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Gonna have to take a look. I'm in MD for the summer and all they have is crappy Flying Dog, Duclaw, and Natty Boh.
Whenever I go to the liquor store I grab Stone IPA or 60 minute. Can't even find Two Hearted smh
Whenever I go to the liquor store I grab Stone IPA or 60 minute. Can't even find Two Hearted smh
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Sup NT fam. I'll be flying out to Scottsdale for business next week . Any spots worth checking out?
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Md did suck for beer when I lived there. Va is the opposite.
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trelvis tha thrilla
Guest
Beer mail!!
Finally tried Pliny the Elder. Its a good beer but doesnt live up to the hype
Finally tried Pliny the Elder. Its a good beer but doesnt live up to the hype
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Pretty much my stance on Pliny as well. It's good, but when I can go out and buy a bomber of Hop Stoopid for 4-5 bucks I really don't see the point of going out of your way for it. Too many amazing IPAs these days to get hung up on it.
Supplication, on the other hand...boy howdy.
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trelvis tha thrilla
Guest
I love supplication. Im a fan of all the Russian River beers. Wish they were easier to get in Texas.
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I hear ya. I've been wanting to try Beatification for a while now.
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Frenzied last couple of days.It's nice to catch up a bit.. Nice update guys.
I mentioned a month back about a big family reunion type event we do in July. We've been incorporating homebrew since 2011 and this year was no different.
Talk about a brew day from hell though. I never thought this beer would see the end of the tunnel
Initially our wort chiller (when beer is done boiling, you want to get it down to room temp ASAP) was spotted leaking about 5 minutes before we needed it. So this beer sat at 210 and cooled down to probably 150 degrees on its own, over the course of 2 hours... Eventually we had to use our serving/fermentation kegs to hold the beer and we then threw them in a ice filled bathtub.. What shouldve taken 25 minutes ended up taking 3+ hours... Our initial concerns were that we may need to dump this batch.
We then had some yeast issues as what I wanted to use ended up being sold out and/or way too outdated. I ended up using some older yeast, and even making some starters. I guess it just wasn't enough yeast because the beer fermented but got stuck at 1.020 and 1.030.. They started out 1.070 and 1.060, so luckily there was still some alcohol in there.
The end result
On the left:
~6% IPA.. We used 5 types of hops. Columbus and Cascade for bittering. Chinook, Nelson sauvin, Simcoe, and Sorachi Ace for aroma.. 7 days after fermentation (it lagged so timing the dry hopping was tough) I dry hopped with Sorachi Ace, Nelson Sauvin, and Simcoe.
Smell wise, I was a bit let down. I dont think I used enough hops, as it just never really exploded onto my nose. I know this for the next time...
Taste wise, with FG so high, I knew the sweetness factor would be there.. That ended up being to the beers advantage as it masked the bitterness.. I really liked the mouth bitterness on this beer. At 65 IBU, that seems ideal for the crowd that gathered.. Most said they hated IPAs before hand. But kind of fell in love with this one. I compare it to a poor mans Dale's Pale Ale.
On the right (and below):
~5 Blonde Ale... A very classic example of a lighter "craft beer". The sweetness factor once again played nicely for this beer. It had a hefeweizen like heaviness. I captured some nice tasting notes and smells of the malt (like some great pilsners do). Kind of like a toastedness. Maybe buttery a bit, which I hear is a bad thing in beer.
In different lighting and glass, its starting to clear up nicely.
The brew day from hell beer has been throwing all sorts of curveballs at us.The fridge housing the Blonde busted two weekends ago so the clarity really suffered, as floaties started reappearing in the beer. Luckily I got it fixed with two days to spare.. Worst of all, the beer is tasting and looking better and better as we get down to having just ounces left.
I can really see how home brewers think they can brew commercially. They have all these friends and family saying they would pay money for their beer. It is no different here. People liked it. I dont know of any who are "snobs" or "advocates". So that market for "new" or fresh" "AVERAGE" beer seems to be growing by the truckload.
ps. I think I drank 4 project danks, and 16 elevated IPAs along the way. my untappd would not take kindly to repeats lol
I mentioned a month back about a big family reunion type event we do in July. We've been incorporating homebrew since 2011 and this year was no different.
Talk about a brew day from hell though. I never thought this beer would see the end of the tunnel
Initially our wort chiller (when beer is done boiling, you want to get it down to room temp ASAP) was spotted leaking about 5 minutes before we needed it. So this beer sat at 210 and cooled down to probably 150 degrees on its own, over the course of 2 hours... Eventually we had to use our serving/fermentation kegs to hold the beer and we then threw them in a ice filled bathtub.. What shouldve taken 25 minutes ended up taking 3+ hours... Our initial concerns were that we may need to dump this batch.
