Going to Wazoo tonight. Will try some new brews. Should be Awesome.

Blue is easily the best, but all pretty damn tasty.


I had Boulder Beer's Obovoid last night. It's a tough act to follow what I might crown as the one of the top five best beers I've had (Hoppin' Frog's BORIS the Crusher Oatmeal-Imperial Stout) but it did pretty well. Overall, it was good but not great or exceptional.

Have you ever had DORIS? It's Hoppin' Frog's Double Imperial Stout. I've not been able to track it down myself (not distributed here), but I'd like to try it someday. Supposed to be pretty good...

BORIS is great - I have a bottle in my cellar...

Haven't but I've tried their Silk Porter and it was very delicious too.

I'm going to try to try all of them if I can find them. It's rare a brewery distributes to Kansas and not Missouri, but :)

I'm also curious to try their Black and Tan, and their Scotch-style Red Ale

From the past week in La Loosa:

Good People Snake Handler (imperial/double IPA) on-tap
Great Divide 16th Anniversary Wood Aged (imperial/double IPA) on-tap
Great Divide Hercules Double IPA on-tap
Unibroue La Fin Du Monde (tripel)
Sierra Nevada Porter
Bell's Two Hearted Ale
Terrapin Hopsecutioner (IPA)
Brooklyn East India Pale Ale (English IPA)
Boulevard Pale Ale

what'd you think of the terrapin?

You can actually click on the beer name in my post. It is a hyperlink to my review of it on Beer Advocate.

aha....cool

I had a small bottle of this today and I'm not quite sure how to describe it. Definitely not similar to anything I have had before and all kinds of flavors developed after the initial sour taste. Very interesting and enjoyable to slowly sip.

I couldn't fully describe it either. From my review: "The tart cherries and blackcurrants are very forward on the palate. There are hints of lemon and persimmon too. There is a ashy/leafy astringency that doesn't register to me as coming from hops; I think it is the char quality from the oak barrels. Whatever it is it is helpful. This isn't really all that funky; the tartness and lactic sourness shine much brighter here. The finish is all tart cherry and lightly browned malt. Each sip reveals different fruits - orange, strawberry, black cherry, kiwi. Yes, plenty of kiwi as the beer warms. This is a beer that defies a concrete write-up."

Really well written beer reviews, Reaper. Knowledge + skill = career? There would have to be possibilities here...

Just saying.

Nice review and notes on all of the flavors. I think my favorite bit was not really knowing much of what to expect before taking my first sip. Didn't even realize it was infused with blackcurrants until I read your comment. It is probably the closest to the complexity of flavors in a good red wine that I have had in a beer. Really need to keep an eye out for Supplication now.

Ah, the Chimay gift set.

I need to run out and get some Chimay for my FF draft later this month. They guys all chip in $20 and I go out and get a selection of crafts, micros, etc.

Chimay was far and away the favorite last year.

It's how I got my beer drinking glass a while back that has served me well.

If the Chimay Blue went over well you might try St Bernardus Abt 12.

Thanks. I half-assed most of those recent ones during late night hours after coming back from the bars. My favorite reviews are beers I really love or really dislike. My review for Southern Tier Mokah might be my favorite review.

Thanks for the suggestion. I was going to hit you, Irish and Reaper up for some advise closer to the draft date.

Good god, Mokah was excellent. It only came 2nd, IMO, to Southern Tiers Chocolate Stout - which is by far, the best Chocolate stout i've ever had in my life.

I'm literally enraged it took me this long to find out about this brewery - and what's worse, it's not carried in Kansas.

Enjoying one of these right now -

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._4036368_n.jpg

Creme Brulee is a ****ing experience. It makes me laugh. Choklat and Mokah are even less balanced than Creme Brulee and, to me, are not good beers insofar as they lack any sort of refinement or restraint. They're the stout equivalent of Tiger Woods' sexual misadventures: overdoing it on too much of a good thing.

True - heavy on the chocolate flavors for both of them. Maybe that's why I love them.

Where'd you get it? MO?

Central Waters [Brewer's Reserve] Bourbon Barrel Stout - like bourbon? Drink this.

Yeah.

