Sat down to two new beers last night... Highland Seven Sisters Abbey Style Ale and a Lakefront Fuel Cafe Coffee Flavored Stout. Overall I quite enjoyed both of these brews. I probably won't go out actively looking for them again, but they were quite enjoyable at the time.

You can see my reviews of the two at these links (same userhandle):
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/highlan...120230/103915/
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/lakefro...fe/981/103915/

Tonight's (first) beer
Spaten Dunkel.
http://bgood.files.wordpress.com/200...ten_dunkel.jpg
I had not tried this one before until now and I have to say it is pretty tasty. Not mindblowingly awesome like Aventinus but pretty dang good. It is not very heavy so several could be drank in one sitting, but it still has a rich flavor so it is enjoyable.

I'll be following this one up with an Optimator.

EDIT: Spaten Optimator, drinking one now.
http://community2.metalreview.com/cf...-Optimator.jpg
If Spaten Dunkel is a carpenter's hammer, Optimator is a sledge hammer. A dark beer, light is not clearly visible through the glass. The stronger taste is immediately apparent and attacks the entire tongue. It is not an ultra hoppy bite but just an overall balanced strong attack that fades off evenly across the palate. This is a sipping beer, not a 6-packer. Stronger than New Belgium 1553 (a Belgian dark ale), one of my other favorites. I think this one is now in the top 5 when I am looking for something dark and tasty that can be found at the grocery store, other than the women of course.

If I can stumble back to the fridge a Sam Adams Imperial Stout is next.

All beers sampled in a burgundy glass. Highly recommended. Doubt not says Yoda.

Sam Adams Imperial stout now in my glass...
http://www.beeraday.net/wp-content/u...and-gl--------

If Spaten Dunkel is a carpenter's hammer, and Spaten Optimator is a sledge hammer, Sam Adams Imperial Stout is a jackhammer. Wow... I described Optimator as an attack on the tongue but that was conventional warfare. This is a nuke. Maybe not a MIRV, but at least a tactical nuke. Call the President and authorize retaliation. Definitely much hoppier, but under the bite is some deep, rich flavor. Since it was not shipped across the ocean in a bottle stored in a hot ISO container there is a complete lack of skunkiness. I think I will be negotiating a truce when I finish this one.

tonight its Beck's for me. Good times.

I can't believe I didn't post that I went to the place over my back fence and did a Troegs tasting.

Lets see:
Sunshine Pils
Dreamweaver Wheat
Troegenator Double Bock
Pale Ale
Hopback Amber Ale
Java Head Stout

I can't say any of them left me itching to buy a 6pack, but the Pils was nice and crisp with some hops, though it had that "cheap yeasty-nutty" flavor and the Stout was smooth and not overly coffee-y like you'd expect with that name. The wheat was pretty good with a lot of banana. The Hopback was grapefruity and floral, but I like them a bit more malty.

as a collection, it was fair. nothing to write home about.

A Troegs tasting without nugget nectar? You definitely missed out.

Had 3 new brews this weekend as well as a visit to a micro-brewery in Charlotte. Tried a Lagunitas Ruben & The Jets, Fort Collins Rocky Mountain IPA, Stone Double Bastard Ale, and every beer that was on tap (sampler sizes) at Rock Bottom in Charlotte, NC. Overall, not a bad beer weekend. My review of the first three can be seen in the below links:

http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/fort-co.../74077/103915/
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/double-.../11243/103915/
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/lagunit.../96186/103915/

Brewery link: http://www.gordonbiersch.com/resourc..._Char_Beer.pdf (not included was their seasonal which was quite nice as well)

Going to a local Dogfish Head tasting of their 90 Minute IPA and Midas Touch tonight... Should be fun. :D

Chatoe Rogue Dirtoir Black Lager. Holy shit, this is an amazing beer, much better than I was expecting. Black as a beer can get with a brown/dark tan head that's so thick it's not even funny. Definitely grab a bottle if you ever see it.

