What Was the Last Beer You Drank?

[mcjaco]

^ Interesting on the Dark Lord, as I've heard it one the most over-rated brews out there.

 

Should you guys want more New Glarus Raspberry Tart, let me know. I'll be headed to WI in a couple fo weeks for a run myself. If you like that, their Belgium Red is just as good if not better.

 

Yesterday I was invited to a beer tasting by the local liquor store's beer buyer. It's a small group of ten to twelve people, three of them are home-brewers (one has worked for Moylans, among others), and the brewmaster for my favorite local spot, Mickey Finn's. It's a monthly gathering so, I'll have to take some pictures next time. I didn't want to scare them my first visit. We did a vertical on Bell's Wheat Ale experiment, with trying 2,4,6,8 and Love. Love won out as the best of the five, with 2 following up. Some great stuff, and some great people to network with.

[Bubba83]

It's a monthly gathering so, I'll have to take some pictures next time.

 

Yeah right Matt!

 

^^ Awesome Friday Night Pints guys... I am so out of beer, and it's sad! I should get back to BevMo pretty soon, although I really am not excited about anything I can get there anymore.

[brilinjo]

It was my 44th birthday on 19-Jan (yes, I'm an old fart), so my friend Peter and I decided to take a trip around the world. With beer. No visa required.

 

Sorry the picture is not quite in order of drinking (but we were geographically constistent in our travels), the itinerary was:

-Argentina

-Namibia (yes, Namibia. It's in Africa. Wildebeest and stuff)

-USA (you may have heard of it?)

-Canada

-Belgium

-Germany

-Poland

-Ukraine (no, it didn't glow in the dark, although I might have later)

-Russia

-Thailand

+2 bottles of red wine

 

We were intending to head back to Australia via Sri Lanka, but lost our passport .

 

Then it was time to go to bed (hey, with my wife, not Peter). A perfect end to yet another birthday to remind me how life is passing me by.

 

Best beer - Samuel Adams - nice fresh piney flavour.

Worst beer - De Verboden Frucht - from Belgium. Disgusting. Chunky. Terrible. Yucky. Awful. Not nice. I've thrown up more appetising beverages.

 

 

Cheers,

Brian

Argentina, Canada, Thailand, Germany, Germany, Russia, Belgium, Belgium, Germany, USA, Namibia, Ukraine, Poland, Germany

[mcjaco]

Yeah right Matt!

 

I actually do take pictures, I typically don't post them. Really, what's the point of posting me drinking the same beers over and over and over and over. I'm trying to post when there's something worth posting. There just hasn't been lately.

[DerekRx]

^These days I usually only take pictures if it's new or worth posting, so....time to enjoy some brews from the last several days, all compliments of Heath.

Much better, it even gets the thumbs up! Sweet, but also offering some uniqueness like fruity notes and a floral hop finish. A really good American attempt at a Marzen

Finally, in an attempt to turn back time, some Great Lakes Oktoberfest

Christmas spices mixed with malty sweetness made for a gingerbread cookie covered in caramel, definitely a weird winter warmer that was sorta thin

Tonight is Great Lakes Night, starting with the Christmas Ale

Really sweet stuff, lots of honey mixed with caramel and such

Yesterday, Sam Adams Honey Porter, properly served in a Sam Adams awesomeness glass

It's a nice witbier with some coriander and lemon peel flavors, but I don't know how wintery it is. Tastes good though!

First, Bell's Winter White Ale, fitting for this time of year

[ParkTrips]

couple of beers... I can't believe how much the beer thread has died

The taste, however, surprised me. Typically Sam Adams gives a good example of whatever style of beer they are going after... but not a great one. This one, however, was one of the best doppelbocks I have had. It had a full body of malts and an absurdly delicious aftertaste. Probably my favorite Sam Adams beer to date, one of the better doppelbocks I've had (not quite Liberator or Celebrator though) and I am really glad I picked up a sixer.. maybe I can plow through this one quick enough to get another one before its gone for the year!

Today I picked up a six pack of the Sam Adams Doppelbock, and since I wanted something moderate for the afternoon, I decided to try one out. Looks like pretty much all doppelbocks do...

