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What Was the Last Beer You Drank?


robbalvey

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^ mmm Deschutes...

 

I love the Mirror Pond Pale =P

 

I think I'm going to make a BevMo trip tomorrow because I am out of brews, how embarassing!

 

How do Derek and Heath never run out? How do they acquire so many local to California brews all the way in Pennsylvania? Why do I ask so many questions?

 

Hopefully I'll come home with a nice selection. =]

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^^We don't run out of beer #1 because we're in Pennsylvania, where you can pretty much only buy by the case and #2 because we keep an eye on our inventory.

 

We get good beer out here because Pennsylvania is awesome . It's one of the only places that gets the Russian River stuff on tap, thanks to our fine city ( ) of Philadelphia and its beer bar, Monks. This state just gets a really good selection, and we know of a few really good places to pick up some rarer stuff, and even a few that can sell singles and 6ers that we frequent. Plus we're close enough to other states that can sell singles and 6packs that we pick up stuff whenever we travel, which is pretty much every weekend.

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Bubba: Yeah, I had never had Deschutes but I liked it a lot. I noticed you got to try one of my all time faves, Ballast Point Yellowtail. I plan to pick some up CA later this summer.

 

Sounds like PA is great for beer. I hope GA has a good selection-- we are moving there in a few months.

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^I've never lived there (go me!), but you should be able to get a good selection of stuff in Georgia, as long as you know where to look. I know that Dogfish Head and Victory are now distributed there, and Bell's probably should be shortly. You've also got some pretty good local stuff down there like Terrapin, and Atlanta has it's fair share of good stuff like Max Lagers, 5 Seasons, and Atlanta Brewing. Georgia does have weird beer laws though, like you won't be able to find out any information about beer festivals from the microbreweries down there or websites. Hopefully you're moving to a more populated area that is actually on a map, and not some podunk "town" like Joe, you shouldn't have any problems getting some good beers. They even sell it in gas stations down there. The sad thing about the South though, not too many other microbreweries down there, mostly everything comes from up North or out West.

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So I got home from work tonight only to have the power go out on me. What else COULD I do other than drink?! Fortunately for me, I had the knowledge and ability to find my beers in the basement fridge without the help of light.

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This may very well be the best Brooklyn beer yet, it actually has a really good flavor, something I can definitely enjoy in the summertime!

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and finally, to finish the night, some of Brooklyn's Pennant Ale '55, a Pale Ale

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and let's just use the bottle for ole Hoppy, he won't mind

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May as well follow by finishing the rest of the Big Bear Black, such a foamy stout!

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Whatever the case, it tasted fine, even if it didn't look all pretty

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Why to make black and tans with the Big Bear Black, of course! Unfortunately, it didn't turn out so well. Either they just don't separate, or it's really hard to pour beers in the dark

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That's right, a HopDevil IPA! But why is my glass only half full??

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I think I've got just the solution!

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But what to have next....Normally I would finish off the rest of the bomber, but tonight I'm feeling bored...

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A little bit on the headheavy side, but awesome flavors of chocolate, coffee, and licorice

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First beer of the night will be another California brew on the Top 100 American list, Big Bear Black Stout from Bear Republic

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Coming home from work, I encountered this thunderstorm that took out my power for the past 5 hours, but at least it washed the bird crap and pollen off my car

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^ It's for mixing black and tans. Derek's used it before over the last couple of months in previous posts. Strangely, we still haven't used it for what we originally got it for.

 

Last night, Kim and my Dad and I did one of our favorite local activities. A Hershey Bears hockey game. But not just any hockey game. Game 1 of the Calder Cup Finals between the Eastern Conference Champion Bears and the Western Champs, the Hamilton Bulldogs. The Bears won the Calder Cup last season. Would there quest for a repeat get off to a good start and most importantly, did we have any good beers along the way? Let's find out.

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...Fights! Game 2 is tonight. Go Bears!

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Unfortunatley, when all was said and done, the Bears decided to not show up and make this series interesting. Fortunately for anyone that knows hockey, the final minutes of a blowout are great because of....

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Kim enjoys the light and fruity Strawberry Wheat.

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I hadn't had the Hop Hog in a while but I still dug it. Nice and fresh and hoppy.

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Hop Hog and Strawberry Wheat were on the menu.

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Because Lancaster Brewing was there pouring some of their tasty brews! Why the much closer Troegs or ABC aren't there, I have no idea.

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Everyone is waving their rally towels getting ready for the game to start. So I'm sure at this point your wondering why all of this is in the beer thread?

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My Dad even makes a return to the beer thread! He used to work at Bears games (and Hersheypark) back when he was a teenager.

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Kim says "Go Bears!"

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Showing off my team spirit.

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Inside, the Bears warm up for their Calder Cup showdown with the Hamilton Bulldogs.

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A sight that may be familiar to those TPR members that like to visit Hersheypark. The neighboring Giant Center, home of the hometown favorite Hershey Bears.

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^I love hockey! Do you guys root for the pens or the flyers?

 

Last night I tried two new beers from my pickup at BevMo yesterday...

