Ymm, Beer

[devildeac]

Anyone have beer suggestions for Chattanooga? Doing the Ruby Falls/Rock City thing now. I'll surely be thirsty afterwards...

Google.

Sorry, I can do better than that but not too much () as about the only TN brewery package goods I know are the ones fuse brought me after his Nashville trip last year from Yazoo-very good, Black Abbey (?)-good and Mantra (?) which we both agreed was on par with or below that of Frog Level in western NC.

[Tripping William]

Quick question: If forced to choose between Deshutes Abyss or their Dissident, which should I order?

And please no spoilers about the ND game. Going to watch replay in a bit.

Thanks in advance

[fuse]

Quick question: If forced to choose between Deshutes Abyss or their Dissident, which should I order?

And please no spoilers about the ND game. Going to watch replay in a bit.

Thanks in advance

If you don't like licorice, don't go for the Abyss.

[devildeac]

Quick question: If forced to choose between Deshutes Abyss or their Dissident, which should I order?

And please no spoilers about the ND game. Going to watch replay in a bit.

Thanks in advance

Never had their Dissident and I've got 4 bottles of the Abyss so I'd try something new, though I like The Abyss a lot.

[Tripping William]

If you don't like licorice, don't go for the Abyss.

Do like licorice & went 2014 Abyss. More to follow...

[devildeac]

Do like licorice & went 2014 Abyss. More to follow...

If you're bringing any home, bring an extra for me and I'll trade you a 2015 for it.

[Tripping William]

If you're bringing any home, bring an extra for me and I'll trade you a 2015 for it.

Pretty sure TSA won't allow in my carry-on. Stupid TSA ...

[devildeac]

Pretty sure TSA won't allow in my carry-on. Stupid TSA ...

No problem. I'll still respect you in the AM.

[devildeac]

Hopslam draft. As good as advertised/anticipated/expected. More in AM.

[fuse]

Anyone have beer suggestions for Chattanooga? Doing the Ruby Falls/Rock City thing now. I'll surely be thirsty afterwards...

Terminal brewhouse (?) was the brewpub with at best average beer and below average food.

Hope you found the Flying Squirrel. Decent selections, great atmosphere.

[duketaylor]

Bought a Dark Hollow yesterday for future consumption on a NC trip. Will try to locate Points Unknown today for same.

[devildeac]

From 5/28/15 and 6/28/15:

From 5/28/15 (brewed 1/15):

Hopslam-Bell's Brewery

This is a fabulous, hard to find beer and I'm honored/humbled that fuse would relinquish two of his 4 pack (or 6er) that he bought a couple months ago. I've long forgotten about those Sam Adams stale ones.

Poured a golden-yellow with a mildly foamy head. Fresh squeezed grapefruit juice with a bit of zest stimulate the olfactory lobe and the gustatory sensation is at first the same, followed by other tropical fruits including papaya and mango with a moderate honey finish. This isn't a hop monster at 70 IBUs, though I'd have guessed it a bit higher. The malty balance is superb with the ABV at a dangerous 10%. This is so smooth and sippable by itself, I don't think I'd pair this with any foods. I know I've had this before but couldn't find any prior reviews. I'm certain I could easily consume two of these in an evening and curl up on the floor with a couple cushions, pillows and blankets and never even dare/consider climbing the stairs for my night's sleep. I'd be in complete beer-vana if given the opportunity to taste test this with Heady Topper, my other new favorite IIPA. Sorry, 90 Minute, you're still delicious but...


From last PM: 6/27/15 (worthy of re-posting for a comparison to the prior two):

Not much changed over another month of "aging" but I didn't expect tastes/flavors to be altered much, if any. I added this so I could see if it really was much different than a couple other highly respected IIPAs and it was the winner of my tasting, though not by much as Hoptimum is an excellent choice. I think the slightly lower IBUs, the amazing balance and the honey finish pushes this into the elite level of DIPAs. Bows humbly again to fuse for saving/sharing a couple bottles about a month ago so I could perform this tasting.

From last PM 1/30/17:

Hopslam (draft)-Bell's Brewery

Not as popular as before as it took Bottle Revolution 2 hours to sell out of 10 cases by lottery, allowing each beer club member a ticket to purchase a 6er. There were 7 people in line at 10 AM when they opened on Saturday and I skipped the lottery because I knew fuse had a few cans reserved for me from his purchase and I skipped the sampling as I was on call for the weekend so no alcohol. I still was fortunate enough to check their tap list, saw Hopslam was still listed and wandered down 1.5 blocks from my office for a $7 pint after work yesterday.