First, a selection I had from Franziskaner last week, their dunkel hefe. I'm not sure why I only took this single pic, but it was exactly as advertised: a wheat beer that happened to be dark. I guess I was expecting a bit more malt character to the beer's backbone, but it was good for what it is

[Bubba83]

^ I have to take partial responsibility for the slowdown of the beer thread... I just have not been able to get anything worthy as of late and am growing tired of posting the same 5-6 beers every weekend recapping what I had over at my uncles... I've also been really busy with work, but when that slows down I am thinking of rewarding myself with a trip to City Beer in San Francisco...

 

I have been looking for Sam Adams Double Bock for a while with no luck, have always wanted to try it!

[DerekRx]

Over the weekend Nicole and I took a short trip down to Central Florida for some off-season coaster riding. While down at Sea World and Busch Gardens, we figured we may as well partake in the free beers offered at the Hospitality House. Then, after 2 days of macrobrews, it was time to reintroduce microbrews back into the system at one of the few brewpubs in Florida.

My friend? Really!?

Such was our first visit to TBBC. We'll definitely come back the next time we're heading to BGA. Close by, and easy to get to I-4 from.

The Jack the Quaffer London Porter was also one of the more standout beers.

Nicole enjoyed her salad and root beer, also brewed on site

The food was good too, like my Hawaiian Pizza

Of them, they were all pretty darn good. Nothing super amazing, but all quality for their styles. The Old Elephant Foot IPA was very earthy

So many options, may as well grab the sampler, which comes on a cool board

The current tap list, with some seasonal offerings as well as the staples

and some of the tables even have mummified ingredients

and the dining room has a real nice homey feeling

There's also a smaller bar area in the back, but it wasn't in use during this trip

Everything is brewed on premises, with all the goodies scattered around the place

as well as some guest taps from some of the more popular international brews

Plenty of taps of their own goods

The place has a cool feel to it, with a nice bar area

Since we spent most of the day outdoors already, we decided to head inside

Located in a cool little shopping area, there is both outside and inside seating

Why, Tampa Bay Brewing Company, of course!

Not but 15 minutes from Busch Gardens we find ourselves in Ybor City. What could be here?

and at Busch Gardens, some Bare Knuckle Stout for Nicole and more Winter Bourbon for me. Now, onto the real fun!...

At Sea World it was some Widmer Bros Hefeweizen for Nicole and Winter Bourbon Cask Ale for me. The Winter ale wasn't half bad, lots of vanilla notes, but not much of anything else.

[Bubba83]

^ Seems like a pretty cool place Derek...

 

So I guess I did have something interesting that I thought I posted, but alas I did not... And I suppose I can post a few from my Uncles as well..., but I'll spare you the Sam Adams Boston Lager's and Anderson Valley Hop Ottin's you're getting so tired of seeing!

Roasty toasty creamy irishy stouty... Yeah, that's about right.

Let's rap up the night with a bomber of Guinness Extra Stout. Just look at that beautiful creamy, yet rocky head!

This may have been my winner of the season as far as warming me up goes. The "winter warmers" I had were not as successful as this sweet, warming alcohol stunner.

And we'll finish off the last bottle of Brown Shugga as well. Sweet Release from Lagunitas, with brown cane sugar fed to the hungry yeast!

Uh oh, refer to the last picture at the end of the post! I didn't realize how "Upload New Version" works... I guess I can't re-order my pictures after I post, oh no!

 

Still has a nice pillowy head and great color to it. The aroma is a little flatter, and so is the taste. Don't get me wrong though, it's still damn good, just more bitter and less floral as the fresh hop flavor mellows.

The next night we decided to give the now fairly old Sierra Nevada Harvest another whirl.

 

Refer back to picture 7 to see me with this beer.... Ahhh improve the uploader TPR!!!

Nice grassy and grapefruit notes. A very different take on an Imperial IPA that is nice and tart. The alcohol certainly doesn't takeover at all, even on the way down.

And we'll also finish up the last bottle of my birthday gift to my uncle, Mendocino's Imperial IPA.

This stuff grew on me over the course of the six pack. It has a very distinct flavor to it that I can't say I've tasted before.

