The Beer Thread

it's an incredibly delicious beer, but i die because it does injustice to beer tradition. 

something like german beer purity law (rheinheitsgebot) is specific to water, malt and hops to each region. the idea of preserving beer history to region makes me very happy.

burton, england is infamous for it's water.  the burton water profile is insanely high in alkalinity and sulfur, making for a highly bitter beer. from what i gather, burton baton is 50/50 90-minute and strong ale.  it seems to match the description for a burton ale fairly well, but if you're going to make a tribute beer, follow similar purity law. and make the beer from scratch. it just feels like a knock-off to me.

edit: interview w/ sam from WAY back describing what's in burton baton, as well as history

dog fish head.  how do they do it?  burton baton is awesome.  and the label is the shit.  have you seen the "olde school barleywine"?  the label is similiar in style.  ive never had a barley wine beer.  are they good?

Label designed by Jon Langford of Mekons/ Waco Brothers fame.

Two thumbs up for Burton Baton from me. Neck and neck with 90 Min and Indian Brown as my favorite Dogfish beers.

And fuck German purity laws. Biggest reason German beer scene is and always will be stuck in a rut.

walkonby wrote:
dog fish head.  how do they do it?  burton baton is awesome.  and the label is the shit.  have you seen the "olde school barleywine"?  the label is similiar in style.  ive never had a barley wine beer.  are they good?

walkonby wrote:
ive never had a barley wine beer.  are they good?

i quite like some barley wines, but i wouldn't say it's my favorite style… it's B, maybe a B+ in my books.  it's a big beer (must be over 8%, with many clocking in at over 10%), with a lot of caramel malt flavor and a good amount of hops.  one way of looking at them is as a super-malty IIPA/DIPA.  i find too many of them to be too sweet but there are some tasty ones out there.

Barleywine is probably my second favorite style, next to DIPA/IPA.

Particularly the hoppy American style barleywines (as opposed to English style barlewines). Sierra Nevada Bigfoot is a good one to start with, still a great value at $10/4 pack. Even better is Victory Old Horizontal, but they haven't made it the past couple of years. Even better is Great Divide Old Ruffian.

walkonby wrote:
dog fish head.  how do they do it?  burton baton is awesome.  and the label is the shit.  have you seen the "olde school barleywine"?  the label is similiar in style.  ive never had a barley wine beer.  are they good?

god . . . i do love this here thread

The missus has a strong preference for Schlafly Barleywine.

here . . . an offering for your knowledge.  this is awesome!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IT83qIma09E#!

That's one of the best I've had that Beer ADvocate classifies as an "English Barleywine". JW Lees Harvest Ale might be the best I've had (haven't had FW SUCABA, if anyone wants to bring it to a bottle share sometime, feel free!)

grateful wrote:
The missus has a strong preference for Schlafly Barleywine.

James wrote:
(haven't had FW SUCABA, if anyone wants to bring it to a bottle share sometime, feel free!)

it'll be on tap next week at the smoke & barrel.

Drink one for me, i'll be on Spring Break in a warmer place.

I'm hoping there will be "leftovers" from some of these tap takeovers the following week, but it seems unlikely.

sweetcell wrote:

James wrote:
(haven't had FW SUCABA, if anyone wants to bring it to a bottle share sometime, feel free!)

it'll be on tap next week at the smoke & barrel.

d'oh.  sorry, you had mentioned that.

if able to choose between drinking craft beers and snorkeling in Saltpond Bay… i'd be grabbing my mask & fins.  have fun.

Thanks, I can swim well enough to save my life, but not to snorkel. i'll leave that to my wife, while I'm sneaking my beer consumption on the beach and corralling the kid.

sweetcell wrote:
d'oh.  sorry, you had mentioned that.

if able to choose between drinking craft beers and snorkeling in Saltpond Bay… i'd be grabbing my mask & fins.  have fun.

i've been to St John twice, and i don't think i ever saw a policeman there.  so: unless you're hiding your consumption from the wife, i don't think there is any need to hide your beer.

EDIT: it's occurred to me that if you're staying at a large "respectable" resort with their own beach they may frown upon that, but if you're on a public beach (which 99% of them are), feel free to bring the cooler.

FOLLOW-ON EDIT: have you considered bringing a few beers in your suitcase, so you have something to switch up from the boring stuff you'll otherwise be drinking?  if so, what does a beer aficionado bring to the beach?  when i was last there i remember paying $13 for a six-pack of unremarkable lager, and $15 for what should have been a $6 bottle of wine.  and this was from a grocery store.

Staying at a rustic cottage again,  Cable, AC, full kitchen to do our own cooking, separate bedroom, view of the ferry landing, short walk to Cruz Bay…reallly the best bargain on the island. Seven nights for probably less than the price of two nights at a resort.

There's a market in Cruz Bay called Starfish that has a gourmet offshoot. Decent selection of Belgian and British stuff and maybe German (the good stuff, not just invBev) at nasty prices. Last time we stuck with Sierra Nevada Torpedo and Celebration at slighty higher than US prices, and Guinness Foreign Extra (the higher abv Guinness) (which was actually cheaper than US prices).

They also just enacted a no smoking law for all beaches there, hope they enforce that one.

Carry-on baggage only for us…travelin light!

sweetcell wrote:
i've been to St John twice, and i don't think i ever saw a policeman there.  so: unless you're hiding your consumption from the wife, i don't think there is any need to hide your beer.

EDIT: it's occurred to me that if you're staying at a large "respectable" resort with their own beach they may frown upon that, but if you're on a public beach (which 99% of them are), feel free to bring the cooler.

FOLLOW-ON EDIT: have you considered bringing a few beers in your suitcase, so you have something to switch up from the boring stuff you'll otherwise be drinking?  if so, what does a beer aficionado bring to the beach?  when i was last there i remember paying $13 for a six-pack of unremarkable lager, and $15 for what should have been a $6 bottle of wine.  and this was from a grocery store.

Back tracking to last weekend, nothing like a pint of Guinness draft for $3.17.  ;D  It may be thought of as just a regular beer today but I still love that sweet creaminess. The first several sips are absolutely divine. That silky creamy feeling with just the right balance of sweet and beer taste always puts a smile on my face.

Jaguar wrote:
Back tracking to last weekend, nothing like a pint of Guinness draft for $3.17.  ;D  It may be thought of as just a regular beer today but I still love that sweet creaminess. The first several sips are absolutely divine. That silky creamy feeling with just the right balance of sweet and beer taste always puts a smile on my face.

I agree… Guinness will always be a top five beer for me. I love it.

Comprehensive Beer Week list…

http://www.dcbeer.com/cbc2013

Sorry JF.

Hope you guys enjoye the hell out of it! I don't even want to click on the link.

At least I'll have access to one of your top 5 beers all week. And beaches.

Yada wrote:
Comprehensive Beer Week list…

http://www.dcbeer.com/cbc2013

Sorry JF.

Yada wrote:
Comprehensive Beer Week list…

http://www.dcbeer.com/cbc2013

the missus is NOT going to be happy with me next week… ;D