Ymm, Beer

[devildeac]

A good Our State magazine article on the subject can be found here (as long as you can ignore the credentials of the author). Nitpicky of me to say that "Sierra Nevada" probably doesn't "count" as an NC brewery? And I had no idea that Red Oak was the country's largest lager-only brewery.

Nice list. I like including SN on the NC brewery list, just as we include Oskar Blues and New Belgium. Good number of jobs for NC, good publicity for the Asheville area. Much like Lagunitas now brews in Chicago (I think), even though they're now owned by Heineken. Same for Stone in Richmond and kinda-soon-to-be Deschutes in Roanoke.

[devildeac]

Picked up a bomber of Three Floyd's Munsterfest. Excited to give it a try today or tomorrow.


Currently in the process of planning a weekend brewery road trip with a few friends. Plan is to start in Indianapolis on a Thursday night. Visit a brewery or two. Drive to Chicago on Friday morning and tour Goose Island and visit at least one other brewery. Saturday morning drive to New Glarus and visit Madison that evening. Then stop by Three Floyd's on the way home Sunday.

Anyone have any recommendations. Brewery to checkout in Chicago or places to stop along the way? Any insight is appreciated!

Our midwest beer, err, Duke football tour, last fall included Corridor Brewing about 6 blocks from Wrigley before a Cubs game, then FFF, Founders, Bells, New Holland, one I can't remember in Madison and New Glarus. I thought Munsterfest was very good. Look for Dark Lord on tap at FFF. Amazingly, they had a collaboration/mini-festival with their "sister" brewery in Denmark the week before we stopped there and their brewer/s whipped up a batch of Dark Lord. When (not if) you purchase your large quantity of New Glarus brews, go to Woodmans as they'll have a very good selection and will be $2-3 cheaper for each large format, 4 packs or 6ers.

Did you know Goose Island now owned by InBev?

Hope that helps.

[FadedTackyShirt]

Our midwest beer, err, Duke football tour, last fall included Corridor Brewing about 6 blocks from Wrigley before a Cubs game...

Did you know Goose Island now owned by InBev?

A Duke buddy's daughter lives in Wrigleyvlle. I nearly cried when he told me they tore down the Goose Island brewhouse in Wrigleyville. Thought it was the best brewhouse in 'Murica. Pyramid Alehouse in Pioneer Square in Seattle now holds that distinction.

Not a huge fan of corporate beer, but do like Lagunitas. Never been to the Chicago location, but have been to the Sonoma County (Petaluma) mothership many times. Their Czech style Pilsner and Little Sumpin' Sumpin' are very good.

[devildeac]

A Duke buddy's daughter lives in Wrigleyvlle. I nearly cried when he told me they tore down the Goose Island brewhouse in Wrigleyville. Thought it was the best brewhouse in 'Murica. Pyramid Alehouse in Pioneer Square in Seattle now holds that distinction.

Not a huge fan of corporate beer, but do like Lagunitas. Never been to the Chicago location, but have been to the Sonoma County (Petaluma) mothership many times. Their Czech style Pilsner and Little Sumpin' Sumpin' are very good.

We found out about the former Wrigleyville GI brewhouse when we were there a year ago, having greatly enjoyed a sampler and good meal there after a Cubs game about a decade ago. Is the Pyramid location the one near the Mariner's/Seahawks park? Another great memory. Hadn't been there in 9 years either.

I still like Lagunitas but less inclined to purchase now. Just traded a Westified from last year at tailgate yesterday.

[FadedTackyShirt]

Is the Pyramid location the one near the Mariner's/Seahawks park? Another great memory.

Yep. A German buddy sneers at even American craft beers, but genuinely likes Pyramid Hefe Weizen. Swears by Weihenstaphaner Hefe Weizen, but only in the bottle not on tap.

[devildeac]

4 beer. 7 words.

First up:

Peach Tripel-Hardywood Park Craft Brewery

Duketaylor "forgot" this after his early departure from the Northwestern tailgate. Thanks!

