sweetcell
Joined: July 18, 2006 at 05:01 AM UTC
Posts: 22608
Re: The Beer Thread
September 24, 2012 at 07:11 PM UTC
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stevewizzle wrote:
would be nice to see them at a '930 presents at usmh', with their beer on tap. hey seth…
i'd definitely go.
hey wizzle - how did your saison turn out? would you brew it again? i've got one finishing up primary, so now it's a question of how long i want to let it sit before bottling. i'm thinking at least a month if i can spare the carboy that long. need to do a gravity & taste test tonight ;D
Darth Ed
Joined: May 19, 2003 at 05:01 AM UTC
Posts: 1159
Re: The Beer Thread
September 24, 2012 at 08:03 PM UTC
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I visited Dogfish Head Alehouse in Gaithersburg last week. Other than Burton Baton (one of my favorite hoppy beers), I'm not a huge fan of any the Dogfish beers that I've had in the past (60-Minute IPA, 90-Minute IIPA, Midas Touch, Raison D'Etre, Indian Brown Ale, Shelter Pale Ale – none of which really match my taste preferences, except Raison D'Etre, which I think is pretty good, and the Indian Brown Ale, which is quite drinkable but unremarkable), but I left there with a sizable appreciation for
Palo Santo Marron - great complexity – the caramel and vanilla flavors are right in my wheelhouse
Namaste - a lovely witbier with a nice combination of orange and lemongrass flavors – the hint of lemongrass is what elevates it to something special
Festina Peche - a peach weisse – I had it for dessert, and it surprised me at how much I liked it
One of my friends got the sampler, and I had a little taste of some of them. I liked the Punkin Ale far more than I expected, too.
sweetcell
Joined: July 18, 2006 at 05:01 AM UTC
Posts: 22608
Re: The Beer Thread
September 24, 2012 at 10:09 PM UTC
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stevewizzle wrote:
it turned out great, color was a little light and flavor hops were a little soft, but overall really enjoyed it. sorachi is such a nice hop. tasted the soured version of it two weeks ago (although it has 6 months to go…), and that was fantastic. was going to brew it again but no longer have the warm temperatures required.
i think an ongoing problem i have is bottling too early. you're debating a saison next? we could do that tasting soon, too. have a saison, an iipa (which turned out pretty bleh), and some apple mead. falconers flight ipa is in the primary right now.
cool - what did you sour it with? i have two 1-gallon jugs that i'm considering using for a brett'ed version of my saison. i'm not debating a saison, it's done ;D
if you used 3711 French Saison, you should be fine at normal room temps. you'll get a slightly different flavor profile (less fruity, more spicy) and may not attenuate quite so crazy; however it'll produce a great brew. you could also get a brew belt/fermwrap.
bottling: i generally try to wait at least 4 weeks before i bottle, unless it's a small beer or something that benefits from freshness (like an IPA). certain styles (like most belgians, big stouts, etc) benefit more from bulk aging than others. quads, RIS and barleywines are pretty much undrinkable IMO until they're several months old… better for them to spend some of that time in primary/secondary so that flavor development is consistent across the batch. what do you consider "bottling too early"?
would love to do a tasting, if/when you have time - lemme know what works for you. i currently have an IPA made with my homegrown hops, and my 6-month old belgian dark strong is coming around nicely. the saison won't be ready for a month or two, and even then might benefit from some additional aging in the bottle.
James Ford
Joined: July 22, 2009 at 09:02 PM UTC
Posts: 5620
Re: The Beer Thread
September 28, 2012 at 12:26 PM UTC
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We went to the first anniversary party at Smoke and Barrel last night. With this draft list, it?s a wonder I made it into work today. Fun times!
Parabola and Double Double typically go for about $20/bomber, and they had it at $5 for a 12 oz pour (all drafts were $5). Nice.
DRAFTS FOR SEPTEMBER 27th:
3 Stars Brewing Company Coffe Pandemic Porter
Aecht Schlenkerla Helles
Anthem Hops Cider
Bavik Petrus Aged Pale
Bayerishcer Bahnof Berliner Weisse Brett Edition
BFM Abbaye De Saint Bon-Chien
Boulevard Collaboration #3 (Pretty Things) - Stingo
DC Brau Barrel-Aged Corruption
DC Brau Deus Ex Machina
DC Brau / Bluejacket: Embers of the Deceased
DC Brau / Meridian Pint: Barrel-Aged Ground Wolf IPA
DC Brau / Stillwater: Middle Name: Danger
Devils Backbone / DC Brau: Fight Club Anti-Gravity Lager
Firestone Walker Double Double Barrel Ale
Firestone Walker Parabola
Firestone Walker Wookey Jack
Hofstetten Oktoberfest
Lost Rhino Sweet Spot Pilsner
Oxbow Freestyle #7
Port City Derecho Common
Stillwater Barrel-Aged Debauched
Stillwater Of Love & Regret
Unibroue Trois Pistoles
Union Craft Brewing Balt Altbier
James Ford
Joined: July 22, 2009 at 09:02 PM UTC
Posts: 5620
Re: The Beer Thread
September 28, 2012 at 12:28 PM UTC
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September 28 and I still haven't drank a pumpkin beer this year.
