What Was the Last Beer You Drank?

[PhishyBrewer]

Karen, Gavin and I headed over to the Sacramento Turn Verein for their annual Bock Beer Festival.

The highlight of the night was the beer and pretzel cocktail.

One happy German family.

The main hall area.

Gavin had fun dancing at listening to great live polka music.

Joe and Jannette joined in the fun. Drinking beer, talking politics.

Supporting the World Cup team

Thee sacramento Turn Verein

[Bubba83]

Hi Heath.

 

I'm moving back into my mom's house in the bay area for a bit while i look for a job. It's in Sunnyvale, close to San Jose and the heart of Silicon Valley. I'm graduating in 2 weeks with a bachelors in Software Engineering with a focus in Web Programming.

 

There are plenty of microbreweries i've been looking forward to visiting, as well as some good stores like Beverages and More out there. I just don't think they'd have Four Peaks brews out there since Four Peaks is a Tempe, AZ little place.

 

Thanks for the encouragement and I will make sure I continue posting here, because well hey, I love beer.

 

Do any of you guys homebrew?

[DerekRx]

Our original plan for yesterday was to head back to Pittsburgh for some tasty goodness, but then we hit a snag in the form of automotive repairs. So instead we decided to stay local and do some brewhopping in the suburbs of Philly, something we won't be doing a lot of for quite some time with the coaster season inching upon us.

and although he didn't have a sign made up, Heath was proud to drink his 300th different beer for the year, Avery's Salvation

The firkin of Hoptimus was a real treat, and we got to keep the glasses

oh yeah, gotta get some of their awesome wings too. Nice and hot with great flavor

Good stuff!

and finally the firkin of Hoptimus Prime was tapped after we arrived and started chanting

and Heath couldn't pass up Gordon on draft

I got the Rogue Batch 10,000, not bad but not the best. Glad I didn't have to spend $20 on a bottle!

Even Kim wanted to enjoy some of their tasty beer

and our final stop for the night, Union Jacks

and then we split the Instigator Dopplebock

I grabbed the Phoenix IPA, one of their new single hop IPAs for the year

Heath was lucky enough to get some Dude de Garde, as they hadn't run out yet since my visit 2 weeks ago

Then it was off to Sly Fox

Then time for a round, the new Saffire Bock for me, and St. Victorious Dopplebock for Heath

Most important stop, the merch shop

Finally we made it back to Victory

and I went with the Antwerpen from Brooklyn, a Belgian Pale Ale

Heath got the Sour Cherry Stout from Blue Point, hoping it would taste like Bell's Cherry Stout. It didn't, way too much alcohol taste

It's IPA month, but nothing is really striking us, so we opt for a different style

Up next, a quick drive to The Drafting Room for a round

And Heath decided to try the dark lager, Nevermore Lager

Next up, the Prussia's Pride IPA on cask, nice and creamy

and to snack on, some nachos

Heath dug it too, though he misses San Diego even more now

Not too piney, but it did have a nice citrusy taste

Made with only 1 type of hop, the Chinook. Apparently Rock Bottom is going to try and be like Sly Fox, introducing lots of single hop varieties this year

The board which shows the newly added Hop Bomb West Coast IPA

Our first stop was Rock Bottom at the King of Prussia mall, as they had recently tapped a new IPA

[Juggler]

 

Do any of you guys homebrew?

 

Oh yes indeed. I'm in the process of moving onto a more involved setup and purchasing, bolier, mash tun, wort chiller etc and then start working on my own recipes.

[Nodders]

^^Heh-heh, you guys are making me jealous! Can't wait to get over there next year & try some of this stuff myself.

Meanwhile, I've just opened tonights beverage.

At 4.5% ABV, it tastes as good as it looks!

A lovely colour.

Another Ram Brewery ale, Young's Special.

[Bubba83]

Nice Photo TR. We have a Rock Bottom out here in Arizona which I really enjoy visiting. I love everything I've ordered there food wise and their beers are pretty good too. There's a Rock Bottom out near where I'm from in California as well so I'm going to give that a try for the first time when I get back. I can only hope it is as good as the Rock Bottom here.