Pour was a cloudy, peach-amber (D'oh!). Aromas immediately out of the 750 ml bottle were over-ripe peaches. Fizzy head. Tastes of peach juice, some orange, a bit of fuzzy peach skins and hints of black pepper. IBUs low, as expected, at 25 for the style. ABV pretty standard, too, at 8.2%. Appetizer beer before tailgate yesterday and shared 4-5 ways. I've got one of my own bought in Hooville this summer that I may "cellar" until next spring.

[devildeac]

Second beer:

Dave's Not Here-Terrapin (cough millercoors cough) Beer Company

(Only thing is, one of our tasting tailgaters is named Dave and he was here and brought this beer.) Thanks!

This 500 ml Side Project offering is a DIPA, and, upon further research, is referred to as a dank imperial IPA.

Pour was a cloudy, light amber with a generous, foamy head. Lots of scents here from tropical to piney. Mango, pineapple and pine coat the palate along with some oiliness. We all missed on the IBUs, guessing 50-60 but the research claims 92, making this a fairly well-balanced IIPA as the ABV painted on the bottle is 8.40% but a little sticker claims 9.3%, as does their stat sheet. Made a nice pairing with some giant, loaded cheeseburgers, bacon-ranch potato salad, creamy slaw and some outrageously tasty freshly fried, thickly hand-cut onion rings. Ingredients:

HOPS: Cascade and Chinook

MALTS: 2-Row, Wheat, CaraMalt, Crystal 25, Crystal 45

[fuse]

We may have covered this before, if not:

DID YOU KNOW?
Cenosillicaphobia is the fear of an empty beer glass.

Currently solving that problem now.

[devildeac]

We may have covered this before, if not:

DID YOU KNOW?
Cenosillicaphobia is the fear of an empty beer glass.

Currently solving that problem now.

I don't believe I've ever heard/seen that before. A Green Zebra is solving my problem, although only temporarily.

[devildeac]

From 9/28/15:

#4:

(Originally from 12/25/14)

Tango-Weyerbacher Brewing

Cherry Christmas. Labeled as a dark, strong Belgian ale brewed with a ton of cherries (well, not quite-they only claim 1200 pounds) and poured from a corked and caged 750 ml bottle as a substitute beverage 2 nights ago because my (no longer favorite) craft beer store ran out of mini-growlers and French Toast Stout. Appeared with a mildly frothy light red/tan head and a gorgeous light ruby-brown color in our Allagash tulip glasses. (Rudolph) bright red cherry nose along with some medium brown sugar and caramel aromas to accompany somewhat tart cherry, figgy, date-like tastes and very slight orange-citrus bitterness. Grains and hops listed as Pilsner Malt with Honey Malt, Special B, Aromatic Malt and a touch of Chocolate Malt paired with Apollo hops to balance the bottle-conditioned, warm, boozy ABV of 10.6% with a modest 35 IBUs. This is quite a different beer than the New Glarus Wisconsin Red and more resembles the Ommegang Three Philosophers but falls a tad short in terms of smoothness, creativity and tastes, but a reasonably priced (under $10), very pleasant winter ale from an excellent brewery.

From Saturday (10/2014 version):

Ok, I was a bit less impressed at the tailgate and it was my contribution . I don't know whether it was a bit too much sediment, poor aging or the two better beers that followed this one but it was disappointing, even though this was a $2 off close-out special at Total Wine last month. I'd much rather have an Ommegang Three Philosophers than either of the Belgian or Belgian style krieks that I brought to the tailgate. A tip of the tap to the other participants, especially August West who brought the next two great beers. I need to raise the level of my contributions.

Tango-Weyerbacher Brewing

Beer #3 yesterday.

Much better this year than my contribution 2 years ago . Thanks to August West for sharing his 750 ml bottle.

I'm guessing this was either purchased recently or last year and reminded me of a cherry cola, C-O-L-A, cola. Fruity nose and tastes, combining dark cherry juice with dark fruits and dark caramel. All of us thought quite comparable to Ommegang Three Philsophers and how interesting it would have been to have a side-by-side. I still like the New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red better but totally different styles of beers. Desserts weren't on our tables yet so this was a fine substitute.

