NT, What Beer Do You Drink?

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Brought a Speedway to my dudes house. I feel like doo doo after 2013 and 2014 darklord... We are finishing up with stouts. Eating ribs then moving on to sours for later.
 
Beer drinking is really serious business that I have no real knowledge of. Are there different types of glasses for the many types of beers?
 
Some goodies came in the mail today. Heard a lot of great things about HDnR so looking forward to trying it.

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I live in NC, and since NoDa won the Gold they haven't been available even around here honestly. People on BA have been hounding me for NoDa stuff.
 
Beer drinking is really serious business that I have no real knowledge of. Are there different types of glasses for the many types of beers?

There is quite a market for the different types of beer glasses out there
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Those are just a few.. Of of those few, there are variations in glass depth and overall shapes. Some of my favorite breweries try to have some variety in styles based on the beers. But at some point in time, if you are serving your mug club members some great beers out of basic beer steins, and no ones complaining, whats to really gain off of fancy glass styles? I have seen minor gains from proper glasses. But at the end of the day, I dont know if its exactly worth it. My most versatile glass has been the tulip/snifter combo. I love the feel of the stem glass

Two more on the countdown

#13 Port Brewery Old Viscosity Oak Aged Imperial Stout- 10.2% ABV. No bottled date
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A near duplicate of La Cumbre's La Negra. Standard smell of roasted malt, with some chocolate and oak hints. Moderate hop bitterness and a thinnish mouthfeel. Almost all qualities match up with the La Negra beer.. Very good, but this may not be to my style liking. 90-92 seems most appropriate.

#12 Clown Shoes Undead Party Crasher- 11% ABV Imperial Stout. 5/6/14 bottle date
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This is the first of the five that kind of picks up on that dark fruit characteristic and follows through all the way. It reminds me of a ten fidy in some regards. Some coffee notes. Heavier mouthfeel is quite nice. It feels heavy like it SHOULD feel, if that makes sense.. Overall a bit standard in all flavors with no bitterness or other odd flavors.. Completely Solid

So far between the first 5, I would rank them in descending order

16. La Cumbre La Negra- My BA score 90
15. Port Brewery Old Viscosity- My BA score 91
14. Undead Party Crasher- My BA score 93
13. Sierra Nevada Narwhal- My BA score 94
12. Marble BBA Imperial Stout- My BA score 97

A couple of surprises thus far. Marble's offering is off the charts good. Aged narwhal seemed a bit better than its BA score indicates. Undead is right on the money. Viscosity seemed to be rated too high for my likings.. La Cumbre's offering was rated so low, but this little tasting is about some of the best, so this one may sit at the bottom the rest of the way.
 
Beer drinking is really serious business that I have no real knowledge of. Are there different types of glasses for the many types of beers?
Yes there are.  While having improper glassware isn't necessarily a deal-breaker, it certainly helps enhance the experience.  Peep the following:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/101/glassware/

My general rule is "when in doubt, snifter, tulip or pint glass" (in that order).
 
New Founders Backstage Series beer announced:

We plan to introduce Big Lushious, a chocolate raspberry stout, this December to mark the eleventh installment in our Backstage Series. Like all of our Backstage Series beers, Big Lushious will be sold in 750mL bottles, with a suggested retail price of $16.99 per bottle.

Big Lushious is a deep, rich stout that’s packed with flavor: roasted malts, all-natural dark chocolate, a subtle suggestion of burnt coffee grounds and a kiss of tart raspberries. At 7.8% ABV, it’s big, sumptuous and extravagant, but also balanced.

“We thought Big Lushious would make a great release for the holidays,” said Co-Founder and Vice President of Brand & Education Dave Engbers. “It’s a luxurious beer for us. It’s meant for bringing to parties and is perfect for sharing with friends and family after a feast.”

Big Lushious will be released in limited quantities across our distribution footprint beginning on Monday, December 1, and will be available at our taproom that same week. This will be our last Backstage Series release in 2014—look for more in 2015.

http://foundersbrewing.com/latest-news/2014/big-lushious-will-released-holidays/

A $17, relatively low ABV stout?  I'm hoping it's good, but I'm already a little underwhelmed.

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So whys it $17? I don't see anything about the ingredients or processes that would justify that kind of price.
 
