Ymm, Beer

[August West]

Beer Advocate put out their list for beers/breweries of the year for each state. I can't find the link, but NC was as follows:

Best Beer: Event Horizon- Olde Hickory

Best Brewery: Foothills

Best New Brewery: Hiwire

Can't argue with any of this. The Event Horizon is phenomenal (I'm biased) , Foothills Jade is a great IPA, and everyone knows the hype of Sexual Chocolate. Hiwire has became an absolute favorite of mine here in Asheville.

According to the N&O's beer column, Foothills "Sexual Chocolate" went on sale at the brewery this morning. What pubs in the triangle area will have this on tap? I've never tasted SC but have heard the hype many times. Thanks. AW.

[devildeac]

According to the N&O's beer column, Foothills "Sexual Chocolate" went on sale at the brewery this morning. What pubs in the triangle area will have this on tap? I've never tasted SC but have heard the hype many times. Thanks. AW.

Tyler's usually has SC. Your local bottle shop may have it if they have taps there like several specialty stores in Raleigh do.

[fuse]

According to the N&O's beer column, Foothills "Sexual Chocolate" went on sale at the brewery this morning. What pubs in the triangle area will have this on tap? I've never tasted SC but have heard the hype many times. Thanks. AW.

The hype for SC exceeds the product.
Don't get me wrong, it's a great beer but I think Foothills Bourbon Barrel aged People's Porter is better.

Tyler's in Apex generally gets current release and periodically rolls out aged versions. Neither lasts long. Tyler's did a Stout Day in November(?) and SC surprisingly lasted 2 weeks after. Very unusual.

[mattman91]

The only thing that can possibly cheer me up right now in my Enjoy By IPA

[PSurprise]

The only thing that can possibly cheer me up right now in my Enjoy By IPA

What a game! It even made me forget that I had some beer in the fridge! I've taken a one-month hiatus on the alcohol and then I couldn't leave the game and then I completely forget my beverage. I think I'll have that beer now (It's my bock from back in December, aging in the basement...yum!!)

[fuse]

Founders All Day IPA
Really nice, had at a friends last night.
Easy drinking, citrusy, almost a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale "light".
Apparently available for $12/case at Triangle Wine in morrisville.
Can't think of a cheaper, better house beer at that price.

New Belgium Anna's (?) pale ale.
Really nice, easy drinking.

[mattman91]

Founders All Day IPA
Really nice, had at a friends last night.
Easy drinking, citrusy, almost a Sierra Nevada Pale Ale "light".
Apparently available for $12/case at Triangle Wine in morrisville.
Can't think of a cheaper, better house beer at that price.

New Belgium Anna's (?) pale ale.
Really nice, easy drinking.

One of my favorite session IPA's!

Very good to have in the fridge for any kind of get together!

[mattman91]

One of my favorite session IPA's!

Very good to have in the fridge for any kind of get together!

Speaking of "session" IPA's, Stone just announced that it will be releasing a new session IPA, the "Go To IPA"

[devildeac]

Jack and Ken's Ale (aka Sierra Nevada's 30th Anniversary Ale-2010)-Sierra Nevada Brewing

Yep, this black barleywine is about 4 years old and I divided the contents of the caged and corked 750 ml bottle over two nights. Poured a dark, dark mahogany color with a moderately foamy head. Nose of dark caramel, tobacco and whiskey and tastes to match with some chocolate and a lot of dark fruits, too. I can't find my first review anywhere but usually this style is highly hopped and quite bitter when first tasted. This was incredibly smooth on the palate and made a nice nightcap but would also make a fine dessert beer. I'll guess the IBUs to be 60-70 and the ABV was 10.2%. These are the types of beers you buy a couple of and enjoy one when purchased and then save the second bottle for a special occasion a year or three later to see how they mellow/mature/smooth out over time.

[fuse]

In a word, meh.

I need to find some Cigar City or Funky Buddha!!!

[duketaylor]

http://web.mail.comcast.net/service/...=276600&part=2

Don't know if this pic will work. It's a new brewery in downtown Richmond under construction.. In the foreground is my architect and in the background my partner. Will be called Triple Crossing Brewing. We toured it to get further ideas as we move forward. Should be open in March.

[devildeac]

In a word, meh.

I need to find some Cigar City or Funky Buddha!!!

I've been working on Indoor 66 for a while now for some Cigar City brews. No success yet.

[fuse]

Went to a restaurant in Bonita Springs, Florida - Big Hickory Fishing Nook. Fun place, great food and service that had their own red ale.

The original Killian's ale (prior to being "reformulated" as a lager by Coors) holds a high bar, at least in my memory. Big Hickory Fishing Hook Red was on par with the memory.

Went to Grumpy's Ale House in Naples and boy did I feel out of place. I think Shooters was the bar in Durham near 15-501 that was a dive and would have been a step up.

Know your beer- I asked the bartender what they had from Cigar City. Nothing.
I asked for a Jai Alai off the menu and was served a Cigar City Jai Alai.

First thought, nothing special. How can this beer be so highly rated? The only explanation I can offer is that I had built it up so high in my mind it could not live up to expectations.

I had a second, but wow, what a disappointment. I'd prefer Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Torpedo and any number of other IPAs. I could not really discern why this is such a great beer. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it but there are any number of similar beers I'd enjoy just as much.

Ugh. Bubble popped.

[tbyers11]

Went to a restaurant in Bonita Springs, Florida - Big Hickory Fishing Nook. Fun place, great food and service that had their own red ale.

The original Killian's ale (prior to being "reformulated" as a lager by Coors) holds a high bar, at least in my memory. Big Hickory Fishing Hook Red was on par with the memory.

