NT, What Beer Do You Drink?

[sneaksoy]

Hearing $18 to $36.

My bottle was $25, think I may try it out this weekend.


I’ve been outta the thread for a while so idk if this was discussed yet.... but this year’s Xocoveza Charred is perfect. Maybe my favorite beer I’ve had yet. Going to try their Fyodor here this weekend as well which I’ve heard some positives on.

 

[neosole89]

CBS is $18 if your local Costco has it but $25 at most bottleshops. Picked this up today.

 

[crumps brother]

Retail on CBS is either $24.99 or $25.99

My bottle was $25.99

Plan to try it on draft Saturday

 

[Comparison Ford]

CBS is $18 if your local Costco has it but $25 at most bottleshops. Pick this up today.

Funny thing is that the beer you posted is probably a fraction of the price, in a much more convenient format, and just as good.

High Westified was (one of) the greatest bang-for-your-buck 6 packs of all time.

 

[based mod]

Hearing great things about Willetized.

High-Westified Victory at Sea is getting high praises as well.

Still need to try both.

 

[neosole89]

Funny thing is that the beer you posted is probably a fraction of the price, in a much more convenient format, and just as good.

High Westified was (one of) the greatest bang-for-your-buck 6 packs of all time.

Haven't cracked open my CBS yet but you're probably right. Lagunitas stay killin' it with quality brews for reasonable prices.

 

[corymatthews]

CBS is $18 if your local Costco has it but $25 at most bottleshops. Picked this up today.

Is this from Whole Foods in Santa Clara?

 

[lifestooshort80]

Got done with first week of finals. Decided to drink this tonight.

 

[neosole89]

Is this from Whole Foods in Santa Clara?

K&L Wines in Redwood City

 

[crumps brother]

Enjoying CBS on draft

 

[wallyhopp]

Wow. Spot near me just got in This year's BA 1050. I think I made out. I guess they didn't take the six pack ring off of the cans. Got a sixer of stove pipe ba1050 for $12 bucks. Am I a bad person? I grabbed item from shelve. Took to counter. They scanned. I Paid.

With that, I splurged on more CBS, which they happened to have sitting on a shelf. Things are ultra competitive when a beer like that can sit. Even beers like ba 1050 was sitting away with inventory tags of 12/4. I didn't want to be too selfish with an entire case of it. I also left one CBS. So I feel I did my good deed

 

[kngpin88]

Man you got a steal lol, I would have done the same. That's my favorite stout.

 

[lifestooshort80]

Its good but nothing mind blowing.


Nice milk stout.

 

[jamesandstl]

Wow. Spot near me just got in This year's BA 1050. I think I made out. I guess they didn't take the six pack ring off of the cans. Got a sixer of stove pipe ba1050 for $12 bucks. Am I a bad person? I grabbed item from shelve. Took to counter. They scanned. I Paid.

With that, I splurged on more CBS, which they happened to have sitting on a shelf. Things are ultra competitive when a beer like that can sit. Even beers like ba 1050 was sitting away with inventory tags of 12/4. I didn't want to be too selfish with an entire case of it. I also left one CBS. So I feel I did my good deed

I was recently at a Total Wine and bought 2 packs of Breakfast Stout and like and extra bigger bottle or something like that. Anyway, I calculated the cost in my head and checked out. The girl rang it up, and it seemed lower than I thought it was gonna be but I just thought whatever. As I walked out of the store I told my girlfriend I didn't think the girl rang up one of the Breakfast Stout pack. I looked at the receipt and sure enough she missed one of the packs. I remember her dragging it over the scanner thing so I don't know......anyway, the universe blessed me with free beer lol.

 

[wallyhopp]

jamesandstl
I also got a sixer of an Oktoberfest that was ‘expired’ that happened to be checked out at $1.99 (didn’t notice until I was in the car calculating my cost). Shelf said $9.99. Is it now my job to correct and even remember prices on multiple items in a crowded store? Beer was brewed in mid August and had a general best by of 90 days.

As far as taste of BA 1050. I think I like the regular better. Then again this is a straight forward of a no frills imperial stout as you will ever find. I’ve been caught in the vanilla and coffee web and love those. Here, it’s straight roasted malts and other specialty malts. A real mans beer imho. Compared to regular ten fidy, the ba version seemed to be on the higher spectrum of alcohol heat and flavor. I now have this years and lasts. So a side by side is imminent.

But imho a no frills 10.5% imperial stout is perfection. Ramping up with barrel aging kind of makes this one a booze bomb.

