Ymm, Beer

[fuse]

Got a great 51st bday present from the hubby this past week. He went to Sam's Quick Shop in Durham and bought me 51 different beers. All are IPAs, lagers, and pale ales and ones that I have not yet tried. The man knows the way to my heart!

You've got a keeper! 51 different beers from Sam's is a cornucopia of beery goodness!

[devildeac]

What is the OBX?

48456829_250x250_Front_padToSquare-true.jpg

The Weeping Radish brewery re-located there 10-15 years ago after getting their start in downtown Derm near Satisfaction and Devine's, IIRC.

http://weepingradish.com/index.php?o...=article&id=55

[devildeac]

Got a great 51st bday present from the hubby this past week. He went to Sam's Quick Shop in Durham and bought me 51 different beers. All are IPAs, lagers, and pale ales and ones that I have not yet tried. The man knows the way to my heart!

He must have forgotten that I am your long lost, thirsty older brother and had a birthday last month, too.

[devildeac]

Frankenlou's IPA-Seven Brides Brewing

Although it does not start out that way, this brew ends up as one of the hoppiest assaults on my palate ever. Initially, aromas of pine, grass and resin from the hops are balanced my the caramel malts, but as I finished the shared bomber with my son, who "smuggled" it in from Oregon this winter, we both thought this is pretty brutal. We suspected it might be this way with the 105 IBU printed on the bottle and were pleasantly surprised at first. However, the 7% ABV falls behind on the balance scale and the bitterness dominates. Worthy of a try during a tasting session or with some curry or fiery Chinese food but not worth a re-visit.

beer_141206.jpg

[devildeac]

Here's something I discovered while reading on Wikipedia about the Weeping Radish brewery:



"Under construction and opening soon:

Waterway Brewing Company, Pfafftown
Heist Brewery, Charlotte
Sierra Nevada Brewery (east-coast facility), Asheville
New Belgium Brewing (east-coast facility), Asheville
Oskar Blues Brewery (east-coast facility), Brevard
White Rabbit Brewing Company, Garner"

(bold/italics mine)

Did not know Oskar Blues had plans for an East Coast brewery. Hmmm...

[fuse]

Another local NC brew. I've had a few good beers from Highland.
When I first poured it, I thought it might be skunked, which would be unusual for a brown glass bottle.
The nose is more like a pils than a pale ale, light and grassy.

St. Therese is deep gold in colour. There is a mild bitterness on the tongue that fades quickly and finishes fresh and crisp. This is not high alcohol at 5%, and makes a good sipping beer for a hot day. This is not a challenging or assertive beer. Pleasant, sure, but not memorable.

The beer is named for the patron saint of headaches, which is a bit ironic- you'd have to put away more than your fair share of these to wake up the next morning and regret it.

I'm glad I tried it- this is a good beer that I would drink again, but would not actively seek out. There are too many good pale ales out there- I am fairly certain you could have a different good pale ale every day of the year without a repeat. Beer Advocate lists over 2400(wow!) for the American Pale Ale style.

[devildeac]

I haven't sampled this beer but I wonder if our own weezie has paid a visit anytime recently to this brewery (Seven Brides) in Silverton, Oregon.

Weezin-ator:
This dopplebock is dominated by its strong,
deep toasty flavors that have a full-bodied finish
and a lingering sweetness from the complex mix of malts
and just the right amount of hops to balance.
This “big” beer has complex undertones and a smooth warming finish.
7.9% alcohol ibu’s 30 color: 22 srm

[devildeac]

Supporting NC food and brews:

Witbier-Mash House Brewing

The devildeacs celebrated their 34th anniversary tonight (a day early) by visiting Tribeca Tavern. We actually visited friends downtown and headed to the Cary location but found out on the way over there that our neighbor's son was no longer the manager there but had been transferred to the North Raleigh location (and promoted to general manager) so we got back on I-40 and then I-540 and headed to the location about 2 miles from our house and enjoyed a bowl of shrimp and grits and a Hurricane burger along with a slice of chocolate raspberry ice box cake. I treated myself to a freshly tapped 23 ounce serving of their seasonal Witbier for $2 off the regular $7 price and it was just about as expected with a cloudy, yellow, foamy pour that had aromas of citrus from the unfiltered wheat malt and orange peel and very slight bitterness from the spicing with the coriander. It made a nice match with my NC Hurricane burger which was topped with lettuce, tomato, raw onion, slaw, NC hoop cheddar, applewood smoked bacon and a heap of pork shoulder and a bit of BBQ sauce. I'd guess the IBU to be about 20 and ABV to be around 5%. He also gave us a nice 25% discount off our bill for being good neighbors .

[fuse]

Supporting NC food and brews:

Witbier-Mash House Brewing

The devildeacs celebrated their 34th anniversary tonight (a day early) by visiting Tribeca Tavern. We actually visited friends downtown and headed to the Cary location but found out on the way over there that our neighbor's son was no longer the manager there but had been transferred to the North Raleigh location (and promoted to general manager) so we got back on I-40 and then I-540 and headed to the location about 2 miles from our house and enjoyed a bowl of shrimp and grits and a Hurricane burger along with a slice of chocolate raspberry ice box cake. I treated myself to a freshly tapped 23 ounce serving of their seasonal Witbier for $2 off the regular $7 price and it was just about as expected with a cloudy, yellow, foamy pour that had aromas of citrus from the unfiltered wheat malt and orange peel and very slight bitterness from the spicing with the coriander. It made a nice match with my NC Hurricane burger which was topped with lettuce, tomato, raw onion, slaw, NC hoop cheddar, applewood smoked bacon and a heap of pork shoulder and a bit of BBQ sauce. I'd guess the IBU to be about 20 and ABV to be around 5%. He also gave us a nice 25% discount off our bill for being good neighbors .

Wow, congratulations!!!! Would have been happy to join you to celebrate but had other plans. We love Tribeca, they make great burgers! Sounds like a fantastic celebration, all the best!

-g

[fuse]

Last night, we got together with some friends and broke out a bottle of 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 Hopslam to do a vertical tasting.

The most remarkable thing about the tasting was the 2009- it was so smooth and mellow- very little "fresh hop" aroma, some lingering honey sweetness but very balanced.
I put the 2012 as second, and it still had a strong IPA nose and it could not have been a bigger contrast to the 2009- all alcohol heat and in your face hop bitterness.

The 2010 and 2011 were not indistinguishable, but they were relatively closely matched in terms of nose and flavour profile.

I would rank them:2009, 2012,2010,2011.
All were excellent and it was fun to see how beer changes over time.

[devildeac]

90 Minute IPA-Dogfish Head Brewing

One of my all time favorites, this brew, which is really an IIPA, has it covered "to the nines." 90 minutes of continuous hopping and dry hopping, 90 IBU and 9% ABV. Pours an orange-yellow with a small head that rapidly dissipates but leaves behind a citrus/tropical melange of pineapple, mango and a bit of grapefruit. The huge malty backbone balances the high IBU with tastes of medium caramel, rum and brown sugar. Best served at cellar temperatures, this ale would pair nicely with aged cheeses, pork tenderloin, a spiced/peppery beef brisket or enjoyed by itself from a snifter. I "inherited" 4 of these from my son's recent bachelor party so I had one last week and I believe I will trade one, age one and sip the other a bit later this summer.


beer_10569.jpg

[devildeac]

Two Hearted Ale (draft)-Bell's Brewing

It has been a while since I had one of these and I had forgotten how pleasant and well-balanced this IPA was from the light citrus and floral hop aromas and tastes to the nearly perfect balance with medium caramel and toffee flavors, too. Served in a voluptuous Sam Adams ale glass as the select brew of the evening, this yellow-orange ale accompanied a heaping plate of chicken nachos and was an ideal pairing with its modest spice and bitterness (even my daughter who is not much of a beer fan thought it only mildly bitter) with an estimated IBU of 60 and an ABV of 7%. I think it was a $3/pint special. I even thought about a second pint but declined so I was able to fully enjoy Brahms' Symphony No. 3 and Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2 a bit later that evening.





