Ymm, Beer

[devildeac]

I should never look at this thread while working...

Painful, isn't it? I am likewise working this weekend and all I can to is plan and drool.

[fuse]

I'm in the planning stages to start a hop farm. Doing my due diligence. Have a farmer already interested and looking for a few more. Luckily there are several working farms in my extended family. As the craft brewery business is blossoming I plan to form an alliance with several brewers. Legends Brewery here in Richmond overheard a conversation I was having at Chiocca's and came over to give me his card and wants me to tour his brewery and talk about farming hops. That was this afternoon. I'm pretty stoked by it. Hopefully I can visit them this week. May make a trip to North Carolina next week to make a delivery

That is beyond cool- very excited for you and can't wait to hear how it goes!
Wishing you the best of luck and all success growing hops.

[devildeac]

I'm in the planning stages to start a hop farm. Doing my due diligence. Have a farmer already interested and looking for a few more. Luckily there are several working farms in my extended family. As the craft brewery business is blossoming I plan to form an alliance with several brewers. Legends Brewery here in Richmond overheard a conversation I was having at Chiocca's and came over to give me his card and wants me to tour his brewery and talk about farming hops. That was this afternoon. I'm pretty stoked by it. Hopefully I can visit them this week. May make a trip to North Carolina next week to make a delivery

I'll be OOT Wednesday night to Sunday afternoon. Ozzie might be willing to guard the delivery. For a fee.

[duketaylor]

Met yesterday with the VP of Operations and the owner/President of Legend Brewing at their restaurant and they let me sample each of their brews, then invited me to join them at the Craft Brewery Guild meeting at another establishment. There I met several brewery owners and one gent who has his own hop farm near Afton mountain. Everyone I met said they would love to buy my locally grown hops. The hop farm owner invited me to his farm in the near future. Very cool day was yesterday. Have tons more knowledge than I did previously. Working on a business plan. Very cool people I did meet. GO DEVILS!!!

[devildeac]

Winter Abbey Ale-Blue Moon Brewing

A leftover from a Christmas party that I found a bit thin and watery considering the style of brew. Poured a medium brown color with a nose of mild chocolate and brown sugar with a modest head. Brewed with three malts, including a wheat malt which gives it a hint of citrus. One hop is listed and the brew could use a larger dose of both hops and malts as the IBU are only 16 and the ABV is 5.6%, both of which are a tad on the light side for a typical Belgian brown ale. The Belgian candi sugar is a nice touch and fairly traditional and added just a bit of sweetness. This is a nice effort but falls short of your usual dubbel ale.

[fuse]

If you had not had a beer in a month, what would be the first beer you would have and why?

Your responses may influence my decision :-)

Thanks!

[mattman91]

If you had not had a beer in a month, what would be the first beer you would have and why?

Your responses may influence my decision :-)

Thanks!

How does one go a month with no beer?

[A-Tex Devil]

If you had not had a beer in a month, what would be the first beer you would have and why?

Your responses may influence my decision :-)

Thanks!

I'm currently doing a 21 day diet with no alcohol or caffeine, so I am going to be damn close to a month. Just 6 days in right now.

I have a Brooklyn Black Ops in the beer fridge with my name on it.

Although, frankly, that probably won't be the first beer. Ballastpoint just came to Austin and I am absolutely in love with Sculpin. I'll probably go get some of that and a pizza first.

[fuse]

How does one go a month with no beer?

If its not easy, that is surely an indication of larger issues. ;-)

I find the first day or two is hard in the sense of reminding myself not to head out to the beer fridge.
After that, pretty much auto-pilot for the rest of the month.

[devildeac]

If you had not had a beer in a month, what would be the first beer you would have and why?

Your responses may influence my decision :-)

Thanks!

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA. Great beer, available year round, reasonable price.

[devildeac]

How does one go a month with no beer?

Month? Maybe a week...

[devildeac]

Peoples Porter-Foothills Brewing

Drink local! Really solid brewery in Winston-Salem with a nice selection of session brews and some specialty ales. This was a leftover from an office conference on Monday when I was on call and abstaining from adult beverages. Poured a clean, dark brown with the usual aromas of coffee and chocolate. Hops have a modest presence here with IBU at 42 and there is plenty of toffee sweetness too with an ABV of 6.25%. Let is warm a bit before sipping and all the scents and tastes are even more prominent. Would make a nice combo with a brownie or chocolate chip cookie or three.

[fuse]

Part of the beer advent calendar I received, Malheur 12 is a 12% dark Belgian ale.

11.2 ounces, it was a VERY yeasty pour. I think it is a translucent dark brown but the appearance is very cloudy and chunky.