I do have two Dogfish Punkins and two Schafley Pumpkins so I will at some point. Couldn't bring myself to by a four or sixer of anything though.
stevewizzle wrote:
walkonby wrote:
love this time of year . . . when it comes to beers. except pumpkin beer. you can have that throwup.
how to make a pumpkin beer:
make a shitty beer
add a bunch of pumpkin spice
James Ford
Joined: July 22, 2009 at 09:02 PM UTC
Posts: 5620
Re: The Beer Thread
September 28, 2012 at 12:35 PM UTC
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To answer the first question…I can guess that most of them have shitty taste in beer.
How much can you guess about people from their choice of beer? The likelihood that they'll vote, for one, and maybe even who they'll vote for.
Data from 200,000 interviews gathered by Scarborough Research, showed strong correlations between a drinker's choice of brew and his or her political participation. A few beers drew from both sides of the aisle – Fosters, Miller High Life, Bud Light and Natural Light were all smack in the middle of the spectrum. Others were decidedly left-leaning (Corona, Budweiser Select, Stella Artois), with Heineken taking the cake as the most liberal-friendly beer. Coors Light, Miller Lite, and Labatt Blue skewed strongly Republican, with Samuel Adams on top.
As far as voter turnout, Molson drinkers had the highest voting percentage among Democrats. For Republicans, Amstel Light and Sam Adams Light were nearly even.
Interestingly, National Journal points out that Dos Equis, the brewer that fell in political hot water after one of its spokesmen, "The Most Interesting Man in the World" Jonathan Goldsmith, hosted a fundraiser for President Obama, is actually one of the most bipartisan beers.
moeszslak
Joined: February 27, 2005 at 06:01 AM UTC
Posts: 181
Re: The Beer Thread
September 28, 2012 at 12:41 PM UTC
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Pick up a few bombers of Southern Tier's Pumpking. $6.99 per bomber is outstanding for the beer you get.
James wrote:
September 28 and I still haven't drank a pumpkin beer this year.
I do have two Dogfish Punkins and two Schafley Pumpkins so I will at some point. Couldn't bring myself to by a four or sixer of anything though.
stevewizzle wrote:
walkonby wrote:
love this time of year . . . when it comes to beers. except pumpkin beer. you can have that throwup.
how to make a pumpkin beer:
make a shitty beer
add a bunch of pumpkin spice
James Ford
Joined: July 22, 2009 at 09:02 PM UTC
Posts: 5620
Re: The Beer Thread
September 28, 2012 at 12:43 PM UTC
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Meh, thanks, been there, done that. I'm not a big fan of the bomber format, for any beer. Nor am I a big fan of pumpkin beer.
moeszslak wrote:
Pick up a few bombers of Southern Tier's Pumpking. $6.99 per bomber is outstanding for the beer you get.
James wrote:
September 28 and I still haven't drank a pumpkin beer this year.
I do have two Dogfish Punkins and two Schafley Pumpkins so I will at some point. Couldn't bring myself to by a four or sixer of anything though.
stevewizzle wrote:
walkonby wrote:
love this time of year . . . when it comes to beers. except pumpkin beer. you can have that throwup.
how to make a pumpkin beer:
make a shitty beer
add a bunch of pumpkin spice
HoyaSaxa03
Joined: March 22, 2004 at 06:01 AM UTC
Posts: 7053
Re: The Beer Thread
September 28, 2012 at 02:12 PM UTC
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I picked up some New Belgium Red Hoptober on a whim and enjoyed it greatly, even though I'm not usually an "amber ale" kind of guy and I've disliked a couple of other New Belgiums. It's a good seasonal alternative to pumpkin beers.
