Ymm, Beer

[devildeac]

Y'all have a good time. Hopefully, there will be a celebratory atmosphere beyond just getting together and having a few good brews

I'll have to crack open something nice Thursday night too. Have a Great Divide Oatmeal Yeti that might fit the bill since near-freezing temps are predicted here in central Florida.

I think I've had almost all of the 5-6 species of Yeti over the last several years. Outstanding beer.

[fuse]

Billed as a New Zealand hopped Brett saison.

Really nice thick head, orange golden color.

Grassy hop notes followed by a syrupy sweetness- tropical fruit (New Zealand hops?).

Pineapple, and papaya in the nose.

If it tastes half as good as it smells, I am in for another Wicked Weed treat (oh how I wish I had found some of Wicked Weed's French toast stout!).

Fruit, fruit and more fruit- almost like drinking a really nice Sauvignon Blanc. Mild hop bitterness on the finish.

Really unusual in the brilliant Wicked Weed way. Going to be hard work to savor this- so smooth, easy drinking.

Not much funk going on here- no straw, hay or much evident Brett character, or saison style.
Fruit and smooth dominate. Maybe the finish is more like you'd expect from a saison.

Alcohol well hidden (I think 7-7.5%).

Mattman, you need to propose a Wicked Weed Asheville to Apex pipeline!

[duketaylor]

I am chilling a selected brew for post-game enjoyment if warranted. It's brewed in Downingtown, PA. Will disclose more later after....

9F9F9F9F, GO DUKE!!!

[fuse]

I was never a big fan of Roth, or really understood why their biggest fans orchestrated a buyout so they could brew IPAs.

My wife was convinced this would be a good one to try in the store, people were raving about it.
NCBeerGuys on Twitter reviewed it favorably also.

Thick opaque brown in colour.
Waited a while for it to warm up.

Smells like a chocolate donut.

Pretty much what you'd hope a chocolate beer to be.
Roasty, chocolate flavour- not a sweet, sugary chocolate, or bitter, but a mouth coating chocolatey richness.

A nice dessert beer.

[duketaylor]

fuse, that sounds very good!!

[fuse]

I am chilling a selected brew for post-game enjoyment if warranted. It's brewed in Downingtown, PA. Will disclose more later after....

9F9F9F9F, GO DUKE!!!

Time to crack that Victory now :-)

[duketaylor]

Victory Winter Warmer, now gonna chill my heart and get the rate down, what a damn finish. Tyus Jones was MOTM and just awesome. Was afraid this game was lost. We were out-hustled in the 2nd half and we lost focus, I thought. As well as Grayson played in the 1st, I don't think he did in the 2nd, nor did Marshall.

Gonna finish my "water" beer now and enjoy some Victory

[duketaylor]

That Victory beer was delicious, not just because of the win, but because it is delicious. Will seek more very soon.

[SlapTheFloor]

El Segundo Triple IPA, Duke 92 UNC 90 OT

Somehow I found the only IPAs I had in the fridge for the game were of the triple variety. I was worried that might be a little too much alcohol, but, in the end, it didn't seem like there was enough alcohol in the world to deal with this game. The only other time I had this beer was on tap, and this time it seemed a little more bitter than previously. Probably, like many IIIPAs, they've changed the hop profile a bit based on what's in season. Anyway, the beer was still very good. Nice hop aroma, and well balanced without the overpowering sweetness you get in some exemplars of the style. The label claimed the ABV at 11.1%, but I wouldn't have guessed that from the taste. I might have suspected a little after finishing it, though.

I would put this beer a little behind Alpine's Exponential Hoppiness, and Bootlegger's Knuckle Sandwich (and maybe Pliny the Younger depending on the year), but it's still very good. And thank to Tyus Jones, I don't have to blame it for our inability to keep UNC off the offensive glass. Still, I think I might drink my second bottle sometime other than during a Duke game.

[devildeac]

El Segundo Triple IPA, Duke 92 UNC 90 OT

Somehow I found the only IPAs I had in the fridge for the game were of the triple variety. I was worried that might be a little too much alcohol, but, in the end, it didn't seem like there was enough alcohol in the world to deal with this game. The only other time I had this beer was on tap, and this time it seemed a little more bitter than previously. Probably, like many IIIPAs, they've changed the hop profile a bit based on what's in season. Anyway, the beer was still very good. Nice hop aroma, and well balanced without the overpowering sweetness you get in some exemplars of the style. The label claimed the ABV at 11.1%, but I wouldn't have guessed that from the taste. I might have suspected a little after finishing it, though.

I would put this beer a little behind Alpine's Exponential Hoppiness, and Bootlegger's Knuckle Sandwich (and maybe Pliny the Younger depending on the year), but it's still very good. And thank to Tyus Jones, I don't have to blame it for our inability to keep UNC off the offensive glass. Still, I think I might drink my second bottle sometime other than during a Duke game.

Never tasted your first three and I may have had one draft or bottle of Pliny the Younger several years ago. I'm guessing you're from the SF Bay Area as I know Russian River's distribution is limited to the west coast, Colorado and a couple bars in Philadelphia. Come visit us more often on this thread.

[SlapTheFloor]

Never tasted your first three and I may have had one draft or bottle of Pliny the Younger several years ago. I'm guessing you're from the SF Bay Area as I know Russian River's distribution is limited to the west coast, Colorado and a couple bars in Philadelphia. Come visit us more often on this thread.

