NT, What Beer Do You Drink?

[based mod]

NBA playoffs and case of Racer 5 today

How's the habanero sculpin? I've wanted to try it if it makes it's way east. My local brewery does a mango habanero IPA which is a struggle to drink cause it's just fire rolling down the throat

Don't care for habanero scuplin. More or less the same thing with added tingling sensation. I'd take the regular stuff over it

 

[Comparison Ford]

NBA playoffs and case of Racer 5 today

How's the habanero sculpin? I've wanted to try it if it makes it's way east. My local brewery does a mango habanero IPA which is a struggle to drink cause it's just fire rolling down the throat

Don't care for habanero scuplin. More or less the same thing with added tingling sensation. I'd take the regular stuff over it

I'm gonna write up a full review, but I'll give you a brief preview by saying this: the habanero does nothing to help the flavor.

 

[wallyhopp]

Super low key Saturday. I guess its the calm before some eventual storm.

Went by one local brewery/restaurant.. Too busy. Decided to call in some food at another place. 40 minutes until its ready to be picked up. Got my brewery map out and decided to detour to a place called Bosque Brewing.. They've been growing in size like crazy. I have sampled their beers once. We were short on time. I went with their Hefeweizen seasonal. 5.9% ABV, 12 IBU. Smell wise, there were strong hints of banana and some clove. Taste wise, it was a bit of a downer. The initial drink was quite par for the course with hefe's. But then I caught some strong hints of some sort of weird bitterness. Maybe it was the yeast? Mouthfeel was a touch light.

It wasn't terrible. But a step below what others in town produce. I gave them my $6 donation and was in and out within 15 minutes.. The other guy I was with got their Golden Ale.. Quite sweet for a 4.6% beer. Tasted like a lighter cream ale. Hints of wheat.. Very drinkable stuff. If they werent so far away, I would get growlers of that for the summer. Solid interpretation of a light blonde style ale. The scene in ABQ is shifting rapidly. Brewers moving from place to place. You kind of don't know what you are "really" drinking.. Apparently this Hefe was one of the newest breweries first beers here (he came from a place out in SF). Not knowing is kind of a good thing. You gives your pallete a sense of questioning if you only like something because of where it came from vs. the actual taste.

Tonight may be some growler piece we've been saving since last weekend, some IPAs, or some 2012 BBA stouts... Not sure where one begins the journey

 

[suberzat1]

Yo @Based Mod  did you drink any beer while you was in NOLA a few weeks ago?

 

[based mod]

Yo @Based Mod
 did you drink any beer while you was in NOLA a few weeks ago?

Not really. Just had some stuff from Abita at a food festival that was in the quarter. Really mediocre stuff unfortunately.

Thanks for the tips and the link to the other thread though!

 

[wallyhopp]

Any presence by Santa Fe Brewing out of New Mexico? They seem to be expanding slowly but surely. I find them a touch above average. Some places really need to step up for my $$$ though. LC and Marble do it at this point in time. I think they were out in LA just a little bit ago

It's about to go down! A couple months in the making. Life's too short to wait too long.

A solo imperial stout bout this holiday weekend. I couldn't find anyone to share these great beers. It's all me tonight. A slow sipping affair coming up

-Marble Brewery Imperial Stout.. The beer spent an entire year in reserve bourbon barrels. This was released November 2012. 11.0% ABV
- Deschutes The Abyss- 2012 Reserve. I believe this released Holiday season 2012.. 11.1 % abv. Best AFTER 11/01/13 date. This beers story states a certain % is aged in oak barrels, wine barrels, bourbon barrels etc..

I expect Abyss to carry through with the win. But Marble is highly underrated. This beer may surprise.. I'm super excited

Marble doesn't specifically have a yearly label. Just a small indication that it was MFG 11.02.2102 (i've seen the latest 2013 labels. So I just suspect a numerial error here. Not a beer from the future)

Both black waxed topped

let the fun begin..

 

[wallyhopp]

Probably my own fault here.. Two different beasts at play here.

I let both sit about an hour out of the fridge. After a couple hours, I expect to catch a great range of flavors.

