Thread: The recommend-a-beer thread

So the wife bought a case of Blue Moon for me from Costco and had a few with our pizza dinner tonight. Tried this one and I liked it ALOT:



This was about the best hefeweizen I have ever had.

This wasn't bad either as their winter ale offering:



And finally I tried the Pale Moon, which is their Pale offering. This isn't bad but it is about as fruity a pale as I have ever had. Bottle says it has "a touch of hibiscus and orange peel" and you can really taste it. (sorry couldn't find a picture of it on line)

Blue Moon is pretty good. Good beer to drink while BBQing outdoors.

What a beer involved weekend we had !

Friday night I experienced Goose Island's Stockyard Oatmeal Stout which can be purchased at Trader Joe's for $5.99. Absolutely wonderful!!! This is easily going to be one of my go to session beers when a 6 pack is appropriate for the evening. The body on this brew was great, very smooth, and the aroma/flavors were wonderful. I'd buy this stuff even if it were marked up to $10.99 for a 6'er.

We sampled a couple of beers on Saturday from Left Hand Brewing Company. From them, we had their Imperial Stout and the Sawtooth Ale which was some type of ESB or extra pale ale. Pretty decent stuff but nothing to go out of your way for.

Firestone Twelve was OUTSTANDING! This one is extremely complex but ever so brilliant. Notes of vanilla, tobacco, leather, and chocolate immediately come to mind accompanied by quite an alcohol presence. Perhaps it wasn't worth the $20 dollar for a bottle, but its value in the beer trading world is very high and my extra bottles of this stuff should yield some great brews in return.

Anchor's 2008 Christmas Ale was one of my favorites from Saturday's tasting. The body on it was so damn thick and extremely smooth. The smell is out of this world and very Christmas-y. I wasn't big on the 2006, and did enjoy the 2007 but this one blows the other two away. I highly recommend this one to everybody here.

We also had a Rogue Imperial Stout from 1995 and it held up pretty damn well considering how old it is. I also cracked open the Redhook Double Black Stout which was pretty decent. Had a nice aroma to it and a great presence of coffee, but the body was too thin. Had that not been the case, the flavors I do believe would have been more present and would have provided for an overall good beer. I also picked up a bottle of the Sam Adams Chocolate Bock so we gave that one a whirl too. Very good and interesting with the hints of Cocoa and vanilla. I wouldn't pay 16 for a bottle of it again, but if it were reasonably priced I'd definitely pick some up for a second tasting.

The disappointment of the evening was the Brew Dog Paradox Barrel Aged Imperial Stout. I forget what barrel was used (they make several types of this beer with different barrels they age them in) but christ.... this beer was so damn smokey it tasted like liquid beef jerky! Pass on this one.

Originally Posted by Azagthoth

Firestone Twelve was OUTSTANDING! This one is extremely complex but ever so brilliant. Notes of vanilla, tobacco, leather, and chocolate immediately come to mind accompanied by quite an alcohol presence. Perhaps it wasn't worth the $20 dollar for a bottle, but its value in the beer trading world is very high and my extra bottles of this stuff should yield some great brews in return.

I am aging my other one. It's good but I agree not worth the $20.

Az, I agree with your assessment on the Red Hook Double Black Stout. Liked the coffee taste, the body was weak. Will stick with Lagunitas Cappucino Stout. Much better brew.

Pyramid's Thunderhead IPA


I picked this up at Ralph's the other day. never heard of it, all I could associate Pyramid with is their hefeweizens. so, being a huge fan of IPA, I just had to give it a try.

a hint of spice with some dry hops, with a sweet finish. not bad, not bad at all.

I'll still rate Longhammer IPA above this one.

Originally Posted by Azagthoth

Firestone Twelve was OUTSTANDING! This one is extremely complex but ever so brilliant. Notes of vanilla, tobacco, leather, and chocolate immediately come to mind accompanied by quite an alcohol presence. Perhaps it wasn't worth the $20 dollar for a bottle, but its value in the beer trading world is very high and my extra bottles of this stuff should yield some great brews in return.

Anchor's 2008 Christmas Ale was one of my favorites from Saturday's tasting. The body on it was so damn thick and extremely smooth. The smell is out of this world and very Christmas-y. I wasn't big on the 2006, and did enjoy the 2007 but this one blows the other two away. I highly recommend this one to everybody here.

Bogey just turned me on to this thread - where the hell have I had my head?

Anyway, I'm lucky enough to live 10 minutes from the Paso Robles Firestone Brewery so I'll start posting when they put something special out. I'm sure you're aware a lot of that "special" stuff will never see a bottle and only be available at the brewery. I'll try and stay on top of those and post.

And just to note, the Anchor Our Christmas Ale for this year is spectacular. I had 2 pints at Spikes in SLO the other night and was literally transported. Always look forward to what the brewers at Anchor are going to present for their Christmas Ale and I can't recall a year I've been letdown, ever.

I've also been pouring the Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale down my gob an awful lot these last couple of weeks. Stocking up a case at a time and it's like a magnet for me. I can "hear" it in the fridge, calling my name come 4:30 everyday.

Glad Bogey pointed me in the right direction. Some serious beer guys here and man, nothing I like talking about more than beer - well, maybe hockey.

Originally Posted by KingsJohn/Obediah

Also how is the Sierra Nevada brown?

One of the best American browns available. Like most, if not all, of the Sierra Nevada line, it's just a very well made and tasty brew IMO. Makes a great session ale. Can be had on tap at The Shack in SLO.

Curious if anybody has tried the Green Flash Imperial IPA? I had it on tap for the first time a few nights ago and I'm normally a hop head for the most part, but man, I found this stuff to be awful. It may have been a bad batch or something but jeez, I was blown away at how bad it tasted. Anybody else have a similar experience?