Ymm, Beer

[weezie]

Am I going to have to pay for the "Wall" with that 20% tax on Mexican imports? I really like the new Tecate Light...

[Tripping William]

Am I going to have to pay for the "Wall" with that 20% tax on Mexican imports? I really like the new Tecate Light...

Starting soon, we may be able to buy only Uno.Ocho Equis. Sad!

[devildeac]

Am I going to have to pay for the "Wall" with that 20% tax on Mexican imports? I really like the new Tecate Light...

Tsk, tsk. There's plenty of American-brewed craft pilsners/lagers to try/like.

[ricks68]

Am I going to have to pay for the "Wall" with that 20% tax on Mexican imports? I really like the new Tecate Light...

I have a few hundred great craft beers in my beer fridge for you to try as replacements. Come down (and over) for a visit and help me drink some.😊

I have always thought that Mexican beers are great, and I've had quite a few while living in Texas. Carta Blanca, Bohemia, Modelo, the Equis', etc. All great, day or night.

ricks

[devildeac]

I have a few hundred great craft beers in my beer fridge for you to try as replacements. Come down (and over) for a visit and help me drink some.��

I have always thought that Mexican beers are great, and I've had quite a few while living in Texas. Carta Blanca, Bohemia, Modelo, the Equis', etc. All great, day or night.

ricks

Wait, I thought you were under 200 now?

Two hundred bottles of beer in the fridge, two hundred bottles of beer...

Take 12 to Raleigh, delivered to me...

[ricks68]

Wait, I thought you were under 200 now?

Two hundred bottles of beer in the fridge, two hundred bottles of beer...

Take 12 to Raleigh, delivered to me...

Yes and no. If I take my overflow that is in my regular fridge and put it back into the beer fridge, I will fill it back up again.😯

I need to start selecting more for the next beer delivery in 2 weeks, so drink up.

ricks

[devildeac]

Yes and no. If I take my overflow that is in my regular fridge and put it back into the beer fridge, I will fill it back up again.��

I need to start selecting more for the next beer delivery in 2 weeks, so drink up.

ricks

Working on it-regularly and responsibly.

[mattman91]

As if the Asheville area needed more breweries...

Checked this one out yesterday with my aunt. Really cool concept, it is literally a train caboose with a small deck for outdoor seating.

4 beers of their own on tap along with 4 or 5 guest taps.

Straight from the website:

Kölsch
Lightly hopped with New Zealand Nelson Sauvin and lagered out, our Kölsch style is extremely sessionable, clean, and crisp with some subtle white grape notes.
4.5% ABV / 19 IBU / 4 SRM

Pale By Rail [Pale Ale]
A delicate balance of Mandarina Bavaria and East Kent Golding hops, this pale ale is smooth and malty with a hint of citrus.
5.2% ABV / 34 IBU / 8 SRM

SOB [South Of the Border] Porter
Showcasing Pasilla peppers & roasted cacao nibs, our South of the Boarder Porter has a smooth dark chocolate character finishing with a hint of spice.
4.6% ABV / 15 IBU / 34 SRM

I had the SOB and the Pale by the Rail.

The SOB was a lot better than anticipated. I know most of you were aren't in to the pepper infused beers, I'm not either, but this one was actually pretty good. More of a smoky flavor than heat, with a nice dark chocolate finish. At 4.6% it is very drinkable. 8.25/10

Pail by the Rail was solid as well. Nothing too special, but I love that they didn't go with the trend of over hopping the style. 8/10

I did not try the Kölsch, but I did try a red saison that they just put on. Probably my least favorite of the three, but still not too bad. It was very carbonated and almost tasted like a cider. 7/10

Next time I will definitely try the Kolsch!

[fuse]

Just put my 6er of Hopslam in the fridge, will try one later tonight. Hopefully I am proven wrong!

What did you think?

[mattman91]

What did you think?

You were right, it is definitely better than I remembered. Not anything that totally blew me away, but you were right about how perfectly balanced it is. I do not regret spending $17.99 for the 6 pack, but glad I didn't buy 2. I was surprised that the store I went to still had 8 or 9 6ers left the day after the release. I remember them going much faster last year.