We then had some yeast issues as what I wanted to use ended up being sold out and/or way too outdated. I ended up using some older yeast, and even making some starters. I guess it just wasn't enough yeast because the beer fermented but got stuck at 1.020 and 1.030.. They started out 1.070 and 1.060, so luckily there was still some alcohol in there.
The end result
On the left:
~6% IPA.. We used 5 types of hops. Columbus and Cascade for bittering. Chinook, Nelson sauvin, Simcoe, and Sorachi Ace for aroma.. 7 days after fermentation (it lagged so timing the dry hopping was tough) I dry hopped with Sorachi Ace, Nelson Sauvin, and Simcoe.
Smell wise, I was a bit let down. I dont think I used enough hops, as it just never really exploded onto my nose. I know this for the next time...
Taste wise, with FG so high, I knew the sweetness factor would be there.. That ended up being to the beers advantage as it masked the bitterness.. I really liked the mouth bitterness on this beer. At 65 IBU, that seems ideal for the crowd that gathered.. Most said they hated IPAs before hand. But kind of fell in love with this one. I compare it to a poor mans Dale's Pale Ale.
On the right (and below):
~5 Blonde Ale... A very classic example of a lighter "craft beer". The sweetness factor once again played nicely for this beer. It had a hefeweizen like heaviness. I captured some nice tasting notes and smells of the malt (like some great pilsners do). Kind of like a toastedness. Maybe buttery a bit, which I hear is a bad thing in beer.
In different lighting and glass, its starting to clear up nicely.
The brew day from hell beer has been throwing all sorts of curveballs at us.The fridge housing the Blonde busted two weekends ago so the clarity really suffered, as floaties started reappearing in the beer. Luckily I got it fixed with two days to spare.. Worst of all, the beer is tasting and looking better and better as we get down to having just ounces left.
I can really see how home brewers think they can brew commercially. They have all these friends and family saying they would pay money for their beer. It is no different here. People liked it. I dont know of any who are "snobs" or "advocates". So that market for "new" or fresh" "AVERAGE" beer seems to be growing by the truckload.
ps. I think I drank 4 project danks, and 16 elevated IPAs along the way. my untappd would not take kindly to repeats lol
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Stone Go To IPA:
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^One of the better session IPAs. It's a style that I didn't really go nuts over at first, but they're definitely growing on me.
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Once again, I've been slacking hard on reviews. Gonna keep these really brief:
Against The Grain-Citra *** Down: Great name and bottle. Citrusy, but there's way better citra-hopped beers out there...especially for the price. Nice to try, but won't be buying again. 8.8/10
Anderson Valley- The Kimmie, The Yink, and the Holy Gose: Less sour and salty than Westbrook's. This is closer to a wheat beer. Good, but another beer I won't buy again. 8.5/10
Stone-Go-To IPA: Intensely hoppy for what it is. Citrus, pine, and some onion/garlic dankness. A strong competitor against All Day IPA. A worthy purchase. 9.0/10
Victory- Moving Parts IPA: An upsetting offering when compared to DirtWolf and Hop Ranch. Bad move on the use of German malts and hops. Good price, but not something to go out of your way for. 8.3/10
Stone- RuinTen IPA: Agree with others that this is too malty for a fresh IPA. The hop presence that is there is pretty good, but it's a very syrupy, sweet beer. Good for the ABV, but another one that's not really worth revisiting. 8.7/10
Founders-Double Trouble: Good, but not something to go nuts over. Generic citrus/pine flavor. Another good beer, but one 4-pack was enough. 8.9/10
Southampton- Cuvee des Fleurs: BLECH. Two sips of this one and down the drain it went. 4.5/10
VooDoo- Big Black VooDoo Daddy: Probably the best non-coffee, non-barrel aged imperial stout I've ever had. The roasted coffee characters are definitely there, also the chocolate. 12% is undetectable. Just all-around great. Wish I could access this around my way. 9.8/10
Firestone Walker-Union Jack: This one falls in the same category as Double Trouble. Similar flavor profile, to boot. Good, but at the end of the day this is just another IPA nowadays. Not worth seeking out, but would buy if this was the only decent option at a bar. 8.9/10
Sierra Nevada-Bigfoot (2005): Interesting beer to try. All hop character is gone. Straight dark fruits and caramel. Still a little boozy, but mellower. Glad I had the opportunity. 9.2/10