Marble Imperial has a straight forward deep chocolate/slight coffee slight bourbon bite to it.. It reminds me of a Stone IRS in some regards Bourbon is layered within every drink. Not quite at the levels of BCBCS. But it's a very nice drinking imperial stout.. I'd be super impressed if this was a solo experience.

Both initially smelled very similiar upon popping the tops. It all changes as you start to pour. Abyss is AMAZING! Marble had a bit of a carbonated bite to it. Just a touch rough. Abyss tends to be entirely smooth all around. It's what's in the flavor though. For the smell, it slight hints of bourbon, very similar to Marble IS. Upon tasting and taking it all in, Abyss carries through with an amazing coffee roasted flavor, some bourbon, some wood, some chocolate notes, and some somewhat tart wine elements. How it was aged definitely plays into the layers here. It puts Marble IS to shame just a touch. It was an unfair fight from the beginning. Abyss definitely plays into the BCBCS line of thought with its surprising coffee/chocolate flavor combined with bourbon and the booze.

With Marble, I'm catching world class bourbon notes, and ONLY bourbon notes. It's less apparent than a BCBS. But the flavor is upfront and you know what youre getting all the way through.

 

[suberzat1]

Not really. Just had some stuff from Abita at a food festival that was in the quarter. Really mediocre stuff unfortunately.

Thanks for the tips and the link to the other thread though!

No problem son

 

[crumps brother]

With dinner tonight

 

[crumps brother]

Now dessert

 

[fresh112]

can anyone recommmend brewery out here in LA or Rancho cucamonga, I just moved here from seattle. I need some Growlers. 

I drink Dead Guy porter & Chainbreaker IPA at yardhouse

I drink OE, Mickeys & Miller light from Gas Stations

and corona or heiniken any time in between 

 

[GreenNGold89]

First time I've had this:

Solid.

 

[lifestooshort80]

can anyone recommmend brewery out here in LA or Rancho cucamonga, I just moved here from seattle. I need some Growlers. 


I drink Dead Guy porter & Chainbreaker IPA at yardhouse


I drink OE, Mickeys & Miller light from Gas Stations


and corona or heiniken any time in between 

if you're in rancho cucamonga / Inland empire area, check out hangar 24 in redlands.

 

[salazaro44]

Haven't been drinking much beer since I've been recovering from coachella. Gf and I walked into sprouts to get some grocerys tonight and they happened to have stones enjoy by 5.16.14. Picked up two bombers and man. This one is seriously amazing. Tastes almost identical to pliny the elder to me but it's a lot bigger on the nose. One of my fav enjoy bys so far.

 

[jbug88]

Sippin on this tonight

Not bad at all. Hides the 10.2% very well.
Cinnamon is there but very understated.

As far as local breweries, I'll make a list for you tomorrow. I'm most familiar with the South Bay, but I'll tell you what I know.

-J-

 

[fabolous22]

 

[wallyhopp]

Dam it neosole89. I went for two items, and walked away with four bombers , a 4 pack, and a elevated growler.

The main attraction
La Cumbre released their double, triple etc IPA today, Father Nelson

13 oz. served in a goblet for $7.
10.6% Abv. I forget the exact figures but the Fg was around. 1.008. og was near 1.088. This finished really really dry. Elevated is a touch above that and is considered dry so you know this ones different

Project dank had a sense of that dank hop smell. This is sorta close to that. But not really. Nelson sauvin hops do take center stage, hence the name Father Nelson on the beer. I get an overwhelming sense of fruity hops. Tropical fruits. Amazing smell.

I drank a small goblet and felt dizzy and nearly drunk. Almost hallucinating. Fricking world class stuff. I saw almost everyone who walked in for a try also walk out with bottles.

It's probably the most dangerous beer I've ever drank.

Once I got home I had to crack one open

As odd as this sounds, I'm catching burps that smell/taste almost like pickles. Not sure how that plays into anything

It's my day off. Wish me luck the rest of the day. I have noesole covered. But if anyone else wants a try, get at me today.

In comparison terms, I'd say father nelson is a touch like stone enjoy by. But this feels better crafted. Lighter in mouthfeel. How the hell do you get that accomplished at 10.6%? The hops feel smell and taste more lively with father nelson. It's of that same variety though

 

[jbug88]

Wally,
What's the IBU on that Father Nelson?
Dank for that matter...