 

My newest shipment came in today, and while these are all beers from the microbrewery or imported section of the local Safeway, I still haven't tried any of them. (Hey I've only been of age for 2.5 years!)

 

Here's the list:

 

Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale - 22oz bottle

Guinness Extra Stout - 22oz bottle

Grolsch - 16oz bottle

Warsteiner - 22oz bottle

 

New Belgium Springboard Seasonal Ale - 6pack

Pyramid Apricot Weizen - 6pack

Deschuttes Black Butte Porter - 6pack

Deschuttes Mirror Pond Pale Ale - 6pack

Samuel Adams Seasonal White Ale - 6pack

Anchor Steam Beer - 6pack

The only thing they didn't deliver that I ordered was the Bridgeport IPA. They were out of stock.

[Bubba83]

For my first beer of the new shipment tonight, I was most excited to try the Stone Arrogant Bastard Ale.

 

It was quite good. It had a pretty deep flavor with lots of character as advertised. Some moderate bitterness in the middle-finish, which has become increasingly okay with me as of late. The initial sip is just awesome, it feels like it's giving you a nice hug as the head is pretty thick and will leave a residue on your lips!

 

I think this ale would be perfect on a really cold winter night. With that said, it's about 70 degrees right now at 10pm in Arizona, ha!

The classic beer bottle and color in the glass profile picture. ABV 7.2%

The Apricot Weizen from Pyramid. 2nd beer of the night. This stuff smells amazing. If you ever buy it, make sure you smell it! The apricot is pretty powerful, really can't taste much beer flavor. Okay with me after Arrogant Bastard. ABV 5.1%

The Deschuttes Black Butte Porter. Wow, and I thought Guinness was rich. This stuff is very sophisticated with some strong espresso/chocolate flavors and a smooth finish. An awesome after dinner beer! ABV 5.2%

A really great american style pale ale. I think it's weird that the last 2 pales I've tried have been my favorites as of late. I'm really enjoying this pale ale, and I'm not quite sure if I like it better than Four Peaks 8th street ale or not. ABV 5.0%

Springboard Ale from New Belgium Brewing. This beer was a lot lighter in color than I had expected. It was a typical light ale that I couldn't really tell apart from others. ABV 6.2%

[mcjaco]

^ Springboard is just OK. I too was shocked at the color when I tried it. Nothing special. If you like Fat Tire, wait for the winter seasonal. The bartender at the brewersy described it to me as, "Fat Tire on steroids." That it was....that it was!

 

Sam Adams White Ale is quite tasty, although I prefer their spring season.

[Juggler]

Well seeing as I'm STILL having upload issues (I'm convinced it's my ISP.) I managed to get todays BREW of the day pictures up to my gallery at last.

 

 

and the events as they progressed are here Brewing

 

A Dublin Stout all dry kit to start with. You'll notice the "tea bags" which contain the raw hops and malt which had to be brewed three times in 2 litres of hot water for 20 minutes. Next add the Malt, Dextrose and then add spring water up to the 23 litre mark, stir vigorously for 5 minutes, check the temperature (20-25C) and then add the yeast. Another stir, pop the lid on and leave for 5-7 days.

 

I needed to do another brew as this bottle lark is getting expensive!!

[Nodders]

Hmmmmm ..... that's a point, it's about time I got another kit in as my barrel's nearly empty!

In the meantime, it's on with the "expensive" bottles .....

Fine traditional ale at 4.4%.

Another Thwaites tonight, the Lancaster Bomber!

[DerekRx]

Still cold, windy, and raining here in PA. By now you'd think we'd be enjoying some Spring Ales or Maibocks, but that just isn't the case. Time to enjoy another winter brew, good thing I just reloaded on this the other day.

Creamy, coffee, with a lite chocolate taste and a fantastic hoppy finish.

Good old Storm King Imperial Stout, weighing in at 9.1%

[Rugged One]

Tonight, the latest from HE-BREW.

The Origin Pomegranate Ale. Essentially a toned down version of their much better Genesis 10:10. Pretty sweet with some bittering hops at the end with just a touch of pomegranate. Just not enough to make it interesting though.