Have one at home right now... :D Almost cracked it open last night. I have only had a few beers here lately, but nothing note-worthy though.

Cracked open my Chatoe Rogue Dirtoir Black Lager tonight... VERY nice for a black lager! Now I'm enjoying a Delirium Noel. It is SUPERB! Definitely try it... You won't regret it.

Let me start off by stating that I am a beer noob. I see this thread as a way to expand my horizons, and to see that people drink beer other than Bud Light (Yuck). I started off with a pack of Vanilla Porter, then on to some Hoffbrau Heffe Weisen. The vanilla porter was decent, while the Heffe left a "green" taste that I only found to be enjoyable with certain foods. After seeing Aventinus mentioned with very high regards on here, I decided to order some online. Ordered 2 .5L bottles for less than $25 shipped. It came in yesterday.


OH MY GOD! This stuff is amazing! It is by far the best beer I've had. Are there any better deals out there?

So many beers, so much to learn!

Just turned 21 in April, I now have this growing fascination with different kinds of beers.

I going to have to research if my local area has anything good.

Glad to see more of you guys trying new things with great success. Here are the two I had last night for reference.

My reviews of the two on Ratebeer.com:
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/chatoe-...113631/103915/
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/delirium-noel/5998/103915/

BTW, the two of you should join Ratebeer.com and BeerAdvocate.com... Will definitely help with finding new beers of the same styles you like. My userhandle is 'thagr81_us' on RB.com and 'thagr81us' on BA.com. Investing in proper glassware will also make the experience of your beer better. Check out BA.com's 'Beer 101' section for ideas of glasses and such...

Also flier, check out this link: http://www.ratebeer.com/Places/FindP...City=Knoxville Has a list of a lot of beer places in Knoxville with ratings and reviews of each.

+100 on Rate Beer and Beer Advocate (more so RB, lol) I'm ruger988 on both. $25 for two Aventinuses seems pretty steep to me but then again I am in Germany right now, being here is what opened my eyes to great beer so I'm not much help with places/prices in the states.

Haha! Don't rub it in... :( However, the 'Places' section on RB.com has helped me find a few new places in my area. Has also helped me plan a trip during the day when I go to Greensboro, NC in a few weeks. Trip will include Foothills Brewery for some Sexual Chocolate if they have it. I will get you a growler if they do Brian. *thumbsup*

thx for the tip.

The furthest Ive gone is going to the local store to get the pick-6. I guess Ive done it about 5 times now or so.

Ones that have stuck out:
Shiner Bock
Rolling Rock
Grolsch
Yuengling Porter was actually pretty good
Modelo Special
Dos Equis Amber


Ones that stuck out for bad reasons:
Samuel Adams Summer Ale
Hornby's Hard Cider


I remember now that they do a Beer Swap at MATG every year. Ill have to check it out this year to see what comes in :)

Sweeett, I'm still putting you a box together to get out to you soon as well! Hoping to work on it some more at the "Festival Der Bierkulturen" in Cologne (Koln) this weekend with some nice Braustelle brews that you will NEVER EVER see in the states.

EDIT:

:ugh2:

flier, I see that there is a Barley's Taproom and Pizzeria in Knoxville... Go there! You will not be disappointed in the selection. We have one here as well and I go at least once a week and have never had the same beer twice.

Yeah, I just now put two and two together. I've been going to Barley's for Pizza since I was about 12, hah.

Looks like its rated one of the best around here too, along with Mellow Mushroom >.<

Haha! Barley's is much better in my opinion... At least compared to the Mellow Mushroom we have around here. Barley's is also the highest rated in my area and 2nd in Asheville, NC.

Tried a few different ones last night. Looking to go to a good rated place downtown tonight too.


These are pretty common as I picked them up at the local store haha.

Honey Moon
Honey Brown(dundee brew.)
Tap room 21 lager

I was impressed with honey brown and the tap room. Honey Moon was ok tho.

