Ymm, Beer

[luburch]

I really need to go through my untappd and post my favorites here. Maybe I'll do it on Sunday when I have a bit more time.

[devildeac]

I really need to go through my untappd and post my favorites here. Maybe I'll do it on Sunday when I have a bit more time.

That'd be great. I'd thoroughly enjoy perusing your postings.

[davec]

Dreadnaught (draft)-3 Floyds Brewing

I liked this half pint better than the Arctic Panzer Wolf, but not by much. This similarly-colored elixir had more tropical-tasting/smelling hops than the APW at least to my palate as I perceived plenty of pineapple, mango, papaya flavors to accompany the balancing act of light caramel and honey-ish, malty sweetness. Another massive IIPA at 100 IBUs and ABV of 9.5%, but still, dangerously drinkable. This short review does not do this beer Justise as it is really an outstanding brew. I'd have bought some bombers or 4 packs of this if available in their to-go area, but alas, it wasn't packaged (and might never be found in cans or bottles).

It used to be available in bombers, but I haven't seen it in a while (like, multiple years). However, in my opinion, it is light years better on draft versus bottled. Ymmv.

[fuse]

My gose supply is dwindling... I think maybe only an old Anderson Valley Kimmie, Yink Holy Gose left.

Must mean more fall beers! Not been paying attention, are the fresh/ wet hop beers out?

[devildeac]

It used to be available in bombers, but I haven't seen it in a while (like, multiple years). However, in my opinion, it is light years better on draft versus bottled. Ymmv.

Picked up 2 different 6ers and 2 bomber selections (4 each). from the brewery earlier this week. Won't tell you which ones-might spoil it for fuse .

[devildeac]

My gose supply is dwindling... I think maybe only an old Anderson Valley Kimmie, Yink Holy Gose left.

Must mean more fall beers! Not been paying attention, are the fresh/ wet hop beers out?

Not looking for any goses on this trip except the brewery-only 5 ounce sample I had at Founders last PM. Review to follow.

[devildeac]

Gose (draft)-Founders Brewing

Don't even go to try and find this one anywhere except at the brewery as they had 6 choices for the folks who visit their joint personally in downtown Grand Rapids.

Five ounce pour of a slightly cloudy, straw-yellow brew with no head and the expected aromas of saline and spices and tastes of a unsweetened lemon-lime soda and a tingly, salty and spicy palate. No IBUs listed but ABV was on the menu at 4.8%, pretty standard for the style. It was a warm but pleasant evening on their patio, a former trucking/delivery/warehouse center so it was an enjoyable pre-dinner beverage but nothing special for the style.

[devildeac]

Sleeper Cell (draft)-Founders Brewing

Don't try to find this one either except at the brewery, though it'd be a great one to bottle and distribute. Their words: "This West coast style Double IPA was brewed with 2-row pale malt and corn and Chinook, Centennial, Cascade, Simcoe & Mosaic hops!" Orange-yellow in color with tropical fruits from beginning to end with scents and tastes of grapefruit, pineapples, mango with fresh, wet, juicy and oily hops dominating but a moderate alcohol burn and some honey and caramel flavors and booze at 10.8% ABV to balance the IBUs of 85, according to our server. Nice pairing with my brat, grilled peppers, onions and spicy, brown mustard.

[devildeac]

BA ReDANKulous (draft)-Founders Brewing

Another brewery-only special and I'm very glad I saved this to sip after my brat and German potato salad were consumed. They threw some of this (ReDANKulous):


"This bold, 9.5% imperial red IPA pours a pleasing burnt amber color. Caramalt and roasted barley introduce a subtle sweetness, but the hops are the true headliner in this big IPA. The spicy, piney and tropical complexities of Chinook, Mosaic and Simcoe hops hit you right away with their dank aroma – and they stick around. It’s not just ridiculous. It’s reDANKulous."

And turned it into this:

"*B.A. Redankulous is the last test batch of Redankulous before it became a Backstage beer in 2015, and won that nifty gold medal, and then aged in Oak Bourbon Barrels for 485 days. It gained a delightful bump up in ABV and pours a tad darker shade of reddish brown. Enjoy this Big ol’ B.A. Beauty!"