Tropical and citrus aromas and tastes abound. So smooth from the addition of honey to the concoction, mitigating the 70 IBUs very nicely. So dangerous at 10% ABV. I could easily sip a couple pints of this regularly. Worth the hype? Not really anymore as there are so many delicious IIPAs on the market now. Worth the praise? Absolutely. A bit overpriced at $7 for the pint but pretty standard for the style/reputation/ABV content. I'll be delighted to get my allotment from fuse soon for 3 bucks for each 12 ounce bottle. The "artificial scarcity" (his words) is no longer present.

[BluDvlsN1]

Saw this article this morning and thought it was worthy of sharing.
Hope it's not a repeat.

http://www.foodandwine.com/beer/craf...L_TopTen013117

[duketaylor]

Saw this article this morning and thought it was worthy of sharing.
Hope it's not a repeat.

http://www.foodandwine.com/beer/craf...L_TopTen013117

Thanks for that, very interesting list. Can't wait for input from our esteemed fellows/gals around here. I thought Legend Brown could be on there. I don't consider Sierra Nevada or Sam Adams as a craft brewery. They also should have had An Bui as a contributor as he's the owner of Mekong, 4-years running voted the "Great American Beer Bars" in the country.

https://www.craftbeer.com/news/craft...rs-competition

Need to get some of y'all up here for a visit, between Mekong and The Answer (his brewery) they have over 150 beers on tap.

[BluDvlsN1]

Thanks for that, very interesting list. Can't wait for input from our esteemed fellows/gals around here. I thought Legend Brown could be on there. I don't consider Sierra Nevada or Sam Adams as a craft brewery. They also should have had An Bui as a contributor as he's the owner of Mekong, 4-years running voted the "Great American Beer Bars" in the country.

My pleasure, I try to keep in touch with Ymm beer, but not as often as I should.
I mostly read, get ideas, try, but post rarely.

I thought it odd that Sam Adams Boston Lager was number 2 on the list ...until I saw the list of Judges.(see below)

I have to admit though when I go for beer, and am in a hurry, I tend to go for the Sam Adams seasonal's,
mostly out of impatience and confusion..

Joshua Bernstein, Author, Complete IPA, The Complete Beer Course and Brewed Awakening
Sam Calagione, Founder, Dogfish Head Brewery
Jimmy Carbone, Owner, Jimmy’s No. 43 (New York City); Founder, Beer Sessions Radio
Geoff Deman, Head Brewer, Free State Brewing Company
Greg Engert, Beer Director & Partner, Neighborhood Restaurant Group (Washington, DC)
Ethan Fixell, Freelance Beer, Wine & Spirits Writer; Beverage Educator
Aaron Goldfarb, Novelist & Beer Writer
Ken Grossman, Founder/Owner, Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Stephen Hale, Ambassador Brewer, Schlafly Beer
Gregory Hall, Founder, Virtue Cider; Former Brewmaster, Goose Island Beer Co.
Brendan Hartranft, Co-owner, Local 44, Strangelove’s and Clarkville (Philadelphia)
Julia Herz, Craft Beer Program Director & Publisher, CraftBeer.com
Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø, Founder, Evil Twin Brewing; Owner, Tørst (Brooklyn)
Noah Kaufman, Digital Editor, Food & Wine
Justin Kennedy, Freelance Beer Writer; Producer Steal This Beer podcast and Beer Sessions Radio
Jim Koch, Founder, Samuel Adams
Jason Perkins, Brewmaster, Allagash Brewing Company
Michael Roper, Owner, The Hopleaf Bar (Chicago)
Patrick Rue, Founder/CEO, The Bruery
Scott Ungermann, Brewmaster, Anchor Brewers and Distillers
John Verive, Contributor, L.A. Times Food; Founder, Beer of Tomorrow

[tbyers11]

Thanks for that, very interesting list. Can't wait for input from our esteemed fellows/gals around here. I thought Legend Brown could be on there. I don't consider Sierra Nevada or Sam Adams as a craft brewery. They also should have had An Bui as a contributor as he's the owner of Mekong, 4-years running voted the "Great American Beer Bars" in the country.

https://www.craftbeer.com/news/craft...rs-competition

Need to get some of y'all up here for a visit, between Mekong and The Answer (his brewery) they have over 150 beers on tap.

From the right-now perspective I see your point here, especially with Sam Adams. However, I think both Sam Adams Boston Lager and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale are absolutely deserving of the top 2 spots on this list from a historical importance perspective. Without these breweries starting in the early 80s (as "craft" breweries) we all still might be drinking Bud/Coors/Miller pale lagers.