 

[jamesandstl]

Saw this at my local place. I don't know. I'm not super refined lol, but it tastes ok. The finish is like a sweet grapey flavor. I looked up some reviews and they said a wine type finish or "port" wine. It tasted kinda like wine, but sweet. Not much of a wine drinker. I can't say that I would get this again.

Also, I read somewhere that Breakfast Stout is now gonna be available year round?

 

[Comparison Ford]

Huge day for beer releases in the NYC area. LIC Beer Project re-released Pile of Crowns, Finback had their BQE release, Other Half released a new IPA and a classic, and Barrier/Sand City are doing mutual collab releases today and tomorrow. The holiday season is definitely not the time to cut back on beer expenditures if you're living in the Tri-State/New England area. I'm paralyzed by choice at this point. Either way, here's a dump of reviews of the beers I've purchased/been gifted recently:

Sand City x Finback Beach Front Avenue. 8% Imperial IPA hopped with Mosaic and Azacca along with a healthy addition of fresh pineapple chunks. The pineapple is there, but it doesn't dominate the beer. Big notes of Mosaic on this, which the pineapple helps to temper into a more palatable finished product. Nothing ground-breaking, but nothing to complain about either. Really nice stuff.

Other Half x J. Wakefield Snowbirds. Imperial Stout brewed with coconut, marcona almonds, and chocolate. This one really exceeded my expectations. Ever have a coconut stout that tasted like sunblock? Ever have an imperial stout with almond/any other nut where you couldn't taste its addition? This beer is the exception. This is liquid Almond Joy in the best way possible. Never had a stout where the almond was so prominent and the coconut tasted so natural. Between the taste and the label art (flamingos and walkers ), this one was a winner. Second best Other Half stout I've had to date.

Grimm DDH Light Year. Not gonna waste time/wax poetic on this one. Thoroughly mediocre. Nothing horrible, nothing worth talking about either. Grimm has a ton on their plate at the moment (opening up their own place while continuing their bottle/can distribution), but I've noticed a drop-off during this time period. Hoping they'll return to their former glory once they have more time to focus on the beers.

Evil Twin x Trillium Even More JCS. This is basically Evil Twin's version of Affogatto (the Trillium collab with J. Wakefield). Having now had both, this is the poor man's version of the initial collab. This has much more syrupy sweetness with a lot less depth to the adjuncts. It's still pretty good, but a shell of what influenced it.

Tired Hands Double Extra Vanilla Milkshake. Not too sure what hops are used in this, just know it has oats, lactose, and vanilla bean added. Really tasty, but also very sweet and very heavy. A true sipper. One of those beers that you need to be in the mood for, but it does its job for what it is.

Another beer my brother gifted me: Tired Hands Alien Church. No real hop notes I can conjure up with research. Much like the above beer, it's very heavy/creamy with indescript hop notes, though this one is more "green"/piney than other Tired Hands offering. Fine enough, but not something I would purchase.

Another beer gift: Cake, Icing from Tired Hands. IPA brewed with sticky rice, guava, and vanilla beans (amongst a bunch of hops that really don't matter when you add that many adjuncts). Beer tasted good enough, but I was looking for distinct flavors that seemed to be muddled by the other additions to this beer. Seems like every Tired Hands beer I've had is cursed by being super heavy and relying on adjuncts. I'll give them another shot at a later date, but it's no surprise why so many PA/Jersey dudes are at Other Half every weekend when you compare their beers to this.

Now we're talking here. LIC Beer Project Pile of Crowns. 8.5% IPA brewed with Citra, Mosaic, and Nugget. MAYBE a little under-carbed, but everything else is incredible. Such a huge, creamy juicebomb. This sold out in less than an hour and it's no surprise why. Cat's out of the bag. If you have the ability to trade for this or buy it on MyBeerCollectibles I suggest you do so. One of the best east-coast IPAs out there.

Other Half The Other Day... . Hopped with Citra, Mosaic, Vic Secret, Ekuanot and brewed with "Vermont" yeast (what this means, I do not know). Either way, it's pretty tasty. Had this right after LIC Pile of Crowns and it struck me as being juicy without being as sweet/creamy. Still a great beer. I'll give more nuanced notes as I work my way through the 4-pack.

Hope everyone is drinking well right now. Cheers, NT!

 

[dipsetgeneral]

Recommend me some cocktails.

I'm 28. Social drinker. 6'0 ft. 176 lbs. African American.

 

[wallyhopp]

Comparison Ford
Just wondering. What's the Average price you are seeing or trading $4$ for?

La Cumbre appears to be trying out a monthly can release of some hazy bomb ipas. This time, it's a single hop mosaic 8% dipa released on Friday. Line almost around the corner at start. They had enough for the whole day. I guess it's that FOMO culture that is finally kicking in around my neighborhood.