I live in Los Angeles. I used to live a couple of towns down from Russian River, and I went there a lot. I really miss having easy access to their sours. We get Younger down here in Southern California, but it can be a bit of a mad house. They actually had it at my favorite bar last night, but I didn't want to try to watch the game there.

A thread which combines Duke basketball and beer? Yeah, I'll definitely be back.

[daveduke76]

I will be heading to Durham this weekend for the Clemson game (sure hope Oakafor plays!), but can anyone recommend a place to grab a beer tomorrow night?

Thanks
Dave

[devildeac]

I will be heading to Durham this weekend for the Clemson game (sure hope Oakafor plays!), but can anyone recommend a place to grab a beer tomorrow night?

Thanks
Dave

Tylers Taproom probably my favorite. Other like Satisfaction, The Federal, Mellow Mushroom, Tobacco Road, Bull City Burger and Brewery, Fullsteam Brewery(no food), Washington Duke bar/Fairview Room.

[Tripping William]

Tylers Taproom probably my favorite. Other like Satisfaction, The Federal, Mellow Mushroom, Tobacco Road, Bull City Burger and Brewery, Fullsteam Brewery(no food), Washington Duke bar/Fairview Room.

No food directly on-site at Fullsteam. There is a decent BBQ joint next door, though, and Fullsteam lets you bring their food in. I'm told there are food trucks there occasionally as well.

[Tripping William]

Here ya go:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/place/city/35/

I've never heard of any of these places except Gordon Biersch. Maybe Henderson reads this thread and can provide some insights or beer guidance.

This place looks interesting:

http://bangerbrewing.com/

Also found this list/site:

http://www.thrillist.com/drink/las-v...gas-vegas-bars

Neglected to thank you for this, and I have been slow getting back on the up-take. Grabbed a variety of brews at Taps, the sports bar in the MGM Grand. Decent beer menu, with both draft and bottles. The only local beer they had on tap was the Tenaya Creek Bonanza brown ale. It was quite tasty and surprisingly smooth (especially considering the bartender billed it to me as the "hoppiest" beer they had, which was just wrong; the Dogfishhead and Firestone Union Jack IPAs I had were far hoppier).

The best beer I drank, though, was a 12-ounce bottle of the La Trappe Quadrupel. I have seen the Dubbel and the Trippel reviewed in this thread, and the Quad did not disappoint. A stellar Belgian ale with a somewhat cloudy mid-brown color and very complex dried fruit flavors. I almost requested a second bottle just to try & bring it home, but the thought of the bottle breaking nearly brought me to tears. Definitely one worth seeking out.

[daveduke76]

Tylers Taproom probably my favorite. Other like Satisfaction, The Federal, Mellow Mushroom, Tobacco Road, Bull City Burger and Brewery, Fullsteam Brewery(no food), Washington Duke bar/Fairview Room.

Thanks so much!
Dave

[fuse]

Thanks to devildeac, mattman, mattman's girlfriend, and my wife for making it a fantastic evening.

Rum soaked pineapple, cherry and lime Randallized Hell Yes Ma'am (Belgian style ale) was excellent- a lime and rum belgian beer cocktail.

The mint stout was like a Girl Scout a Thin Mint in a glass- super tasty.

I maintain that the RBC coffee Porter is their best beer. Not sure I could drink it all day- I would if I could.

Fun evening with friends!

[devildeac]

Wiggo-Carolina Brewing Company

Drink local!

Their version of a winter IPA brewed with Nugget, Cascade and Amarillo hops and balanced with generous amounts of dark caramel malts. Poured a slightly cloudy, peach-amber color with aromas of citrus and pine and tastes of the same with a little butterscotch, cantaloupe and peach, all a bit unusual for a winter IPA but a pleasant combination. I bought 4 of these 12 ounce bottles and our son got one, one went to mattman91, I sipped one and I think there's one left. IBUs are 59 and ABV is 6.3%. Would pair well with some pulled pork and perhaps some spicy fare.

[devildeac]

Thanks to devildeac, mattman, mattman's girlfriend, and my wife for making it a fantastic evening.

Rum soaked pineapple, cherry and lime Randallized Hell Yes Ma'am (Belgian style ale) was excellent- a lime and rum belgian beer cocktail.

The mint stout was like a Girl Scout a Thin Mint in a glass- super tasty.

I maintain that the RBC coffee Porter is their best beer. Not sure I could drink it all day- I would if I could.

Fun evening with friends!

I'll echo that this was a really enjoyable gathering. I had the pleasure of dining with mattman and his girlfriend first and then catching up with fuse and his Love Ninja, err, wife, at RBC after dinner for entertaining conversation and some fine Raleigh Brewing Company beer tasting. More later.

[devildeac]

Carolina Mountain Monster-Asheville Brewing Company

Many thanks to ricks68 for safely transporting this to Raleigh several weeks ago. This is probably the thickest motor oil, err, Russian imperial stout that I've ever tasted. Poured a thick, oily black hue with a somewhat surprising generous latte-colored creamy head that lingered forever. Nose of dark chocolate, black strap molasses with a small splash of espresso. Tastes of the same with some dark fruits and some Godiva chocolate liqueur. The SRM is only 75 but I've tasted the Rogue XS Imperial Stout and several of the Southern Tier chocolate beers with Lovibond ratings of 240-250 and this easily rivals those. IBUs are listed at 55 and the ABV is a stunning 12.5%, also the highest ABV in a RIS that I can recall and good reason to divide this bomber over two nights or share with a friend or three.

9834dc22d63153a0758d836ba7d308e8_320x320.jpg