Space Freely
Joined: December 13, 2014 at 07:28 PM UTC
Posts: 11019
Re: The Beer Thread
October 18, 2015 at 02:58 AM UTC
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sweetcell wrote:
snagged some 10-day-old Jai Alai at Trader Joe's in Tysons today, which was a nice surprise. also decided to roll the dice on a TJ's-branded hibiscus tripel, which appears to be a collab with Hardywood.
Watermelondrea wrote:So there we go, some craft brewer using Nitro
craft brewers serving beer on nitro isn't that uncommon…
Eight day old Jai Alai at Trader Joe's in Faifax today. Beat ya!
sweetcell
Joined: July 18, 2006 at 05:01 AM UTC
Posts: 22608
Re: The Beer Thread
October 19, 2015 at 02:31 AM UTC
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Space wrote:
sweetcell wrote:
snagged some 10-day-old Jai Alai at Trader Joe's in Tysons today, which was a nice surprise. also decided to roll the dice on a TJ's-branded hibiscus tripel, which appears to be a collab with Hardywood.
Watermelondrea wrote:So there we go, some craft brewer using Nitro
craft brewers serving beer on nitro isn't that uncommon…
Eight day old Jai Alai at Trader Joe's in Faifax today. Beat ya!
lol @ competitive beer buying ;D
so did you walk out with it? i'm a tad disappointed by the cans i've got. amazing citrus aroma but some sort of weird but (luckily) subtle chalky/mineral-y thing going on in the taste.
Sidehatch
Joined: October 04, 2011 at 04:33 AM UTC
Posts: 25687
Re: The Beer Thread
October 19, 2015 at 03:03 AM UTC
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Brewers Art Beazly Ale and Sumuttynose Robust Porter were my favorite finds this weekend
What was also nice surprise was going to a Kid's Fall Fest event at a farm…and they had BlueJacket Panther schwarzbier on tap
Win-Win for Dad
Yada
Joined: February 05, 2003 at 06:01 AM UTC
Posts: 12418
Re: The Beer Thread
October 19, 2015 at 01:00 PM UTC
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sweetcell wrote:
Space wrote:
sweetcell wrote:
snagged some 10-day-old Jai Alai at Trader Joe's in Tysons today, which was a nice surprise. also decided to roll the dice on a TJ's-branded hibiscus tripel, which appears to be a collab with Hardywood.
Watermelondrea wrote:So there we go, some craft brewer using Nitro
craft brewers serving beer on nitro isn't that uncommon…
Eight day old Jai Alai at Trader Joe's in Faifax today. Beat ya!
lol @ competitive beer buying ;D
so did you walk out with it? i'm a tad disappointed by the cans i've got. amazing citrus aroma but some sort of weird but (luckily) subtle chalky/mineral-y thing going on in the taste.
I bet Space also saved 86 cents on his purchase buying in VA vs. DC!! Take that sweetcell!
jrpa
Joined: September 03, 2013 at 03:15 PM UTC
Posts: 29999
Re: The Beer Thread
October 19, 2015 at 01:33 PM UTC
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First, is Jai Alai actually a hard beer to find? The Total Wine and More across the street from me has it by the truckload.
Also, is "how many days old my beer is" really a thing? At how many days does beer become sub-optimal?
Sidehatch
Joined: October 04, 2011 at 04:33 AM UTC
Posts: 25687
Re: The Beer Thread
October 19, 2015 at 02:08 PM UTC
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Carlos wrote:
Also, is "how many days old my beer is" really a thing? At how many days does beer become sub-optimal?
not in days…months possibly
they just had their dick measuring sticks out and wanted to brag
Yada
Joined: February 05, 2003 at 06:01 AM UTC
Posts: 12418
Re: The Beer Thread
October 19, 2015 at 02:08 PM UTC
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Carlos wrote:
First, is Jai Alai actually a hard beer to find? The Total Wine and More across the street from me has it by the truckload.
Also, is "how many days old my beer is" really a thing? At how many days does beer become sub-optimal?
Cigar City only recently started distributing in this region, so it's "somewhat" of an attractive beer but not really.
As for the age of beers, the fresher the better for hoppy beers like Jai Alai.
