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Son they re-up with 40 more each. Its no telling how much they have in the back.
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Been seriously slacking with the reviews. I'm gonna keep these brief. Buckle up, everyone.
Kuhnhenn Double Rice IPA- Growler was lacking carbonation, but this beer was pretty fantastic. Very astringent taste dominated by grassy, floral, and some piney notes. Also a little citrus. Very crisp and easy-drinking for the ABV. Obviously a world-class beer when it's not so flat. Definitely worth checking out. 9.7/10
Firestone Walker Sucaba (2013)- This one's a re-review. Didn't enjoy it as much as I did the first few times I had it. I don't know if my tastes have changed or if the beer simply fell off. Lots of dark fruits and bourbon notes, obviously. Probably my least favorite when compared to Parabola and Double DBA. Still a pretty great beer though. Won't go crazy looking for it anymore. 9.4/10
Oude Geuze Tilquin A L'Ancienne- My tastes really must be changing because I straight up couldn't handle this beer. A funky sour, vinegar, gym sock-esque flavor. Took four sips and poured it down the drain. Not my bag, baby. 4.0/10
Alesmith Speedway Stout- Really enjoyed this one. Roasty and chocolatey with just the right amount of coffee. Alcohol presence is virtually nonexistent. I would buy this beer a lot more often if it wasn't so expensive. Seek it out if you haven't already. 9.8/10
Firestone Walker Parabola (2014)- I've had this twice before (the 2010 and 2011 batches), and this one was miles ahead of them. So balanced and easy to drink for a beer with such a high ABV. The only other barrel-aged imperial stouts that I enjoyed more are BCBCS and BCBBR. We have a winner. 10/10
Green Flash West Coast IPA- Trying out the new recipe. Like Palette Wrecker, this is very malt-forward. Mostly caramel malts, some pine, and virtually no citrus/tropical fruits. Not a fan of this one. Won't be buying again. 8.4/10
Cigar City Hopped on the High Seas with Calypso- This beer smells pretty good, but the taste is another story. An unpleasant bitterness with an off-putting, almost blue cheese-esque flavor. Drank one can and gave the rest away. Ya dun goofed, Cigar City. Consequences will never be the same. 7.2/10
Founders All Day IPA- First session IPA I've ever tried. Somewhat floral and grassy with just a hint of citrus. Tastes a little watered-down, but I didn't really expect this to be an in-your-face beer. Wasn't upset by this. I understand its appeal and will probably end up buying it again this summer. 9.1/10
Pretty Things Meadowlark IPA- Recommended to me by the dude behind the counter and a small craft beer boutique shop a few towns over. Sweet and malty. Not intensely hoppy, but a slight fruity flavor to it. Wasn't particularly impressed, but it wasn't particularly awful either. Won't be buying again. Not worth it. 8.5/10
Almanac Farmer's Reserve Pluot- Never had anything from them, so I decided to pull the trigger on this. Any of the subtle flavors in this beer are overpowered by how intensely sour it is. Wish the pluots played a bigger role. Not a sour fan, but this one was bearable (for the most part). Still drainpoured the last 1/4 or so. I tried. 8.0/10
Ithaca Flower Power- New recipe. Nice orange zest/citrus flavor, but not as good as the old recipe. I appreciate that they switched to a bottling date rather than a best-by date though. Worthy of buying again. 9.2/10
Westbrook Gose- This one really surprised me. As someone that doesn't enjoy sours, this one is very enjoyable. The sourness is pretty subdued, and the salt actually complements it really nicely. Almost tastes like a salty lemonade. The mix of tart and salty leaves you salivating and licking your lips after every sip. I could definitely get down with this on a hot summer day. Will be buying again. Color me impressed. 9.6/10
Evil Twin Imperial Doughnut Break- Good for what it is, just not something I could drink even semi-regularly. Really sweet, but considering the name of the beer I can't act surprised by that. Some roasted qualities, the coffee is there a bit, but the sweetness dominates over everything else. More of a one-night-stand beer than a relationship beer. Feel me? 9.0/10
Kuhnhenn Double Rice IPA- Growler was lacking carbonation, but this beer was pretty fantastic. Very astringent taste dominated by grassy, floral, and some piney notes. Also a little citrus. Very crisp and easy-drinking for the ABV. Obviously a world-class beer when it's not so flat. Definitely worth checking out. 9.7/10
