What Was the Last Beer You Drank?

[mcjaco]

I'm off to New Glarus shortly. Never fear my camera woes. I realized what I did. I copied, then deleted, then attempted to paste. That won't work.

 

Sometimes I just move too fast for my own good.

[Bubba83]

^ If you cut (instead of copy), then paste, it's impossible for them to be deleted before pasting them.

 

Finally getting a chance to post some pictures of what I've been drinking. Sad times are here again though so I haven't been drinking as much, and when I run out I won't be going back for more until I make some money.

 

Heath, now would be a great time to wear your Sharks jersey because they are starting to DOMINATE the pacific.

And the damage done on the night between my uncle and I, even a few beers I didn't post. =P

At this point, I am pretty messed up. Harvest Ale puts a smile on my face!

Hey wait a second, didn't we just drink a bottle of this? Oh well!

Pure sex in a bottle.

Does this bottle look familiar yet? *Pirate Mode* Ye Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale know all, matey...

It's pretty mild, with some roasty barley flavors and a creamy texture, but not much else going for it.

I guess we better drink the rest of this Sierra Nevada Stout, too.

Anchor Porter is a real standby for me, excellent coffee flavors come out and the mouthfeel is awesome.

Then comes the Anchor Porter, with it's old looking label design of pure sexiness.

Yummy rye flavors make for a complex and interesting IPA.

Following up the Harvest Ale's flavor explosion... Not many beers can be held up to the same standard... Hop Rod is one of them!

When this first came out I wasn't sure how long it'd be around. But they made a ton of it this year and I think it's still being distributed when the stores run out.

Oooh, I call the one with the bigger head!

Great as always, new flavors everytime I try it, and goes through incredible progression from cold to warm.

And now for an old favorite. Celebrator Doppelbock, from Ayinger. Just look at that head, awesomeness!

Mmmm, malty! Actually has some nice cherry flavors in there too with some warming alcohol and a touch of hops for a little bite.

Next up, more Deschutes, this time the beautifully bottled Jubelale.

So yeah, it's pretty awesome and Sunnyvale has no reason to not have it in stock.

Deschutes' Obsidian Stout. Yes, I found a six pack of the stuff at the Mountain View BevMo.

[DerekRx]

To finish off Wet Hop Harvest Week, it's time to enjoy one of the first to bottle theirs and manage to keep that awesome fresh hop flavor, Great Divide's Fresh Hop Pale Ale.

While still not as awesome as Sierra Nevada's, it's definitely up there, and covers all the basic flavors of hop: grass, pine, and citrus. Let the weekend begin, and soon into un-beer threaded territory!

Fresh Hop Pale Ale, with a head that would make bubba proud

[Rugged One]

Here's some pics from last nights DuClaw release. We met up with Deuane and his crew at the recently reopened Bel Air location because of their later release start time. Not as many pics as I normally do from these things. Just too much fun being had.

Of course it wouldn't also be a trip to MD without stopping at a liquor store. Ronnies was a pretty servicable place too. Lots of good six-packs to be had.

While Deuane and I enjoy the spoils of this evening's release. It really is a nice Barleywine. I hope to have it again before it's gone.

Kim enjoys some Venom on nitro, the first time that we've tried it like that. It was interesting.

They have a release set-up here similar to the one we went to at Arundel Mills. They'll fill your free snifter right there where you pick it up. Pretty cool!

Of course it wouldn't be a trip to DuClaw without a release party. And this is probably the best one of the year since it's for their best beer. The Devil's Milk Barleywine. An excellent American hopped-up Barleywine to be exact.

There wasn't alot that looked that different. They improved the bar area somewhat and removed the old brewhouse to make way for offices.

Back for the first time in awhile to the original DuClaw location in Bel Air, MD. There was a major fire here in Aug. of 06 and finally reopened in Sept. of 07. They took their time though and did a major renovation of the inside.

[ParkTrips]

real quick, I decided to break out a bottle for a quick drink. No time for much other than the one pic

Rochefort 10. Very good, near the top of my list, but I slightly prefer the rival St Bernardus. Now off to the bar!

[niiicolaaah]

Last night I told Derek, "I want a beer!" and so when he came over, he delivered.

What a great way to start off the weekend. Really sweet and tart and sour. I want more of these in my fridge NOW!

Look at how red this beer is, shame it doesn't show up as nicely on camera

Founder's Rubaeus, a beer with lots of raspberries, YUM!

[Rugged One]

Trying to play some catch up here.

 

This one's for you Bubba!

Indeed it does! Initially, it's a complete hop bomb on the palette but as it warms, it achieves some nice balance with it's sweet caramel backbone. This is one experience worth living again and again. Good stuff!

As you can see, the bottle promises an "Intense Hop Experience". Would it deliver?

The Sam Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner.

[dorus]

jupiler ,a belgian beer:

 

 

Grolsch : a dutch beer:

 

[DerekRx]

With time running out on the nice weather for the year, we decided to head into Philadelphia yesterday. Even though I've lived nearby for most of my life, I never did anything in Philly other than the zoo and sports arenas, so what a better time to check out the history in the city as well as the city's awesomely renowned beer places! We'll skip right to the beer since this is the beer thread after all.

Enjoying our favorites at Nodding Head, BPA and Grog

Their own tap handles. Too bad they didn't bobble like the Wobbly Bob does at Union Barrel

A nice old-fashioned bar with enough seats for the locals and then some

In the back quarter of the place you'll find all the brewing equipment

Not too many tables, but they sure are comfy seats

The place is pretty spacious when it's empty

The the Oleo Kolsh style was really light and easy to drink, with a nice citrus finish

The Elsinore was pretty hoppy too, but more in the English style

The 60 Shilling Scottish Ale didn't really taste like anything to me

But Nicole really enjoyed it

the Grog English Brown Ale won some awards, but it wasn't my cup of tea

The BPA (Bill Payer Ale) was really hoppy for a pale ale

First up, the 700 Level, dedicated to the memory of the Vet. Pretty light stuff with good floral hops

Not knowing what would be good with them no longer brewing Hoptimus Prime, we went for the sampler. Pretty big samples, at 7oz each

Only 6 beers on tap, as the Wumpus was kicked the night before. What shall we get

As you enter and go upstairs to where the establishment is, you're welcomed by the case of nodding heads

A few short blocks away we found ourselves at Nodding Head Brewing

The taste pretty much went sour apple, candy corn, basement.

Couldn't go to Monk's without getting one of their own special brews. The Monk's Flemish Sour Red Ale is made just for them by a brewery in Belgium

Much bigger than the US micro section, but they've still got plenty of awesome things, like Pizza Port and Russian River

This here would be the Belgian section. Joe would probably like it here

Their bottle list is pretty spectacular too

The place is known for its mussels, so there's some seating too for actual food eating

The place certainly isn't big, and is fairly crowded for a sunny Saturday afternoon

We decided to sit towards the front bar. Nicole grabbing the Kasteel Rouge again, a Brown Ale aged in cherries. I went with the Rogue Imperial Porter, John's Locker Stock Release #16, a Baltic Porter. Tasted like toasted marshmellows

Another shot of the back bar

The back bar offers a more micro selection, but as less seating

The front bar's tap list, mostly Belgian stuff

The place is tiny, but they've got 2 different bars, both with different stuff on tap. This is the front bar

First stop, Monk's Cafe, #18 on the best places to have a beer in America list, and the reason why PA gets Russian River in the first place

[SharkTums]

OMG!!! They have a beer named after Joey's porn star!?!? And Nicole likes it!!??? SCARY!!!

[DerekRx]

More stuff from Philly!

Even Nicole liked it, and she's not a big fan of the pumpkin ales

and to end our night, some of the Presidential Pumpkin Ale. Really good stuff, great pumpkin and spice flavors with good maltiness for a liquid pumpkin pie

Rainbow roll, crunchy spicy yellowtail, and since we're in Philadelphia, a Philly roll of Salmon and cream cheese

and it went great with our food selection of sushi.

While I decided to grab the Hop Harvest IPA. Not as good as other wet hopped ales from this year, but still nothing to scoff at

Nicole immediately chose the Manayunk Lager, a really good, sweet Oktoberfest

A nice fall selection of brews to embrace

But we're not done yet! Thanks to some traffic on the Expressway, we decided to pull off for some more food and drinks at Manayunk Brewing

And all the places were great, definitely deserving their rankings

The place is equally as small as the other places we hit today, but it was a quieter vibe

Something tells me Nicole has a new favorite place to eat when we go to Philly

and for dessert, Rogue Chocolate Bread Pudding with Allagash Cherry sauce

Foodwise we decided on the black olive and red pepper tapenade and the ewephoria, a cheese from the Netherlands with hints of caramel, served with apples. Excellent!

Nicole went with Unibroue's Apple Ephemere. Not as apple tasting as Lindeman's or other lambic makers, but still good stuff

Since we sat so close to the bar, I knew this was on tap, so I went with the Bell's Expedition Stout. Yum as expected

The beer list is pretty sweet, though they aren't all on draft

Especially when the beer is all awesome micros and Belgians!

Tria, #39 on the list offers cheese, beer, and wine. Who wouldn't love that?!

While in Downtown Philadelphia, just a few short blocks away from Nodding Head we encounter another top place for a beer in the US

[ParkTrips]

OMG!!! They have a beer named after Joey's porn star!?!? And Nicole likes it!!??? SCARY!!!

LOL!!! That's awesome

 

And yup, Monk's sounds sweet! Their bottle menu may actually beat the Brick Store Pub down here!

[ParkTrips]

Tonight, I added the 100th beer to my counter on facebook. Continuing on...

This is my "what the hell was that?" look because seriously, what the hell was that? Bitter and hop heavy, yet I still liked it?!? It was good stuff as it totally caught me off guard. A glance at the back of the bottle yields the warning "100+ IBUs" - no shit!

Stone Ruination IPA. 12 ounces of American IPA courtesy of Derek

[Rugged One]

More super awesomeness courtesy of Founder's. I'm really glad that they now distribute in this state. Special thanks to Deuane for the bottle.

Nah! Just more of the same barrel-aged greatness that Founder's is known for. This one had an almost perfect blend of sweetness, spices, dark fruits, and chocolate wrapped up in a bourban blanket. Just fantastic stuff! I took my good ole' sweet time with this guy.

I love the Founder's label art and this one is no different. They are usually really unique and perfectly sum up the beer inside. So will I find a crazy banjo-strumming redneck inside my bottle?

The Backwoods Bastard. A bourban barrel-aged version of their Dirty Bastard Scotch Ale. I had previously had this at the Extreme Beer Fest last February and really enjoyed it. Now it's bottled. Awesome!

[DerekRx]

Not drinking anything new yesterday or today, just some great stuff that I've had before.

I must have had this for a while, because it really had a high alcohol taste and the hop presence was a little weak, but it's still good stuff, just a little stronger than usual

Even I'm amazed I forgot I had a stash of Dogfish Head's 90 Minute IPA in the basement. I really need to investigate down there more often!

Some people don't like it, but I think it's quite frankly fantastic. Lots of hoppiness, but also a little bit different and unique, making it stand out

Yesterday I decided to crack open one of my bottles of Stone's 11th Anniversary Black IPA

[Rugged One]

Time to give Southern Tier another shot with something new.

This was nicely done. A big bready backbone, some strong lingering hop bitterness, a beefy body, and 8% ABV made this one Imperial style worth drinking.

The Southern Tier Uber Sun. A jacked up Imperial version of their popular summer seasonal Hop Sun.

[Bubba83]

Sweet Sharks jersey Heath! Is there any name on the back? Also, why do you have a Sharks Jersey??? Is it because you're a Roenick lover? If that's the case, do you also sport a Roenick Coyotes Jersey?

Mommy!

This picture's all slanty! It's the leaning tower of Jubelale!

Crazy roastiness is followed by a crazy face.

Ah yes, Old Mr. 38....

Ah yes, quite nice indeed. It's actually a lot like North Coast Pranqster, same level of horsey flavor, but it has a little bit more sweetness, which is quite nice.

How's about something new you say? Well here we are, Unibroue's Don De Dieu. A Belgian Strong Pale Ale at 9%

Bliss.

Well, at least this one never gets old...

Are my beer thread posts getting boring yet?

Same old same old...

Yummy as always, nice subtle cherry flavors and well rounded malty flavor.

Hey look, it's a classic Sam Adams.

You wore your Sharks gear... So I'll wear my Eagles gear!

Drop Anchor!

[DerekRx]

Bubba, I applaud your ability to wear BOTH Eagles shirt AND hat (perhaps this is just a precaution in case they win against one of your teams and you're forced to 'Trojan Horse' to protect yourself upon exit) outside of Philadelphia. Please, come visit us, I shall hook you up with both an Eagles game and some awesome brewpubs prior to and aftermath.

 

Tonight is Tuesday, which means while Nicole is free to do her favorite thing, I'm off to do my favorite thing (but since all the parks around here are closed, I "guess" I have to drink instead)

But the small glass of the Cask Scarlett Lady ESB with Pumpkin Spice I had was pretty darn tasty! I must say, the caskness really makes these pumpkin ales taste better. More places need to do this for the style!

and so, the 2007 Winter Ale is what I grabbed first. While very good, it still wasn't as hoppy or as chocolate as either of Troegs renditions this year

As expected, even though they "brew" the same stuff year after year, they switch up the recipes. While last year's Winter Ale was a Cocoa infused Brown Ale, this year we see a porter being brewed

Because it was on my way home, but 4 minutes from Union Barrel, I decided to see what Stoudts had on tap

The place was empty. In fact, I was the first pint of THE DAY!!! at 5:30pm!! Just shows you that this time of year the weather blows around here. As for the beer, it was pretty awesome, as I was told. Really powerful, yet with an earthy feel and malty sweetness, and at 8% it really warms you up for the brutal cold approaching

Adam made me aware of the Double Barrel, and so I must partake in this new brew, a Vienna Style Lager from the PA master of German-style, Tom, himself!

We'll start off in nearby Reamstown, 10 miles away, to enjoy something that is new for the wintery season at Union Barrel

[Rugged One]

^^ Well you see Bubba, before I was into rollercoasters or beer, I was really into hockey. So I've got a bunch of jerseys hanging in the closet that I pull out once in awhile. Thanks for the Eagles representation though. They'll need all the help they can get on Sunday night.

 

No updates until next week. Kim and I are hitting the road tomorrow for a nice long holiday weekend down South and I'm sure that we'll be hitting some beer stops along the way, both old and new.

 

In the meantime, something new from what is quickly becoming one of my favorite small breweries, Hoppin' Frog in Akron, OH. They've starting distributing in PA now, which means a better shot of grabbing some of their new brews.

Wow! Nice blend of citrus and resinous hops nicely blended by a beefy caramel malt backbone? I think we're almost in West Coast Double IPA territory with this guy. Very nicely done. My mouth is watering just thinking about the next bottle.

The Mean Manalishi. A Double IPA. Now there regular IPA, the Hoppin' to Heaven was pretty decent. How would this Imperial version compare?

[DerekRx]

It's Thanksgiving, and while I'm giving thanks for random things, I'm thankful that Pennsylvania gets such a wide variety of brews, despite the fact that you have to either buy by the case or seek out 6 pack shops (which are few and far between).

 

Today I'm tapping into something all the way from North Carolina, Highland Brewing's double IPA.

and yes, definitely it's hopped out, but still very sweet with its nice malty balanced backbone. Happy Thanksgiving everone!

Kashmir is Highland's regular IPA, but since this is a double IPA or an Imperial, this is the Imperial Kashmir IPA, a limited release using over 200 lbs of 5 different hop varieties.

[DerekRx]

Today I had to work but luckily I got done early, and have enough time to pick up something just recently released.

and to end my short trip, a Kipona Fest, their Oktoberfest. Really good stuff, and unlike the German versions, this was lower in ABV and safer to drink

For the first time, I sat in the actual bar area

I started out with the Coconut Porter, a homebrew winner. This stuff was awesome, tasting like a liquid Almond Joy

As usual, lots of fine stuff on tap, including some stuff I haven't tried yet

While in the area, may as well stop off for lunch at the nearby ABC

While here, I may as well try the 2007 Mad Elf, since it is now that season. This stuff is just great, lots of cherry and honey tastes. I may have to pick up a sixer and save a bottle for Joe

First up, the newly released Scratch #6, a Dortmunder, Sweet! While not as good as Great Lakes, it was still wonderful

and it turns out there were plenty of other people there wanting samples and growler fills of their fine ales

Back to Troegs, it's been too long. Lucky for me, they decided to open for the Black Friday crowds

[exit english]

Found this at the store, gave it a try for science.

 

A-B did a really good job with Jack's Pumpkin Ale this year, so let's see how they do on Winter's Bourbon Cask Ale.

 

It's very similar in smoothness to the Jack's Pumpkin, though there's less nutmeg/pumpkin flavor. You can really smell the vanilla beans in this one, and there's a hint of bourbon cask coming through.

 

Overall, it's not a bad beer, one of the better big label seasonal brews out there. It's no Great Lakes Christmas Ale, though.

Drink.

Pour. Not bad in color...

Bottle

[exit english]

Young's Double Chocolate Stout.

 

I know this one's been done before, but I hadn't had it (I know, I know...)

 

Great chocolatey flavor, a hint of coffee taste. Extremely delicious. It is also very heavy, Josh is now full.

 

Edit: I paired it with a Lindt "intense orange" dark chocolate bar, and it is quite the combination. Worth a try.

Pour.

Bottle.

[DerekRx]

Yesterday it was time to head back to Union Jack's for their Thanksgiving Hopfest. 14 different double IPAs from across the country all on tap ready to pummel my tastebuds with pine and citrus.

and while Nicole didn't find any double IPAs she loved, she did manage to tolerate the Hoptimus Prime, and enjoyed a Buffalo Bills Orange Blossom Cream Ale as well as a Lindemans Framboise

and as expected, the Pliny was just amazing. So good I decided to get a full glass instead of going for the 3rd flight

The Victory Hop Wallop was a nice relief from the other stuff. A great balance but packing lots of hops, just what I like

I also didn't really care for the Lost Coast Double Trouble. A nice start, but it had no finish whatsoever.

The Paper City Blonde Hop Monster wasn't much better though. Too light, not enough hops

On to flight 2, in which I switched out the Butte Creek Organic Revolution for the Paper City Blonde Hop Monster since the Butte Creek was just plain awful when we had it last.

But the Hoptimus Prime was my favorite of this flight. It was nicely sweet yet hoppy.

The Hopsickle was as tasty as usual, as was the Moylander. Both loaded with piney freshness

We'll start out with the first flight, featuring both Moylans, Stoudts, and Hoptimus Prime

and some Norcal stuff came out for a visit as well

As did some local doubles, like Stoudts and Legacy's Hoptimus Prime

Yes, that's right, Pliny and 2 Stone's showed up for this battle

A look at the list of hopness

Here's the reason we're here, more hop goodness

A nice sunny Saturday, what a better place to be than the Inn on the Manatawny

[exit english]

Unibroue Maudite:

 

Recommended to me by the guys at the store. Unbelievably smooth, almost Hefe-Weizen like, with a great cinnamon after-tone. It's also quite sweet, but not sugary, if that makes any sense at all.

 

On the bottle, it prides itself on its warm, mellowing effect, and I can say that I see what they mean.