[devildeac]

From 8/13/16:

This week in beer:


Farking Wheaton w00tstout (draft)-Stone Brewing

The story-sort of:

http://www.stonebrewing.com/beer/sto...#ageGatePassed

The beer:


Style: flavored, bourbon barrel-aged Russian imperial stout
Appearance: almost pitch black
Pour: 10W30
Aroma: dark chocolate, dark caramel, espresso
Mouthfeel: 10W30-this stuff is viscous
Tastes: mirrored aromas with some licorice, black strap molasses and a bit of whiskey
IBU: 65
ABV: 13% (no typo)
Cost: $6 for a full pint-most places won't pour a full pint of this heavyweight

Idle chatter: After reading the description, I thought I might find nuances of orange flavors (from the wheat), a bit of nuttiness (D'oh!) from the pecans, some mustiness from the rye and a lot more bourbon. No disappointments, just the flavors didn't really match the labeling/my expectations, but I still found this to be an excellent sipper, especially the more it warmed during the 30-45 minutes I eventually decided not to buy any products from Crafty Beer Shop.

There are a couple $10 bombers waiting to be delivered by ricks68 on one of his football journeys and I've got one I purchased that is cellaring now so it'll be interesting to taste the bottle versions after several (many?) months of aging.

Tip of the snifter to ricks68 for notifying me of this beer's release last month and buying the couple mentioned above.

From Wednesday and Thursday nights:

Stone Farking Wheaton w00tstout (bomber dated 7/2/16)-Stone Brewing

Chilled briefly from our 60 degree garage temperature and poured into a Founder's tulip and allowed to reach near room temperature over 30-45 minutes each night. Different from the draft but only subtly so with a little nutty flavor, no musty rye presence and pleasant warming, boozy and whiskey notes to accompany the strong semi-sweet chocolate, dark caramel and espresso flavors. I think this was my bottle from last summer and ricks68 delivered 2 more this week so I'll age one for another 6-12 months and make the other available to fuse this weekend or next.

[fuse]

http://www.foodandwine.com/beer/craf...s-Boston-Lager

Think I was 16 out of 25 for this list.
Seeing Celis White brought back some good memories along with Anchor Porter.

[mattman91]

http://www.foodandwine.com/beer/craf...s-Boston-Lager

Think I was 16 out of 25 for this list.
Seeing Celis White brought back some good memories along with Anchor Porter.

9/25 for me.

[devildeac]

http://www.foodandwine.com/beer/craf...s-Boston-Lager

Think I was 16 out of 25 for this list.
Seeing Celis White brought back some good memories along with Anchor Porter.

9/25 for me.

19/25. Some good memories for me.

I included the Widmer Hefe and the Geary's thinking I had them sometime in the last 20+ years but not 100% certain.

I coulda made it 100 (or more) outta 25 if you included all the Boston Lagers, Sierra Nevada PAs and Celebration Ales I had in their early days .

Fun exercise.

Fuse: Did you ever have any of the Celis Raspberry or Grand Cru? And, did you know Celis White is on the shelves again?

[fuse]

19/25. Some good memories for me.

I included the Widmer Hefe and the Geary's thinking I had them sometime in the last 20+ years but not 100% certain.

I coulda made it 100 (or more) outta 25 if you included all the Boston Lagers, Sierra Nevada PAs and Celebration Ales I had in their early days .

Fun exercise.

Fuse: Did you ever have any of the Celis Raspberry or Grand Cru? And, did you know Celis White is on the shelves again?

Had heard Celis white was back.

I think I may have had the Grand Cru, but googling the bottles neither label was familiar.

[ricks68]

As if the Asheville area needed more breweries...

Checked this one out yesterday with my aunt. Really cool concept, it is literally a train caboose with a small deck for outdoor seating.

4 beers of their own on tap along with 4 or 5 guest taps.

Straight from the website:

Kölsch
Lightly hopped with New Zealand Nelson Sauvin and lagered out, our Kölsch style is extremely sessionable, clean, and crisp with some subtle white grape notes.
4.5% ABV / 19 IBU / 4 SRM

Pale By Rail [Pale Ale]
A delicate balance of Mandarina Bavaria and East Kent Golding hops, this pale ale is smooth and malty with a hint of citrus.
5.2% ABV / 34 IBU / 8 SRM

SOB [South Of the Border] Porter
Showcasing Pasilla peppers & roasted cacao nibs, our South of the Boarder Porter has a smooth dark chocolate character finishing with a hint of spice.
4.6% ABV / 15 IBU / 34 SRM

I had the SOB and the Pale by the Rail.

The SOB was a lot better than anticipated. I know most of you were aren't in to the pepper infused beers, I'm not either, but this one was actually pretty good. More of a smoky flavor than heat, with a nice dark chocolate finish. At 4.6% it is very drinkable. 8.25/10

Pail by the Rail was solid as well. Nothing too special, but I love that they didn't go with the trend of over hopping the style. 8/10

I did not try the Kölsch, but I did try a red saison that they just put on. Probably my least favorite of the three, but still not too bad. It was very carbonated and almost tasted like a cider. 7/10

Next time I will definitely try the Kolsch!