Goose Islands' Bourbon County Brand Stout quickly jumped into my all-time top 5 when I opened it last week. Would have easily went to the top had it not been so sweet.

That much malt and that much bourbon flavor are always going to equal a sweet beer. Good stuff though.

I liked Bourbon County a lot. The only Bourbon-style Stout i've liked better was a 1 year aged Boulevard Imperial Stout.

That said, I've got 3 12oz bottles aging in my basement. One for one year out, two years out and three years out. Should be a tasty 4th for the next three years.

Similar to the OP, though it's only 5. I imagine Reaper has had them all:

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/b...essions-123998

For a beer lover, there is no better thrill than wandering the beer aisle and suddenly spotting a bottle of some elusive, seasonally available, or otherwise un-find-able beer. It’s cause for a minor, and sometimes major, celebration. Here are five beers we’ve had on our “Love to Try” list for quite some time - what’s on yours?




1. Pliny the Elder from Russian River Brewing Company - This one always gets mentioned whenever Double IPAs come up in conversation. We hear that the hop flavors are out of this world. It’s made year round, but bottles get snatched up incredibly quickly. Russian River also makes a Pliny the Younger, a triple IPA that’s even harder to find!
2. Curieux from Allagash Brewing Company - Aged in Jim Beam barrels, this rich and fruity Belgian-style tripel received top marks from Beer Advocate’s Alstrom brothers last year. It’s produced seasonally but is well-distributed nationally. It’s just a matter of finding it in the store at the right time.
3. Brute from Ithaca Beer Company - This is one of those truly American beers that’s really pushing all the boundaries. It’s a sour ale, similar to Belgian wild-fermented beers, but...different. It uses local New York hops, gets aged in oak barrels, and then has some champagne yeast added during bottling. Amazing stuff, but produced in understandably small batches with limited distribution.
4. Immort Ale from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery - The combination maple syrup, peat-smoked barley, juniper berries, and vanilla in this beer just sounds too good to pass up. Dogfish is known for producing incredibly unique and top-notched beers. If anyone can pull off a beer like this, it’s them. It’s a released in late spring (dependent on the maple season), so mark your calendars now.
5. Dreadnaught IPA from Three Floyds Brewing Company - Another double IPA that we keep hearing about. It’s described as having a lot of fruity and citrusy hops balanced with sweet caramel malts. Sounds good to us. It’s available year-round, but is still hard to find.
What beers do you really really really want to try?

More Stout talk
 

Just got back from Madison, WI and fell in love with a stout that I have the Gomer's boys ordering for me. Bear Republic Big Bear Black Stout. Great chocolate, coffee, anise flavors. Nicely balanced with hops. Strong smoky finish. Took another bottle camping with me and it was more intense as it had come to temperature by the time I drank it.

I haven't had the Ithaca Brute but I have had the four others, yes.

Tonight:
Bluegrass Brewing Company Professor Gesser's Mind Numbing Ale (IPA) - terrible

Three Floyds Apocalypse Cow - an imperial/double IPA brewed with lactose sugar as if it were a milk/sweet stout. Super bizarre and lots of fun.

Port Brewing Old Viscosity Ale - a strong ale/stout hybrid. Tons of smoky, ashy flavors. Quite tasty.

Found some more Pliny and was a lot fresher this time around at a little over two weeks old. Kind of amusing that they had it stashed in a min-fridge behind the counter and you have to ask for it.

Drinking one right now and it is notably better than than the 40 day old bottle I had last month.

Drinking some Seeyoulator Doppelbock by Boulevard. There was a Boulevard rep at the store that suggested it and it is pretty damn enjoyable. The ceder is a nice touch that might have mellowed some in this 2009 leftover.

The Boulevard guy also mentioned a few times that they have a Saison due out this fall that was something different than Tank 7.

Doppelbock is one of my favorites of the Smokestack Series. (What isn't, really? Okay, don't answer. (Harvest Dance and Two-Joker's Wit))



As for tonight, I'm choosing between Hoppin' Frog's Wild Frog Wheat and Chatoe Rogue's First Growth Dirtoir Black Lager.

You pretty much listed the Smokestack ones I don't have much interest in since I really dislike wheat beers.