 

[neosole89]

Dam it neosole89. I went for two items, and walked away with four bombers , a 4 pack, and a elevated growler.

The main attraction
La Cumbre released their double, triple etc IPA today, Father Nelson

13 oz. served in a goblet for $7.
10.6% Abv. I forget the exact figures but the Fg was around. 1.008. og was near 1.088. This finished really really dry. Elevated is a touch above that and is considered dry so you know this ones different

Project dank had a sense of that dank hop smell. This is sorta close to that. But not really. Nelson sauvin hops do take center stage, hence the name Father Nelson on the beer. I get an overwhelming sense of fruity hops. Tropical fruits. Amazing smell.

I drank a small goblet and felt dizzy and nearly drunk. Almost hallucinating. Fricking world class stuff. I saw almost everyone who walked in for a try also walk out with bottles.

It's probably the most dangerous beer I've ever drank.

Once I got home I had to crack one open

As odd as this sounds, I'm catching burps that smell/taste almost like pickles. Not sure how that plays into anything

It's my day off. Wish me luck the rest of the day. I have noesole covered. But if anyone else wants a try, get at me today.

In comparison terms, I'd say father nelson is a touch like stone enjoy by. But this feels better crafted. Lighter in mouthfeel. How the hell do you get that accomplished at 10.6%? The hops feel smell and taste more lively with father nelson. It's of that same variety though

That's usually what happens everytime I visit my local spot . Can't wait to try that Father Nelson!

 

[wallyhopp]

Label says "plenty". I believe they have stated 10 lbs of hops per barrel. I heard from some guys there that our mouth can't really detect anything above 100-120 ibu. So maybe maybe they went against that. 10 lb. Per barrel can be split in multiple ways. Dry hopping is all aroma. So they could've went 75% of hops there.

A little bit of math says , 31 gallons to a barrel. That's about 5 ounces per gallon of beer. For our home brews at 10 gal batch sizes, I don't think we ever got above 2 lbs. ( or 32 oz). LC would be at 50. Our happiest hombrew was around 70 ibu. This seems to double that in all regards.

I've tasted beers that tasted Hoppier or more biter. I may just be accustom to that hop taste now. I should've asked the two female patrons who ordered it up, what they thought? They did not seem like the Dipa type. it's a tough call. If I think about the hops, I can sense them and seek out the bitterness. Overall the hop sweetness and aroma balance is amazing

 

[jbug88]

can anyone recommmend brewery out here in LA or Rancho cucamonga, I just moved here from seattle. I need some Growlers. 


I drink Dead Guy porter & Chainbreaker IPA at yardhouse


I drink OE, Mickeys & Miller light from Gas Stations


and corona or heiniken any time in between 

So I said I would give an L.A. listing of breweries.
I know you said LA to Rancho, but the South Bay is my home turf.
Here goes:
South Bay (El Segundo, Beach Cities, Torrance, etc.) = so dense, it's a bit overwhelming.

Smog City Brewing Company – 1901 Del Amo Boulevard Torrance, CA 90501-1304
Hours: Wednesday/Thursday/Friday 4:00-9:00 PM, Saturday 12:00-8:00 PM, Sunday 12:00-6:00 PM

Monkish Brewing Company – 20311 S Western Avenue Torrance, CA 90501-1504
Hours: Thursday/Friday 4:00-9:00 PM, Saturday 1:00-8:00 PM, Sunday 1:00-6:00 PM
(Smog and Monkish are 1/4 mile from each other.)

King Harbor Brewing Company – 2907 182nd Street Redondo Beach, CA 90278-3922
Hours: Wednesday/Thursday/Friday 4:00-8:00 PM, Saturday 12:00-8:00 PM, Sunday 12:00-6:00 PM

Absolution Brewing Company – 2878 Columbia Street Torrance, CA 90503-3808
Hours: Wednesday/Thursday 3:00-9:00 PM, Friday/Saturday 11:00-9:00 PM, Sunday 12:00-6:00 PM

Strand Brewing Company – 23520 Telo Avenue Torrance, CA 90505-4013
Hours: Thursday/Friday 4:00-9:00 PM, Saturday 12:00-8:00 PM, Sunday 12:00-6:00 PM

