What Was the Last Beer You Drank?

[Juggler]

Full report on the beer festival is on the way however tonight I've cracked the first half out of the barrel.

Here she is, 40 pints of Dublin Stout brewed by my own fair hands.

[Nodders]

And now for the last of the weekends left-overs .....

A dark amber brew with a subtle balance of malt & floral hop character, and pleasant lingering fruity finish.

Isle Of Arran brewery's Milestone Premium Ale. (6.0%)

[Juggler]

I would add more pictures but yet again my routing is causing issues and I am struggling to upload. All will change once I sort out my new Broadband service and then we can all rejoice in C.U.T.S. brewing. (Cupboard Under The Stairs)

[DerekRx]

After a few days with a cold, I finally tested my tastebuds again with that fantastic amber liquid known as beer.

Woohoo! Still a little stuffy, but I can definitely taste all the wonderfulness of the HopDevil. The cold is pretty much gone!

When in doubt of your tastebuds, always go for something you know quite well. For me it's the old HopDevil

[mcjaco]

I had a Goose Island 312. Somehow I've managed to misplace my camera between the apartment and the new house.

 

Glad to see your tastebuds are back in working order Derek!

[mr_teisco_delrey]

How is 312? I have actually seen it for sale in gas stations around Lexington.

[Mr Pete]

Here's wednesday evenings beverages...

Lastly was Fox's Nob by Highgate Brewery, hoppy and very refreshing.

Reminds me of the Thomas Hardys Ale I had a few weeks back, just not as sweet.

Next up was Wobble by Hogs Back Brewery, in at 7.5%abv

First up was Slippery Jack from Brandon Brewery, made of Barley. Very tasty.

[DerekRx]

Well, finally May has arrived, and with it the grass has started to grow. After mowing it, I felt like enjoying a beer with some nice grassy tastes.

Excellent stuff. Nice grassy tones and a crisp dryness. One of the best pale ales I've had

Founders Dry Hopped Pale Ale, finally available in PA

[N'at Man]

Just a quick update before I head off to California tomorrow evening. I've been drinking HopDevil quite a bit recently and Red Hook IPA was my most selection. The biggest surprise I've had recently was Hofbrau Maibock.

I'm not sure I've ever had a Maibock before but I'll be on the lookout for more this time of year. I'll also be on the lookout for some Gordon Biersch at Six Flags in Vallejo (whatever it's called this week).

[mcjaco]

How is 312? I have actually seen it for sale in gas stations around Lexington.

 

312 is an average wheat beer. Nothing too surprising about it. If you like Goose Island stuff, I'd give it a whirl. I like it better than their Honker's Ale and IPA. Then again, I'm not a fan of IPA anyway.

 

I wouldn't take my take on any beers to strongly. Just ask Heath and Derek!

[DerekRx]

^Yeah, ask us, not Matt. He somehow picks up blueberries where there should be oranges.

 

Unfortunately, we can't tell you anything about Goose Island, other than the Bourbon County Stout, Imperial IPA, and Debbie's Little Helper are awesome. The Goose isn't distributed in Pennsylvania yet (but Founders finally is, woohoo!!)

[DerekRx]

A couple of good things today that I haven't had before (surprisingly!)

Another excellent beer, very sweet, caramelly, and bitter to boot

But I tried the Celebrator Doppelbock from Ayinger out of Germany

With dinner, Nan had a Lionshead pilsner, just a typical night for her

I will admit, it got much better as it warmed up. Still not the greatest, but it was far from the Southern Tier IPA, which is a good thing

A bomber means room for 2, unless you're the only one drinking, then it's an added bonus

A good IPA, but not the best in America as they were claimed to be

First up was the Racer 5 IPA from Bear Republic

[mcjaco]

Yay! Derek's nan is back!

 

Do any of those taste of blueberries?

[Rugged One]

Probably the finest Triple IPA have had yet! Very hoppy but still nicely balanced to help keep the extreme bitterness & alcohol in check.

The Founder's Devil Dancer. Their palatte bomb of a Triple IPA.