Went to Grumpy's Ale House in Naples and boy did I feel out of place. I think Shooters was the bar in Durham near 15-501 that was a dive and would have been a step up.

Know your beer- I asked the bartender what they had from Cigar City. Nothing.
I asked for a Jai Alai off the menu and was served a Cigar City Jai Alai.

First thought, nothing special. How can this beer be so highly rated? The only explanation I can offer is that I had built it up so high in my mind it could not live up to expectations.

I had a second, but wow, what a disappointment. I'd prefer Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Torpedo and any number of other IPAs. I could not really discern why this is such a great beer. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it but there are any number of similar beers I'd enjoy just as much.

Ugh. Bubble popped.

I live in Orlando and basically agree with you on Cigar City Jai Alai IPA. It is not bad, but is nothing special and at its price point ($9.99/6 pack) I can easily get other IPAs at my local Publix that are better and cheaper. Strangely, their other flagship beer, Maduro Brown Ale, doesn't do much for me either.

However, don't let it dissuade you from trying other Cigar City brews if you find any. I REALLY like several of their other beers. Tocobaga Red Ale is very good. Their Guava Grove farmhouse ale (brewed with guava obviously) is great but you have to be a fan of guava. They recently made a pre-Prohibition style pilsener (Patio Pils) that I enjoyed. Last year they brewed an IPA in Puerto Rico and dry-hopped it on the ship back to Tampa (with Citra I believe) that had great tropical fruit flavors. Also, their seasonal stout Marshal Zhukov's Imperial Stout is great. I've never had their limited release Hunahpu's Imperial Stout, but it is supposed to be amazing. They basically have a giant party to release it one day a year in March (kind of like Three Floyd's/Dark Lord) and if you don't attend to get your bottle about the only other way to get it is on an occasional draft at their brewery tap room.

Now, I'm not sure how many of these beers (probably none) you will find at restaurants in Naples, but you may be able to find some good Cigar City brews at local bottle shops. Basically, my take home message is don't give up on Cigar City entirely based on the Jai Alai IPA. Hope this lifts your beer-drinking spirits a bit

[devildeac]

Went to a restaurant in Bonita Springs, Florida - Big Hickory Fishing Nook. Fun place, great food and service that had their own red ale.

The original Killian's ale (prior to being "reformulated" as a lager by Coors) holds a high bar, at least in my memory. Big Hickory Fishing Hook Red was on par with the memory.

Went to Grumpy's Ale House in Naples and boy did I feel out of place. I think Shooters was the bar in Durham near 15-501 that was a dive and would have been a step up.

Know your beer- I asked the bartender what they had from Cigar City. Nothing.
I asked for a Jai Alai off the menu and was served a Cigar City Jai Alai.

First thought, nothing special. How can this beer be so highly rated? The only explanation I can offer is that I had built it up so high in my mind it could not live up to expectations.

I had a second, but wow, what a disappointment. I'd prefer Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Torpedo and any number of other IPAs. I could not really discern why this is such a great beer. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it but there are any number of similar beers I'd enjoy just as much.

Ugh. Bubble popped.

From June 19, 2011:

Jai Alai IPA-Cigar City Brewing

Guess where we were this weekend. This was the specialty brew served at the wedding reception we attended and appeared to be a pretty popular selection. Poured a slightly cloudy golden yellow with a generous head and mostly piney, resinous hop presence with more than a hint of grapefruitiness. The generous amount of caramel and other malts balanced the bitterness nicely with my guess at about 70 for the IBU to go along with the 7.5% ABV on the label. I sipped a couple of these during cocktail hour and settled on iced tea and water with the buffet dinner. Too potent for more than a couple. So, if you are in Florida, seek out one of these and find a second one they brew, too.

I thought the name of that beer sounded familiar. I certainly wasn't overwhelmed with the brew but didn't think it too bad either. That being said, I'd be interested in trying some of the brews mentioned in the post above.

[cato]

Just poured a Hop Shortage, from Knee Deep Brewing.

Medium brown color, not very bubbly. High alcohol, you can really taste it. (Sure enough, it's 11.3%). Floral scent, but long butter aftertaste. My guess is it isn't very fresh.

I wonder if I will like it better with food?

[duketaylor]

Anybody out there hearing anything about a hop shortage in the near future? Another reason I'll grow my own, a little insurance. Bottled my Russian imperial stout yesterday, can transport to NC in the coming days

[fuse]

Anybody out there hearing anything about a hop shortage in the near future? Another reason I'll grow my own, a little insurance. Bottled my Russian imperial stout yesterday, can transport to NC in the coming days

Check up thread, I believe I posted a link to an article about possible hop shortages a few(?) weeks ago.

[devildeac]

Anybody out there hearing anything about a hop shortage in the near future? Another reason I'll grow my own, a little insurance. Bottled my Russian imperial stout yesterday, can transport to NC in the coming days

Heard about a hop shortage several years ago that resulted in beer prices increasing $1-2/4 pack/6er/bomber. Likely due to the rapid increase in the microbrewing industry. Also read some thoughts it might be due to increase corn production for ethanol additives to fuel. Suspect more the former than the latter. Also heard it again recently as you did Chuck.

[devildeac]

Christmas Ale- Brouwerij Corsendonk

I'd like to sample this along with their Pater or Bruin, the two names I've seen with the dubbel style. I'm not so sure they are much different beers. Poured a dark brown with a sweet caramel and floral nose and tastes to match, along with the expected dark fruits, raisins, dates and figs. Modest head with little hop presence and sweet, cloying tastes. Served best lightly chilled in a goblet or snifter with bread pudding or blondies, or by itself for your liquid dessert.