[Bubba83]

First up tonight was the Anchor Steam Beer. This beer reminded me of a beer I had in Germany. It tasted like wheat beer, but honestly, I couldn't find a really good description of the beer on their website or anything to know if I am describing it correctly. It definitely has a lot of carbonation, so it is quite crisp.

After the Guinness I had an apricot weizen, to cleanse my palate. Then it was on to the Grolsch. I liked the crisp flavor of this beer and I also like that it didn't have too much carbonation. Probably one of the better lagers I've tried. ABV 5.0%

Next up was the Guinness Extra Stout. I was a bit surprised that Guinness has an "Extra Stout" since their normal brew is very stout to begin with. It tasted a lot like the original, but it had a little more edge and roasted bitterness to it. ABV 5.0%

Anchor Steam Beer. I liked this beer quite a bit, even though it felt a little middle of the road to me. ABV 4.9%

[Juggler]

First up tonight was the Anchor Steam Beer.

 

YES, AT LAST. A beer posted in the beer thread from the USA that I've managed to get over here. I happen to agree with your appraisal as well so that's a bonus. I was much more impressed with the Anchor Porter and I still have their Liberty Ale to try.

[Juggler]

Tries to post picture of beers again....

Well looky here!

[Juggler]

Tries to post picture of beers again.... (Apologies for repeats having issues my end)

[Juggler]

Tries to post picture of beers again.... (This is getting silly now)

[Bubba83]

It appears you've posted it 3 times, but hey!!! It's a good picture!!! I haven't been able to find any different varieties of Anchor Steam around here... Hopefully they will have some at BevMo when I get back home.

[bigstevet07]

We went to Old Chicago over the weekend with the folks. I had my first Smithwicks and Stella Artois. I am not a huge dark beer, but I don't mind some of them. Smithwicks was a surprise, I thought it was pretty good. Stella Artois seemed a little bitter for me though.

[Nodders]

Here's this evening's offering, Young's Golden Champion @ 5% ABV.

It looks like lager, but it most certainly isn't!

They refer to it as "Live Golden Beer".

[DerekRx]

Just settled on another Victory beer for the evening. I think I had this one before once or twice.

mmm, a nice malty backbone with a great hop balance and kick.

Why hello Mr. HopDevil!

[Bubba83]

First up tonight was the Warsteiner. This was the first beer I had on tap over in Germany with my dad when I was visiting while just in high school. So it definitely brought back memories for me.

2nd of the night was a Samuel Adams Spring Seasonal White Ale. This was done in the belgian classic manner and tasted a lot like the Springboard from last night. I honestly have a lot of trouble distinguishing these beers from eachother. ABV 5.2%

This is one of my favorite light colored beers. It's a pilsner that has some strong citrus highlights and is very refreshing and clean. ABV 4.8%

[Rugged One]

Time to break out a special beer tonight. Heck anything from the #1 brewery in the world has to be special right?

...cuz their right. It is some pretty awesome sh*t!

I love the back of the bottle...

The Alesmith IPA. Just freaking fantastic with a near perfect blend of malt & hops. Just like the Pizza Port Wipout IPA, it truelly is San Diego in a bottle.

[Bubba83]

^ It's so weird but, I still to this day have not tried an IPA. I don't really know what to expect but I hear it's a lot like an American or English Pale Ale just a bit more bitter. Looks like a good choice and I hope I can find that beer when I move back to California, I'm sure it won't be hard if it's from San Diego.

 

So far I've been completely amazed by both Deschutes Brewery beers I've tried. The Mirror Pond Pale Ale blows my mind everytime, as does the completely insane Black Butte Porter. I hope I can find a lot of their other brews when I head home because I am really looking forward to the other brews they have to offer.

 

http://www.deschutesbrewery.com/

[Mr Pete]

Even though I have not finished the last lot yet, I've had had another consignment delivered today...

 

The Thomas Hardy's 2005 Ale at the front, is apparently the UK's strongest Beer at 11.7% It was not exactly cheap either. £3.79 for a 250ml Bottle (Approx $7.60)

Nice selection here....