[devildeac]

From 4/30/15:

Original tasting/review 6/1/13:

Quad (2013 version)-Weyerbacher Brewing

I am not sure why this is a quadruple. Could be 4 malts, 4 yeasts, 4 hops or 4 fermentations. Or all of the preceding. The style is really similar to a Belgian dubbel but it is a bit lighter in color (medium-light brown) with a small head and a nose rich with dark, dried fruits like raisins, dates and figs and tastes to match. Most ales of this style have candi sugar and this tastes no different with the presence of light brown sugar and rummy notes, too. I'd guess the IBU to be about 30 and the ABV is higher than a dubbel or tripel (but not for a quad) at a stunning 11.8%, so pull out your snifter, let it the brew warm a few minutes on the counter and enjoy as your dessert. I found this as a 4 pack at Total Wine a couple weeks ago for about $3.96, not the usual $14 and even had the price checked at the register and, when verified, returned and added a second 4 pack to my cart. A very good ale to age and quite cheap at $0.99 each so very well worth the purchase.

Last night's tasting:

Last bottle of the litter. This aged well as it remained clean/clear with a very small amount of sediment in the last few drops, most of which I was able to avoid. Enjoyed lightly chilled in a large Ommegang tulip over about an hour, though it was so smooth sipping that it took a lot of discipline to stretch out the time that long. I may make a visit to Total Wine this weekend to see what's on their "last chance" shelf that I might procure at a nice price. Certainly worth a 4 pack with one for now, one to trade and a couple to age for a year or two.

From tailgate yesterday:

Quad (1/7/14)-Weyerbacher Brewing

Yep, 7 words for 4 beers: Peach Tripel, Dave's Not Here, Tango and Quad. All dangerous at 8.2, 9.3, 10.6 and 12% ABV respectively .

Just as good, if not better than it's bottling date in 2014, but perhaps not as good as it would have been on the second date stamped on the bottle neck of 1/7/19.

Many thanks to August West for saving this one for us.

Not sure I have much to add to my 2013 and 2015 tastings. This really is an amazing ale, fresh or cellared for 1-5 years.

[luburch]

Our midwest beer, err, Duke football tour, last fall included Corridor Brewing about 6 blocks from Wrigley before a Cubs game, then FFF, Founders, Bells, New Holland, one I can't remember in Madison and New Glarus. I thought Munsterfest was very good. Look for Dark Lord on tap at FFF. Amazingly, they had a collaboration/mini-festival with their "sister" brewery in Denmark the week before we stopped there and their brewer/s whipped up a batch of Dark Lord. When (not if) you purchase your large quantity of New Glarus brews, go to Woodmans as they'll have a very good selection and will be $2-3 cheaper for each large format, 4 packs or 6ers.

Did you know Goose Island now owned by InBev?

Hope that helps.

Appreciate the insight. I had forgotten that InBev owned Goose.

Munsterfest was fantastic. One of my favorite FFF to day. Found the bomber on Friday and then had it on draft Sunday. Life is good.

[devildeac]

Appreciate the insight. I had forgotten that InBev owned Goose.

Munsterfest was fantastic. One of my favorite FFF to day. Found the bomber on Friday and then had it on draft Sunday. Life is good.

I'll repeat the suggestion of visiting the FFF taproom as their bottled selections will be limited at the brewery. I think they had about 20 beers on tap, including about 5 guest taps. If they have/had their festival with War Pigs again this week or last week, Dark Lord may well be on draft.

[luburch]

I'll repeat the suggestion of visiting the FFF taproom as their bottled selections will be limited at the brewery. I think they had about 20 beers on tap, including about 5 guest taps. If they have/had their festival with War Pigs again this week or last week, Dark Lord may well be on draft.

I visited War Pigs (accidentally) when I was in Copenhagen and was able to try a decent amount of their brews. War Pigs had a few bottles of Dark Lord available for purchase. Just a measly $120 or so a bottle.