I got The Beer Bible by Jeff Alworth for Christmas. Awesome book that not only details the history of beer (in Europe and the US) but covers every major beer style from a drinking/brewing perspective and lists a few of the classic examples of each style. Great book to learn more and learn what to seek out at your bottle shop.

[Tripping William]

The *do* have local beer in Vegas, and some of it is pretty good. I had three during the last couple of days:

(1) Joseph James Hop Box IIPA. A brewery from Henderson (which may lure the DBR'er of the same name into the thread). They had cans of this at the turn station at Paiute Golf Resort's Sun Mountain course, so it was my mid-round swing oil. Wasn't able to pour it, but it had your usual IPA notes of citrus and pine. IBU of 85, so pretty hoppy. Higher gravity, too, at 8.2%. I liked it, including its contribution to a birdie on #10.

(2) Holstein's Lager. Holstein's is a burger and beer spot inside The Cosmpolitan, and this brew is their special lager offering. Poured a nice copper color. Solid breadiness. I believe 4.7% ABV. Very tasty with that burger.

(3) Big Dog's Red Hydrant Amber Ale. The young lady working the bar told me that Big Dog's is Vegas's oldest brewery, and this one was a rotating tap offering at Holstein's. Pours a darker brown than the lager, but not much darker. Quite smooth-drinking, and I'd put IBUs in the high 30's. Also a good beer.

Some other local brews on Holstein's menu, which I did not taste, included a lager and an IPA from Big Dog's, a hefeweizen and a rye APA from Joseph James, a saison and an IPA from Crafthaus, and an IPA and an oatmeal stout from Tenaya Creek.

Holstein's also had the 2014 Deshutes Abyss Reserve. I have never had any Abyss, so I purchased a bomber, and sipped it while watching the replay of Duke@ND. I understand it may not be for everyone, but I liked it *a lot.* The licorice and black strap molasses notes gave it nice bitterness, but the cherry-bark aging added all kinds of interesting flavors. Pricey beer, though, especially with Strip mark-up. I'd love to find it in a traditional bottle shop sometime, though.

[devildeac]

The *do* have local beer in Vegas, and some of it is pretty good. I had three during the last couple of days:

(1) Joseph James Hop Box IIPA. A brewery from Henderson (which may lure the DBR'er of the same name into the thread). They had cans of this at the turn station at Paiute Golf Resort's Sun Mountain course, so it was my mid-round swing oil. Wasn't able to pour it, but it had your usual IPA notes of citrus and pine. IBU of 85, so pretty hoppy. Higher gravity, too, at 8.2%. I liked it, including its contribution to a birdie on #10.

(2) Holstein's Lager. Holstein's is a burger and beer spot inside The Cosmpolitan, and this brew is their special lager offering. Poured a nice copper color. Solid breadiness. I believe 4.7% ABV. Very tasty with that burger.

(3) Big Dog's Red Hydrant Amber Ale. The young lady working the bar told me that Big Dog's is Vegas's oldest brewery, and this one was a rotating tap offering at Holstein's. Pours a darker brown than the lager, but not much darker. Quite smooth-drinking, and I'd put IBUs in the high 30's. Also a good beer.

Some other local brews on Holstein's menu, which I did not taste, included a lager and an IPA from Big Dog's, a hefeweizen and a rye APA from Joseph James, a saison and an IPA from Crafthaus, and an IPA and an oatmeal stout from Tenaya Creek.

Holstein's also had the 2014 Deshutes Abyss Reserve. I have never had any Abyss, so I purchased a bomber, and sipped it while watching the replay of Duke@ND. I understand it may not be for everyone, but I liked it *a lot.* The licorice and black strap molasses notes gave it nice bitterness, but the cherry-bark aging added all kinds of interesting flavors. Pricey beer, though, especially with Strip mark-up. I'd love to find it in a traditional bottle shop sometime, though.

I'll send you the name and phone number for the liquor store near Covington, KY, in addition to the beer steward's name and number if I still have it and you can contact him directly to see if he got any 2016 Abyss. He shipped me a case last year. $20/750 ml, including tax and shipping. I'm in for several bottles if you do this, either for cash or for 2015 traders.

[Tripping William]

I'll send you the name and phone number for the liquor store near Covington, KY, in addition to the beer steward's name and number if I still have it and you can contact him directly to see if he got any 2016 Abyss. He shipped me a case last year. $20/750 ml, including tax and shipping. I'm in for several bottles if you do this, either for cash or for 2015 traders.

Mucho appreciado

[devildeac]

Mucho appreciado

Done. Good luck.