Beer fridge pic time.
Most of these are from the beer fridge in the garage. I do keep a few in the house though.
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left ro right:
Stone:
RIS 2014
woot 2.0
Xocoveza
Deschutes:
Black Butte XXV
Not The Stoic
The Abyss 2013 x2
Hangar 24 Barrel Roll Immelman no. 01
Monkish:
Apophatic
Magnificat
Ommegang Black Stout
DFH ******* Brew

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Firestone Walker
Parabola 2014 x2
Parabola 2013
Sucaba 2014
Sucaba 2013
Double DBA 2014 x2
Stickee Monkee 2014 x2

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Prairie Bible Belt
BCBS
BCBCS
Harvieston Ola Dubh 30th
BCBS
Smog City The Nothing
Prairie Bomb!
KBS
BCBCS
Lost Abbey Track #8

Not all stouts. A few quads in there.
 
$17 seems like quite the price point on a standard bomber. I don't know if I could do that on any front... Unless it tastes better than FBS or a KBS, they should just start charging more on stuff that is worth it compared to this questionable beer that is priced WAY out there.

That's a stout lineup jbug88. pun intended lol. I got tired of holding onto stuff. Nothing is safe in my fridge right now. I'm on a nice little week long vacation from Work... I'm on a fridge clearing journey right now.

Almost near the halfway point of the Stout samplings.

# 11 Evil Twin Even More Jesus. 12% ABV Imperial Stout
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A near disaster. This shot out like a rocket. I probably lost about 2 oz. of beer. Coulda been more.. This was the first beer that I caught some signfificant ABV boozniess. A real heat factor. It is also the highest ABV beer, so no coincidence there I suppose. Dark fruit smells. Taste has a great roasted/burnt coffee flavor/aftertaste. The ABV heat is not too apparent. This is pretty awesome stuff. Heavier mouthfeel rounds out the abv and flavors. Some great well rounded stuff


# 10 Evil Twin Aun Mas Cafe Jesus 12% ABV. Imperial Stout
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Expectations were high after having Even More Jesus. This just did not deliver at all. I caught some apparent hoppiness in the aroma and taste. That carried through with some bitterness. Mouthfeel seemed dilluted and no true coffee presence until the very very end in the aftertaste. EMJ wins out for sure here. No questions asked... The bitterness factor is one you have to get used to, but nothing in the taste ever creates a nice balance... I saw Comparison Ford recently review this one and be underwhelmed as well.. Same feelings from my end as well


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Halfway point reached.
#9 Prairie/ Evil Twin Bible Belt- Imperial Stout aged on Cacoa Nibs, Vanilla Beans, & Chili Peppers- 13% ABV
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-Nice hints of coffee, vanilla, and a cocoa like chocolate in the smell and initial taste.. Heavy mouthfeel rounds out this beer nicely. You can definitely taste the 65 IBUs and chili pepper combo. I dont know if it totally works here. The bitterness seems out of place compared to the nice sweet mouthfeel. The chilis seem like an after thought. But that may be for the best. I'd say BA score of 96 is just about right.
My rankings so far

16. La Cumbre La Negra- My BA score 90
15. Port Brewery Old Viscosity- My BA score 91
14. Evil Twin Aun Mas Cafe Jesus- My BA score 92
13. Undead Party Crasher- My BA score 93
12. Sierra Nevada Narwhal- My BA score 94
11. Evil Twin Even More Jesus- My BA Score 94
10. Prairie/ Evil Twin Bible Belt- My BA Score 96
9. Marble BBA Imperial Stout- My BA score 97
 
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Very nice Jbug88!

Wally, Aun Mas Cafe Jesus was a letdown for me as well (esp for the price). FBS was a lot better imo.
 
I grabbed a couple stouts today.
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My cousins have been looking for this, Pumpkin ale brewed with chai tea.
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Anyone had anything from Ale Apothecary?

Crooked Stave had a couple of their bottles available at Zwanze Day, but I didn't want to/wasn't willing to drop $35 to see how they were.

And in related news, if you were waiting to enter for a spot in Crooked Stave's Cellar Reserve series for next year, you're outta luck. They're not doing it any more once this year's membership wraps up.
 
I'm definitely a day or two behind at this point in time. Those bombers do a # on you. I have some smaller 12 oz. bottles coming up, so that should help.