[Bubba83]

Hi everyone, I'm back in Sunnyvale, CA and moved back into my mom's house while I search for my first job after college. Wish me luck in my web developer job search!

 

I went to BevMo today (yay!) and spent a big chunk of change. Unfortunately, they don't have a way to get 12 ouncers by themselves, or in a mixed 12 pack or anything like that, so I was stuck buying their very expensive 22oz'ers or six-packs mostly. I did enjoy their vast selection though and I'm very happy to be back in the Bay Area for beer.

 

First up tonight was an Apricot Weizen from Pyramid, which was pretty good as usual.

 

Then came one of the most surprising tasting beers I've had ever. The Anchor Brewing Old Foghorn. It's a barley wine style ale with 8.8% ABV.

 

It has a very smooth mouth feel, almost velvety in texture. After the initial sweetness, I expected a bite, like I do with all beers, that I typically enjoy. Instead, it just got richer, more velvety, and quite overwhelming. It's incrediby deep flavored, and really tough to put into words. There is absolutely no bitterness whatsoever, and very little carbonation.

Overall, I enjoyed the experience of trying this beer, and may have it on some occasions as a dessert beer, but it really isn't what I typically look for in a beer.

Here's the profile shot with my NEW digital camera, doesn't it look so much better than my cell phone camera?

Next up was the Samuel Adams Pale Ale at 5.25% ABV. I must say, I expected it to have a little more bitterness, but it is really mild. The flavor is good but not cirtus like at all. It's almost like sourdough bread, a little biscuity and a smidge sour.

[mr_teisco_delrey]

^Yeah, ask us, not Matt. He somehow picks up blueberries where there should be oranges.

 

 

Didn't Matt say something about a cold or something? Oh well. As for beer, I am drinking an Anhueser seasonal (Spring). A noticeable citrus, not blueberry aftertaste. A rather nice start to Derby weekend.

[Bubba83]

The following pictures are from my Photo Trip Report of Four Peaks Brewery, in Tempe, AZ.

 

These were taken the day after graduation using my sister's digital camera so that's why I haven't been able to post them until now.

 

The place is pretty big and pretty much always busy. We went on a Sunday around 2pm and it was almost all full, but then again a Suns game was on so that might have contributed. I wish I had taken more pictures of the inside cause it looked kinda cool, but here's what I took.

This is some of their merchandise, which I almost bought. Their 8th street pale ale is good so I thought about getting that shirt.

A shot of me with the Hop Knot IPA.

I enjoyed a Hop Knot IPA with my burger. Although it's called an IPA, it was actually entered as a Strong American Pale for the year it won a silver medal. Nice and hoppy.

I got a pretty standard burger which was good, but it's not as interesting as the Salmon BLT my mom ordered.

I started out with the Kolsch, it was good but didn't have as much flavor as I remember from my Germany trip.

Lots of different flags and the tanks in the background.

[haiderodes]

Last night was the Cinco De Mayo Celebracion at Wall Street in Downtown Orlando. So of course I had numerous beers. Among them Modelo Especial, Corona, and my favorite...Pacifico.

My favorite of the night...Pacifico

[saturday97]

Nice TR, Bubba! Glad you could hit up Four Peaks before you moved!

[DerekRx]

A grand weekend indeed, hitting lots of stuff, and hitting it hard. Heath will have to update the world of the beer thread with Friday and Saturday's fun since the photos are on his camera, but I can do my Sunday.

 

Today Justin, Sandi, and the kids were in for a visit from Portland, Oregon. So after a funfilled day at Hersheypark (photos to come later) I decided to take them to a local microbrewery, Appalachian Brewing. Troegs would have been included, but thems ain't opened on a Sunday.

And what's up with this? They can get their names on napkin holders, but can't get drink coasters? Oh, and they have the Lancaster location listed, I guess it is being built after all!

and Justin was digging the Maibock so much he got one for himself. I'd say they enjoyed their visit and are looking forward to a return

Round two saw me enjoying the Hoppy Trails IPA

Justin took my recommendation of the Water Gap Wheat, and Sandi went with the Purist Pale Ale

I started out with the newly released Anniversary Maibock

Sunday dinner, what better place than ABC

[Bubba83]

Last night I had two new beers from my latest stash that I bought at BevMo.