That Rogue Black Lager sounds interesting. Really haven't tried all that much from them yet.

Sad that I just polished off my last glass of the doppelbock. Really enjoyed that one.

The Black Lager is above average. I was expecting a little bit more given the 98ish RateBeer rating.

Black Lager isn't the greatest of styles to begin with IMO.

I dunno. Old Engine Oil was delicious. But, yeah, it's not really in my top 3 or 5 styles, I suppose.

In what sense? For the evening?

98 for the style. A lot of online reviewers, myself included, rate to style.

Rating to style, I liked Rogue's black lager quite a bit: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile...9/?ba=Reaper16

And this BLVD guy wasn't referring to Saison-Brett was he? Because if he wasn't... then we have the answer as to what Collaboration #2 is.

Could have been Saison-Brett if that is what was planned for the fall Saison and a regular for them. I should have pressed him more about what exactly is was. All that I got out of him was it was something other than Tank 7 and we started bullshitting about other beers.

Well, I joined Beer Advocate in the hopes of just having a place to catalogue my beer tasting, likes and dislikes, etc. It left me with some distinct impressions.

Namely:

1) BA's site design is ATROCIOUS. Holy crappy navigation, Batman! Took me a long time to realize that the only link on the site to actually write a review is to search for the beer. Intuitively, it makes sense except that there's no link that just says "rate beer" which takes you to the search engine.

2) Their little write up seems to suggest what I want to do (rate the beers I have) isn't good enough as they require a well worded review. Perhaps that's to scare off people, but it came off as snooty. The whole place reeks of arrogance.


So, I'm still unsure if I can use the site given the usability nightmares and their general attitude.

Bleh.


PS. Trying a Jack Daniel's Black Jack Cola tonight. It was a buck fifty in a clearance bin at the store. Midway impression: tastes stronger than it is (5%) and should be stronger than it is. Overall, a good pool drink that isn't sweet tea or lemonade. Read: a guy drink that isn't beer.

The site is snooty because it want's you to write a review? Note the terminology - "review." You don't simply rate beer on BeerAdvocate. There is a sight that allows you to either review or just rate beer. That site is called RateBeer (a site that is no more or less snooty than BA).

Fine, I recant the snooty comment.

I was pretty pissed about the navigation/usability and then read the rules:

So, perhaps my anger was misplaced.

Rules seem fine to me. There are plenty of douchbags on BA (and RB) and plenty of non-douchebags alike.

2010 Stone Old Guardian for me tonight.

The other night I enjoyed the shit out of a 2009 Alaskan Smoked Porter.

went to the ginger man in fort worth on friday.

Had Orval which was nice but very expensive.

Tried Aventinus for the first time and was very pleased with the sweetness but weight of it.

I miss the Ginger Man in Houston.

Two of the very best beers in the known Earths.

Polishing off my 750ml of Hennepin. I like it a little better than when I had it on tap.

Next up is Ayinger's Celebrator.

Not impressed with Hoppin' Frog's Wild Frog Wheat. I'm very much wishing it was a BORIS.

I used to love wheat beers but don't really have much of a taste for them anymore. I still like the occasional good wheat beer but they all taste too similar for me.

On the Celebrator now. I absolutely love this beer. Probably my favorite non-IPA beer.

I have the exact same problem. They just don't do anything for me anymore and, like you said, all taste alike.

Anybody tried Hazed and Infused from Boulder Beer, CO?

It's been one of my favorites for a while, and it's starting to show up at liquor stores here in KC. Dry Hopped Ale. I now have it available within walking distance of my home. This pleases me greatly.

http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/3...hazedandin.jpg

FWIW, their Porter is average at best.

I've had none of their other offerings. They have an IPA that I've wanted to try..

:thumb:

going to stonefest tomorrow!

http://www.stonebrew.com/anniv/ they have a good list. As always, RR will be there. I thnk younger will be on tap but been there done that.

I'm already drunk. I was homebrewing out in the 99 degree heat today. Brewed the cream ale to end all cream ales, along with a very hoppy IPA.