 

So, without further ado...

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Followed by a little bit of a citrus kind of pop to it, and after it goes down it has a pretty sharp bitterness. Overall, another fine brew from Deschutes!

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Deschutes Inversion IPA! I picked up a six pack of this. It's a pretty good IPA, not the best I've had, but good because it's different. It has a nice mellow caramel type flavor as it rests on the front of your tongue.

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I'm not a huge brown ale fan really... This beer left me a little unsatisfied... So I decided to try a beer I was quite excited about...

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Samuel Adams Brown Ale. Part of a little Brewmaster Collection pack I got... It's decent, tastes a bit like a biscuit and maybe a little nutty.

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These are from last week. I'll be honest, I'm not sure I remember what they tasted like. I need to take notes...

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Happy, happy, joy, joy.

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Mmm, Great White. Did we have this in CA?

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Judging by my face, it was nothing to exciting.

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Victory Golden Monkey.

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Here's some more from Friday. After a day at SFGAm with Cameron and Tom, it was time to drink....the in-laws were on there way!

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Yum.

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Hazed and Infuzed.

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I'll make a happy face anyway.

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Sierra Nevada's Summertime. I found it bland and unexciting.

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Yesterday I headed up to visit Nicole in Buffalo. Since I'm such a wonderful guy and quite lucky to have her, she she showed me some of the more interesting things in Buffalo that I'd be interested in; which is exactly why it's being posted here in the beer thread!

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Excellent flavors, but a little strong on the alcohol finish. Not masking its 9.5% abv very well at the end

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While I went to slay some dragons with Middle Ages Dragonslayer Imperial Stout

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And Nicole actually drank the whole bottle! I'm quite good at being a bad influence =)

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But someone apparently wanted more chocolate, so it was time for some Rogue Chocolate Stout that I picked up earlier in the day

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We split the chocolate fondue before wobbling back to the hotel after consuming so much Godiva chocolate

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A few hours later Nicole was sober enough to enjoy some Butterwood goodness, all sorts of desserts

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Awesome! Time to take advantage of this situation!! =D

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Ut oh, looks like someone drank a little too much, and for once it's not me in that position

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Loaded with fruity flavors. Good on a hot summer day though

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Saranac's Pomegranate Wheat was next on the agenda.

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Being the coffee fiend she is, Nicole really likes the stouts

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Next up was the Oatmeal Stout from Buffalo Brewpub for me

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While even Nicole went and got a beer, the Leinie's Sunset Wheat, of course.

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Of course, I was all about getting their own stuff, so I started out with the Pale Ale

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and they even brew some of their own beers here

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A really nice place with a great long bar, free peanuts and popcorn, no smoking, and over 30 taps of all sorts of stuff. Plus they've got a dining room too

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Next stop, Buffalo's original brewpub, so named the Buffalo Brew Pub!

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and a little bit of English and European representation for our overseas buddies

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The up and coming craze, canned microbrews.

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They even fill growlers here

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Just look at this beautiful site. Why can't Pennsylvania be like this!?

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Lots of great stuff from all over, though some of it was outdated, I managed to score something from this picture. Wally, any guesses?

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First stop is Consumers Beverage Center, a beer and soda shop in Niagara Falls, NY

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^ Looks like you guys went to some cool places up in Buffalo...

 

As for me, today I was at the Sunnyvale Art and Wine Festival that happens every year. They did have some beer there too, a Hefeweizen and a Pale Ale from the local Firehouse Brewpub and Grill. They also had Bud Light/Rolling Rock/Sierra Nevada Summerfest on tap. I tried everything but the bud light. The Pale was pretty good, although I thought it could have been called an IPA without anyone knowing the difference.

 

Again, I took no pictures despite having my digicam in my pocket the whole time. Yeah, I'm lame... I was there with friends and it just didn't feel right, I don't know...

 

As for the beers I had last night...

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It's probably because it's raw honey comb or something... But, I did think it was pretty interesting and a nice change... Kind of underwhelmed by all 3 in the pack though.

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Sam Adams Honey Porter. Weird stuff I tell you! Smells of honey, but I'm not quite sure I get the taste of honey, at least not how I'm used to honey tasting.

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Sam Adams Black Lager. Part of the Brewmaster Collection pack I got, drank this over at my Uncle's again. He loved it, it's in his top 5 now... I thought it was good but I wasn't raving...

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Tonight was one of the most dreaded things ever, my company's quarterly meeting outside of work. Usually I can escape it because it's mainly just a nursing b*tch session, but with all the changes in the daily routine in the pharmacy as of late, I had to attend. Better get ready...

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In short, I'm looking forward to the next quartly meeting, even if I don't HAVE to attend!