I picked one up last time I was at the beer store, drank it tonight. I was expecting something more along the lines of a schwarzbier but this was more like a stout. Not too much alcohol in this one, but it's dark & thick like used motor oil. Pretty tasty.

You should not pay more than $6 for a 0.5L bottle. I can get them on draft for that price locally, too. You have at least one option in Houston that I was able to find where you can buy it. http://www.beerknurd.com/stores/houston/
Many of these places will sell you mix and match 6-packs to carry home with you, as well. Consult your local laws, etc.

I browsed through the inventory online at Spec's liquor store in Cypress. The prices are ridiculously high. What a rip.

More help:http://beeradvocate.com/beerfly/city/65

If you like Aventinus, try the Fraziskaner Dunkel at some point. It is not as involved or complex, but a wonderful dark wheat beer. I think I posted something with a picture of the label previously. It has a fat friar guzzling some brew.

+1 on the Franziskaner Dunkel suggestion...

Tonight... Samuel Smith Yorkshire Stingo and Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale. Both are pretty much awesome. Just saying...

I found Aventinus at Specs for 4.48 a bottle, boy do I feel shafted after paying $21 for 2 online. I'll also be enjoying Shiner Bohemian Black Lager tonight.

It is a journey. Sometimes the tolls are high, and sometimes they are low. I'm just glad you found some.:) I hope it is fresh and hasn't started skunking out from old age. That can be a problem sometimes on the special stuff.

Make conversation with other beer guys to find out where the good stuff is available locally. They typically love to offer advice, as evidenced by this thread.

I had the pleasure of finding Dunedin Brewery's Red Head red ale on tap at the World of Beer this afternoon. It is a rare find outside of the brew pub in Dunedin, Florida that makes it. Sure, you can find the bottles around town in a few places, but it is often not fresh and/or hasn't been stored refrigerated. On tap was nice.;) It has a nice frothy head that stays awhile, a little bit of aromatic bite that isn't just straight hops like so many. It has a tiny hint of sweetness, but not a lot of malty flavor. It tastes like a good red ale, not a brown, or a pale. Real reds are distinctive in flavor. Another one that is a true red in flavor is the Highland Gaelic Ale from North Carolina that I have mentioned before.
http://draftmag.com/file/superbowl.jpg

Drink up.

Sat down to a Samuel Smith's Yorkshire Stingo and Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale last night. Both were quite delicious... Granted neither of these two brewers have ever let me down before.

Review links:
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/samuel-.../90838/103915/
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/stone-s.../96858/103915/

As a follow-up to the Spaten Optimator sampling (bottled) I had some Optimator tap over the weekend; it was at a fantastic tap house (now in SA) called "The Yard House". It is a chain, but it blows away BJs. Nicer atmosphere, and much, much more beer on tap. They claim to have the world largest selection of draft beer.
http://www.yardhouse.com/default.asp

No Aventinus though. Boooo.

Anyhow, the Optimator I had on tap at the Yard House was fantastic. The flavor was more balanced and more complex than what I tasted in the bottled Optimator. I have no doubt I could distinguish the two in a blind side-by-side taste test (draft versus bottled). It is now definitely one of my favorite brews, up there even closer to Aventinus (on tap).

Agreed fully on how a different serving source and make all the difference in a beer...

Edit: On another note going to one of our local brewery's brewpubs tonight for dinner and some brews. I will report back.

Sat down to two rarities last night... Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA and Dogfish Head World Wide Stout. Yummmmmmm. Also got to meet Claus from the Dogfish Head brewery and put in a shameless plug for being a chemist and being interested in a job at their lab. Haha! But onto pictures of the brews....

Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest. Pic shows 2008 but I drank the 2010 version.

http://www.sierranevada.com/beers/im...HEM_bottle.jpg

Hops are harvested in the fall, and it's fall in New Zealand, so they get the freshest hops they can from there and fly them in for brewing within a week of the hops being picked, so they can release a fresh hop ale in the spring here. FWIW I've never had a problem with the freshness of vacuum packed hops when I brew. What I'd like to have is a side-by-side tasting of two ales with the same exact recipe brewed in parallel with the only difference being whether the hops were a week old or had been vac packed for several months. I'm not familiar enough with the specific hops they used to say if it's the freshness or the cultivars, but anyway, hop heads will really like this beer. Probably a few more IBUs than an IPA, and a touch more mouthfeel. Great bitterness, great lingering hoppy finish.

The Southern Hemisphere isn't bad... I had it quite awhile back, but haven't gotten it since unfortunately.

I saw the Harvest on tap today but had a Paulaner from the tap instead.:fawk:

I love Paulaner sometimes. It's so good.
http://www.classiccitybrew.com/favor...s_paulaner.jpg

I made another trip to the Yard House yesterday afternoon for a late lunch with my wife and daughter. They had this on tap, St. Bernardus Abt 12, a Belgian quadrupel.

http://www.sintbernardus.be/images/New/abt12.jpg

This is an excellent beer! Very dark, very strong, but very pleasant to drink. Comes on sweet, smooth, and complex, and finishes with a bite. High alcohol content at 10% so I only had one. Later on I bought a large corked bottle of this (and a small bottle of Aventinus) at the local high-end grocery store so it will be interesting to see how it holds up in a bottle.

Werd... I picked up a bottle of the Abt 12 and Abt 8 yesterday myself. Haven't opened them up but will let you know when I do.

I haven't got to Barley's yet but I found something besides bud-light at a Wing eating place!


Highland Gaelic Ale
http://beerismypoison.com/wp/wp-cont...ng-company.jpg

I liked it, went well with different flavored wings.

Ah yes... Highland makes pretty badass beers. They are semi-local as well being in Asheville, NC. Their brewery is an awesome hang out spot too.

I can't let this thread die... I've been beating up on some Belgian brews here lately. See images below. All were epic to say the least...

I have the Rochefort 6, 8, and 10 and well as SB Abt 12 in the fridge now. I'm debating whether to enjoy the Rocheforts individually or do a more extended tasting session.

Bought some of this. Atwater Voodoo Vator doppelbock.
http://www.ratebeer.com/beerimages/63196.jpg
It's very dark, can barely see through it, with a tan head. It doesn't taste much like your traditional German doppelbocks at all. Malty with some sweetness but it's lacking in mouthfeel and has enough of a darker malt flavor that if you didn't show me the bottle before I drank it, I'd assume it was a porter. I'm also highly suspicious of their claimed 9.5% ABV. It's "okay" in general but I expected a better doppelbock considering that (IIRC) it was over $10 for the 4-pk.

After that I had to drink another doppelbock to confirm that my taste buds weren't simply miscalibrated. Ayinger Celebrator.
http://www.shoppikebrewing.com/image...tor_gl--------
That's more like it. This one is also on the darker end of doppelbocks, but it has a creamy head and the sweet bready and raisiney flavors that the other one lacked and that I kind of expect from a doppelbock. Good stuff, one of the standards in its category IMO. Try one if you haven't had it before.

I had Kirin over the weekend with my Ribeye steak.

Attachment 197091


I've always been a fan of Japanese beer. I also like Asahi Dry, no beer aftertaste.

Scott... You can't go wrong with any of the Rocheforts or St. Bernardus brews. I have yet to find one I don't like. Sat down to three more brews last night: St. Bernardus Tripel, St. Bernardus Witbier, and Flying Dog Kerberos Tripel.

Review links:
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/st-bern...l/2528/103915/
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/st-bern.../12269/103915/
http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/flying-.../82820/103915/

deleted

bernadus is good. I'm back on the Salvation again.

I should have my shipment of 12 liters Franziskaner and Maisel's in soon. Sweet

Salvation is pretty badass... Had it awhile back per your posts. I was impressed.