We continue days later at my uncle's, as we share my last bottle of the last beer run I made, Full Sail's Wassail.

The pour was quite nice, leaving an enticing head and appropriate lacing down the glass. This porter was a pleasant surprise, just enough hop presence and effervescence to make it one of the better porter's I have had to date.

From Paso Robles, CA... Firestone Walker's Reserve. It's a porter. The ABV is unknown but it seemed around standard. Oddly enough, this is my first offering from these guys.

[65skylark]

Sandi just picked up my order of Stone Old Guardian 2008 Barlywine and Stone "Oaked" Arrogant Bastard. I'm curious to see how their oak aged Bastard compares to the original. Pics to come.

 

Oh, and I will get that PTR up from Deschutes one of these days.

[ParkTrips]

Last night I went to the Brick Store Pub, currently the #3 place in America to have a beer according to BA. It has 2 separate bars, the main one downstairs in the dining area, and a Belgian bar upstairs. Please excuse the photos... camera phone + poor lighting = poor photos... but I was just too damn happy to be there not to share!

Finally, I finish with a selection from the downstairs bar, the Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout. I was actually a bit pleased, because it was a stout without a huge coffee flavor to turn me off. The chocolate taste was strong, and honestly I wish I had this one on another night. Drinking it last and with so many other great beers put it at a disadvantage but it was still pretty good!

You can't go to the Brick Store without having a St Bernardus Abt 12. They say they are the largest seller of the stuff in the country, and I don't doubt it. Awesome, two of my favorite beers in the same evening!

To go with the Liberator and my bavarian appetizer, I ordered the wurst for dinner. Good as expected!

Looking at the bottle menu that is 300+ deep, I noticed they had the Liberator listed. Normally I would be skeptical since I haven't seen it in more than 6 months, but Brick Store updates their beer menu almost daily.. so I asked, and sure enough! At $16 it hit the pockets, but its not every day I get this one so I went for it. I'm not sure if its from 2006 or more recently, but whatever, it was still great, and it reaffirmed its position as my favorite doppelbock!

To start, I ordered Nostradamus, a strong ale from Caracole. Coming out of a keg upstairs, it was a great ale. Very complex in nature, almost quadrupel like, but the blend went down easy especially considering the high alcohol. A great beer, I wasn't sure what to expect!

Onto the Brick store, were I of course started out with the famed and delicious pretzels

First, from dinner at a local seafood place last night, Grolsch. It was ok... and the best by date was a few months ago, but I've never had another one fresch to compare to, so I wouldn't know if its any better. A decent European lager

[DerekRx]

This will be my last post in this thread until Justin finally gets that Deschutes TR up.

Lots of tart cherry flavors mix well with coffee and chocolate, making a nice chocolate covered cherry with a sour, bitter finish

One of the most perfect beers for February, Bell's Cherry Stout

[65skylark]

^ You rang?

 

So.........yeah, on on Jan 15th Deschutes Brewing decided to release their 2008 Abyss. Derek actually PM'd me a month or so in advance letting me know just how rare and coveted this beer actually is. So, after placing an order with my local distributor and being told I would be put on the already huge waiting list, I decided not to take any chances and just to go right to the source.

 

I thought I'd just do this as a full PTR since it is about a 3 hour drive from Portland to Bend, so if you want to just skip to the beer pics, go right ahead.

Lets cruise! Next stop, Deschutes Brewing.

Since this is a Deschutes Brewing PTR I thought I should get a picture if the Dechutes River for which the brewery was named.

Flat tire, yay! No Matt, not Fat Tire, flat tire. Flat tire is even worse.

Took this picture driving down into Warm Springs when............

And now we are in Central Oregon which is completely different that Western Oregon. A lot less trees.

On the way down the other side. This is about as bad as the roads got so it really wasn't that bad of a ride.

The kids take a few minutes to play in the snow while stopping at a gas station.

Up the mountain and into the clouds.

Bring on the road. And the snow, since we will be driving over the Cascade Range (or Mt Hood to be exact).

First stop, of course, would be Starbucks.

Sandi seems ready, too. You guys do know we have a working heater in this car, right?

Kids are bundled up and ready to go.

