The Beer Thread: 2007 – 2008

[Brewtacular]

Not to change the mood here, but I have been drinking pabst the last few weeks,

Pabst gets a bad wrap. If I go with the cheaper domestic I take Pabst over Miller/Bud/Coors anyday. It is quality for what it is trying to be. Bit more marketing and better shelf placement might improve its fortunes. Although, I have heard tales of it going for $10 a bottle out east with its tragically unhip thats its hip status.

 

 

 

 

[JumpinMacFlash]

I am liking this Organic Revolution.

 

Brett, I'm glad you're liking the Organic. I thought it was mighty tasty as well. I was wondering what you thought of St. Benedict's...

 

I'm not sure that I agree about all of the New Glarus being good to the last drop. I drank their Hearty Hop IPA and it wasn't the greatest thing in the world. Their Unplugged beers are usually too sweet for me, and I'm glad they're only seasonal.

 

Anyone else a fan of Point Amber?

 

Anyone else got some good ones to sample? I'm open to ideas.

[TooLiveBrew]

Point really is a solid brewery. I know only a few of their flavors, but the Amber is tasty.

 

Is Jim Koch (Sam Adams founder) really that cool? Or is he a jerk in real life? These are the important questions in life.

[tyguy20204]

Bought a four pack of Leinie's new Big Eddy beer, Russian Imperial Stout. Pours motor oil dark, delicious coffee taste. 9.00% ABV. Definitely recommended.

[TooLiveBrew]

That sounds yummy. Right now, I'm drinking real coffee. I'd much rather it be coffee-like beer.

 

9%?! Yowza! For a reference point for those who aren't familiar, the holiday brews - typically among the strongest alcohol-by-volume you can find - are around or under 7%. Nice!

[HonoluluBrew]

I am actually having an ice fishing/microbrew drinking "date" (as crazy as that combo sounds) with this ridiculously hot girl that I work with.

 

Who is this girl and does she have any friends?

 

Just kidding. But she does sound almost too good to be true.

[Ando Calrissian]

I just cracked open my first bottle of Black Chocolate Stout brewed by the Brooklyn Brewing Company. Not only have loved every one of their beers, the taste of this stout reminds me of the first time I ever had something other than a Miller (not dissing Miller, I still buy the Champagne) - that moment when you realize that there's more options available then what you're used to. I kind of just had an experience like Anton Ego in Ratatouille. It's a beer like this stout that makes me remember why I like to drink beer. Simply awesome. It's like a candy bar for adults, if you know what I mean.

[jcr0nk]

Ando- are you still brewing. i just tried my first bottle of the first batch. it is a steam beer. it had been in the bottle 3 weeks and i may have rushed it a bit. it tasted good but had a very light flavor and it had the aroma of sour apples?!?!. i think i am going to let it sit another week or so before i try another. brewing is a blast and i would suggest it to any beer lover. i am already started on my second batch a Fat Tire clone.

 

a few beers i would suggest....Fat Tire, Anchor Steam, and Sammy Smith Oatmeal Stoat.

 

i heard somewhere that there is a brewery in lacrosse that still makes the original Old Style, anybody know anything about this?

[brettac1]

Just kidding. But she does sound almost too good to be true.

 

She probably is, but that doesn't mean I can't get drunk and catch walleye with her. And did I mention she's hot?

 

Anyone know any good lakes in the New Glarus area? We've discussed the idea of a brewery tour down there, too.

[Ando Calrissian]

Ando- are you still brewing.

I am. I'm sloshing my way through some Oktoberfest right now though. It was my third batch and it is just "ok". You can taste in it the elements that make a fine Oktoberfest, but my evaluation of how I brewed this tells me that I likely didn't perfect the sparging process. It just doesn't have the depth of flavor that you want in a quality beer. That beings said, I also think that this batch could have benefited from two additional steps:

1) colder fermentation tempreatures, and...
2) secondary fermentation

Unfortunately, I've only got one carboy, so I had to go with what I had.

Oh well, I'm at least happy that it's drinkable.

Additionally...

Since I'm rather new to the home brew action, I wouldn't presume to know what might be causing the "sour apple" flavor of your beer. Maybe it's related to sanitation? If ther's anything I've picked up in the reading I've done on home brew it's, "sanitize, sanitze, sanitize". Three weeks seems like it ought to be enough time in the bottle to be ready for drinking, though I'm sure that can very based on what you're brewing. I tend to follow the 28 days rule: 14 days in the fermenter and 14 days in the bottle. After that it ought to be ready to drink.

A great help to me has been "The Complete Joy of Homebrewing" by Charlie Papazian. It covers the basics really, really well.

It is a a goal of mine to be able to brew a beer as fine as the stout I'm drinking tonight. It's so tasty that if this is all I could brew, I'd gladly do it once a year.

[jcr0nk]

brettac1 wrote:

Anyone know any good lakes in the New Glarus area?

you can always check out lake-link.com. they have a lakefinder and the fishing reports can be a decent gauge as to what lakes are producing. just click the links on the top of the site.