I've slowed waay down on buying new stuff lately. Haven't bought a drop of beer in about three weeks and I've still got 200+ bottles in my storage locker upstairs. Should be back to buying new stuff here in a couple weeks.

cool. Affligem is worth a shot too at $9/75l. Salvation is a good runner-up to Piraat which is out of stock through most of the US.

Brian,
I'm still building that welcome home package for you up... It should be massive and might come in quite a few boxes. Haha Also, I had a MASSIVE beer buying trip this past weekend in Greensboro, NC. Bought over $450 worth of beer, had the Audi's trunk SLAM full.

Trey,
I actually had one of the smaller bottle quite a while ago. Might revisit a larger one sometime in the near future.

:rly: Maybe I should go back to the beer store and stock up? They had plenty a couple weeks ago, small bottles as well as 750s.

Attachment 197078

We don't get Piraat here... But I do know you shop at Total Wine now Scott. Haha! Mind picking up one of each (big and small) and shipping them to me? It had me at 'Tripel IPA'... I will return the favor with brews from around here. :D PM me if interested...

Piraat gets me all excited. I have one sitting in the fridge for emergencies, and I have 3 750's in the wine rack to see if age does anything to the beer. I plan to drink one at 3, 5 and 7 years.

DO NOT age that beer. drink it as fresh as possible.

That's awesome, sorry I haven't gotten you a box yet like I said I would, but I've been busy as hell with an upcoming deployment (early next year) and I'm actually falling behind on a few trades as well. I feel like an asshole, hopefully they understand. You'll get a box soon enough, ;)

I'm coming home July 7 - 20, if I find myself down that way I'll be hitting you up to grab a beer.

My beer of the day is whatever someone left in my fridge the weekend before. i havent bought beer in monhts.

Tonight it's miller light 12oz cans. Yum.

I'm gonna agree with this. While I don't think it will go south too quickly, Piraat does not strike me as a beer that will get much better with age. In Piraat's case this is mostly due to a lack of residual sugar, at least that I can taste. Part of what makes it good is the phenols & esters given off by those Belgian yeasts, and I've honestly never experimented enough with Belgians to see how those flavors hold up over time.

The beers that do age well are things like old ales, barleywines, etc. High alcohol and loaded with malt, kind of like a wine that ages well will have a good foundation of fruit. Anything hoppy generally isn't going to age very well because hops flavor is more susceptible to degradation over time especially if there's any oxidation.

I've had both cases happen to me with past homebrewed batches. Last month I opened an unlabeled bottle of mine, and when I poured it out I knew immediately that it was an attempt I made at a barleywine in 2003. When I first made it, it didn't ferment down all the way and tasted lightly alcoholic and very sweet, because it had a shitload of malt and my yeast were not robust enough when pitched. Seven years later, it was waaay better. OTOH, a bottle of IPA that was a few years old tasted, well, old and dull and stale.

BTW I don't know why Piraat is called a Tripel IPA on that label. It doesn't taste like an IPA at all. It's pretty much just a Belgian Tripel.

Nothing ages worse than an IPA up to and including cheese. I've never had piraat myself but saw the label saying IPA, if it truly is a Tripel then it may age OK, but I still wouldn't recommend it, hops and time are not friends.

Yeah... Usually the hops loose their potenency as they sit while aging. So a lot of the character of the brew is lost during the aging process. If you do decide to age it, post the results.

Brian:
Definitely hit me up if you make it down this way. No biggie on the box... I know how hectic things can get.

Lots of people recommend aging that beer. You gays scare me though and I want to drive one really bad ATM.

my finace's dad just gave me a bottle of this last weekend. plan on taking care of it tonight:

http://thefullpint.com/main/wp-conte...hebrew13th.jpg

anyone else here brew? if yes, anyone interested in doing a swap? i haven't brewed in awhile but i have a "chocolate chip cookie" stout that i came up with, that's been sitting in a keg for a year. almost time to crack it... :-)

Yes, but it's been so long that you probably won't want to drink anything out of the next batch, whenever that happens. :laugh: