Ymm, Beer

[Lavabe]

Excellent. Will arrive Friday by 9 PM we hope, petro supplies pending.

I'll be at Notre Dame Friday night, but I'll be back Saturday night.

Any good brews to pick up in northern Indiana?

Thanks,
Lavabe

[devildeac]

I'll be at Notre Dame Friday night, but I'll be back Saturday night.

Any good brews to pick up in northern Indiana?

Thanks,
Lavabe

Goose Island, New Glarus (may only be available in Wisconsin and in the Chicago area), Bells, Celis (?), Great Lakes. Perhaps not much else that you don't already have available in Lexington.

[SlimSlowSlider]

Just capped off the weekend with a Stone Smoked Porter, as I sit here and watch the White Sox-Tigers game. (Go White Sox.)

This comes in a large bottle. Pours very dark; lots of lacing. Very dark. If it wasn't called "smoked" porter, I might not have picked up on that. Certainly not the smell. A bit in the aftertaste, though. Initial taste is more chocolatey, but not sweet. Pretty carbonated. A pleasant nightcap.

[devildeac]

ATTN: Lavabe

Michigan Brewing Company is listed as the brewer of the Celis beer line now. Hope they still have the product. If not, Screaming Pumpkin Ale sounds interesting.

[rockymtn devil]

Tonight I finished a 12-oz bottle of the Beast that I enjoyed last night while trying really hard to enjoy the Steelers-Brown game (what a boring game...and I'm a Steeler fan). Not sure if too much changed after opening and corking, but I'm posting on my thoughts from tonight.

The beer pours a deep red and has quite a bit of head, although, as expected, it doesn't last long. Lots of dark, dried fruit on the nose--cherries, dates, raisins--and a very sweet smell. The flavor is burnt sugar which fades into caramel (I know, caramel is burnt sugar, but there's a difference here; the caramel in the beer is much creamier than it is in the beginning). ABV is 16.5%, so this is a beer to be shared or split into two nights.

I said I wanted to compare this the Dogfish Head Raison D'Extra and, although I didn't drink them side-by-side as hoped, I'll post a quick comparison. The two styles are very similar (DFH calls its a brown ale; Avery calls its a Belgian Grand Cru; I don't think either description is really all that helpful). Both are dark, high gravity, after-dinner beers. Lots of similar flavors and both have a very high ABV. The biggest difference is the presence of the alcohol. Raison D'Extra tastes very much like alcohol. The Beast hides it a little better. Other than that, very similar and very enjoyable.

[devildeac]

Tonight I finished a 12-oz bottle of the Beast that I enjoyed last night while trying really hard to enjoy the Steelers-Brown game (what a boring game...and I'm a Steeler fan). Not sure if too much changed after opening and corking, but I'm posting on my thoughts from tonight.

The beer pours a deep red and has quite a bit of head, although, as expected, it doesn't last long. Lots of dark, dried fruit on the nose--cherries, dates, raisins--and a very sweet smell. The flavor is burnt sugar which fades into caramel (I know, caramel is burnt sugar, but there's a difference here; the caramel in the beer is much creamier than it is in the beginning). ABV is 16.5%, so this is a beer to be shared or split into two nights.

I said I wanted to compare this the Dogfish Head Raison D'Extra and, although I didn't drink them side-by-side as hoped, I'll post a quick comparison. The two styles are very similar (DFH calls its a brown ale; Avery calls its a Belgian Grand Cru; I don't think either description is really all that helpful). Both are dark, high gravity, after-dinner beers. Lots of similar flavors and both have a very high ABV. The biggest difference is the presence of the alcohol. Raison D'Extra tastes very much like alcohol. The Beast hides it a little better. Other than that, very similar and very enjoyable.

Wow, The Beast sounds outrageous. Wonder if I can find it in Lexington this weekend.

[rockymtn devil]

Wow, The Beast sounds outrageous. Wonder if I can find it in Lexington this weekend.

Quick correction, the bottle that I had was a 2007, and not 2008. I just moved to a new neighborhood and found an excellent liquor store that, much to my excitement, is apparently carrying last year's vintage of the Beast. Now I have to find a 2008 bottle.

[devildeac]

Ewwwww, donuts and bud light. Surely there is a better beer, nope never mind. Even devildeac cannot convince me that beer goes with donuts

1. repeat after me: bud light is not beer
2. You are correct in that I will never try to convince you that beer goes with donuts. The only possible scenario I could imagine might be a chocolate stout and a chocolate cake-type donut. However, I don't think I could tolerate such a combination as a breakfast "meal." After all, I have enjoyed BBCS and CCC or brownies. I have seen menus of "beer dinners" when stouts were paired with a rich chocolate dessert, but never with donuts.

[rockymtn devil]

This is a beer out of Durango, Colorado (yeah, it's the middle of nowhere). Never would have bought it except that the Ska Brewing Company's IIPA was terrible (tasted like soap; terrible beer) and I wanted to give another small Colorado brewery's IIPA a try.

This beer is great. It only comes in bombers (all of their beers do) and pours a nice orangish, red. Very pungent on the nose with great floral and citrus notes. The flavor is standard IIPA: grapefruit and pine, with a little bit of sweetness. ABV is just under 10% and the IBUs are 96 so it is very bitter. A nice surprise beer so maybe I'll try some of their other offerings.

[devildeac]

Brooklyn Brewery-Local 1-A magnificent 750 ml of a Belgian style golden ale. Best shared with another fan of the trappist style brewed in the heart of Brooklyn. Why? 'cuz it was probably too much to drink in 1 sitting after broiling in the WW sun on Saturday. Golden color, German hops, raw sugar from Mauritius, Belgian yeast and bottle conditioned. A bit of spice (tastes peppery to me, as in black pepper) and sneaky but still has a moderate alcohol presence, especially at 9% ABV. Think Duvel or Maudite or La Fin Du Monde. Quite a creation from these folks.

[devildeac]

This is a beer out of Durango, Colorado (yeah, it's the middle of nowhere). Never would have bought it except that the Ska Brewing Company's IIPA was terrible (tasted like soap; terrible beer) and I wanted to give another small Colorado brewery's IIPA a try.

This beer is great. It only comes in bombers (all of their beers do) and pours a nice orangish, red. Very pungent on the nose with great floral and citrus notes. The flavor is standard IIPA: grapefruit and pine, with a little bit of sweetness. ABV is just under 10% and the IBUs are 96 so it is very bitter. A nice surprise beer so maybe I'll try some of their other offerings.

IBUs of 96. My word, do you have any taste buds left.? What is the most bitter beer you have ever had and do you recall the IBUs? I have my nominee in mind already. I'd be interested in hearing not only from rmd but from any other wild hop heads reading this thread.

[rockymtn devil]

IBUs of 96. My word, do you have any taste buds left.? What is the most bitter beer you have ever had and do you recall the IBUs? I have my nominee in mind already. I'd be interested in hearing not only from rmd but from any other wild hop heads reading this thread.

I'm going based on taste recollection and not IBUs (I know I've had beers with higher IBU ratings than this beer, but this was the most bitter taste to me). Green Flash Brewing Company's IIPA. The IBUs are 101.

[devildeac]

I'm going based on taste recollection and not IBUs (I know I've had beers with higher IBU ratings than this beer, but this was the most bitter taste to me). Green Flash Brewing Company's IIPA. The IBUs are 101.

Rogue-Old Crustacean Barleywine-120 IBU

Sierra Nevada has never listed their IBU for Bigfoot but I'd bet it's over 100.

[Lavabe]

Goose Island, New Glarus (may only be available in Wisconsin and in the Chicago area), Bells, Celis (?), Great Lakes. Perhaps not much else that you don't already have available in Lexington.

Goose Island, Bells, and Great Lakes are found here. Will try for the others. Isn't South Bend in the Chicago area? I guess we'll find out if we can get New Glarus.
Cheers,
Lavabe

[devildeac]

Goose Island Honker's Ale-a nice session brew. Amber ale, minimal to mild hoppiness and smooth, mildly sweet maltiness. Their flagship. Probably about 5% ABV.

[devildeac]

Bison Brewing-Berkeley, California-Chocolate Stout-Yea, I know, it's a little early in the year/season for this but it was near 60 degrees in Raleigh last PM and this was lovingly sent by Lavabe and delivered by ILoveJimmy and I received 3 of them so I figgered it was time to start the fall/winter season.

Stout brewed with cocoa-this is a fairly standard stout, as opposed to the imperial stout variety. Roasty, not-so-subtle hints of espresso with some additional bitterness imparted by the addition of cocoa to the mash. Slightly chocolate-y. A nice combination. I'm certain this would NOT match well (if at all) with a KK or DD (see brunchgate thread for this discussion) but I think I would like it be enjoyable with a brownie (double or triple chocolate, if you please) or some chocolate chip cookies. A couple scoops of rich vanilla ice cream might be tasty in this also.

[rockymtn devil]

In light of our IBU discussion last night, I came across this website that ranks American beers by IBU rating.

http://www.beertutor.com/beers/index.php?t=highest_ibu

I've had a number of these, although I think perhaps it will serve as my to-do list for the next few weeks.

Simple night for me. I have one last Easy Street Wheat (Odells Brewing Company) that will put a close to summer (beers). I'd post a review, but it's really not all that special.

[devildeac]

In light of our IBU discussion last night, I came across this website that ranks American beers by IBU rating.

http://www.beertutor.com/beers/index.php?t=highest_ibu

I've had a number of these, although I think perhaps it will serve as my to-do list for the next few weeks.

Simple night for me. I have one last Easy Street Wheat (Odells Brewing Company) that will put a close to summer (beers). I'd post a review, but it's really not all that special.

I have had several in the 90-120 range but nothing over the 120 range with the Old Crusty. Hello hops, good bye taste buds.

[devildeac]

Schlafly Raspberry Hefeweizen-another nice session beer for the summer. An unfiltered wheat ale a bit more cloudy than I would have expected. A hint of citrus but the fruit is more dominant here. The Leinie is a bit "cleaner" and clearer and a shade less fruity. Very enjoyable.

[devildeac]

Great Lake Brewing Company-Burning River Pale Ale-been a few years since I enjoyed one of these-thanks to Lavabe for including it in his 6er sampler for trading last weekend. Fairly typical PA with a hint of grapefruit but I taste a bit more orange zest in this one. Nice hop presence, little malt smoothness. Wonderful summer beverage. 6% ABV. Can't wait to pick up some other Great Lakes stuff this weekend during our visit to the Bluegrass state.