[65skylark]

So with the flat tire we just barely made it in time for the brewery tour. The staff was great though. They didn't have anyone else there for the tour and would have normally just cancelled it, but we had called them a few times throughout the day, (1: to make sure they still had some Abyss left and (2: to let them them know we just had a freakin flat tire and would be there as soon as we could.

Goodbye Deschute Brewing. Next up, Deschutes Public House and Brewery for some pub exclusive selections.

Time to load up. Derek, Heath, and Ted, you should be seeing yours any day now, if it hasn't come already.

On the way out they had all of the original label art work from every year of Jubelale.

You guys still awake? Actually Chad and Sandi enjoyed the tour a lot. Ellie, not so much.

And finally, the bottling area. I was a little dissapointed we got there too late to see all the bottles going threw, but, oh well.

There it is. Some of the equipment they are sending to Portland to open their second pub! They will be brewing everything there in house as they do at their pub here in Bend which means pub exclusive brews are going to be available in Portland. It should be open by this spring Heath!

No, it isn't all the overflowing beer.

I'm told there is something in this section that will make me happy.

And the lab.

No we didn't leave the brewery to go visit uncle Vinie in jail. This is the tasting room. What a job. You must wear head phones so you can't talk to the other tasters and bewcome infuenced by their comments. They take their tasting veery seriously.

I see you 2006 Jubelale

I thought it was interesting they had the large tank on the left imported from Germany in one piece. They had have a police escort from the airport as the tank took up two lanes.

Ooooh.......aahhhh.

Drain full of hops.

Now the new section of the brewery.

No Chad, you don't smoke it.

There's the good stuff.

Our awesome tour guide shows us the hop room. The smell was amazing!

A quick look into the large section of the brewery with the fermenting tanks.

You didn't know they made Mt Dew?

So we started in the older section of the brewery. This is all they used for many years.

Show-offs.

And this is what is left. There will be one less case here when I leave.

Sandi decides she isn't too into the imperial stout thing. Oh well, more for me.

How about a sample of the 2007 Abyss to compare with the 2008! They actually keep a limited supply each year so you can sample both the current year and previous year. Let me tell you guys, this stuff ages well. The '08 was a bit better, but not much.

Curently the number six beer in the world, The Abyss. What we drove all this way for. What could be better?

Part of the tour............FREE SAMPLES!

[65skylark]

So we had to make a quick detour to the tire shop and then it was off to the pub.

I'm going to explode. Kill me now!

 

And with that, we hit the road again. It was a great little day trip and we all had a lot of fun. I will let Derek post the first "official" Abyss review, since he has had many more beers to compare it to than me. I will say this, it lived up to the hype for me and is certainly my new number one beer.

 

Thanks for reading!

Our server was kind enough to surprise me with some more Abyss when she over-heard me telling Sandi that I wanted to get some more Abyss, if it weren't for the fact that I should probably try a few of their pub exclusive beers instead, since we can't get them at home.

Sandi just got some water with lemon, but her fish and chips were great.

And Chad got some of the home brewed root beer. Probably the best root beer I have ever tasted.

Ellie went for a mixed drink instead of some beer. Roy Rogers, on the rocks.

I went with their Bachelor Bitter to drink with my dinner. It was one of Deschutes' original three packaged beer that you can only get at the pub now. A real nice bitter ale. Perfect for drinking with a hamburger and fries.

Finally the food. I had their hamburger of course. It was great!

I started off with their Cinder Cone Red. A nice rich malty flavor with some caramel notes and just enough hops to balance it out. Very good.

The beer list.

Inside the place was packed but had a real nice atmosphere and the 45 minute wait wasn't too bad at all.

Where it all started.

Finally!

Super exiting shot of our super awesome '91 Accord. Don't hate me because my care is cooler than yours. Save you money and one day you, too, could own an early nineties Honda.

[Rugged One]

Wow, what am awesome BTR Justin! Most definitely worth the wait!

 

Thanks again for the hook up and hopefully we'll catch up with ya' sometime this summer up in Portland.

[Bubba83]

^^ Sweet Trip Report Justin... Been looking forward to that for a long while! Looks like you had some trouble getting there but it seems it was well worth it... I can't wait to get up to Deschutes one of these days.