Mosaic in full shine mode. Tasting berries and melons for days. Not as soft and sweet as others, I love la cumbre a hoppy identity still shines through slightly.

Price wise, these are $16/4 pack. Regular core beer is $10. I've seen upwards of $18-22 for this style from small and large producers.

I think I'm at the point, im okay paying that price as long as the hops continue to shine. It's high pressure. But that first dud of a release may be my last. They have two more lines up for January and February. So they are definitely trying to see how feasible this can be.

It took like five years but I'm glad their core beers can pay the bills for these experiments. I would not want to be any fringe NYC area brewery without a true backup plan.

edit: good beer is good beer. But I almost feel deceived. The last LC release appeared to have almost half of its cans makes it way a state over, making way for a 90 minute sellout locally. This past friday, lines showed up (with most expecting the same as before), brewery staff took photos and snap chats, and it ended up being an exclusive brewery release that lasted beyond two days. The wait was worthless. They are almost treating regular consumers like paparazzi shill pigs. I don't know how I feel about it at this point. The beer is worth the price, but they need to better man the lines, hype, and allocations. Yet they LOVE the lines. I think I was in a couple photos even though I wasn't even supposed to be there at that time lol

 

[Comparison Ford]

Comparison Ford
Just wondering. What's the Average price you are seeing or trading $4$ for?

I would imagine this is in reference to Pile of Crowns. Only one person is selling cans on MyBeerCollectibles and he's asking $50/4-pack as a buy-it-now price.

Trading for it would be very difficult. It was a very small yield this time around and 12 cans per person. I tried to trade for it the last time it was canned and no one took the bait. I would imagine it's even more difficult this time around.

I don't blame them though. I can't think of any beer I would trade this for.

 

[imapizzaguy]

Ballast Point's High West Barrel Aged Victory at Sea

 

[Comparison Ford]

Wanted to touch on a topic real fast. This article was written by David Chang 3 years ago and drew a lot of ire out of the craft beer community:

https://www.gq.com/story/david-chang-cheap-beer

I've low-key agreed with him for the longest time, but last night really solidified it for me. I went on a date at a very nice restaurant and made the choice to forego the IPAs and barrel-aged stouts for a Two Roads Pilsner and a Brooklyn Lager. As someone that appreciates fine dining as much as I appreciate craft beer, I've never been one for "pairing". Sometimes you just want something that does the job and gets out of the way of what you're really spending money on.

 

[curtis50cent]

^^^^ just read that article...in those scenarios, I'd choose not to drink at all and just go with a water.

 

[wallyhopp]

I would imagine this is in reference to Pile of Crowns. Only one person is selling cans on MyBeerCollectibles and he's asking $50/4-pack as a buy-it-now price.

Trading for it would be very difficult. It was a very small yield this time around and 12 cans per person. I tried to trade for it the last time it was canned and no one took the bait. I would imagine it's even more difficult this time around.

I don't blame them though. I can't think of any beer I would trade this for.

Just in general. I know everything in the NYC area is expensive to begin with. When I was out in SD, the norm for 4 packs of the hazy DIPAs was $17-$22 retail. What are you seeing from Sand City and OH and even Equilibrium? Are they all competing to make the best beer at the lowest possible price yet? Or is everyone still okay dropping what they are dropping $$$ wise on anything and everything? If it sells at $20, why drop the price, right? I ask because I heard some rumblings in the line I was in about the price point. These same folks happily pay $9 for a bomber of DIPA, but dont like $16 4 packs of 16 oz cans. Trillium was costly but generally worth it. It makes the $12.50 HT charges a true bargain (although I think so many other beers have jumped that early NE IPA staple). I believe LC did a 30 bbl batch, has hop contracts, and the best they could do was $16. I just wonder how feasible these smaller guys are at with running their business.

How is TH looking lately price wise and allocations? I want to get back out there before the big summer rush.

As far as food pairings, I have never really been about that. If I am eating, and that is my #1 intention, I will forego any beer (even if the tap list is good). At least for my senses, if I have something sweet like a candy bar and decide to then have a sip of soda, my taste buds are shot. Its even worse with chocolates and ice creams for me. Beer is in the same scoop if its anything above 6%. The residual sugars coat my mouth and it takes a massive effort to get it back to being neutral. If I'm dropping $90 on some steaks, I want to be 100% clean lol.