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and for dessert, Lindemans Framboise, no question

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The flavors really complimented my chicken marsala and potato chip encrusted tilapia. And it was quite nice to have beer while listening to the nurses yabber :D

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As well as a Rogue Dead Guy Ale with my main course

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Hooray! It's an open bar night for us. I, of course, will be having a HopDevil as my appetizer

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Nothing too amazing, light in taste, but pretty good on those hot summer days

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Not knowing if alcohol was included in the dinner meeting, I quickly had one at home while I changed. Sierra Nevada Summerfest was tonight's choice, mainly for its low abv and easy drinkability

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While I was vacationing in Socal recently, I scoured the local Vons hoping to find some of the brews mentioned by Derek and Heath, but with limited success.

 

I did manage to find Fat Tire (my favourite) & Stones Pale Ale (very nice).

 

However I noticed that unlike here in Australia (and the rest of the world as far as I know), there was rarely any mention of the Alcohol content on the bottle. Was I just enjoying the brew too much and missed it, or isn't this a requirement?

 

Brian

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^ Hi Brian, Welcome to the beer thread. I'm not quite sure what the stipulations are as far as posting what the ABV is on the beers. I know I have had quite a few that don't mention it on the bottles. Most will list it on their website if you go a'lookin.

 

Derek, you've posted 2 of the beers I picked up at BevMo in the last 3 days, quit stealing my thunder! The 2 beers are the Rogue Chocolate Stout and Big Bear Black Stout. I guess I'll save those to be the last I consume out of this stock.

 

Tonight the new beer I tried was North Coast's Old Rasputin Imperial Stout. #82 in the world according to BeerAdvocate...

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Yes, still one of the better IPAs I've had, the caramel flavors up front are really impressive, if only it finished a little cleaner, I think it would be one of the best beers in the world...

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I'll end the night with an Inversion IPA. It's almost like they brewed this one just for Derek... I mean, it has inversion in the name for crying out loud, not to mention lots of cascade hops!

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Starts off with a nice bitterness, which caught me off guard because I don't usually expect Imperial Stouts to be bitter. You definitely catch some alcohol taste at the end, which is okay because it added character. Quite a good beer indeed.

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Pretty cool looking bottle, weighs in at 9% ABV. Tastes strong to boot!

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^^^ Beer labeling in this country is regulated by a mixture of both state and federal interests and are very inconsistant. That's why you'll see it on some but not others. If a beer is of a higher ABV, breweries will often put it on there as more of a marketing tool rather than to actually educate the consumer. In recent years, there have been advocacy groups that have been lobbying for a comprehensive labeling system that would include beer facts like ABV, calories, serving size, and ingredients.

 

^^ Keep searching out the hoppy Imperial Stouts Bubba. They're some of the best ones. The very hoppy Storm King comes to mind but Old Rasputin is good too.

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DAMN! I wish we could get as good a selection of USA Craft brews over here. Some good, some OK and some awful in the UK selection. Love the Youngs Double Chocolate and I was surprised to see the St Peters sitting up there on the shelf (from my old stomping grounds down in Suffolk.) Unfortunately there was the watered down and not as good as it used to be Old Speckled Hen sitting there. Sodding Greene King taking over breweries and then closing the places before watering down a once great Ale!

 

I shall be starting to purchase my new brewing kit soon as I've tired of the kits now and want to try something more involved. Yup, Juggler is going into the realms of a Full Mash brew!

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Over the weekend I explored Dawg's Bottle Shop in Greensburg, PA. I wasn't expecting much as the one side entrance is a typical, crappy, Coors Light selling place. But on the other side of the building is a very nice bar area with organized coolers of bottles. The only problem is that they didn't have prices marked but the guy working there was quite helpful. Nice selection and average prices.

 

The first two beers I tasted were from Samuel Smith (Oatmeal Stout and Imperial Stout). Both were excellent English beers. The only problem is that I can find American microbrews that are slightly better and cheaper.

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A tribute to our friends across the pond. Samuel Smith offers some very good stouts.

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Time to once again tangle with (in my opinion) one of the most dangerous beers around. The Stone Double Bastard.

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...double the buzz. Yee-haw! That's some good stuff!

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Double the arrogance. Double the attitude, and....

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Tonight's selection

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Fantastic stuff, very citrusy, but not too bitter. Worth a drive into Wisconsin or even to the actual brewery in southern Michigan for you Chicago peoples.

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and just because I can easier than Matt can...

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A surprisingly hoppy cream ale that was easy to drink and pretty flavorful. Next time I expect a Lagunitas XM Ale though, siriously...err, seriously

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Started off the night with Lagunitas' Sirius, showing their love of hoo-hoo Howie and the little doggy company apparently

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Thanks for the suggestion Heath, I'll look for more Hoppy Imperial Stouts out my way. Unfortunately, it looks like the only place Victory gets distributed in California is all down in Southern California, otherwise I'd have already tried Storm King.

 

Last night I had my Celebrator Doppelbock, #27 on BAs top 100, knocking them down 1 by 1 heh!

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As I kept drinking and the beer warmed a bit more, I started to taste all sorts of different flavors, even some that I usually find only in Imperial Stouts. Each sip was different in experience, a nice feature!

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The first few sips I had reminded me of all of the other Doppelbocks I had, and I didn't see what was so special about this one. But that soon changed, as I kept drinking.

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