#8 Stone Imperial Russian Stout- 11% ABV. 2014 edition. Bottled 3/15/14
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Up front is tons of burnt/toasted malt smells and flavors.. I call this one a no frills imperial stout. Nothing too fancy or crazy with the ingredients. Medium to high mouthfeel and body. Just a quality example of a IRS. Other people may strive for "more". But this is a great example IMHO. No apparent ABV alcohol burn taste/smell. Its aging nicely.

#7 Evil Twin Imperial Biscotti Break- 11.5% ABV- no bottled date
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Initially I catch a huge sweetness from the body of the beer. I can't pinpoint what exactly it is. Almost like a sugary candy sweetness. It's also apparent in the taste. Medium to high body and mouthfeel. Another quality example.. I get coffee way in the back end of the tasting.

I believe the BA score for the Stone was 96-97. I find that to be about right for this particular style aged for 6 months.. Older bottles may taste smoother.. ET Biscotti Break is a 97. I found this sweetness factor to taste a bit off in flavors. I would have to knock this to a 95ish.

Updated Rankings:
16. La Cumbre La Negra- My BA score 90
15. Port Brewery Old Viscosity- My BA score 91
14. Evil Twin Aun Mas Cafe Jesus- My BA score 92
13. Undead Party Crasher- My BA score 93
12. Sierra Nevada Narwhal- My BA score 94
10. Evil Twin Even More Jesus- My BA Score 94
10. Evil Twin Imperial Biscotti Break- My BA Score 95
8. Prairie/ Evil Twin Bible Belt- My BA Score 96
8. Stone IRS- My BA Score 96
7. Marble BBA Imperial Stout- My BA score 97

Most BA scores seem to be holding rather well. Marble is that surprise beer with its amazing bourbon element...

And then there was six.. Ten Fidy, Founders IS, Founders BS, Prairie Bomb, Abyss, and Parabola are the only remaining survivors of this stout challenge.

I'll see what I can push through with tonight.

One factor I am steering clear of until the end is the price point/availability aspect of these brews.. Some easier to find ones could show up as the overall winners compared to some that just are way too rare and/or expensive.. We shall see
 
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We are on the final stretch here.

Three more from yesterday

# 6 Founders Imperial Stout- 4/15/14 bottled date- 10.5% ABV
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Thick and syrupy. I get some nice chocolate notes, as well as some roasted flavors. The 90 IBUS are somewhat heard. The mouthfeel is just so thick here. It's another type of no frills stout but this is just so well crafted and balanced. This may be a 100/100 beer. No off flavors at all

#5 Oskar Blues Ten Fidy- 10.5% ABV- 8/19/14 canned date
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Oily thickness. Some deep fruit flavors. Nothing too crazy. Another no frills example that just packs the punches with roasted malt and some chocolate flavors. Balance is really nice. I love this thicker style that still doesnt seem or feel boozy.. I had a year old can awhile back and that tasted soggy and somewhat oxidized.. This one month can is tasting super nice.
This may get a bump up to a 98-100.

#4 Prairie Bomb!- 15% ABV- No bottled date
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Very similar to Bible Belt. These peppers are doing something funky with the taste/smell. Something seems a bit off. The mouthfeel is medium bodied. I get coffee only in the aftertaste. It's well crafted for sure, but I feel its missing the mark with the use of chili peppers. It adds some spice but it doesnt help the beer out.. I may bump down to 97 here

Updated Rankings:
16. La Cumbre La Negra- My BA score 90
15. Port Brewery Old Viscosity- My BA score 91
14. Evil Twin Aun Mas Cafe Jesus- My BA score 92
13. Undead Party Crasher- My BA score 93
12. Sierra Nevada Narwhal- My BA score 94
10. Evil Twin Even More Jesus- My BA Score 94
10. Evil Twin Imperial Biscotti Break- My BA Score 95
8. Prairie/ Evil Twin Bible Belt- My BA Score 96
8. Stone IRS- My BA Score 96
6. Prairie Bomb!- My BA score 97
6. Marble BBA Imperial Stout- My BA score 97
5. Oskar Blues Ten Fidy- My BA score 99
4. Founders Imperial Stout- My BA score 100
 
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What a week.

The final stretch is completed


#3 Founders Breakfast stout- 11/25/13 bottled date- 8.3% abv
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Nice sense of a chocolate and coffee presence. But at the same time, I felt it was a touch underwhelming.. Very very good but the the normal FIS reigned supreme. It seemed like the FBS aged worse with time vs. the newer Founders Imperial Stout. I caught a bit of off flavors that arent normally there with a
 
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