Space Freely
Joined: December 13, 2014 at 07:28 PM UTC
Posts: 11019
Re: The Beer Thread
October 19, 2015 at 02:14 PM UTC
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Watermelondrea wrote:
Carlos wrote:
Also, is "how many days old my beer is" really a thing? At how many days does beer become sub-optimal?
not in days…months possibly
they just had their dick measuring sticks out and wanted to brag
My dick is pretty average in size, but in regard to Jai Alai, I've noticed quite a difference (degradation) in taste even between buying and consuming it at three days old when I was in Florida (or possibly less when I was at the tasting room) and drinking it three weeks later. With Jai Alai, there also seems to be quite a bit of batch to batch variation. I've had it when it's absolutely amazing, and had it when it's only very good.
Space Freely
Joined: December 13, 2014 at 07:28 PM UTC
Posts: 11019
Re: The Beer Thread
October 19, 2015 at 02:17 PM UTC
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Yada wrote:
Carlos wrote:
First, is Jai Alai actually a hard beer to find? The Total Wine and More across the street from me has it by the truckload.
Also, is "how many days old my beer is" really a thing? At how many days does beer become sub-optimal?
Cigar City only recently started distributing in this region, so it's "somewhat" of an attractive beer but not really.
As for the age of beers, the fresher the better for hoppy beers like Jai Alai.
Cigar City actually distributed to the DM(?)V in Spring/Summer 2014 through September 2014, then dropped us for about a year. So they teased us and got us hooked, then left us hanging and longing for more. So to see them return after a years absence is a wonderful thing. Now if they'd only start sending us their more limited stuff.
Yada
Joined: February 05, 2003 at 06:01 AM UTC
Posts: 12418
Re: The Beer Thread
October 19, 2015 at 04:39 PM UTC
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Space wrote:
Yada wrote:
Carlos wrote:
First, is Jai Alai actually a hard beer to find? The Total Wine and More across the street from me has it by the truckload.
Also, is "how many days old my beer is" really a thing? At how many days does beer become sub-optimal?
Cigar City only recently started distributing in this region, so it's "somewhat" of an attractive beer but not really.
As for the age of beers, the fresher the better for hoppy beers like Jai Alai.
Cigar City actually distributed to the DM(?)V in Spring/Summer 2014 through September 2014, then dropped us for about a year. So they teased us and got us hooked, then left us hanging and longing for more. So to see them return after a years absence is a wonderful thing. Now if they'd only start sending us their more limited stuff.
Yada wrote:
Carlos wrote:
Cigar City only recently started distributing in this region,
sweetcell
Joined: July 18, 2006 at 05:01 AM UTC
Posts: 22608
Re: The Beer Thread
October 19, 2015 at 05:07 PM UTC
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Carlos wrote:
First, is Jai Alai actually a hard beer to find? The Total Wine and More across the street from me has it by the truckload.
as Space mentioned, they have only recently returned to the area. they don't distribute at all in MD, and i haven't seen it in DC (not that i hit many shops), so finding some in Tysons this past weekend was nice. i haven't had any in at least a year, probably longer.
Carlos wrote:
Also, is "how many days old my beer is" really a thing? At how many days does beer become sub-optimal?
the aroma and taste of hops drop off pretty quickly. for beers where hops are the main attraction (read: IPAs), it's all about the freshness. i generally only buy IPAs if they are less than a month old, maybe 6 weeks if stored cold (negative points for TJs: all beer is stored on the floor, so room temp). the alchemist brewery, makers of heady topper, will only distribute to locations that have on-site refrigeration. no warm storage allowed (not that the stuff requires much storage since it never lasts… a virtuous circle).
for most other beer, freshness is still desirable because beer stales. oxidation is mostly what you're trying to avoid. wheat beers tend to deteriorate relatively quickly, anything with dark malts (aka dark beers) tend to fare better.
and some beers benefit from aging. big beers like barleywines and imperial stouts might be too "hot" when fresh and need some time to mellow out. wild/sour beers with live bugs in them will continue to develop for years and become funkier, more complex, etc.
Space Freely
Joined: December 13, 2014 at 07:28 PM UTC
Posts: 11019
Re: The Beer Thread
October 22, 2015 at 01:34 PM UTC
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Hey Sweetcell, was this beer ever served at a bottle share?