Maine Beer Compay-Zoe: Darker than I expected. Like a roastier Nugget Nectar. Tasty, but is it $7 tasty? Probably not. 9.0/10
Cascade-Apricot: Shared this one with some friends (can't drink too much of any sour beer, really). This one was pretty nice, actually. Tart, but not overwhelmingly. The apricot is definitely there and definitely appreciated. I'd drink this more often if it came in smaller bottles and was more affordable. Either way, I can see how sours can grow on you when you're drinking high quality examples of the style. 9.3/10
New Glarus-Berliner Weisse: Got this one for free. Always wanted to try a New Glarus beer. This one is essentially a tart hefeweizen. Not full-on sour, but it's there with a hint of the banana-flavored yeast in the background. Easy to drink and refreshing. Not too shabby. 9.0/10
Revolution-Anti Hero IPA: Another free beer. This is like a Midwest equivalent to Jai Alai. Similar flavor profile. Another beer I'm glad I got the chance to try. 9.1/10
Destihl- Hoptron Overload: Another freebie. No date on this can, and very malt-forward. Medicinal and unpleasantly bitter. Okay, but not something I would buy. 8.1/10
Uinta- Dubhe: Another freebie. This one says best by 11/19/14, but this tastes closer to a stout than a black IPA. Not much hop presence. Still pretty good, though. 8.9/10
Against The Grain-Citra *** Down: Great name and bottle. Citrusy, but there's way better citra-hopped beers out there...especially for the price. Nice to try, but won't be buying again. 8.8/10
Anderson Valley- The Kimmie, The Yink, and the Holy Gose: Less sour and salty than Westbrook's. This is closer to a wheat beer. Good, but another beer I won't buy again. 8.5/10
Stone-Go-To IPA: Intensely hoppy for what it is. Citrus, pine, and some onion/garlic dankness. A strong competitor against All Day IPA. A worthy purchase. 9.0/10
Victory- Moving Parts IPA: An upsetting offering when compared to DirtWolf and Hop Ranch. Bad move on the use of German malts and hops. Good price, but not something to go out of your way for. 8.3/10
Stone- RuinTen IPA: Agree with others that this is too malty for a fresh IPA. The hop presence that is there is pretty good, but it's a very syrupy, sweet beer. Good for the ABV, but another one that's not really worth revisiting. 8.7/10
Founders-Double Trouble: Good, but not something to go nuts over. Generic citrus/pine flavor. Another good beer, but one 4-pack was enough. 8.9/10
Southampton- Cuvee des Fleurs: BLECH. Two sips of this one and down the drain it went. 4.5/10
VooDoo- Big Black VooDoo Daddy: Probably the best non-coffee, non-barrel aged imperial stout I've ever had. The roasted coffee characters are definitely there, also the chocolate. 12% is undetectable. Just all-around great. Wish I could access this around my way. 9.8/10
Firestone Walker-Union Jack: This one falls in the same category as Double Trouble. Similar flavor profile, to boot. Good, but at the end of the day this is just another IPA nowadays. Not worth seeking out, but would buy if this was the only decent option at a bar. 8.9/10
Sierra Nevada-Bigfoot (2005): Interesting beer to try. All hop character is gone. Straight dark fruits and caramel. Still a little boozy, but mellower. Glad I had the opportunity. 9.2/10
Maine Beer Compay-Zoe: Darker than I expected. Like a roastier Nugget Nectar. Tasty, but is it $7 tasty? Probably not. 9.0/10
Cascade-Apricot: Shared this one with some friends (can't drink too much of any sour beer, really). This one was pretty nice, actually. Tart, but not overwhelmingly. The apricot is definitely there and definitely appreciated. I'd drink this more often if it came in smaller bottles and was more affordable. Either way, I can see how sours can grow on you when you're drinking high quality examples of the style. 9.3/10
New Glarus-Berliner Weisse: Got this one for free. Always wanted to try a New Glarus beer. This one is essentially a tart hefeweizen. Not full-on sour, but it's there with a hint of the banana-flavored yeast in the background. Easy to drink and refreshing. Not too shabby. 9.0/10
Revolution-Anti Hero IPA: Another free beer. This is like a Midwest equivalent to Jai Alai. Similar flavor profile. Another beer I'm glad I got the chance to try. 9.1/10
Destihl- Hoptron Overload: Another freebie. No date on this can, and very malt-forward. Medicinal and unpleasantly bitter. Okay, but not something I would buy. 8.1/10
Uinta- Dubhe: Another freebie. This one says best by 11/19/14, but this tastes closer to a stout than a black IPA. Not much hop presence. Still pretty good, though. 8.9/10
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Had Lagunitas' Lil Sumptin Extra yesterday. Pretty damn good.
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CF: Props on the reviews. Thanks and keep 'em coming.
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Oh man...that reminds me I have a few more beers I need to review
Carton-Boat Beer: Had to pick up a growler of this considering that the price was right. Man..that was a good decision. Super citrusy and floral. Such a nice, fresh, hoppy character. Best session IPA I've had to date. Pick it up if you can. 9.5/10
Lagunitas- Little Sumpin' Extra: Just a nicely balanced double IPA. Some citrus, some pine, a little floral characteristic, with the perfect amount of maltiness. I prefer Sucks over this, but this is a great, easy to drink double IPA. 9.2/10
Brewfist/Prairie-Spaghetti Western: An imperial stout brewed with coffee, cocoa nibs and....spaghetti? If you say so. This one was actually very good. No real spaghetti flavor (thankfully). Just a nice chocolate coffee stout. No FBS or Peche Mortel, but worth a shot. 9.1/10
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I swore off beer for a full month last Sunday in preparation for my trip to hawaii next month. I just picked up the next iteration of Enjoy By at Costco |I
Nice reviews as always Comparison. Kinda funny seeing you say FW's Union Jack isn't worth seeking when it's found pretty much anywhere that sells beer here in CA - gas stations, grocery stores, Target
Nice reviews as always Comparison. Kinda funny seeing you say FW's Union Jack isn't worth seeking when it's found pretty much anywhere that sells beer here in CA - gas stations, grocery stores, Target
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Don't get me wrong: it's actually really widely available out here on the east coast, but freshness is always an issue with beers that get distributed across the country. Union Jack was a beer I told myself I needed to try for a while now, but it wasn't until about a month ago that I could buy a loose bottle that was fresh.I swore off beer for a full month last Sunday in preparation for my trip to hawaii next month. I just picked up the next iteration of Enjoy By at Costco
Nice reviews as always Comparison. Kinda funny seeing you say FW's Union Jack isn't worth seeking when it's found pretty much anywhere that sells beer here in CA - gas stations, grocery stores, Target
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Last week I found some Ten Fidy canned 9/13 and thought I hit the jackpot. It appeared to have been refrigerated the entire time. But upon opening it, it tasted a bit chalky and had an over abundance of that dark fruit character.. That was when I poured it into a nice goblet. Straight from the can at a colder temp, it seemed to taste a bit better, but nothing special.. I am not sure what happened here. I have had nearly 6 month old ten fidy before and been okay. But this one almost 10 months was a near drain pour. It was carbonated and not boozy, so some flavors were left. Maybe I'm tasting oxidization.
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trelvis tha thrilla
Guest
I loved Stone Ruinten the first time is came out, I hate this new batch though. Doesnt taste the same to me.
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I've never had anything from Firestone but it seems to get a good review. I'll have to pick some up next time I'm at my local joint. As long as it's not an IPA, I'll try it!
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Firestone Walker makes some great beers, but their more highly acclaimed beers aren't for the faint of heart. If you're someone that's solely into pale ales, wheat beers, etc. I'd stay clear of the Reserve Series. You will NOT have a good time.
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Thanks, I'll see what they have next time I'm there. I will basically try anything, but IPA's I can't do....or anything with that real hoppy IPA taste. I just can't stomach it.
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I felt the urge to revisit some classic IPA by Marble after spotting a fresh case.
A pinch of citrus in the smell but it mainly has that deep aromatic American hop smell. When you smell fresh hops or right as you brew with them, that's that smell you get here. Taste is almost all pine hops. Mouthfeel is medium. No surprises here. I think of torpedo Ipa when I drink this.
Received yesterday, I got a photo up today.
Another great trade with comparison ford. Nothing crazy on my end. I love founders products and the last time around, I only had one FIS and one backwoods, so this is a great revisit. I've never had the gose or Jai alai. Reviews and impressions of those as I drink them up. Thanks again comparison ford
A pinch of citrus in the smell but it mainly has that deep aromatic American hop smell. When you smell fresh hops or right as you brew with them, that's that smell you get here. Taste is almost all pine hops. Mouthfeel is medium. No surprises here. I think of torpedo Ipa when I drink this.
Received yesterday, I got a photo up today.
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My favorite season of Fall is arriving 
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Received yesterday, I got a photo up today.
Another great trade with comparison ford. Nothing crazy on my end. I love founders products and the last time around, I only had one FIS and one backwoods, so this is a great revisit. I've never had the gose or Jai alai. Reviews and impressions of those as I drink them up. Thanks again comparison ford
Nice haul Wally. Jai Alai is one of my favorites.
Had these the last few days. Project Dank was bottled 6/29. Tons of tropical fruit notes in this one. Not as dank as I remembered but very drinkable at 7.5% ABV. Awesome stuff!
Picked up this BC bomber because it was on sale for $4 at my local grocery store. All I got was bitterness and booze. Did not enjoy this one very much.
Got this one through a trade. Bottled 6/23. Nice citrus notes and very well balanced. I wish it had more carbonation but solid IPA by Revolution.
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I posted that a few pages back, that's my favorite pumpkin beer and I've had close to 50 different pumpkin/oktoberfest beers. I actually still have 3 of those I've been saving for a rainy day. I like that design on the bottle; different from what's out here.My favorite season of Fall is arriving
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