 

Both were very good, much better than the few I tried a couple nights ago.

The Erdinger Dark was delicious. Erdinger is my favorite German import. This beer is deep, complex, and smooth. It's a dark wheat beer. Definitely one of my favorites of what I've tried lately. ABV 5.5%

First up was the Kolsch, which is a Seasonal Curve Ball made by Pyramid. It was excellent, crisp, clean, and flavorful. Much better than the Kolsch they brewed at Four Peaks. ABV 4.8%

[Bubba83]

And now for tonight's lineup...

 

First I had another of the Curve Ball Kolsch. I really like that beer, one of my favorite lighter colored beers.

 

Next up was the Hoptown Golden Ale. Which I have a photo of at the bottom of this.

 

And I finished the night with my favorite, a Deschutes Black Butte Porter.

The Hoptown Golden Ale, Brewed in Pasadena, CA. It pours a lot lighter in color than most pale ales, but it still has a huge flavor and medium bitterness. Some critics have said it does not follow what a Golden Ale should be, but I love it!

[Rugged One]

Some random stuff from this past weekend.

We leave Selin's Grove as usual in a state of beer nirvana. But not before another Phoenix Kriek before we hit the road. Until next time...

We soon overcome our amazement and get into something equally awesome. The S.N.A.F.U. IPA. Wow, a hoppy West Coast IPA that tastes like something from Pizza Port. We might be in beer heaven!

Derek asks "Have I died and gone to beer heaven?"

A local actually brought a bottle fresh from last weekends big release at Three Floyds and shared it with us. We have to be honest. It lived up to the hype for the most part.

Dark Lord? At Selin's Grove? WTF?!!!

OK. Now for the mother of all scores! What could we possibly have in these sample glasses that would put such smiles on our faces?

I go for the very tasty Razzy Porter. Not quite the Naked Fish but still very good in it's own raspberry way.

But what's this? Lots of other new stuff on tap as well?

Derek asks "Why wasn't this on last week after Knoebels?"

Kim's actually going to kick this one off! With some newly tapped Phoenix Kriek. Lots of cherries and tartness to this one. It was fantastic!

Of course you have! Back to Selin's Grove Brewing of course. Follow Derek. He knows the way!

Getting closer. Have you figured it out yet?

On Saturday, having gone up to Harrisburg to see Spiderman 3 on the IMAX, we just decided to drive another hour north. But to where?

Wow, very grapey and at 10% with a nice drinkability, it quickly went all Armageddon on our a$$es!

We finished up with something new from the Lost Abbey, the Belgian inspired branch of Port Brewing. Judgment Day! A Belgian Strong Ale brewed with raisins.

They didn't last long. *Burp!*

Next up we just decided to take on the whole line of Terrapin beers.

To celebrate their 10th anniversary throughout the year they are releasing a limited number of cases of different styles that they experimented with before the brewery became big.

First up Friday night saw Derek & I get into something new from Troegs. Scatch Beer #1, which is a California Common Beer.

[DerekRx]

It's been a while since I've enjoyed one of these, so I picked some up when I had the chance. Still a good IPA with a different flavor than a lot of them.

I've had a lot of IPAs since this one, but I still dig it. Not overly hoppy and with a nice taste that's more than just citrus

Thunderhead, it's not just a roller coaster, it's also an IPA made by Pyramid

[Bubba83]

Nice shirt Derek!

 

I started off the night with a Sam Adams Pale Ale, this has actually grown on me a little. I was hesitant at first about the biscuity flavor but I have grown to like it a bit more this time around.

 

Second I had a Young's Special London Ale, which I've posted a picture of below.

 

Lastly, I ended the night yet again with a Deschutes Black Butte Porter, and I must say, this stuff is pure sex.

This is an excellent ale. It has a good citrus aroma and flavor at first, and follows up nicely with a hoppy character. Very drinkable with a nice mouth feel and decent carbonation. ABV 6.4%