The Brewery at Abigaile – 1301 Manhattan Avenue Hermosa Beach, CA 90254-3654
Hours: Monday thru Friday 5:00-12:00 AM, Saturday and Sunday 11:00 AM – 12:00 AM

El Segundo Brewing Company – 140 Main Street El Segundo, CA 90245-3801
Hours: Monday thru Thursday 4:00-9:00 PM, Friday 4:00-10:00 PM, Saturday 12:00-10:00 PM, Sunday 12:00-7:00 PM

I have had beers from 6 of those 7 breweries (Abigaile being the one I haven't) and they are all good.
Smog is my favorite by far, followed by Monkish. King Harbor and Absolution are newly opened (within the last 2 months). King Harbor is quality stuff. Absolution is just ok so far.
El Segundo are hop forward beers, but they do have a good stout.
Strand is all around good and the oldest of the South Bay Breweries.


Los Angeles:
Angel City Brewery - 216 S Alameda St, Los Angeles
Eagle Rock Brewery - 3065 Roswell St, Los Angeles
Golden Road Brewing - 5430 W San Fernando Rd, Los Angeles
Ohana Brewing Company - 1756 E 23rd St, Los Angeles (although their tasting room is in Alhambra)

Progress Brewing - 1822 Chico Ave., South El Monte (formally Federal Brewing) - probably had this beer almost as much as the South Bay stuff. My homebrew partner lives 5 minutes from here. Really, really good beer.

I've had beers from all 5 places. Good stuff. Ohana just won a silver in the World Beer Cup for Belgian-and French-style Ale category for its Ohana Saison Noir beer

If you divert down to Orange County:
The Bruery - 715 Dunn Way, Placentia
Noble Ale Works - 1621 S Sinclair St, Anaheim
Bootlegger's Brewery - 130 S Highland Ave, Fullerton
Tustin Brewing Company - 13011 Newport Avenue #100, Tustin

As far as I know, all these places do growler fills. I will warn you though. SOme of them are strict on what growlers they will fill. Typically will only fill their own. It's weird. I have no clue what the law is these days. Each brewery will give you a different answer. I know Monkish and Smog don't fill blanks, but I think Progress will.

Cheers, enjoy and if you are ever down in the South Bay, shoot me a PM and we can meet up for a beer.
That goes for any of you other knuckleheads in here, too.

-J-

 

[crumps brother]

 

[crumps brother]

 

[Comparison Ford]

Taking the night off tonight.  Might as well write some reviews:

I've been holding onto this one for a few months now.  Wasn't really intending on letting it sit, but I just procrastinated about getting around to drinking it.  However, my fridge was virtually empty so I decided to crack this open.  Appearance is everything you'd expect for an imperial stout.  Aroma is obviously roasty, but the espresso notes aren't well-defined.  Taste on this didn't really do it for me.  Nice stout characteristics, the hoppiness you find in regular Yeti is gone, but the oak-aging didn't do much good for the flavor, in my opinion.  Almost tasted like a burning tire.  Not much espresso either.  Not the worst stout I've ever had, just not something I'd buy again. 8.6/10

Next up is something I've wanted to try for awhile.  Having been extremely pleased with Another One and after seeing that this gets better reviews on BeerAdvocate, I was excited. Bottled on 3/25 and opened 10 days later.  This one is bottle conditioned, but it pours a nice, slightly translucent amber color with a head that you'd expect to find on an APA or IPA.  Smell on this is out of this world.  Up there with Hopslam and Westy 12 as my favorite smelling beers.  Straight citrus/tropical fruits.  Not intense, but just really, really pleasant.  Taste is where it falls off a bit.  Not too much, but just a bit.  The aromas match the flavor, it just seems a little watered-down.  Not as intense as I was hoping for.  On the bright side, the flavors were great, it drank really easily, and was an overall excellent beer.  Pricey, but good as an occasional treat. 9.3/10

Next one I see a lot of people talking about on the BeerAdvocate forums.  It seems to get a good amount of praise, so I figured I'd try it. Said best by 06/11/14 on the bottle, so I don't think this is the freshest bottle of it.  Regardless, pours an amber color similar to that of Nugget Nectar.  Nose on this one is bready, caramel malts.  Almost reminds me of an American barleywine. Not picking up any hops, really.  I'm assuming this beer has seen better days.  Taste is similar.  Like a toned down American barleywine.  Hops are there, but they're pretty much straight pine and the caramel malt dominates.  Meh.  Wish I could have had a fresher bottle, but if this is indicative of how good this beer is I'm not particularly impressed.  Wouldn't seek out again. 7.7/10

.