Damn, this was delightful. Nose of dark fruits and booze before a ruby-brown pour with no head. Tastes of dark, dried fruits, tart cherries, candied grapefruit slices and toasted, dark, wheat bread and a lot of bourbon. IBUs quoted by our server at 85 and the ABV on this is a stunning 12.5%. Forget food with this and send them an email to brew it again and put it into some 4 packs.

[devildeac]

Oktoberfest (draft)-The Great Dane Brew Pub

A tip of the imperial pint glass to tbyers11 who suggested this in a PM last week to be included on our "to do" list for Madison, WI. This 20 ounce pour was $4 because I got it before 6 PM tonight to accompany our dinner . Pretty typical "fest" bier/lager with a small head, a light amber hue, herbal and sweet bready scents and nutty, caramel-y flavors. I'll guess 20 IBUs (pretty smooth) and the ABV was on the chalkboard at 6%. Very nice pairing with my Wisconsin Mac and Cheese entree that I shared with my wife so I could have some of her BBQ meatloaf, onion rings, mashed potatoes and steamed cauliflower that tasted even better (I don't like it much anyway so anything is an improvement .) rolled around in my extra Wisconsin cheddar sauce .

[devildeac]

Grateful Grain (draft)-New Holland Brewing

Drink local!

Labeled as a Michigan sticke alt, it's an old German style that resembles a cross between and amber and a brown ale. Color was dark amber/light brown and scents of toasted bread, light brown sugar and herbal hops greeted me for the imperial pint. Tastes were the expected ones of nuttiness, caramel sweetness and mild, earthy bitterness. IBUs have been tough to find this week so I'll estimate 20-30 and the ABV was a very sippable 5.7%. I paired this with a Michigan pork sammich with slaw on a brioche bun and a couple handfuls of kettle chips for my side.

[luburch]

Alright, while I have a few moments I'll pull my highest rated beers from my untappd. I usually don't include notes when I do a check-in (too lazy ) so I'll do my best to remember specifics.

As a preface - I generall prefer wheats, blondes, and pale ales.
3 Floyds Brewing Company
Zombie Dust
No explanation necessary for this one. My favorite beer to date. A real special when I can find it on draft.

House Blonde
J.W. Sweetman
I had this blonde ale when I was in Dublin in August. It's a craft brewery that sits right on the Liffey and had a live guitarist and piano. Awesome place to check out if you have the time. Difficult to recall the exact details, but this was my favorite beer I had in Dublin and my favorite Blonde to date.

Erdinger Wessbier
Erdinger Weissbrau
Hefeweizen
I'm also a big hefeweizen fan and this was one of my favorites that I had in Germany.

Upland Wheat
Upland Brewing Company
Still probably my favorite wheat beer to date. I also have a soft-spot for Upland, being an Indiana grad. Really need to have it on draft to do it justice, doesn't translate as well to the bottle.

Wee Mac Scottish Ale
Sun King Brewing Company
My favorite beer by Sun King. Fantastic Socttish Ale. Only had on draft.

I'll stop there for now. Have some more I'll add later on and a few obscure ones at that.

[fuse]

Alright, while I have a few moments I'll pull my highest rated beers from my untappd. I usually don't include notes when I do a check-in (too lazy ) so I'll do my best to remember specifics.

As a preface - I generall prefer wheats, blondes, and pale ales.
3 Floyds Brewing Company
Zombie Dust
No explanation necessary for this one. My favorite beer to date. A real special when I can find it on draft.

House Blonde
J.W. Sweetman
I had this blonde ale when I was in Dublin in August. It's a craft brewery that sits right on the Liffey and had a live guitarist and piano. Awesome place to check out if you have the time. Difficult to recall the exact details, but this was my favorite beer I had in Dublin and my favorite Blonde to date.

Erdinger Wessbier
Erdinger Weissbrau
Hefeweizen
I'm also a big hefeweizen fan and this was one of my favorites that I had in Germany.

Upland Wheat
Upland Brewing Company
Still probably my favorite wheat beer to date. I also have a soft-spot for Upland, being an Indiana grad. Really need to have it on draft to do it justice, doesn't translate as well to the bottle.

Wee Mac Scottish Ale
Sun King Brewing Company
My favorite beer by Sun King. Fantastic Socttish Ale. Only had on draft.

I'll stop there for now. Have some more I'll add later on and a few obscure ones at that.