 

^ I was already planning to visit my Aunt and Uncle in Oregon this summer, maybe we could coordinate somehow and all meet up! Did you and Derek get your Abyss yet? Has anyone enjoyed a bottle yet?

 

So I still haven't been back to BevMo, and boy has it been a long time. I miss drinking all sorts of new beers, but truth be told there isn't much left that is interesting to me at the local BevMo's... My dad bought me The Complete Joy of Home Brewing for Christmas, so I am thinking I will give it a whirl... I think I am going to go to the Homebrew Supply Shop near me on Friday and pick up the equipment and ingredients. I'm still not sure when I'll get to San Francisco. If I don't go this weekend it sounds like I'll probably miss out on trying Pliny the Younger this season.

 

Anyhow, I was at the grocery store and picked up Anchor's new "early spring" seasonal. Yeah, it's still winter but releasing your beer early is fine with me Anchor!

Boy do I need a haircut... This batch suffered a bit from being a little older. Still very good but not as good as the fresher Racer 5 I get from BevMo.

And last but never least, my favorite single IPA, Racer 5.

The aroma is quite a bit like sourdough bread, and hits the senses pretty hard. The taste is quite interesting, it tastes like it should be lighter in color... It's still rich and full, but there are some twangy aspects from the hops with an astringent sour finish... Overall quite nice... I'd give the taste a 4/5.

Anchor Bock. 5.5% ABV. A most excellent dark hue that is partially see through, with amaretto cookie colored head. Appearance 5/5.

Quite a bit better than last time overall. A little more quality in the hop profile with a little less lingering dry bitterness...

We're giving Thunderhead another whirl. 6.7% ABV from Pyramid. We got a nice pillowy head with better aroma this time.

[Rugged One]

I haven't thrown anything up in a while.

 

Thought I'd remedy that.

And I think it's even better this year! They've added honey, which really sweetens up the malt backbone of this guy and makes the piney hop and citrus notes really pop out. Awesome stuff!

Next up, one of the most popular and sought after seasonals on the market right now. Yes, Bell's Hopslam is back after a hugely successful debut last winter.

And if this is any indication of what they are doing over there, then sign me up for more! Wow! Just tons of tasty espresso and coffee notes. One of the better Coffee Stouts I've had!

First up tonight, the Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout by the Kiuchi Brewery in Japan. You know, I think this may be my first Japanese craft beer.

[DerekRx]

There are few beers that mean enough to me to take a vacation day to enjoy, but today was one of those days!

Justin, you rule!

awww yeah, I know what I'm drinking on Saturday!

and getting home, I find another goodie, all the way from Oregon

After a brief stop at the Wine Source in Baltimore, I realized I can get a little carried away when I don't have to buy by the case like in PA

While Amanda couldn't make it out, Mark will be bringing a baby home for her to take care of

DuClaw's new smaller growlers sized up against my behemoth

While Mark takes advantage of the email voucher freebies and uses the Jew-pon to get $5 off a shirt

gotta be getting some to take home to the woman

now on tap, Naked Fish, one of my favorite stouts out there, and so good even Mark showed up!

in the end, who wins? We do!

woohoo, go fish!

yeah baby!

which this year was all set to Strip Go Fish

Then it was time for Naked Fish's release video

and with only a handful of parks opened in March this year even though it's Easter, who won't be!

quite right for St. Patty's day, an Irish ale

then a preview of next month's release

yeah baby, that's totally us!! bling bling all up in our grills, word!!

hmmmm...

some of it related to us, sorta

Then it was time for some beer trivia

and with Happy Hour pricing going on, Kim isn't too afraid to bring some co-workers for a tower of onion rings

but first, a rare chance to enjoy some 31, left over from Halloween, and still quite good and spicy

but our main reason for coming, Naked Fish's release, truly one of the nicest beers there is, chocolate and raspberry together in perfect awesomeness

and I couldn't return to DuClaw again without the master of the place, Heath, enjoying a Blackjack Stout

Arriving early enough, I enjoyed a Serum Double IPA, just released last month, and as citrus and pined out as ever