Firestone Walker Sucaba (2013)- This one's a re-review. Didn't enjoy it as much as I did the first few times I had it. I don't know if my tastes have changed or if the beer simply fell off. Lots of dark fruits and bourbon notes, obviously. Probably my least favorite when compared to Parabola and Double DBA. Still a pretty great beer though. Won't go crazy looking for it anymore. 9.4/10
Oude Geuze Tilquin A L'Ancienne- My tastes really must be changing because I straight up couldn't handle this beer. A funky sour, vinegar, gym sock-esque flavor. Took four sips and poured it down the drain. Not my bag, baby. 4.0/10
Alesmith Speedway Stout- Really enjoyed this one. Roasty and chocolatey with just the right amount of coffee. Alcohol presence is virtually nonexistent. I would buy this beer a lot more often if it wasn't so expensive. Seek it out if you haven't already. 9.8/10
Firestone Walker Parabola (2014)- I've had this twice before (the 2010 and 2011 batches), and this one was miles ahead of them. So balanced and easy to drink for a beer with such a high ABV. The only other barrel-aged imperial stouts that I enjoyed more are BCBCS and BCBBR. We have a winner. 10/10
Green Flash West Coast IPA- Trying out the new recipe. Like Palette Wrecker, this is very malt-forward. Mostly caramel malts, some pine, and virtually no citrus/tropical fruits. Not a fan of this one. Won't be buying again. 8.4/10
Cigar City Hopped on the High Seas with Calypso- This beer smells pretty good, but the taste is another story. An unpleasant bitterness with an off-putting, almost blue cheese-esque flavor. Drank one can and gave the rest away. Ya dun goofed, Cigar City. Consequences will never be the same. 7.2/10
Founders All Day IPA- First session IPA I've ever tried. Somewhat floral and grassy with just a hint of citrus. Tastes a little watered-down, but I didn't really expect this to be an in-your-face beer. Wasn't upset by this. I understand its appeal and will probably end up buying it again this summer. 9.1/10
Pretty Things Meadowlark IPA- Recommended to me by the dude behind the counter and a small craft beer boutique shop a few towns over. Sweet and malty. Not intensely hoppy, but a slight fruity flavor to it. Wasn't particularly impressed, but it wasn't particularly awful either. Won't be buying again. Not worth it. 8.5/10
Almanac Farmer's Reserve Pluot- Never had anything from them, so I decided to pull the trigger on this. Any of the subtle flavors in this beer are overpowered by how intensely sour it is. Wish the pluots played a bigger role. Not a sour fan, but this one was bearable (for the most part). Still drainpoured the last 1/4 or so. I tried. 8.0/10
Ithaca Flower Power- New recipe. Nice orange zest/citrus flavor, but not as good as the old recipe. I appreciate that they switched to a bottling date rather than a best-by date though. Worthy of buying again. 9.2/10
Westbrook Gose- This one really surprised me. As someone that doesn't enjoy sours, this one is very enjoyable. The sourness is pretty subdued, and the salt actually complements it really nicely. Almost tastes like a salty lemonade. The mix of tart and salty leaves you salivating and licking your lips after every sip. I could definitely get down with this on a hot summer day. Will be buying again. Color me impressed. 9.6/10
Evil Twin Imperial Doughnut Break- Good for what it is, just not something I could drink even semi-regularly. Really sweet, but considering the name of the beer I can't act surprised by that. Some roasted qualities, the coffee is there a bit, but the sweetness dominates over everything else. More of a one-night-stand beer than a relationship beer. Feel me? 9.0/10
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Vietnamese Speedway Stout:
Be mad bros.
Be mad bros.
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Nice reviews
Comparison Ford
. I'm sipping on a GF West Coast IPA as we speak. Definitely agree with your assessment but i do think it's better than the original 7.3 ABV variety.
Going to crack open a can of HT later tonight and pour it into a glass to compare with the one I had from the can a few weeks back.
Edit: Just saw your post @Based God. How is it?
Comparison Ford
. I'm sipping on a GF West Coast IPA as we speak. Definitely agree with your assessment but i do think it's better than the original 7.3 ABV variety.Going to crack open a can of HT later tonight and pour it into a glass to compare with the one I had from the can a few weeks back.
Edit: Just saw your post @Based God. How is it?
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i Definitely cant get down with IPAs that are too malt forward. I need either a true balance or HOP flavors everywhere. If I wanted malts, I would go for a scotch, red, amber, or brown ale.