James Ford
Joined: July 22, 2009 at 09:02 PM UTC
Posts: 5620
Re: The Beer Thread
September 28, 2012 at 02:13 PM UTC
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Double IPA's are also a good seasonal alternative to pumpkin beers. :D
HoyaSaxa03 wrote:
I picked up some New Belgium Red Hoptober on a whim and enjoyed it greatly, even though I'm not usually an "amber ale" kind of guy and I've disliked a couple of other New Belgiums. It's a good seasonal alternative to pumpkin beers.
brennser
Joined: October 21, 2002 at 05:01 AM UTC
Posts: 3760
Re: The Beer Thread
September 28, 2012 at 02:14 PM UTC
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James wrote:
We went to the first anniversary party at Smoke and Barrel last night. With this draft list, it?s a wonder I made it into work today. Fun times!
Parabola and Double Double typically go for about $20/bomber, and they had it at $5 for a 12 oz pour (all drafts were $5). Nice.
DRAFTS FOR SEPTEMBER 27th:
3 Stars Brewing Company Coffe Pandemic Porter
Aecht Schlenkerla Helles
Anthem Hops Cider
Bavik Petrus Aged Pale
Bayerishcer Bahnof Berliner Weisse Brett Edition
BFM Abbaye De Saint Bon-Chien
Boulevard Collaboration #3 (Pretty Things) - Stingo
DC Brau Barrel-Aged Corruption
DC Brau Deus Ex Machina
DC Brau / Bluejacket: Embers of the Deceased
DC Brau / Meridian Pint: Barrel-Aged Ground Wolf IPA
DC Brau / Stillwater: Middle Name: Danger
Devils Backbone / DC Brau: Fight Club Anti-Gravity Lager
Firestone Walker Double Double Barrel Ale
Firestone Walker Parabola
Firestone Walker Wookey Jack
Hofstetten Oktoberfest
Lost Rhino Sweet Spot Pilsner
Oxbow Freestyle #7
Port City Derecho Common
Stillwater Barrel-Aged Debauched
Stillwater Of Love & Regret
Unibroue Trois Pistoles
Union Craft Brewing Balt Altbier
Dang - I guess there were alot of boardies there last night - I got this there around 9pm and stayed for about 90 minutes
had a parabola and a debauched - both fantastic in different ways
James Ford
Joined: July 22, 2009 at 09:02 PM UTC
Posts: 5620
Re: The Beer Thread
September 28, 2012 at 02:18 PM UTC
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Are you saying the Deus Ex Machina was better than On the Wings of Armageddon, or have you just not had the latter? The Deus Ex Machina was apparently a "mistake" beer, accidentally created when they were trying to brew a batch of OTWOA.
We stuck to Firestone Walker stuff, except for one Stillwater Debauched. My wife had to drink that one. I think I can definitively say I'm not a sour beer guy. ..
…We even had a Cantillon Gueze when we were in Belgium, and that was a drain pour for me…luckily my wife was happy to drink that one too.
stevewizzle wrote:
okay, order in my life has restored a little bit. what a cool event, and some pretty fantastic beers.
Deus Ex Machina has got to be the best beer DC Brau has done. this is a seriously kick ass IIPA.
Stillwater Of Love & Regret is herbally delicious. this is the likely suspect for why my head is pounding.
Stillwater barrel-aged debauche was a delicious sour.
Unibroue Trois Pistoles on tap was great. i've only ever had unibroue in bottle, was a welcome change.
James Ford
Joined: July 22, 2009 at 09:02 PM UTC
Posts: 5620
Re: The Beer Thread
September 28, 2012 at 02:21 PM UTC
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Some of their regular pricing was kind of curious…
like 12 oz of Trois Pistoles for $10 vs. 12 oz of Parabola for $10.
You can get a four pack of Trois Pistoles for 8 or 9 bucks at Total Wine, whereas a 26 oz bomber of Parabola will run you close to $20, if you can get it at all.
brennser
Joined: October 21, 2002 at 05:01 AM UTC
Posts: 3760
Re: The Beer Thread
September 28, 2012 at 02:26 PM UTC
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I tasted the Deus Ex Machina a few weeks ago at the brewery and it was not good - waaaaay too bitter
A buddy who had it last night had the same reaction to his first taste of it a few weeks ago but said it was drinking fantastically last night so I have no idea if a few more weeks mellowed it out at all
Or maybe we're just all full of shit ::)
James Ford
Joined: July 22, 2009 at 09:02 PM UTC
Posts: 5620
Re: The Beer Thread
September 28, 2012 at 02:36 PM UTC
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Does anybody know if DC Brau ever posts what they have on draft over at the brewery, or do you just have to see what they have when you arrive?
Planning on making our second visit Saturday.