Quite a few locations have War Pigs on tap in Indy now. It's nice to see. Hope I can catch Dark Lord on draft whenever we end up making our trip.

[devildeac]

I visited War Pigs (accidentally) when I was in Copenhagen and was able to try a decent amount of their brews. War Pigs had a few bottles of Dark Lord available for purchase. Just a measly $120 or so a bottle.

Quite a few locations have War Pigs on tap in Indy now. It's nice to see. Hope I can catch Dark Lord on draft whenever we end up making our trip.

I forgot you had done that .

I'm hoping our younger daughter or her husband will get tix for me for Dark Lord Day in 2018 or 2019. That way a bottle of Dark Lord will "only" be about $30 each .

[devildeac]

Citra Hopped Live-Southern Tier Brewing Company

Late entry from one of last week's beers.

From Overpack'd, their 15 can pack with 3 each of 5 varieties, this being a pale ale.

Pour was a light bronze with a mildly foamy head. Moderate citrus and tropical scents with mango, pineapple and grapefruity tastes with a hint of pine. No IBUs quoted so I'll guess 40 and with the ABV at 5.5%, this is pretty well balanced. Good ale to session at a tailgate with grilled fare and happy to have traded 5, kept 5 (not all tasted yet) and still have 5 more for trading. $17 for the 15 pack, IIRC.

[devildeac]

Mosaic Promise-Founders Brewing Company

Brewed for ArtPrize 2014, this single hop ale appears to have found a permanent home in the Founders' collection. This single 12 ounce can was a trader from dpslaw on Saturday. Thanks!

Pour was a golden-yellow with a moderate, creamy head. Nose? Tropicana fresh squeezed grapefruit juice. Tastes? The same with a bit of rind/zest and mild caramel/malty sweetness. This falls solidly in the pale ale category (yes, beers do play "positions" ) with IBUs of 50 and ABV at 5.5%. Pairing? Deli sammiches or grilled fare. Another winner from this Grand Rapids (aka Beer City, USA ) brewery.

[davec]

Picked up a bomber of Three Floyd's Munsterfest. Excited to give it a try today or tomorrow.


Currently in the process of planning a weekend brewery road trip with a few friends. Plan is to start in Indianapolis on a Thursday night. Visit a brewery or two. Drive to Chicago on Friday morning and tour Goose Island and visit at least one other brewery. Saturday morning drive to New Glarus and visit Madison that evening. Then stop by Three Floyd's on the way home Sunday.

Anyone have any recommendations. Brewery to checkout in Chicago or places to stop along the way? Any insight is appreciated!

I have not been there, but Revolution in Chicago has a very good reputation. There are two in northern IN that are good but they are out of your way - Evil Czech and Bare Hands. Both are close to South Bend, so wrong side of the state for this trip.

[devildeac]

http://talklikeapirate.com/wordpress/

Arrrrgggghhhh!!!!!


Heavy Seas Beer Company having a tasting today at a very nearby bottle shop so hoist a sail, err, ale and talk like a pirate for an hour or so this evening.

[devildeac]

Blackbeard's Breakfast (draft)-Heavy Seas Beer Company

Arrgghh!!

This bourbon barrel-aged imperial porter from their Uncharted Waters series is made even more flavorful with the addition of dark Sumatra coffee.

Eight ounce pour was almost black with a thin, tan head. Coffee nose and abundant coffee flavors along with some dark chocolate-covered caramels, roasty bitterness and a warming, bourbon-y finish. No IBUs listed so I'll guess 40-50 and the ABV is somewhat high for the style at 10%. Liquid dessert. Their website also shows bottle availability but only in May and June and likely only in the Baltimore-Washington areas.

A couple more clicks revealed the following:

IBUs are indeed 40.

Hops: Target, East Kent Goldings
Malts: UK Pale, UK Amber, Vienna, Light Crystal, Dark Crystal, Chocolate Malt, Black Malt