 

i also have the "complete joy of homebrewing". its a great book, i like that he writes in such a laid back manner.

 

its not that the beer had a off flavor, it was more so the aroma that was sour apples. i would describe the flavor as thin and neutral. perhaps it will build some body in the coming weeks. the fat tire clone recipe i have calls for 3-4 months of bottle conditioning!

[TooLiveBrew]

This thread was on page 9. I have no words...

 

Recently I've discovered a great little (emphasis on little) brewpub called New Old Lompoc. No idea what the name's about, just know their beer is superb.

[Invader3K]

I know it's slightly out of season now, but I tried a six pack of Point's "St. Benedict's Winter Ale" (I think that was the name) when I was up north at the in-laws, and it was pretty good. Not something I'd drink all the time, but a decent "holiday brew".

 

Oh yeah, I should mention that my wife got me the Mr. Beer kit for Christmas, and I started brewing the starter pack on New Year's Day...so this coming Tuesday or so I'll have to check it to see how it's turning out. I've wanted to get into home brewing for a while, and the Mr. Beer kit seems like an easy way to do it (I know it's not the same as other methods, but it's quite a time saver, at least). I made sure to sanitize everything thoroughly, so hopefully it turns out decent.

[JumpinMacFlash]

I was in Madison visiting my brother a couple of weeks ago and we ate at Great Dane Brewery. I tried their Scottish ale. It was really good and smooth with a higher alcohol content. It's pretty expensive, but well worth it.

[Hammer]

My friend and I are moderate beer drinkers meaning we only have beers together for a special occasion (I usually drink more whiskey than anything else that is alcoholic). The last time we got together we drank a mini-keg of Heineken Premium Light. I'm not normally a fan of Heineken but when you drink it out of that keg it is FANTASTIC. There is nothing like a fresh drawn, ICE cold beer and this stuff did the trick.

[Beerambassador]

Speaking of mini kegs, Bell's sells mini kegs of their Two Hearted Ale now. I bought one at Woodman's last week and me and my father-in-law and brother-in-laws were in heaven for the hour it lasted. Highly recommended.

[TooLiveBrew]

I was in Madison visiting my brother a couple of weeks ago and we ate at Great Dane Brewery. I tried their Scottish ale. It was really good and smooth with a higher alcohol content. It's pretty expensive, but well worth it.

 

Mmmm... the Scotch Ale. Great value for the punch it packs. Try the IPA there - delicious.

[logan82]

I was in Madison visiting my brother a couple of weeks ago and we ate at Great Dane Brewery. I tried their Scottish ale. It was really good and smooth with a higher alcohol content. It's pretty expensive, but well worth it.

My wife likes the Black Earth Porter and I like the Crop Circle Wheat. I guess it's a little more than expensive than buying beer most places. Still cheaper than beer at Miller Park though.

 

http://www.greatdanepub.com/

[TooLiveBrew]

For the quality of beer you get, the price isn't all that high - but it is obviously quite a bit more than most beers. But it's brewed fresh, on site (@ the downtown GD), and by awesome people. Seriously, if I ever find a 'niche' beer I enjoy more than their Tri-Pepper Pilsner, I'll be very happily shocked.

 

Fwiw, I finally was able to secure some more Deschutes Jubilale tonight. I'd been searching for it, and had started to accep that it's just all been consumed (since it's a seasonal, they only brew a fixed amount). Happy day!

[TooLiveBrew]

"darker, cloudier beers can hide more flaws..."

 

That's Budweiser's newest ad. That's right, their beer is better because you can see through it. If anyone still needs proof that corporate America is 100% convinced that we are absolute and utter morons, just stay tuned for this commercial.

 

To recap, Budweiser makes a better beer because they water it down more. Soz you can seez through itz!

[logan82]

I can see through my urine also. I don't think that makes it high quality or drinkable.

[TooLiveBrew]

Budweiser begs to differ. It means that your urine is higher quality than darker urine - which can hide more flaws.

[BrewCrewForever]

Lately I have been on a Murphy's Irish Stout and Sam Adams Boston Ale kick.

[jazzytrav]

So Budweiser takes out all the good stuff, says they're removing "flaws", and then says it's better? What a bunch of hacks. I hate beers that I can see through. If I can see through to the other side, that basically means they've removed everything that makes it beer (except the alcohol).

 

 

 

Not sure if it's been mentioned here yet cause I don't feel like reading through 8 pages of posts, but I've always been a big fan of Anchor Steam Brew. The bar that I frequent used to have it on tap, and that was much better, but now I can only find it in bottles.

[TooLiveBrew]

Steam/steem beers... gotta get 'em on tap, or at least on cask. Just not the same outta the bottle. For those in Madison/visiting Madison, the Great Dane has a nice steam beer... I'm just not sure when they typically brew it. I don't think there's any particular 'season' for it, per se. Tasty, though.