Mrs Ricks and I threw back a Pisgah Winter Warmer (so good that Mrs Ricks had to order 8 oz. more) and a Pisgah Porter at Pisgah Brewing after our golf outing in Black Mountain on Wednesday. We had a lengthy conversation with the brewer/part owner(with other family members) of Whistle Hop who was sitting next to us at the bar. Very interesting. He was sampling all the beers and taking notes. He likes Burial the most, followed by Pisgah, but said he is still trying more breweries and making lots of notes. He is not planning on bottling or canning, but keeping it as a tap room for their beers only. He has plans for some expansion with a couple of boxcars they have. He does not like Wicked Weed at all. He has no respect for them, as they often produce large quantities of various beers that he believes are unacceptable, but sells them anyway. He says that the bad beers go flying off the shelf due to their marketing. I totally agree, as that has always been their premise for selling their beer. I mean, when they opened, they had something like 32 of their own beers on tap to start with. It wouldn't surprise me if they label one of their future beers Wicked Weed Proactiv, if they haven't done so already.

(I guess I may have more credibility, now, since I am no longer a brewery owner. Nah)

ricks

[ricks68]

I don't know if anyone, other than myself, realizes that devildeac is just under 700 posts away from hitting 20,000. I think we should have a contest to see who comes closest to the date and time that will happen. I was thinking around sometime next week, but I haven't got the time of day down yet. (And, that's just since 2/26/07 on the new boards.) Jason Evans is way back now, most likely at #2, almost 5,000 posts behind.

Could be a lot of fun, actually. Maybe we could start a new thread on the Main Board, with a tally each day to see how it is progressing.

ricks

[tbyers11]

http://www.foodandwine.com/beer/craf...s-Boston-Lager

Think I was 16 out of 25 for this list.
Seeing Celis White brought back some good memories along with Anchor Porter.

16/25 on that list for me.

Here are my recent tales of interesting (I hope) beer consumption. Went back to Wisconsin to visit the family for a few days last weekend. Go to the local grocery store (not a liquor store) in my hometown (a suburb of about 9,000 people 10 minutes from Madison) and pick up a six pack of New Glarus Road Slush (an oatmeal stout) for $8.50, a six pack of Three Floyd's Alpha King for $10.99 and a six pack of Bell's Hopslam cans for $14.99 (yeah you read that right). It's amazing how much location can affect beer availability and price. Anyway to the beers.

New Glarus Road Slush - This is a regular, non-imperial oatmeal stout. New Glarus doesn't publish official ABV or IBU. Estimates of about 6% online seem about right. IBU I'd put at 10-15. Not much hoppiness. Dark reddish-brown to black pour with moderate dark brown head. Nose doesn't really give much of an aroma. I'd left it out about 30 minutes before pouring but perhaps needed more for aroma. The oatmeal gives a slightly smooth mouthfeel and the taste is a little sweet and a little roasty leaning a bit to the sweet with a bit of a dry finish. Almost like a porter/stout hybrid. None of the characteristics jump out at you like an imperial stout, but, like most New Glarus beers, it is a very good drinkable, not overly complex beer that makes you want to have another.

Three Floyd's Alpha King - American Pale Ale at 6.66% ABV and 68 IBU. Bottled date says 12/20/16. Nice golden color with moderate white head. Nose is citrusy and a little piney. Taste has a bit of malt sweetness followed by citrus (grapefruit?) hoppiness and and a strong, but not excessive amount of bitterness. Really nice APA/nearly IPA that pushes close to edge of hop/bitter bomb but has just enough malt balance for drinkability. My favorite beer of the three.

Bell's Hopslam - My previous Hopslam experience lean towards Mattman's. I remember picking up some a couple of years in a row about 5 years ago and liking the beer quite a bit but didn't go out of my way to find as it became crazy popular. Canning date on these cans was 1.10.17 so this was FRESH. Really nice citrus, grassy nose and small white head in a chalice type glass. Strong, complex hop presence that doesn't overpower. Finish is very balanced despite 70 IBU and the sweetness from honey is noticeable and a different flavor than the caramel in the Alpha King above. I was shocked to look up that it is 10.00 ABV. It was shockingly drinkable for that amount of alcohol. I had to stop myself from opening a second right after drinking the first. Overall it was better than I remembered and really good but didn't have quite the hoppy/bitter bite I seem to prefer. I find myself enjoying hoppy APAs and "regular" IPAs more than double/imperial IPA lately. Hopslam is a really good beer that I would drink anytime but am not sure it is a beer I would chase around town especially at a fairly steep (outside of Wisconsin) price point.