I'm drunk because of all the beer consumed during the brewing process:
homebrewed Mango Wheat
homebrewed Blueberry Wheat
Surly Coffee Bender
Surly Furious IPA
Stone Oaked Arrogant Bastard
Stone Ruination IPA
Founders Centennial IPA
Three Floyds Dreadnaught

Tonight: a bottle of 2005-vintage Schneider Aventinus that was aged in a cave for three-four years before being sent to the distributors. Review hyperlinked to beer name as usual.

I was talking to the clerk at the local place and she mentioned they had a few cases of Liefmans kriekbier, 2007. Manged to buy one, for a cherry fruit beer it was amazing. Highly recommend it if you can find it.

I started to explore the cheap beers left in my fridge from the party I hosted on Friday. Yuengling Black & Tan is not very good. I described the taste like this: Imagine that you are a college freshman and you're waking up still drunk, with the taste of Miller Lite all up in your mouth. There's still some coffee from yesterday in the pot, so you drink some to try and sober up. THAT is what this beer tastes like.

Tried Stone Cali-Belgique IPA last night. Another great beer from them. I'm a huge fan of their IPA's. They make them awesomely hoppy which makes me happy. The Cali-Belgique was pretty smooth though. A lot less hoppy than Ruination.

That's a darn good beer. Maybe even great depending on one's tolerance for sweetness in a hoppy beer. I don't care for the mouthfeel on it but it seems like a nice choice to pair with food.

I tried the Cherry infused Lips of Faith. It grew on me as I went but it wasn't anything to write home about.

Having some Bob's 47, the orange Lips of Faith, and Capital Brewing's Blonde Doppelbock tonight.

Revisited Aventinus last night. Great as always. Octoberfest from SA today. Finally a SA product I enjoy. Not a big fan of theirs for some reason.

Winter, Summer, Black Lager and Oktoberfest (I don't think as highly of their Oktoberfest as many do, but I don't dislike it.) are the only ones I touch. Outside of that, their shit is nasty.

So, went to central market an hour ago and kind of spazzed out.

I picked up

Great Divide's Hercules Double IPA
Great Divide's Yeti Imperial Stout
Avery's Hog Heaven
Bear Republic's Hop Rod Rye (which I've had before and it's awesome)
Delerium Nocturnum
Schneider's Aventinus (had it on tap before, now trying the bottle)
Stone's Ruination

Started with the Hercules. This is a damn good IPA. The malts offset the hops nicely. Nice amber color with lots of carbonation. I will be getting this again when I go back.

I would give it a great rating. I really enjoyed it. I didn't think it had much of a mouthfeel. It went down smooth and didn't leave much of an aftertaste.

I agree that it would be good with food. I'm thinking something grilled and spicy and/or smoky.

Grilled chicken that's has some herb treatment happen to it - rosemary and tarragon and thyme in the marinade or rub - would go great with Cali-Beglique. The Belgian yeast phenols would pick up those herbs and make sweet love with them.

Just finished my sixer of Fort Collins Brewery chocolate stout. Very average, but did the trick.

Relative to the style (light lager), Coors Light is sorta' impressive.

Sam Adams Light.

That shit is hilarious. Them Shits is blue. That and the hapless divorced father paragraph were hilarious.

I couldn't even be witty when writing about Miller High Life. There was just nothing to write about apart from suck.

Since I couldn't watch the game and already got my laugh from the Leinart/Cassel threads, I figured I would post here.

So had Saison Du Pont for the first time. Very good. I prefer the mouthfeel from Tank 7 but the Du Pont was fantastic.

Also, came across Stone's Emperial IPA. Very nice. Reminds me more of typical pale ales than the Imperial/double/American IPA's. That's probably due to fact that they made this beer based upon the original IPA's and gave it their own twist.

Whilst, I was at central market purchasing my coffee, I also picked up an Avery/Russian River combo called "Collaboration not Litigation". I'm looking forward to this one.

Yesterday, before the 'Bama game:

Russian River Pliny the Elder
2009 Deschutes The Abyss
homebrew Warrior single-hopped IPA
homebrew Simcoe single-hopped Double IPA
homebrew Chinook single-hopped IPA

last night: Schneider Aventinus-Eisbock

tonight: De Dolle Oerbier