It's also why I session drink and start with the lagers, pilsners, and goses, then ramp up. Residual sugars from even 8% DIPAs destroy my taste buds. They have no place in fine dining.. Extra bitter IPAs also have no place. I would say pilsners and lagers to start, if anything, and maybe a big stout as a dessert. Other than that, food pairing and beer dinners are a scam

As far as that article is concerned, I tend to disagree. I had a free Budweiser the other weekend. Couldnt finish it. So much corn sweetness. There are dozens of less sweet, lighter, and drier options out there in the lager and pilsner world. You don't have to be a douche and drink the lightest and crappiest beer around. Even a 5% bud will mess up your taste buds. Corn sweet crappy beers do not pair well with food. There are goses and great pilsners that do the trick better than a bud light. That's why I hope the pilsner can make a comeback

 

[Comparison Ford]

Just in general. I know everything in the NYC area is expensive to begin with. When I was out in SD, the norm for 4 packs of the hazy DIPAs was $17-$22 retail. What are you seeing from Sand City and OH and even Equilibrium? Are they all competing to make the best beer at the lowest possible price yet? Or is everyone still okay dropping what they are dropping $$$ wise on anything and everything? If it sells at $20, why drop the price, right? I ask because I heard some rumblings in the line I was in about the price point. These same folks happily pay $9 for a bomber of DIPA, but dont like $16 4 packs of 16 oz cans. Trillium was costly but generally worth it. It makes the $12.50 HT charges a true bargain (although I think so many other beers have jumped that early NE IPA staple). I believe LC did a 30 bbl batch, has hop contracts, and the best they could do was $16. I just wonder how feasible these smaller guys are at with running their business.

How is TH looking lately price wise and allocations? I want to get back out there before the big summer rush.

As far as food pairings, I have never really been about that. If I am eating, and that is my #1 intention, I will forego any beer (even if the tap list is good). At least for my senses, if I have something sweet like a candy bar and decide to then have a sip of soda, my taste buds are shot. Its even worse with chocolates and ice creams for me. Beer is in the same scoop if its anything above 6%. The residual sugars coat my mouth and it takes a massive effort to get it back to being neutral. If I'm dropping $90 on some steaks, I want to be 100% clean lol.

It's also why I session drink and start with the lagers, pilsners, and goses, then ramp up. Residual sugars from even 8% DIPAs destroy my taste buds. They have no place in fine dining.. Extra bitter IPAs also have no place. I would say pilsners and lagers to start, if anything, and maybe a big stout as a dessert. Other than that, food pairing and beer dinners are a scam

As far as that article is concerned, I tend to disagree. I had a free Budweiser the other weekend. Couldnt finish it. So much corn sweetness. There are dozens of less sweet, lighter, and drier options out there in the lager and pilsner world. You don't have to be a douche and drink the lightest and crappiest beer around. Even a 5% bud will mess up your taste buds. Corn sweet crappy beers do not pair well with food. There are goses and great pilsners that do the trick better than a bud light. That's why I hope the pilsner can make a comeback

As far as retail prices go, most IPAs in the greater NYC area go for $18-22 per 4-pack. The more hyped breweries (Other Half, Equilibrium, Hudson Valley, certain LIC offerings) usually ask the higher end of that price point whereas breweries like Sand City are in the $16-18 realm.

While Heady Topper might be a "bargain," it's a beer that hasn't stood the test of time (in my opinion). It's become very easy to find cans of Heady, Focal Banger, and Sip of Sunshine around my way and they all tend to sit on the shelves. New York has way too many good offerings to waste time on overpriced cans that are essentially relics of yesteryear. The Alchemist is really just riding on their legacy at this point. None of their beers can compete with the other IPA offerings throughout the Mid-Atlantic/New England region.

As far as Tree House goes, their allocations and pricing have made them much more alluring to even passive craft beer fans. They usually have 3-4 can offerings at any given time and allotments are usually between 34-48 cans per person. Cans are reasonably priced ($3.50-4.50/can) and the quality is there. Lines are usually pretty long, but move VERY quickly considering the traffic they get (ex.: I was probably 300th in line on the day before Thanksgiving and was back to my car with a full allotment in less than 45 minutes). At first I thought I was crazy making the trek to Tree House from NY, but now I've done it 3 times and have a 4th trip planned after New Year's.

With regard to the article: while I feel like the emphasis on "cheap" beer makes me want to disagree, I still stand by the overall point. It's not as much about the beer being "cheap" as much as the beer being light/crip/easy-drinking. I'm not about the adjunct lagers, but I feel like pilsner/kolsch/helles lager/vienna lager/hefeweizen all provide enough refreshment without distracting from whatever you're eating. I've never had a hazy, New England-style IPA or 13% barrel-aged stout that I thought would taste great with a refined plate/hearty meal.