Two Hearted Ale(bottle)-Bell's Brewing

Interesting comparison/contrast between the draft above and the two bottles I enjoyed the last couple weeks that were leftovers from my son's bachelor party last month. I think the bottled edition is a bit more piney and resinous than the draft variety with even less citrus and floral notes but the balance is still excellent and crispness is ideal. I'd have the same food pairings and would not hesitate keeping the remaining 2 bottles or trading for a worthy cause .

[fuse]

Stella Artois

One of the greats!
I really enjoy Stella.
It poured a bright crystal clear gold, with a 2 finger thick head that lingers in the glass.

There is a bit of sweetness (Belgian candy sugar?) in the palate, but this is a fresh and clean lager that is quite enjoyable.

A definite go to beer when craft beer is an unknown. A true classic and excellent every time!

[devildeac]

Stella Artois

One of the greats!
I really enjoy Stella.
It poured a bright crystal clear gold, with a 2 finger thick head that lingers in the glass.

There is a bit of sweetness (Belgian candy sugar?) in the palate, but this is a fresh and clean lager that is quite enjoyable.

A definite go to beer when craft beer is an unknown. A true classic and excellent every time!

IIRC, it is packaged in a green bottle and was rather skunky last time I sampled one and I was majorly underwhelmed. But, it has been a while since I tasted it. Based on your review, it certainly sounds like it's worth another pour. Sounds like my impression of Pilsner Urquell. I thought it vastly over-rated and spoiled when it originated from a green bottle but subsequently enjoyed one on draft and thought it was outstanding. I need to find a Stella on draft, too.

Working this weekend so no brews for me. My son gets married a week from today so there should be a few special celebratory brews starting Monday. I have a well-aged Raison D'Extra in the fridge now to begin sipping next week.

[fuse]

IIRC, it is packaged in a green bottle and was rather skunky last time I sampled one and I was majorly underwhelmed. But, it has been a while since I tasted it. Based on your review, it certainly sounds like it's worth another pour. Sounds like my impression of Pilsner Urquell. I thought it vastly over-rated and spoiled when it originated from a green bottle but subsequently enjoyed one on draft and thought it was outstanding. I need to find a Stella on draft, too.

Working this weekend so no brews for me. My son gets married a week from today so there should be a few special celebratory brews starting Monday. I have a well-aged Raison D'Extra in the fridge now to begin sipping next week.

Stella comes in cans now, too. Pilsner Urquell is making a big deal of their new campaign ro bring fresh beer to the US including double packaging and refrigeration. Why both Stella and Pilsner Urquell can't just go with brown glass is beyond me.

Dogfish Head Raison d'Etre is one of the few DFH beers I don't care for, maybe it is time to try it again.

[devildeac]

Stella comes in cans now, too. Pilsner Urquell is making a big deal of their new campaign ro bring fresh beer to the US including double packaging and refrigeration. Why both Stella and Pilsner Urquell can't just go with brown glass is beyond me.

Dogfish Head Raison d'Etre is one of the few DFH beers I don't care for, maybe it is time to try it again.

Stella in cans would be worth a try. I agree that brown glass makes sooo much more sense. I've heard a couple other folks comment about the DFH Raison D'Etre also. Must be the concept/taste of raisins and beer together. I actually am talking about a 5 year old bottle of the D'Extra in the 'fridge for celebration purposes. This brew is currently on hiatus.

beer_12834.jpg

I found several 12 ounce bottles of this, not the corked/caged 750 bottle in the photo, about two or three years ago in Kentucky.

[blazindw]

Last night, we got together with some friends and broke out a bottle of 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 Hopslam to do a vertical tasting.

The most remarkable thing about the tasting was the 2009- it was so smooth and mellow- very little "fresh hop" aroma, some lingering honey sweetness but very balanced.
I put the 2012 as second, and it still had a strong IPA nose and it could not have been a bigger contrast to the 2009- all alcohol heat and in your face hop bitterness.