But our main event takes us back to the Bond Street Wharf in Fells Point, MD, home of DuClaw

and with lots of their own quality products and a special guest tap for local Troegs, this place should be around for quite some time

and a more upscale atmosphere compared to their other location in Lancaster

Pretty cool place considering it was an old chain steakhouse, complete with lots of flat screens in the bar area

Started out at the new Lancaster Brewing Harrisburg branch which will eventually feature their own brewpub exclusive brews in the next year or so

[65skylark]

Awesome BTR Derek! I'm glad at least 4 of them made it to you safe and sound. I'm sure the beer will wash out of the shirt OK

 

Getting caught up here. I'll start with another selection sent to me from Derek.

Beer perfection yet again. A nice hazy amber orange color with a sweet malty taste. Citrus hops help balance everything out. Another 9 out of 10 on the Justin Beer Scale.

And staying with Stone, last night I tried their '08 Old Guardian Barley Wine.

Wow. Arragant Bastard = Great. Oaked Bastard = Even better! All the great hoppy IPA goodnes of the original with an added smooth wood flavor that makes this one great beer. 9 out of 10 on the "Justin Beer Scale".

Now for some Stone Oaked Bastard. I have been a big fan of Arragant Bastard ever since my visit to Stone Brewing last year. We'll see how this compares.

What can I say? Just one really great IPA as most of you already know. Scores an 8.5 out of 10 on the "Justin Beer Scale".

Dogfish Head 60 minute IPA.

[Meteornotes]

Wow, the chocolate stout is out at DuClaws?!? I need to make a trip down there soon!

 

dt

[ParkTrips]

I'm really embarrassed to say that I can recognize a lot of the beers in Derek's cart... thats easily just as dorky as being able to name a ride manufacturer based on the track

 

I had a bottle of 60 minute just last night! and, from a couple days ago...

It was yummy! Alcohol was there but not powerful. The malts were wonderfully blended and I found this one to actually have a bit of hop taste that is usually hidden by the malts in quadrupels. Overall a really solid beer.

Allagash FOUR - their quadrupel. 4 Malts, 4 Hopes, Fermented 4 Times as the bottle says. It poured quite well

[Rugged One]

Ooooh. I've been waiting to get my hands on some of this for awhile.

...but most importantly, it tastes like an Imperial Stout. And a damn good one to boot! Just a ton of roasted burnt notes, chocolate, coffee, and alcohol. Just the way I like it! And remember. It just came out of a can. Awesome!

...and it sure looks like an Imperial Stout...

Well it sure pours like an Imperial Stout...

It's definitely the coolest looking of their cans. Check that bling out!

Oscar Blues has decided to finally can their highly touted Imperial Stout. Ten Fidy baby!

Oh damn! It looks like we have a new craft beer in cans on the block. This isn't any normal craft beer though!

[ParkTrips]

anti-rant: Terrapin's brewery tours start this week! Look for a photo tr soon!! anyways, I had lunch at Taco Mac.... I was planning to make it a bigger deal but that just didn't happen

Beer #2 and the reason why I would stop at 2: Terrapin Rye Pale Ale. I drink a lot of this stuff and this was the worst I had ever had. It tasted really, really stale. That is what I hate about TM's is that stale beer is a real problem. It was really deplorable, it tasted more like a michelob product than normal Terrapin. It really put me in a bad mood, so thats all for lunch at Taco Mac! My cheapest bill ever, $25 with tip!

I go to Taco Mac a lot. Every single time I go, I get their wings. Why? I don't know. I think they suck. But every freaking time they get me. Hopefully I'll remember to get a burger or something next time, but probably not... oh well

One of the newest arrivals to Taco Mac was Lumpy Gravy from Lagunitas, a brown ale that (judging from BA) isn't on tap at many places yet. Big smile from me as the beer was surprisingly good, then again, I don't think Newcastle or Sam Adams Brown are exactly stiff competition in my book. I wouldn't mind returning to this brew or even picking some up for home...

[coreyml]

hey i saw that guy today ^^^

 

i actually thought joe's terripin RPA was much better than when i had it

 

 

Leinenkugels Creamy Dark = 9/10

and this one i gave a 10/10