Solid set of reviews Comparison Ford. I tend to now regret my chance to purchase alesmith speedway stout after having it in a trade these past few months and passing it up for some random beers. I thought it was good. but the price was hard to justify. An aged Abyss was stellar. Speedway stout didnt seem to have that wow factor. Stone IRS could be bought in 2x quantity price wise... I have some YETI to try soon, so we shall see. My cache of stouts is building nicely for a fall/winter tasting. I want to forget what is in the fridge waiting so I dont get too tempted...
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AZ beer tasting took almost no time at all to sit in a fridge. We threw 11 in the freezer for about 90 minutes and got to sampling.. We went in order from lightest in flavor to the most extreme (IPA)... ie Pilseners, fruits, reds, ambers, then IPAs.
Run down in spoiler
Overall with AZ beers that I tried, solid representation. I can;t say they are blowing me away too much. But they are at least at the level of a Sam Adams, New Belgium, or other largescale Microbrewery. I'm waiting for that breakout beer that I've seen come out of NM. I'm sure it'll happen sooner or later
For the non AZ beers, we may or may not go with a sampling. It may just be a one beer a day sort of thing. We shall see
Solid set of reviews Comparison Ford. I tend to now regret my chance to purchase alesmith speedway stout after having it in a trade these past few months and passing it up for some random beers. I thought it was good. but the price was hard to justify. An aged Abyss was stellar. Speedway stout didnt seem to have that wow factor. Stone IRS could be bought in 2x quantity price wise... I have some YETI to try soon, so we shall see. My cache of stouts is building nicely for a fall/winter tasting. I want to forget what is in the fridge waiting so I dont get too tempted...
------------------------------
AZ beer tasting took almost no time at all to sit in a fridge. We threw 11 in the freezer for about 90 minutes and got to sampling.. We went in order from lightest in flavor to the most extreme (IPA)... ie Pilseners, fruits, reds, ambers, then IPAs.
Run down in spoiler
1. Grand Canyon Brewing Pilsener.. Tasted more like a blonde ale. Slightly fruity. Crisp... I consider this one a SOLID choice. No off flavors. Solid job
2. Four Peaks Peach Ale- This one reminds me of a Pyramid Apricot Ale. Some fruit beers try to go too far and create off flavors. This one had a fruity smell for sure but kept it really balanced. Even the non fruit beer drinkers liked this
3. Mudshark Brewing Company... Lake Havablue... Blueberry summer beer. I've had bad experiences with blueberry based beers. This one set me back into appreciating them. No off flavors like 90% of what I have tried before. It doesnt get sweet and then get bitter. Balance is key. It's a very light beer base but doesnt tend to get too sweet, only to throw in some bitterness. I LIKE this one
4. SanTan Hefe- Very light in the tradtional hefe yeast and fruity flavors. I can't say that its too bad. But its a touch above average. For sure above Shiner Hefeweizen ( to give you an example)
5. Four Peaks Sunbru. Kolsch Style Ale- This seemed to be the favorite among the 4 that sampled.. Light crisp. Lighter in flavor than the first pilsener. I don't know if its a weather related thing or because of brewing rules, but most of these beers stayed below 7%. Drinkability was key for the night
6. Four Peaks Kilt Lifter- Scottish style ale.. At 6%, the flavors seemed to be really subdued. No dominating factor at all. I expected a little more flavor.. So far, the lighter based beers dominated the evening as far as favorites
7. Prescott Brewing Amber Ale... Very basic malt forward beer. Can;t say it's too memorable. But by no means a terrible drain pour.. So far every AZ beer has been drinkable (Az wilderness sour was a tough one though lol)
8. Four Peaks english style pale ale.. I felt the kolsch and the GC pilsener had more flavor than what this was trying to accomplish.. I expected some hops but nothing really stood out at all
9. Santan Hop Shock IPA-- Very very very bitter but quite a bit malty... I cant say its balanced or too drinkable.. Just kinda there
10. Camelback IPA- Another malt forward IPA. tasted a bit heavy. Not a drain pour but average imho
11. Four peaks Hop Knot IPA-- Probably the best IPA we had among the three. Nice crisp citrus and slight IPA smell and bite. It tasted very fresh and lively hop wise. Given its ABV, I can appreciate what this place is trying to accomplish.
