The Beer Thread - what are you drinking?

That's why I start with beer than then switch to liquor after the first or second one. Variety is the spice of life!

I'm gonna have to hook you up with a vintage bottle of Expedition. I think I've got some batch 78xx laying around somewhere. You haven't had that beer until you've had one with 4+ years on it.

And there we go:



Still need to fine-tune the CO2 pressure a bit, but I'm pretty goddamn pleased with things.

Also, I had forgotten just how fucking delicious the East End Blackstrap is.

I am officially filled with jealousy.

The best part is that it was my wife's idea. We're having a Darwin Day party next month, and last week she said "Remember how you were talking about wanting a keg fridge? We should get one before the party."

Well, okay. Don't have to ask me twice.

Nice nlanza!

What kind of kegs does that thing take? I assume cornelius?

It'll fit a single half barrel, or two quarters, sixtels, or corneys. Right now it has two sixtels in it.

Very nice! That's way sexier than mine (which was homemade, converted from a Sanyo mini-fridge).

You'll get a feel for the CO2 after a while. Keep in mind that, strictly speaking, it depends on the style of beer. You can probably find a chart online to let you know what the appropriate pressure is for each style; but having it refrigerated interacts with the pressurization in ways I haven't totally yet figured out. Mostly I just kind of twiddle it back and forth until the mouthfeel seems about right. :)

Yeah, that's pretty much what I did. Really there's not a lot of downside to drinking beer until it tastes right.

And the wait's only going to get longer, now that Hill Farmstead has been named the best brewery in the world.

So I'm drinking the new (new to me, at least) Sam Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout. I love Sam Smith beers, but this one is weirdly disappointing. I was expecting chocolate malt flavors, but this tastes like stout with a size able amount if Hershey's syrup poured in. It's actually a bit vile. :(

Oh man, I loved that one Ben Sones. If you bought more than 1 bottle and don't want the rest, ship them to me. ;)

That's the one that, to me, tasted like pureed chocolate cake. I prefer beer that tastes kinda like beer...

I haven't had a beer in like two weeks. I've been watching what I eat (and drink), and I usually don't have enough calories left over for beer. I could have one today, but I haven't got any of the good stuff left. sniff.

I'm drinking a Sierra Nevada Ruthless Rye. I don't need the calories either, but I made an executive decision to indulge myself today: beer, and bagels with cream cheese, lox, and capers.

I'll be sorry I did this, though.

A lot of "flavored" beers go overboard with the flavor. For what its worth I agree with you, despite my affection for some of Southern Tier's bold creations (Pumpking, Chokolat, Creme Brulee), in general I think the additional flavor should enhance what's already there, not just be the whole show. I mean, if I want to drink a hot chocolate or a chocolate milk I can just make one!

I just got the one bottle, since I didn't know if I was going to like it. Good thing, too. I ended up dumping half of it down the sink. The funny thing is, I just had a Brooklyn Brewing Black Chocolate Stout last night, which I like a lot. It's more what I expect from this style--chocolate malt and a rich and moderately bitter flavor that sort of *reminds* you of chocolate without literally tasting like they poured chocolate syrup into the beer. The Sam Smith's chocolate stout tastes like dessert. But not in a good way--there's a weird contrast between the savory beer flavors and sweet chocolate that just doesn't work for me. In fact, it made me feel a bit queasy. Thumbs down.

You seem to have misconstrued what the Sam Smith offering was trying to do it. It's deceptive because they both have "chocolate" in the name.

But the Brooklyn Black Chocolate stout has no actual chocolate in it. It's a 10% ABV Russian Imperial Stout brewed with lots of chocolate malt.

Sam Smith's Organic Chocolate stout is a sweet stout clocking in at 5% ABV and they actually put actual chocolate in it.

Comparing the two would be like comparing...Jack Daniels to Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey.

A more accurate comparison would be Sam Smith's Chocolate to, say, Young's Double Chocolate Stout, or Sam Adams Chocolate Bock, or Southern Tier Chokolat, etc.

I did not enjoy the Ruthless Rye. A lot hoppier than I prefer.

All of the Sierra Nevada beers are, um, excessively hoppy. Fortunately I am one of those people who don't taste bitterness as intensely, so i rather like Ruthless. It's not for everyone, though.

I <3 Ruthless! Though it is quite bitter.

I have downed a 750ml bottle of Schlafly Imperial Stout (bourbon-barrel aged) over the past 4 hours, whilst trying to remain coherent in a Mafia game and doing Photoshop.

This is good shit.

having some Dark Horse Brewing Co.'s Tres Blueberry Stout over lunch today. i kinda miss it every time they have it at the local specialty beer house (The Blind Pig), so i was quite happy to have found some recently at the local Binny's, even though it was bottled. so damn good!

Karen brought me some Ninkasi when she came back from her business trip to Portland. I had the Oatis (oatmeal stout) last night, and liked it.

Every stout that DH makes is fantastic. Those guys are fucking stout alchemists.

Kuhnhenn just released prices and details on their bottle release tomorrow.

Raspberry and Blueberry Eisbock, 375ml bottles, $30 apiece, limit one per person.

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

So how many hobos are you picking up on the way to wait in line?

I am going to respond to this post in image form.

This kegerator thing is working out well.

Today as we were planning to go take the kids out for hot dogs my wife asked if we could go to the hot dog place over in Regent Square that's next to one of the nicest beer stores in town because she was hoping they'd have a sixtel of the Great Lakes Conway's Irish Stout.

They did, and now it's chilling and settling in the kegerator.

Also, because I can't resist the D's beer cave, I have a nice selection of new big bottles:

Southern Tier Choklat
Sly Fox Saison Vos
Brooklyn Black Ops
Elysian Valhalla Red IPA
Victory Red Thunder
Dogfish Head Birra Etrusca Bronze

Is there anything better than beer? I submit to you that there is not.

Sex, but that's arguable.

Let me know what you think of the Birra Etrusca.

Fair point. A well-planned night can easily accomodate both, though.

Will do. I will pretty much blindly try any Dogfish historical recreation, so I'm looking forward to it.

30 dollars for a bottle of beer is... an opportunity?

jessicawalterskepticism.gif

Think of it as the fancy dessert wine of beers. You're not going to be going through a sixpack of it -- it's a special treat for two people to split.

Etruscan beer was probably made with fish. And tomato sauce.

We expect a full report.

I've spent much, much more on a bottle of beer.

Man, and I thought my $5 bottle of beer that I've been saving for a special occasion was something.

It probably is, for what it's worth. There's just some even more special stuff out there. ;)

Have you spent more per ounce though? Prior to this, the record for me was $45 for a 22oz bottle of Bourbon County Rare. $30 for just over 12oz is definitely a new lowhigh.

It's called Wolf 9, and it is pretty awesome! But I bought it in a grocery store, so it's not exactly going to be part of the Most Elite Beers.

(One of these days I'm going back to the Flying Saucer, so that I can try that expensive yet HEAVENLY triple-brewed wheat beer again. Only through more brewing can my wussiness around beers be fixed!)

I bought a bottle of Utopias a couple of years back. $200 for I think like 24 oz.

Yeah, that doesn't count. Utopias is bottled unicorn tears. ;)

Unicorn tear fancying - even in a more established form like high end whiskey or wine collecting - seems to me to be very hard to distinguish from affluent men ritually burning their money in little culturally camouflaged money-burning censers. Even if it's not that it's pretty hard for anyone on the outside of the system looking in to be sure.

Imposing low price caps on one's tastes seems like a guarantor of virtue with respect to that.