No head at all. The nose is very raisiny sweet and heavy booze.

First sip is reminiscent of Delirium Noel.
This is a boozy, sweet Belgian ale.

Worth trying but not worth going out of your way to seek out.

[duketaylor]

May try to attend this in March:

http://www.craftbrewersconference.com/

Very interesting.

[fuse]

Met yesterday with the VP of Operations and the owner/President of Legend Brewing at their restaurant and they let me sample each of their brews, then invited me to join them at the Craft Brewery Guild meeting at another establishment. There I met several brewery owners and one gent who has his own hop farm near Afton mountain. Everyone I met said they would love to buy my locally grown hops. The hop farm owner invited me to his farm in the near future. Very cool day was yesterday. Have tons more knowledge than I did previously. Working on a business plan. Very cool people I did meet. GO DEVILS!!!

Had a Legend Octoberfest tonight. Interesting, I thought it tasted more like a bock than a Marzen/Octoberfest. Good clean beer.

[devildeac]

From 5/17/10-only last night's was a draft:

Burning River Pale Ale (draft)-Great Lakes

Ahh, summer beer time and what a way to start with a classic PA from a classic Ohio brewery. I have not had one of these in about 10 years and had almost forgotten how this exemplifies the style so well with the tastes of caramel for a solid malty backbone and a bit of citrus and a bit of piney hops for the bite. A clear, golden color and 1-2 finger foamy head that is retained well. IBU check in at 45 and the ABV is 6% so it makes a nice session beer and would be fine with burgers, chicken, ribs or fish from the grill. Probably one of the better PAs in the US.

Last night's brew was shared with older son-in-law with a grilled chicken/chopped salad. Nice pairing.

[devildeac]

From 5/6/12 only last night's brew was a draft:

Commodore Perry IPA (draft)-Great Lakes Brewing

I'd add this brew to my list of favorite IPAs and not just because it was the 25 cent beer I selected in the middle of our tour. I threw my quarter in the "donations" cup and our guide proceeded to pour the entire 12 ounce bottle into my plastic souvenir Great Lakes Brewing Company cup . This one make my list because it has pungent aromas of orange and grapefruit and similar tastes. Poured a clear orange-yellow with a modest, foamy head. The moderate bitterness with an IBU of 80 is very well balanced with toffee and caramel malty flavors and an ABV of 7.5%. Hearty enough to put out the fire from curry or hot Chinese entrees.

Last night's brew was shared with older son-in-law with the salad mentioned above. More pungent, smoother and citrus-ier than the bottled variety. Certainly one of the better IPAs I've ever tasted.

[devildeac]

And I thought it was just the name of a brewing company in Chicago:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goose_Island_%28Chicago%29

I need to get around the country a bit more.

[devildeac]

Matilda (4/11 bottling)-Goose Island Brewing

Very interesting brew. This is a Belgian style pale ale and the caramel malts dominate and there are notes of apples and pears but the truly fascinating qualities and flavors of this creamy, cloudy yellow-orange beverage originate from the yeast. Initially, I thought typical Belgian and peppery, but, after several sips from a tulip glass, I thought this is a bit barnyard-type funky and reading the bottle confirms that this is a Brettanomyces yeast brewed ale. IBU a bit low for a pale ale at 32 and ABV a shade high at 7% but this would pair nicely with soft cheeses during your pre-dinner snacking, or with spicy dishes for your entree. I wanted to wait a year before drinking (they say it will develop up to 5 years in the bottle) but just couldn't resist sharing this bomber a month early with Lavabe last week when he visited. After all, he did send it down over Christmas to help cover the cost of his wife's room and board over the holidays





Matilda (2/12 bottling; 12 ounces)-from 6/19/12

Not many differences between the 2011 and 2012 brewings. The 2011 may have been a bit smoother after nearly a year of aging vs "only" 4 months for the 2012 issue. I traded one, drank one and have 2 remaining so I'll save one for next year and probably give one to my son a bit later this summer. Certainly worth the $9 for the 4 pack that I procured in April during our trip to Kentucky.

And, from tonight:

Matilda (2/12 bottling)-aged for nearly a year

Same bit of funk as last year's review but very, very smooth. Now, it tastes a bit more like stewed/spiced apples and pears. Enjoyed by itself from a tulip glass. I will make it a special point to visit the Liquor Barn in Lexington as we journey there in April on our way to see The Carmel (Indiana) Symphony perform Beethoven's Ninth. Going to need some extra space in the car...

[devildeac]

Go to Hell, AB In Bev, Go to Hell:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/0...n_2599341.html