2. Four Peaks Peach Ale- This one reminds me of a Pyramid Apricot Ale. Some fruit beers try to go too far and create off flavors. This one had a fruity smell for sure but kept it really balanced. Even the non fruit beer drinkers liked this
3. Mudshark Brewing Company... Lake Havablue... Blueberry summer beer. I've had bad experiences with blueberry based beers. This one set me back into appreciating them. No off flavors like 90% of what I have tried before. It doesnt get sweet and then get bitter. Balance is key. It's a very light beer base but doesnt tend to get too sweet, only to throw in some bitterness. I LIKE this one
4. SanTan Hefe- Very light in the tradtional hefe yeast and fruity flavors. I can't say that its too bad. But its a touch above average. For sure above Shiner Hefeweizen ( to give you an example)
5. Four Peaks Sunbru. Kolsch Style Ale- This seemed to be the favorite among the 4 that sampled.. Light crisp. Lighter in flavor than the first pilsener. I don't know if its a weather related thing or because of brewing rules, but most of these beers stayed below 7%. Drinkability was key for the night
6. Four Peaks Kilt Lifter- Scottish style ale.. At 6%, the flavors seemed to be really subdued. No dominating factor at all. I expected a little more flavor.. So far, the lighter based beers dominated the evening as far as favorites
7. Prescott Brewing Amber Ale... Very basic malt forward beer. Can;t say it's too memorable. But by no means a terrible drain pour.. So far every AZ beer has been drinkable (Az wilderness sour was a tough one though lol)
8. Four Peaks english style pale ale.. I felt the kolsch and the GC pilsener had more flavor than what this was trying to accomplish.. I expected some hops but nothing really stood out at all
9. Santan Hop Shock IPA-- Very very very bitter but quite a bit malty... I cant say its balanced or too drinkable.. Just kinda there
10. Camelback IPA- Another malt forward IPA. tasted a bit heavy. Not a drain pour but average imho
11. Four peaks Hop Knot IPA-- Probably the best IPA we had among the three. Nice crisp citrus and slight IPA smell and bite. It tasted very fresh and lively hop wise. Given its ABV, I can appreciate what this place is trying to accomplish.
For the non AZ beers, we may or may not go with a sampling. It may just be a one beer a day sort of thing. We shall see
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LAte on a Monday night, me (mostly) and the wife just killed our killed a growler of the local brewery's anniversary strong saison. 8.3%. And I decided to drink the last Pliny in my fridge. Goodnight y'all.
I have to work tomorrow?
I have to work tomorrow?
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Dos XX's. taste like Old English but without a funky after taste
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I'm very jelly. How's the coffee taste?Vietnamese Speedway Stout:
Be mad bros.
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first time posting in here, do Bevmos tend to have keg's of Miller Lite on deck? Friend is throwing a party and we might need one or two.
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Nice reviews
Going to crack open a can of HT later tonight and pour it into a glass to compare with the one I had from the can a few weeks back.
Edit: Just saw your post @Based God. How is it?
It was perfect. Like the regular SS but with the delicateness found in milk stouts. I'm sure it being served from a cask had a hand in that velvety-smooth touch. Very coffee forward as expected, which for me is a really, really good thing. Alcohol completely hidden until you've finished your glass and things start to blur. I'll take this over BCBCS any day (but I'm not a big BA person, so there's that).
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Man ya'll gotta put together an NT top ten.
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I feel like it would be hard to come to a consensus that everyone is satisfied with, but I'll give my own personal Top 10 beers that I've ever had:
1. Goose Island-Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout
2. Firestone Walker- Double DBA
3. La Cumbre- Elevated IPA
4. The Alchemist- Heady Topper
5. Goose Island- Bourbon County Backyard Rye
6. Brasserie Dieu Du Ciel- Peche Mortel
7. Firestone Walker- Parabola
8. Maine Brewing Company- Another One
9. Bell's- Two Hearted Ale
10. Russian River- Pliny the Elder
Honorable Mentions: Founders-Breakfast Stout, Mikkeller-Beer Geek Brunch Weasel, Lagunitas-Sucks, Sam Adams-Utopias, The Bruery- Black Tuesday
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My buddy just sent me this; so jealous and they have pickled watermelon wings too
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If it makes you feel any better, Three Floyds' Brewpub gets a lot of criticism over on BeerAdvocate. A common complaint is that their staff is very rude, uppity, and not very helpful. They seem to have the mentality of "you need us more than we need you."
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One thing I love about Northern Va grocery stores, they'll have a nice craft brewery section. I'll check some of those out.