The 2010 and 2011 were not indistinguishable, but they were relatively closely matched in terms of nose and flavour profile.

I would rank them:2009, 2012,2010,2011.
All were excellent and it was fun to see how beer changes over time.

What's the best way, in your opinion, to store beer so it doesn't get skunky? Was going to finish my last 2 Hopslams but may store them if I can (though, they are in the fridge right now so I'm assuming that can't be done well).

[fuse]

What's the best way, in your opinion, to store beer so it doesn't get skunky? Was going to finish my last 2 Hopslams but may store them if I can (though, they are in the fridge right now so I'm assuming that can't be done well).

Aging Hopslam in particular is interesting because Bell's suggests not to do it because they are bottle conditioned (yeast in the bottle).
It does defeat the purpose of a fresh hop beer but I thought it was worth it.

How I have done it (with Hopslam and other beers) is I have a fridge in the garage just for beer.
The only way I have kept Hopslam is to refrigerate upon purchase and keep it there.

Surprisingly enough, I have more beer than fridge, so for the beer that cannot fit in the fridge, I keep them in the cardboard case or put the 22oz/750s into a cardboard wine box and keep them in the house. The house is probably too warm for this purpose but until I am independently wealthy and can afford a beer cave/wine cellar, it will do.
Most authorities suggest keeping the beer cool and out of the light. Put your beers in a wine box and stick them in a dark corner or pantry and you will be as well off as you can be.

Some beers I have found that age well:
Most Dogfish Head 750ml beers (I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.es Brew a year later was outstanding)
DFH Burton Baton
DFH Old School
Weyerbacher Insanity
Sierra Nevada 30th, Hoptimum, Bigfoot
Stone Epic Vertical
Anchor Old Foghorn
(Original) Thomas Hardy Ales- there are stories of people holding onto this beer for 25 years, and 15 year vertical tasting parties

I think the rule of thumb is once you get above 9%, it is a good candidate for aging.
I recently read an article by a Cicerone (think beer sommelier) that suggests beer will never spoil and is always good.
While I find that hard to believe it does give me hope for my 1996 Longshot Hazelnut Brown.

One beer I bought back in 1994, Sam Adams Triple Bock, has never tasted right to me. I bought 6 and I think I have one left. The last one I opened, I shared with 4 other people and everyone took a sip and poured it out. I really want to try the Utopias, but a) they are not available in NC and b) my experience with the Triple Bock has me very suspicious.

[devildeac]

What's the best way, in your opinion, to store beer so it doesn't get skunky? Was going to finish my last 2 Hopslams but may store them if I can (though, they are in the fridge right now so I'm assuming that can't be done well).

Aging Hopslam in particular is interesting because Bell's suggests not to do it because they are bottle conditioned (yeast in the bottle).
It does defeat the purpose of a fresh hop beer but I thought it was worth it.

How I have done it (with Hopslam and other beers) is I have a fridge in the garage just for beer.
The only way I have kept Hopslam is to refrigerate upon purchase and keep it there.

Surprisingly enough, I have more beer than fridge, so for the beer that cannot fit in the fridge, I keep them in the cardboard case or put the 22oz/750s into a cardboard wine box and keep them in the house. The house is probably too warm for this purpose but until I am independently wealthy and can afford a beer cave/wine cellar, it will do.
Most authorities suggest keeping the beer cool and out of the light. Put your beers in a wine box and stick them in a dark corner or pantry and you will be as well off as you can be.

Some beers I have found that age well:
Most Dogfish Head 750ml beers (I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.es Brew a year later was outstanding)
DFH Burton Baton
DFH Old School
Weyerbacher Insanity
Sierra Nevada 30th, Hoptimum, Bigfoot
Stone Epic Vertical
Anchor Old Foghorn
(Original) Thomas Hardy Ales- there are stories of people holding onto this beer for 25 years, and 15 year vertical tasting parties

I think the rule of thumb is once you get above 9%, it is a good candidate for aging.
I recently read an article by a Cicerone (think beer sommelier) that suggests beer will never spoil and is always good.
While I find that hard to believe it does give me hope for my 1996 Longshot Hazelnut Brown.