Cheers to all

[devildeac]

16/25 on that list for me.

Here are my recent tales of interesting (I hope) beer consumption. Went back to Wisconsin to visit the family for a few days last weekend. Go to the local grocery store (not a liquor store) in my hometown (a suburb of about 9,000 people 10 minutes from Madison) and pick up a six pack of New Glarus Road Slush (an oatmeal stout) for $8.50, a six pack of Three Floyd's Alpha King for $10.99 and a six pack of Bell's Hopslam cans for $14.99 (yeah you read that right). It's amazing how much location can affect beer availability and price. Anyway to the beers.

New Glarus Road Slush - This is a regular, non-imperial oatmeal stout. New Glarus doesn't publish official ABV or IBU. Estimates of about 6% online seem about right. IBU I'd put at 10-15. Not much hoppiness. Dark reddish-brown to black pour with moderate dark brown head. Nose doesn't really give much of an aroma. I'd left it out about 30 minutes before pouring but perhaps needed more for aroma. The oatmeal gives a slightly smooth mouthfeel and the taste is a little sweet and a little roasty leaning a bit to the sweet with a bit of a dry finish. Almost like a porter/stout hybrid. None of the characteristics jump out at you like an imperial stout, but, like most New Glarus beers, it is a very good drinkable, not overly complex beer that makes you want to have another.

Three Floyd's Alpha King - American Pale Ale at 6.66% ABV and 68 IBU. Bottled date says 12/20/16. Nice golden color with moderate white head. Nose is citrusy and a little piney. Taste has a bit of malt sweetness followed by citrus (grapefruit?) hoppiness and and a strong, but not excessive amount of bitterness. Really nice APA/nearly IPA that pushes close to edge of hop/bitter bomb but has just enough malt balance for drinkability. My favorite beer of the three.

Bell's Hopslam - My previous Hopslam experience lean towards Mattman's. I remember picking up some a couple of years in a row about 5 years ago and liking the beer quite a bit but didn't go out of my way to find as it became crazy popular. Canning date on these cans was 1.10.17 so this was FRESH. Really nice citrus, grassy nose and small white head in a chalice type glass. Strong, complex hop presence that doesn't overpower. Finish is very balanced despite 70 IBU and the sweetness from honey is noticeable and a different flavor than the caramel in the Alpha King above. I was shocked to look up that it is 10.00 ABV. It was shockingly drinkable for that amount of alcohol. I had to stop myself from opening a second right after drinking the first. Overall it was better than I remembered and really good but didn't have quite the hoppy/bitter bite I seem to prefer. I find myself enjoying hoppy APAs and "regular" IPAs more than double/imperial IPA lately. Hopslam is a really good beer that I would drink anytime but am not sure it is a beer I would chase around town especially at a fairly steep (outside of Wisconsin) price point.

Cheers to all

Great stuff! Thanks!

Glad you could find one of the NG seasonals. I'm accumulating a respectable list of 3F brews I've had and shared with fuse and ricks68 and mattman. I thought the 3F pricing at the brewery was a tad high but I read somewhere they won't try and undercut those in the rest of the state because they're quite thankful for all their sales at all their outlets. I think I paid $15 for a couple 3F 6ers at Cork n Bottle in Covington, KY last spring. I think different 6ers were $12 each at the brewery when we stopped there on our beer odyssey last fall. Fuse quoted an $18 price on each of the 2 6ers of Hopslam he bought this week. I have no idea how much the bottle shop 2 blocks from my office is charging during their stand-in-line beer lotto "release" this AM. As fuse has already kindly promised me 4 of his 12, I'm not sure I even care, meaning, I really doubt I'll stand in line for a purchase.

[devildeac]

I don't know if anyone, other than myself, realizes that devildeac is just under 700 posts away from hitting 20,000. I think we should have a contest to see who comes closest to the date and time that will happen. I was thinking around sometime next week, but I haven't got the time of day down yet. (And, that's just since 2/26/07 on the new boards.) Jason Evans is way back now, most likely at #2, almost 5,000 posts behind.

Could be a lot of fun, actually. Maybe we could start a new thread on the Main Board, with a tally each day to see how it is progressing.

ricks

At about 5 posts/day, I'm thinking that'll take > 4 months.

And, I doubt I have the most posts here as there's no longer any way to check since that feature is gone.

I'll just have to drink more new beers.