Keep 'em coming! Always great to have multiple voices and perspectives in the virtual Ymm, Beer drinking hall :-)

[fuse]

What is your favorite beer with chili?

Have a friend who is asking me to bring beer to accompany chili he is making.

Offhand, I am thinking either Sam Adams Octoberfest or Clwawhammer (depending on what is available) and a fall beer like Southern Tier Harvest.
Maybe the rebranded Ommegang fall beer (used to be acythe and sickle I think)?

Opinions welcome!

[devildeac]

Alright, while I have a few moments I'll pull my highest rated beers from my untappd. I usually don't include notes when I do a check-in (too lazy ) so I'll do my best to remember specifics.

As a preface - I generall prefer wheats, blondes, and pale ales.
3 Floyds Brewing Company
Zombie Dust
No explanation necessary for this one. My favorite beer to date. A real special when I can find it on draft.

House Blonde
J.W. Sweetman
I had this blonde ale when I was in Dublin in August. It's a craft brewery that sits right on the Liffey and had a live guitarist and piano. Awesome place to check out if you have the time. Difficult to recall the exact details, but this was my favorite beer I had in Dublin and my favorite Blonde to date.

Erdinger Wessbier
Erdinger Weissbrau
Hefeweizen
I'm also a big hefeweizen fan and this was one of my favorites that I had in Germany.

Upland Wheat
Upland Brewing Company
Still probably my favorite wheat beer to date. I also have a soft-spot for Upland, being an Indiana grad. Really need to have it on draft to do it justice, doesn't translate as well to the bottle.

Wee Mac Scottish Ale
Sun King Brewing Company
My favorite beer by Sun King. Fantastic Socttish Ale. Only had on draft.

I'll stop there for now. Have some more I'll add later on and a few obscure ones at that.

Good for starters.

Can't wait for the rest of the list.

[devildeac]

What is your favorite beer with chili?

Have a friend who is asking me to bring beer to accompany chili he is making.

Offhand, I am thinking either Sam Adams Octoberfest or Clwawhammer (depending on what is available) and a fall beer like Southern Tier Harvest.
Maybe the rebranded Ommegang fall beer (used to be acythe and sickle I think)?

Opinions welcome!

I like brown ales with chili, ASSuming, of course, you didn't mean beer brewed with chilis .

Amber ales would make a nice pairing, too, I think.

[fuse]

I like brown ales with chili, ASSuming, of course, you didn't mean beer brewed with chilis .

Amber ales would make a nice pairing, too, I think.

No chili beer. Beer to accompany chili :-)

Brown ale is an interesting choice as I generally think of them as sweet.
Does bring to mind SN Tumbler (not sure its out yet).

[Tripping William]

No chili beer. Beer to accompany chili :-)

Brown ale is an interesting choice as I generally think of them as sweet.
Does bring to mind SN Tumbler (not sure its out yet).

This is gonna sound cliché, but .... darker Mexican lagers. Negro Modelo or Dos Equis Amber.

[devildeac]

What is your favorite beer with chili?

Have a friend who is asking me to bring beer to accompany chili he is making.

Offhand, I am thinking either Sam Adams Octoberfest or Clwawhammer (depending on what is available) and a fall beer like Southern Tier Harvest.
Maybe the rebranded Ommegang fall beer (used to be acythe and sickle I think)?

Opinions welcome!

No chili beer. Beer to accompany chili :-)

Brown ale is an interesting choice as I generally think of them as sweet.
Does bring to mind SN Tumbler (not sure its out yet).

I like brown ales (and porters) with stews, too.

[devildeac]

Breakfast Stout (draft)-Founders Brewing

Drink regional!

Brothers Bar and Grill in South Bend, about a mile south of the ND stadium, didn't have any beers on tap from any South Bend breweries so this was the closest brewery I recognized from their menu. I actually asked for a pint of Pale Joe, which I think is their coffee-infused pale ale, but got an imperial pint of this almost black elixir. Loaded with coffee and dark chocolate on the olfactory sensors, it was followed by strong tastes of the same and charred grains. Mouthfeel was smooth from the flaked oats and bitterness was moderate, clocking in at 60 IBUs with an ABV of 8.3%. Technically, I consumed this about 1 PM but it'd make a great morning beverage (for a tailgate only, of course ) and pair well with French toast and cinnamon/pecan rolls.