I've been sitting on two bottles of this for about 2-3 months now.  One from da god at the beer distributor, and one from @Neosole89. Skeptical about how good Bourbon County would be when fruit is added to it, I couldn't say no to this one.  This one is 12.7% ABV and is is aged in Templeton Rye barrels, to which mulberries, boysenberries, and marionberries are added.  This one pours just like BCBS and the other variants.  Thick, mild carbonation, and a head that dissipates almost immediately.  You can see specks of something in this one, probably the berries.  Speaking of the berries, they dominate the aroma.  Smells like the dankest jam that's ever danked. Slight stout and rye notes in the background, but the berries really shine through.  Taste is a little more balanced.  The berries in there are big, but they mix so nicely with the stout and the rye notes.  Tart, sweet, roasty, creamy chocolatey, and a little bit of spice from the rye.  Awesome.  For 12.7%, this is such a treat to drink.  Split the 2nd bottle I had of it last night with two friends who don't like the bourbon-bomb that is BCBS.  They didn't believe that the variants  could be more subdued, but after they drank this they were believers.  Probably gonna try to find another bottle.  Really fantastic stuff. 10/10

Next up is one that I haven't had in awhile.  First time I had it I thought it was medicinal and metallic, second time I had it someone offered me a can at a party where there was only Miller High Life and I thought it was great, so I hoped a third time would give me some confirmation.  Pours a brownish-amber color with a pretty big head that dissipates at a moderate pace.  Based off of aroma alone I could already tell that my first impression of the beer was closer to truth than my second time around.  Medicinal and metallic on the nose and the taste, slight pine characteristic from the hops, but the unpleasant flavors really shine through.  Not the first time I've had this problem with Sixpoint beers.  Hi-Res blows this one out of the water.  I don't even know why they're given a similar name.  They're not really comparable.  Hi-Res is like a more intensely tropical version of Hopslam.  I don't get anything remotely similar in this beer.  Wouldn't recommend. 7.0/10

This next one I picked up for the sheer purpose of putting my new weizen glass to use 

.  Having enjoyed the original hefe weissbier, I figured this had to be good too.  Looks like a brown ale had sex with a hefeweizen.  Brown, cloudy, with a big soapy head.  Huge amount of carbonation on this one.  Not surprising.  Aroma on this one is quite nice.  The banana and cloves are there, but this one gives you some more dark fruits and smells a bit more intense.  So far, so good.  Taste matches the nose perfectly, and it's quite nice.  Mouthfeel is a bit creamier and full-bodied.  Drinks like a 5.3% beer should.  Another great beer from Weihenstephaner, and for a great price. I'll be seeing a lot more of this this summer.  9.3/10

Lastly, we have Habanero Sculpin. I had to try this one out of sheer curiosity.  I missed the boat on it last year.  Got a growler from da god at the beer distributor.  Pours a deep golden color with a typical IPA/APA head.  Didn't catch much heat upon the first whiff, but it started coming through more and more as it warmed up.  Other than that, smells just like OG Sculpin.  Taste is where things go south.  You can tell the base beer is there for a second, then it's straight habanero heat to the point where that's all you taste.  After about 3 sips you're completely over it.  This would be cool if it came in 2 ounce bottles 

.  Anything more is simply undrinkable.  Happy I tried it, certainly won't be drinking it again. 3.5/10

 

[digital022]

I tried BCBS for the first time yesterday alongside 2013 & 2014 Parabola.

I love the fact that BCBS comes in 12 oz. bottles, and it is a great value at roughly .50/oz.

In terms of personal preference I thought 2014 Parabola > 2013 Parabola > BCBS.

Don't know if the Parabola recipe changed from last year to this year but the 2014 seemed better balanced and smoother than 2013.

I also tried The Lost Abbey's Agave Maria. I've never had anything like it. I wasn't sure what to expect from a tequila barrel-aged brew but I must say it was quite enjoyable.