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My personal top 10. Currently. This list will change by next month.
1. Pliny the Elder
2. Smog City California Love
3. Allagash Curieux
4. Westvletern 12
5. Parabola
6. The Abyss
7. Stone Enjoy By
8. Weihenstephaner Vitus
9. Bell's Oberon
10. My first batch of homebrew
Just like C-Ford, these are beers I've actually had.
-J-
1. Pliny the Elder
2. Smog City California Love
3. Allagash Curieux
4. Westvletern 12
5. Parabola
6. The Abyss
7. Stone Enjoy By
8. Weihenstephaner Vitus
9. Bell's Oberon
10. My first batch of homebrew
Just like C-Ford, these are beers I've actually had.
-J-
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Having a bottle share tomorrow with a few friends tomorrow. Excited for the chocolate rain!
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What year is that Chocolate Rain? I've had some of the 2014 and it tasted every bit of 18.5%. It was a "hot" one.
Having a bottle share tomorrow with a few friends tomorrow. Excited for the chocolate rain!
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Let us know how Sucre is. I really liked Bois and Fruet.
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Top 10 list? Tough call. Id have to think and recollect this thread for sure
Tonight's new tries:
FW pivo pils. Bottle says 1/31/14. I expected worse.
Definitely a pilsner like lightness and brightness. Hops were way subdued almost to the point of being a normal pils. But I really really enjoyed the aroma and taste. ba score guess 86
Founders rdy hopped pale ale.
3/26 bottle date. Medium mouthfeel. Very balanced flavor. Just kind of eh for me though. Definitely does a good Ipa substitute if you want a lighter Ipa flavor.
Ba score guess 87
Revisited la cumbre elevated Ipa yesterday. A month old cans now. Still has explosive hop smell and that tropical fruit flavor that I can't really find out of other IPAs yet. New reviewers have been low balling many of these beers lately. Not sure why.
Tonight's new tries:
FW pivo pils. Bottle says 1/31/14. I expected worse.
Definitely a pilsner like lightness and brightness. Hops were way subdued almost to the point of being a normal pils. But I really really enjoyed the aroma and taste. ba score guess 86
Founders rdy hopped pale ale.
3/26 bottle date. Medium mouthfeel. Very balanced flavor. Just kind of eh for me though. Definitely does a good Ipa substitute if you want a lighter Ipa flavor.
Ba score guess 87
Revisited la cumbre elevated Ipa yesterday. A month old cans now. Still has explosive hop smell and that tropical fruit flavor that I can't really find out of other IPAs yet. New reviewers have been low balling many of these beers lately. Not sure why.
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200 pages
Good thread, guys.
Good thread, guys.
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Two hearted ALE ..Seek that out.. That crisp clean carbonated finish is killer... 7%? It makes that dry hopped pale ale by Founders seem like junk.. It really does for me at least.. I wil say, its probably more of a pale ale if it wasnt for the 7% abv because the hops never really leave you with that bomb bitterness. I shoulda just got a case of that 
ps, i think around july 2012 with the NT switchover, we lost like 10-20 pages of content. This thread has grown a ton.
Tonight,, DBA, double bastard, velvet merlin, and sculpin.. Livin the life
ps, i think around july 2012 with the NT switchover, we lost like 10-20 pages of content. This thread has grown a ton.
Tonight,, DBA, double bastard, velvet merlin, and sculpin.. Livin the life
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Two Hearted really is my jam. That's my go-to beer when I can't find anything new or interesting. Can't wait until the 4-packs of pint cans hit Long Island.Two hearted ALE ..Seek that out.. That crisp clean carbonated finish is killer... 7%? It makes that dry hopped pale ale by Founders seem like junk.. It really does for me at least.. I wil say, its probably more of a pale ale if it wasnt for the 7% abv because the hops never really leave you with that bomb bitterness. I shoulda just got a case of that
ps, i think around july 2012 with the NT switchover, we lost like 10-20 pages of content. This thread has grown a ton.
Tonight,, DBA, double bastard, velvet merlin, and sculpin.. Livin the life
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What this hitting for fellas?
http://slickdeals.net/f/6958410-samuel-adams-rebel-ipa-12-pack-4-91-sams-club-ymmv?src=pdw
http://slickdeals.net/f/6958410-samuel-adams-rebel-ipa-12-pack-4-91-sams-club-ymmv?src=pdw
