brewed by Hale's Ales in Seattle, and I know my initial impression is skewed by it not yet being cold.

 

For my first taste, where it's not nearly cold enough, I'll give it a C+ / B-... though I'm pretty sure that when I have another one in a half-hour/hour, my rating will jump up to like a B+ or so.

[EdgarDiazRocks]

Ok, so I'm not even sure why I ever deviate from Deschutes Brewery anymore. Every time I go back, I feel like I've done something dirty by leaving. They've recently released their Cinder Cone Ale. Just look at that sexy brew, being all delicious.

Picked up a sixer this afternoon. It's one of my Faves. I like it so much I got the T-Shirt.

 

[LouisEly]

California has Leinenkugels!!! California has Leinenkugels!!!

 

So I ran into my buddy on Friday night who is the liquor manager for Whole Foods and is the "beer specialist" for a local bar (Naja's) that has 75+ beers on tap. I asked him about the Adventure 12-packs and Explorer 24-packs that were discussed in the spring newsletter as going to "club stores nationwide", and he told me that BevMo has exclusive rights to the Adventure 12-packs (3 each of Honey, Berry, Sunset, and Shandy - 3 of my 4 favorite Leinies). So I went to the local BevMo and....

 

http://images.yuku.com/image/jpeg/f5725ec9238c13ad10dc2bc8412314bfe82afdb.jpg

 

I almost cried tears of joy. Until last summer you couldn't get Leinie's west of Colorado, but then they got Sunset Wheat (which now is in grocery stores). Sunset Wheat is not one of my favorites, but it's decent and I thought if enough people buy it they might stock other Leinie's products. My buddy also said that Shandy should be available "everywhere" in about a month. Speaking of Shandy:

 

I'm not sure if you can find it over here, but while I was in Germany, I tried several bottled beers/soda combinations including a lemon lime soda, Fanta and Cola.

 

Yep - that's the way they do shandy in Germany, usually with Fanta lemonade or lemon-lime. It usually is 2-4%. Shandys, Berry Weiss, etc., are not beers that you sit and drink a six-pack of; they are designed to give you a changeup and cleanse the palate especially on hot summer days.

 

It's gonna be a good summer!!

[logan82]

Miller ran short of Shandy over labor day weekend last summer. They had to restrict their distribution area to just Wisconsin and produce more in Milwaukee to keep up. There was a point last summer when you couldn't find it for about 2 weeks.

[Invader3K]

In Germany, IIRC, they call beer mixed with soda (particularly cola) "diesel."

[logan82]

I know it is still 11 months away, but I think Brewerfan should do Hops and Props next year.

[Schlitz001]

In Germany, IIRC, they call beer mixed with soda (particularly cola) "diesel."

The kind I had was from a small local brewery and was called "Eschwege Klosterbrau Cola".

 

Also, about 2 weeks ago I found Leinenkugel in Montana for the first time. They only had Summer Shandy (which I found to be quite tasty) and Sunset Wheat. I'm keeping my eyes out for others.

[Beerambassador]

I know they don't sell Brooklyn Brewery beer in Wisconsin but if you see it somewhere, or live in a state that does sell it, it's excellent. I went to the brewery happy hour while I was in NY for the Brewers/Mets series. The IPA was outstanding, citrusy and bitter. The brown ale was also nice, with more of a hop bite than usual for a Brown Ale. I didn't care for the Brooklyn Blast (I think that's what they called it), which was supposed to be a super IPA. It had a really strange and unpleasant aftertaste. My sister-in-law loved the weiss beer, but it's not my style of beer, so I passed. Neat place to check out if you're in NY.

[Time for a Miller]

So I just tried Landshark, I picked it up randomly on a beer run looking for the blond whale. I liked the top and the case it came in was appealing. The beer is pretty good. Light and refreshing, not really a full flavor, but ok if you want a beer that won't overpower the food your eating.

[Ando Calrissian]

Beerambassador,

 

Good call on the Brooklyn Brewing. Living in Philly, I can pick it up just about anywhere and have yet to be disappointed by them. The '55 Pennant Ale might be the best summer drinking beer available. It is, for my taste, the perfect summer day beer.

[fstorm1]

I know it is still 11 months away, but I think Brewerfan should do Hops and Props next year.

Tell you what...I was sold on next year the minute I walked out the door. And not just because I was sick and felt like I missed out big time. Really was cool. I wonder why Milwaukee doesn't have something like this? 'Course, back in my days in Brew City, a trip to Zurcone's (sp?) on Water St. was good enough. At that time, round about 1993, that bar had the widest selection of beer in the city. And the glass boot. Filled and emptied many of those...ahhhh, memories. I shall enjoy them.

 

And miss them.http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/frown.gif

 

BTW-Not a huge fan of the "darkers", but tonight had a Berghoff Red Bock Winter Ale. Liked it, actually. Means I have yet to have had a bad Berghoff. Oh and I have a bottle of the Landshark mentioned by Miller earlier. Bought it 2 build-your-own-six-packs ago, still haven't cracked it. Just seemed like I always had something else I wanted to try.

 

BTW x2-The month I spent in Germany in '94, nearly every beer we had at whosoever house we were at came with a bottle of lemon soda something or other. 'Spose that's where I developed my love of the lemon. Heck, in a pinch, a mini Lemonhead in the glass works nicely. Just don't drink the last gulp.