Booze The recommend-a-beer thread

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Did some beer tasting with a couple friends yesterday:

KRBC Citra - Without a doubt one of the best DIPA's I've ever had. Surprisingly smooth and with enough fruity hop presence without smacking you upside the head with OMGHOPS. Dangerously smooth. Loved it.

Grand Teton Pursuit of Hoppiness - started of the day with this and while my notes were very lacking on this one I enjoyed it. Other than "good" the only note I jotted down on this one was "buy".

Foothills Sexual Chocolate - big, roasty, chocolate forward with a very apparent flavor of dark bittersweet chocolate. A great change of pace from the other beers.

Alpine Exponential Hoppiness - Not true to it's name as it had the malty backbone of a scotch ale, but still quite enjoyable However, if you're expecting a hop bomb, you'll probably be let down. I happen to love scotch ales, so this one was nice.

Troegs Nugget Nectar - Lovely, not as heavy as the other hoppy beers but a bit more light and crisp. The hop profile was different and more floral as I remember it. I was gifted a bottle of this and look forward to revisiting it.

Ladyface 1st Anni Quad - my contribution. This was one of the later beers we cracked opened so it appeared smoother, however drinking it now (gotta polish off the growler) this beer is pretty intense and certainly has some bawls. I know their website says 11% ABV and you can definitely taste some of the alcohol. Still, this is a solid beer (most of their beers have been solid, though not exceptional) with Belgian spice and cane sugar notes.
 
F***! Distribution is one thing, but taking control of the brewing is another. I expect GI beers to make their way to the world of mediocrity. Goodbye Nightstalker, you were righteous!
 
Anyone try the Stone/Green Flash/Pizza Port collaboration "Highway 78 Scotch Ale"?
My liquor store has some but I didn't grab any. I think it's a Limited Edition.

Stone Collaborations

I posted a quick review of it a page or two ago. To me it was very "meh". Nothing to get excited about. I had a bottle of it however my buddy had it in tap (seems to be widely available on tap) and said it was good.

Personally I'd say Belhaven, Kiltlifter, and Sheepeater are better versions of a scotch ale. Heck, even Exponential Hoppiness (reviewed above) tasted like a better scotch ale than Highway 78.

I would like to try it on tap, though.
 
Call me cynical or skeptical or whatever, but I think sooner or later AB/Inbev will take a look at the profit margins for GI and tell them to start cutting corners.

If I can get Nighstalker and BCS here in L.A. and not have it be some neutered, watered down version...Huzzah! But I'm not holding my breath.
 
Call me cynical or skeptical or whatever, but I think sooner or later AB/Inbev will take a look at the profit margins for GI and tell them to start cutting corners.

That is called being logical. You can rest assured if InBev/AB buys a craft brewery, its because the craft movement has indeed dinged the mass adjunct lager sales and they just want a piece of it however they can get it. Its not to invest and/or better/make more available the GI brews - its to cut corners like you stated for some make up $$$ in losses the craft scene has caused the giants.
 
seconded. seconded.

how many breweries has AssButt killed off? I am thinking at least three. but alas, as I googled...

Anheuser-Busch - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

interesting to see which breweries the AssButts have stakes in. Redhook, Modelo and Widmar being among them.

I was going to bring up Redhook in my previous post. I remember when they initially signed that deal and it was trumpeted along the lines of a distribution deal, a way of getting Redhook out to the masses. Well, when is the last time you had a Redhook ESB? I used to love that beer but I haven't had one in well, maybe 6-7 years, probably longer. Is that b/c it's not what it used to be? Possibly. Is it b/c I know that AB is heavily involved now? Possibly.

I'll have to go see if I can find one first and then give it a taste. But I fully expect it to be a lighter, more watered down version of what it used to be. I'll try and be objective as best I can. Maybe I'll get a few other ESB's and do a blind tasting. Anyway, I will report what I find when I get the time to do this.

And don't get me started on the Widmer beers. They all suck. Can't stand anything I've ever tasted from them. I hate seeing ****ing Widmer tap handles anywhere. I see so many folks drinking their hefeweizen with a ****ing lemon or orange slice that I want to toss beer in faces. That is just NOT good wheat beer people. American wheat beer is awful (imo) - you might as well drink Bud Light. Sorry for the rant.


So mark me down, along with most if not all of you, as an AB hater. I despise AB and what they represent in the beer world.
 
Stormy2213 said:
And don't get me started on the Widmer beers. They all suck. Can't stand anything I've ever tasted from them. I hate seeing ****ing Widmer tap handles anywhere. I see so many folks drinking their hefeweizen with a ****ing lemon or orange slice that I want to toss beer in faces. That is just NOT good wheat beer people. American wheat beer is awful (imo) - you might as well drink Bud Light. Sorry for the rant.

Couldn't agree more, except that there are a few nice American Wheat Ales that exist. Widmer/Pyramid beers are all crap, and nothing but a college trend that seemed to come out of nowhere at your chain restaurant bars. "Hefs", as clueless servers and customers (places like Chili's, Applebee's, etc) refer to them as their supposed brand name, are drinking nothing but a very cheap and watery American Wheat Ale. Really, it is just a college phase that tricks college folks into thinking they are drinking a classy, higher scale beer - no more no less. And Stella would be your classy "import" that has the same effect on the poor college kids. Its a misconception among college beer drinkers, comparable to the misconception that once you enter college you need to become politically active and voice your political beliefs. Either way, it accomplishes nothing and makes you look like a douche.

This typical response from a server when asked what is on tap, pisses me off so much, you'd probably compare me to Smytheking in the politics forum:

" We have Bud, Bud Light, Coors Light, Dos Equis, and Hef". ****ing seriously?
 
Couldn't agree more, except that there are a few nice American Wheat Ales that exist.

I'd love some recommendations b/c I haven't found an American wheat that comes close to what I believe a good wheat beer should be.

I guess I'm just spoiled in that I was introduced to wheat beers back in the early 90's by a homebrewer friend who turned me on to Ayinger, Hacker-Pschorr, and Schneider Weiss. I'll drink that stuff all day long. But if it doesn't just smack me in the face with ripe bananas and cloves, it doesn't measure up. Oh, and I REALLY love Dunkels. It's just about that time of year isn't it? Somebody get me a Weihenstephaner Dunkelweizen!!!!
 
I'd love some recommendations b/c I haven't found an American wheat that comes close to what I believe a good wheat beer should be.

I guess I'm just spoiled in that I was introduced to wheat beers back in the early 90's by a homebrewer friend who turned me on to Ayinger, Hacker-Pschorr, and Schneider Weiss. I'll drink that stuff all day long. But if it doesn't just smack me in the face with ripe bananas and cloves, it doesn't measure up. Oh, and I REALLY love Dunkels. It's just about that time of year isn't it? Somebody get me a Weihenstephaner Dunkelweizen!!!!

Sierra Nevada Crystal Wheat
Sierra Nevada Wheat (retired, unfortunately)
Three Floyds Gumballhead
Bell's Oberon
North Coast Blue Star
Flying Fish Exit 11
 
Deadlift is pretty good stuff, granted I haven't had it in a while so perhaps my tastes have changed. However I doubt it would compare to the Citra I tasted last weekend.

I swear I've seen RH ESB around recently. I'll have to check this weekend.

Speaking of dunkels, Hofbrau dunkel!
 
Good stuff. Starts malty sweet then transitions to a nice medium floral hoppy profile and then finishes with a long lasting hop bitter finish. If you can get your hands on some, go for it!

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