NT, What Beer Do You Drink?

Comparison Ford · Jul 15, 2019

Comparison Ford said:
Quick check-in: I still drink beer, but I drink differently these days. Still love IPAs, interest in pastry stouts faded real quick, and Berliners/HV-esque sours still hold a place in my heart. Gravitating more towards "crispness" these days (Kolsch, pilsner, Helles, etc.). They're more of a reminder of why I love beer. As much as I enjoy the experimentation and creative liberties that have taken place in the past 2 years or so, it's nice to remember what got me into this to begin with. Lagers are just so drinkable and relatable.

I have the next week off from work and this line of thought has me thinking a trip to Suarez might be in the cards. Would happily crush a case of Qualify/Palatine Pils.

Update: took a break from beer the past 10 days and I wasn't really missing it. There were times where I was hanging out and questioned whether or not I should for a minute before ultimately deciding to keep the streak going. I like beer, but I like the benefits of not drinking a lot more (money saved, weight loss, increased energy, better eating habits, etc.). I start my vacation from work tonight so I'm drinking a can of Juice Ribbons right now and it's fine, but it's not hitting the spot like IPAs used to. The majority of my interest in craft beer was the excitement over trying something new, but now it's just seems like the same stuff over and over again with different variations.

Moving forward I'm probably gonna limit my drinking to around twice a month and strictly in social situations. Still wouldn't mind to drink some Suarez cans though. :lol:

da shoefreak · Jul 16, 2019

Have a week long work trip to Vermont next week. Only thing great about this is that I'll finally get a chance to try Heady Topper. Bringing an empty suitcase to haul a bunch of **** back.

crumps brother · Jul 16, 2019

^you’ll have to check the bag in

Don’t take an empty bag...take bubble wrap, ziplock bags, and rubber bands in your bag

greatabyss43 · Jul 17, 2019

Had these 2 last night.

da shoefreak try to find the Northern Heights while you are there. It was awesome. juicy af.

GTA 809 · Jul 27, 2019

New pick ups.

Blue point x Presidente colab
Una Fria

Gun Hill Brewing co

B Sox · Jul 29, 2019

Didn’t know this thread existed. Here’s some stuff I’ve had recently...

da shoefreak · Jul 30, 2019

Pickups from Vermont. Hauled like 30 cans back :lol:

crumps brother · Jul 30, 2019

^couldn't you have gotten more variety if bringing back 30 cans? :lol:

B Sox · Jul 30, 2019

Finally got the chance to check out Guinness Open Gate yesterday...

greatabyss43 · Jul 30, 2019

i legit had no idea they brewed anything but the stout and the blonde. nice to see them trying new things. that tart hibiscus sounds pretty decent.

B Sox · Jul 30, 2019

greatabyss43 said:
i legit had no idea they brewed anything but the stout and the blonde. nice to see them trying new things. that tart hibiscus sounds pretty decent.

I didn't either. Wasn't expecting all that whatsoever :lol:

crumps brother · Jul 31, 2019

how are the beers outside of the standard rust water Guiness draught?

B Sox · Aug 1, 2019

crumps brother said:
how are the beers outside of the standard rust water Guiness draught?

Had the milk stout, white ale, and double berry. They were good.

wallyhopp · Aug 5, 2019

I haven’t been posting in here for awhile. I’ve been on a bit of a slowdown. That sorta changed last week. Spent a week in VT.

Hauled this back for a week of drinking.

My last visit there was only 2 can offerings available. Their Mary is basically what my local brewery does without the hype. Almost all of their pale ales,ipas and dipas have the same profile. It feels like groundhog a bit. All are completely soft in the finish, almost uncarbonated. Anna with moteuka felt overpowered compared to regular Anna. I feel their pilsners and saison have more staying power in a sea of overpriced and overhyped ipas. Civil disobedience was a $30/bottle purchase. Slightly regretful. It’s nearly the same as their regular $10 Anna offering.

I of course found some focal and heady.

I said it a few years back. These are bitter bombs with almost no balance. How the hell are these rated so high? The hops they used smell like candles. I just don’t get it. I had eight tries with each and only one visit did I say, wow. I may have been drunk.

This one surprised me

A true juice bomb flavor.

Burlington beer produces some really soft stuff too.

Not pictured. Lawson's. That’s another beer that’s basically the same recipe as core lineup brews brewed locally. It’s a WC dry finish pine ipa that people love out there. It’s the norm elsewhere.

So much EC beer feels overrated on review and rating apps. I can’t pinpoint why.

There’s a lot of places I steered clear of, so maybe crappy beer does exist and a week of HF gets one spoiled.

I hauled nothing back. Everyone else has caught up. Nothing just totally blew me away. I may go back to macro next time and save $300 lol.

Basic beer stores have gone from 2 window displays to 7-8. Choices and prices are crazy. I knew HF had a strong pedigree so I went with their strongest can lineup to sit back and enjoy. I didn’t pick and choose much of any random crap. I literally walked into a grocery store in Burlington and walked out with no beer. Competition is stiff and they need to straight things out for tourists

Traveling for beer. Yeah. I think I’m done with that for awhile. Grass isn’t always greener.

af1 1982 · Aug 6, 2019

I came around on Heady. I’ve found that it really needs to be fresh, otherwise it falls off hard. It’s got a malty, cloying sweetness to it that’s somehow addictive to me. Focal is great, it’s got a tad bit more “haze” to it.

Agreed on not traveling for beer. If I’m traveling in general, I’ll for sure stop by and support local breweries. Other than that, the NEIPA is so saturated right now that most breweries have it dialed in. Only breweries, for me personally ally, that have a distinct profile to it where I’ll go out of my way to trade for is Other Half and Treehouse

Also agreed on going back to macro. Been drinking a ton of Miller High Life after seeing the brewers at OH drink it. They said it’s cheap, tastes like how beer is supposed to taste and is always consistent. I’ve found that I agree with all those statements

wallyhopp · Aug 6, 2019

Forgot to mention. We did hit up foam brewers. One of VTs most hyped breweries

Their German lager was probably the major highlight. You can’t over hop a lager so it has to be perfect. Great subtle flavors.

Their boysenberry sour tasted like a simple kettle sour that so many do. Why is it’s rating so high online?

I had a sunstroke pale ale. Very unassuming aroma and flavor. It’s end game is soft though. Gaudy side of town had some ibu bitter flavors but finished smooth. Tough to call these guys as being worth a trip out of your way.

Unless you live in the absolute sticks, don’t assume your area sucks. Fun trip while it lasted but it makes you realize, what’s available locally is nearly just as good. A 4 hr drive is easily not worth it anymore. The craft beer world is expanding fast.

wallyhopp · Aug 6, 2019

HT Hit me a certain way the other night. About halfway through a sip, it goes from bitter and abrasive, to super soft and semi sweet. The ibus faded instantly. The yeast at play is integral. Now does it taste better out of the can or pour? I tried it 2-3 different times. A poured ht and focal were totally different experiences than out of the can a day or two prior.

Focal is definitely the more bitter brew. I call it a candied hop aroma/ flavor. Alchemist no longer has that true fruity citrusy aroma.

For $15/4 in the after market, it still easily beats out so many though. The beer market is at a cross roads.