One beer I bought back in 1994, Sam Adams Triple Bock, has never tasted right to me. I bought 6 and I think I have one left. The last one I opened, I shared with 4 other people and everyone took a sip and poured it out. I really want to try the Utopias, but a) they are not available in NC and b) my experience with the Triple Bock has me very suspicious.

Fuse is exactly right here. I have stored my "extras" in my garage in cases away from light. I don't believe I have really lost any brews over about 11 years since we have been at our current location due to heat spoilage. I likewise have more beers than 'fridges. Some of my cellared ales include:

Bigfoot (back to 2006 or 2007)
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout (back to about 2007)
Brooklyn Monster (ditto)
Avery Samael and Mephistopheles (to 2009)
Stone Vertical Epic (to 2009)-Yes, I am having a long awaited vertical tasting on or about 12/12/12.
Burton Baton (?2007)
Raison D'Extra (having a few sips of a 2006 tonight)
Olde School (2008?)
Immort Ale (2009?)
World Wide Stout (who knows how old some of my bottles are)
120 Minute IPA (2008?)

I actually think the bottle-conditioned (and high gravity) ales age/mature/better. The Hopslam, which I have not found for a couple years I guess, provides an interesting dilemma with the fresh hop vs bottle conditioning discussion.

Hope that helps.

Fuse, we really gotta get together and trade a few old ones.

[fuse]

Fuse is exactly right here. I have stored my "extras" in my garage in cases away from light. I don't believe I have really lost any brews over about 11 years since we have been at our current location due to heat spoilage. I likewise have more beers than 'fridges. Some of my cellared ales include:

Bigfoot (back to 2006 or 2007)
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout (back to about 2007)
Brooklyn Monster (ditto)
Avery Samael and Mephistopheles (to 2009)
Stone Vertical Epic (to 2009)-Yes, I am having a long awaited vertical tasting on or about 12/12/12.
Burton Baton (?2007)
Raison D'Extra (having a few sips of a 2006 tonight)
Olde School (2008?)
Immort Ale (2009?)
World Wide Stout (who knows how old some of my bottles are)
120 Minute IPA (2008?)

I actually think the bottle-conditioned (and high gravity) ales age/mature/better. The Hopslam, which I have not found for a couple years I guess, provides an interesting dilemma with the fresh hop vs bottle conditioning discussion.

Hope that helps.

Fuse, we really gotta get together and trade a few old ones.

I'm slowly but surely consuming the older stuff- I *may* have an 03 Bigfoot, a 97(?) Thomas Hardy and the 94 Triple Bock. I have some scattered 06/07 Bigfoot, some old Anchor Christmas and Foghorn, but I'd say most of the stuff I have is probably 2010 and newer with some exceptions. Other than the last (jalapeno pepper?) Vertical Epic, I enjoyed those too much and don't have much "Vertical" there- maybe one 2010 left. I have a few assorted Sierra Nevada 30th bottles left, the Grand Cru was my favorite.
My beer fridge is surely disorganized so there may be some surprises in there- I still have maybe one 2010, and a few 2011 and 2012 Hopslams, so I may be able to do another 4 year vertical in February.
Some of the growing collection is Mother Earth focused- I have 2011/2012 Bourbon Barrel Aged Tripel and maybe 2010/2011/2012 Silent Night (Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout). Most of my "collection" is a mishmash of stuff I enjoy drinking (DFH Festina Peche, Saison du BUFF, Oskar Blues, Sierra Nevada) with a lot of one-off 750ml "new to me" kind of stuff. For example, I have the Stone Russian Imperial Stout and Anise Imperial Stout, but I'd need at least 3 other people to do a "reasonable" tasting.
I have a 12 pack of Sam Adams "IPA desconstructed" that is way past the Sam Adams date but I never found enough people to chill it and do a "tasting in a box"- its two bottles of the Latitude 48 IPA (5 hops) and two bottles each with only one of the 5 hops. Supposed to be a great way to experience beer differences.

Good beer is hard to hold on to!