Had one last night, half price at Smoke and Barrel. Absolutely stunning beer. Also had Ocelot Never Ending Maze, my favorite Ocelot IPA so far. Had to skip the three Alpine hoppy beers.
sweetcell
Joined: July 18, 2006 at 05:01 AM UTC
Posts: 22608
Re: The Beer Thread
October 22, 2015 at 02:26 PM UTC
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Space wrote:
Hey Sweetcell, was this beer ever served at a bottle share?
Had one last night, half price at Smoke and Barrel. Absolutely stunning beer.
yup, it was the last share at your place. in fact 2 bottles showed up, we only drank one. i ended up bringing my bottle back home ;D it's safely sleeping with my other belgian sours, waiting for the right day…
i bought mine in belgium, and these were the most expensive bottles i brought back. i've seen them here for $25 (and as high as $35). i imagine $20-25 is about what you paid for this at a restaurant when half-price?
is that a pic of your bottle, or is that an online random? 2010 vintage…
Space Freely
Joined: December 13, 2014 at 07:28 PM UTC
Posts: 11019
Re: The Beer Thread
October 22, 2015 at 02:31 PM UTC
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That's just a random pic.
They have it at Smoke and Barrel on draft. $10 for a 9 oz pour. The Wednesday half price happy hour brought it down to $5. Wish I had had two of them at that price but alas I was driving.
I think there's a bottle or two sitting around one of my local shops priced in the low 20's. May have to spring.
Sidehatch
Joined: October 04, 2011 at 04:33 AM UTC
Posts: 25687
Re: The Beer Thread
October 23, 2015 at 03:56 PM UTC
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sweets…sounds like you need to step up your game and Ocelot might brew your beer
Ocelot is proud to support our resident homebrew club, 50 West, and we are excited to announce the winners of the first annual 50 West / Ocelot Homebrew Competition. Our best-in-show winners include:
1st Place: Chris Palmisano, Category 21B: Specialty IPA (Black IPA), Hanger 18
2nd Place: Joe Bower, Category 33B: Specialty Wood-Aged Beer (Belgian Strong Ale), Belgian Quad
3rd Place: Chris Palmisano, 30A: Spice, Herb or Vegetable Beer (Mint Stout), S.T.A.Y
Be on the lookout for Hanger 18 in the Ocelot tap room, as we will be working with Chris Palmisano in the coming months to brew this first place recipe.
Thank you again to all 50 Westers who participated. All of your entries were delicious and we certainly had a difficult time picking the top three.
sweetcell
Joined: July 18, 2006 at 05:01 AM UTC
Posts: 22608
Re: The Beer Thread
October 23, 2015 at 06:08 PM UTC
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heh, thanks for thinking of me. dunno if i'm up for joining a club that's over an hour away…
Sidehatch
Joined: October 04, 2011 at 04:33 AM UTC
Posts: 25687
Re: The Beer Thread
October 23, 2015 at 06:29 PM UTC
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sweetcell wrote:
heh, thanks for thinking of me. dunno if i'm up for joining a club that's over an hour away…
Also don't know if I'd be a member of any club that would have me as a member
But did think it was pretty cool that they are going to brew up the winning batch
sweetcell
Joined: July 18, 2006 at 05:01 AM UTC
Posts: 22608
Re: The Beer Thread
October 23, 2015 at 07:16 PM UTC
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ok groucho :)
3 Stars, and i believe DC Brau, have done this in the past. i once entered a kolsch into such a competition, unfortunately it was well past its prime so never had a chance of winning. too bad because it was solid when fresh. the prize was to spend the day brewing the beer with the brewers, on the big system - something most homebrewers would die for. my mom was visiting at the time and couldn't understand why anyone would do this. "so first you have to give away some of your beer (for them to judge); then if they like it; you go work for them for a day, for free? and then they sell all of your beer and keep the money? why would you choose to do such a thing???" thanks for the support, mom.
i'll be brewing a DIPA this afternoon, and a double batch of saison tomorrow (one half destined to be brett'ed). no plans on entering any of into any comps, but TBD ;D
Sidehatch
Joined: October 04, 2011 at 04:33 AM UTC
Posts: 25687
Re: The Beer Thread
October 29, 2015 at 02:55 PM UTC
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Put a 'new year's beer' in the fermenter last night
First time using orange peels, coriander and Belgian candy
OG was 1.078
Says to keep in the fermenter for 11 days, do you usually wait for the bubbling to stop and do a Gravity test?