- Dec 29, 2008
- 68,176
- 24,538
My absolute favorite pumpkin beer, the Heiny Light trash is for a chick
- Jul 18, 2012
- 20,396
- 14,184
There are dogfish head alehouses in the DC area...they were charging $18.99 for a 4 pack. Got the same thing at whole foods for $12.
- Sep 28, 2004
- 13,924
- 5,900
I despise pumpkin beers.. Octoberfests/marzen/VMOs on the other hand are amazing.. I buy at least 4 cases worth of a local brews Octoberfest. They don't tend to release it until Septemberish.. Are pumpkins even ripe for picking this early? I hate Sam Adam's way too early releases of their beers.
On a homebrew front, we had this big family get together a few weeks back and had about 4 beers readily available to drink. Two were brand new additions, a Caramel malt forward dry hopped Red Ale, sitting at a heft 7.3% and 55 IBU (pictures coming soon hopefully). And the other, which happened to be a big hit of the party, an amped up Cream Ale.. The recipe I found online called for a ~4% ABV easy drinker. I knew we could get much higher than that and still have the drinkability..
Double Cream Ale
6.6% ABV ( 1.060 OG.... 1.010 FG)
Recipe called for quite of a bit of flaked corn, minute ice, and some basic 2 row, with minor vienna malt additions.. Just an all around very light pallet beer. We didn't have minute rice, so we used some uncooked jasmine rice and let that sit in the mash water for a little bit... We followed that up with some Northwest yeast, which has a bit of a fruitiness to it. In all, drinkers of all walks of life loved it. It had the dryness of a pilsner with the corn and rice taste, with just a hint of fruitiness towards the end.. 18 IBUs allowed the hops is really stay in the background. The rice and corn flavor is definitely present in the taste of the beer. It did have a bit of that macrostyle taste initially. The hops are obviously higher than the traditional light lager, and the yeast helped. So this one had the looks of a lightweight, but imho a taste of a heavyweight.
The Caramel Red Ale was a bit more special. Crystal 80 and 120 allowed this one to be darker in color than a traditional red. With 3 types of hop additions, plus dry hopping. This one was a bit closer to an IPA or Red IPA than anything we've tried before. Dry Hopping adds a killer aroma to a beer. We may try to dry hop a pale ale next.
Both were quite high in ABV, yet no one really said anything about the booziness. Maybe because it was free? In all, the cream may be the best tasting beer we have done so far.. Sadly within just 14 days of tapping the keg, 100 gallons ran dry. So we never got to taste it as it matured.. The Red is within days of being gone, so Ill need to try and get photos ASAP.
------------------
I threw out internet review scores for the day Friday and went to a few obscure out of town breweries.. Drinking beer on draft yields almost any beer, good or bad, to be 100 times better. I ended up drinking two 4.7% 50 IBU stouts (again, can anyone make a bad stout?), and a 100 ibu 6.3% black IPA, which was a bit more of a hop bomb than I anticipated. Review scores would say otherwise on a few of the ones I liked, but I liked them. I guess I ignore reviews? Lol
The other place I visited had about 7 beers on tap. Beers I have seen at the beer store for years and ignored. Each one was solid.. I ended up liking their imperial stout so much that I ended up with a case... I guess I should've hid my wallet. 3 beers later and your mind isn't where you think it is..
On a homebrew front, we had this big family get together a few weeks back and had about 4 beers readily available to drink. Two were brand new additions, a Caramel malt forward dry hopped Red Ale, sitting at a heft 7.3% and 55 IBU (pictures coming soon hopefully). And the other, which happened to be a big hit of the party, an amped up Cream Ale.. The recipe I found online called for a ~4% ABV easy drinker. I knew we could get much higher than that and still have the drinkability..
Double Cream Ale
6.6% ABV ( 1.060 OG.... 1.010 FG)
Recipe called for quite of a bit of flaked corn, minute ice, and some basic 2 row, with minor vienna malt additions.. Just an all around very light pallet beer. We didn't have minute rice, so we used some uncooked jasmine rice and let that sit in the mash water for a little bit... We followed that up with some Northwest yeast, which has a bit of a fruitiness to it. In all, drinkers of all walks of life loved it. It had the dryness of a pilsner with the corn and rice taste, with just a hint of fruitiness towards the end.. 18 IBUs allowed the hops is really stay in the background. The rice and corn flavor is definitely present in the taste of the beer. It did have a bit of that macrostyle taste initially. The hops are obviously higher than the traditional light lager, and the yeast helped. So this one had the looks of a lightweight, but imho a taste of a heavyweight.
The Caramel Red Ale was a bit more special. Crystal 80 and 120 allowed this one to be darker in color than a traditional red. With 3 types of hop additions, plus dry hopping. This one was a bit closer to an IPA or Red IPA than anything we've tried before. Dry Hopping adds a killer aroma to a beer. We may try to dry hop a pale ale next.
Both were quite high in ABV, yet no one really said anything about the booziness. Maybe because it was free? In all, the cream may be the best tasting beer we have done so far.. Sadly within just 14 days of tapping the keg, 100 gallons ran dry. So we never got to taste it as it matured.. The Red is within days of being gone, so Ill need to try and get photos ASAP.
------------------
I threw out internet review scores for the day Friday and went to a few obscure out of town breweries.. Drinking beer on draft yields almost any beer, good or bad, to be 100 times better. I ended up drinking two 4.7% 50 IBU stouts (again, can anyone make a bad stout?), and a 100 ibu 6.3% black IPA, which was a bit more of a hop bomb than I anticipated. Review scores would say otherwise on a few of the ones I liked, but I liked them. I guess I ignore reviews? Lol
The other place I visited had about 7 beers on tap. Beers I have seen at the beer store for years and ignored. Each one was solid.. I ended up liking their imperial stout so much that I ended up with a case... I guess I should've hid my wallet. 3 beers later and your mind isn't where you think it is..
- Jan 7, 2004
- 28,043
- 10,466
Not a fan of pumpkin beer. There's a local brewery (Defiant) that has a nice batch.
But I stick to Sam October in the Fall for football games.
But I stick to Sam October in the Fall for football games.
- Sep 16, 2009
- 913
- 115
Just pickled up two 120 min Dogfish Head IPAs, those are hard to find. When the store I go to stocks them, they sell out in a day.
- Dec 29, 2008
- 68,176
- 24,538
I don't get the hype around 120, I've had it and it tastes like liquor
It's also so strong it's almost like a chore to drink it
- Aug 4, 2005
- 35,033
- 16,945
Midas Touch is real good but I can only have one. Tastes like wine on the aftertaste
- Aug 4, 2005
- 35,033
- 16,945
Had 21st Amendment Brew Free or Die IPA. So good man, I'm starting to become a big fan of this brewery
- Dec 29, 2008
- 68,176
- 24,538
Def a good brewery; I had the option to go to SF for work in April but passed, def was hitting up 21st
Google map the restaurant; it looks awesome
- Aug 31, 2012
- 12,487
- 35,120
About to finish this off. Don't really taste the raisins/dark fruits, but I'm kind of glad that I don't. Never had the OG Yeti, but this is a tasty beer. Reminds me of a toned down version of Ten Fidy. 9/10
- Aug 12, 2012
- 731
- 313
I've had all the yetis except this one. The chocolate oak aged is definitely one of my favorite stouts. I'm drinking Sam Adams blueberry hill lager and little white rye from the summer pack.About to finish this off. Don't really taste the raisins/dark fruits, but I'm kind of glad that I don't. Never had the OG Yeti, but this is a tasty beer. Reminds me of a toned down version of Ten Fidy. 9/10
- Dec 29, 2008
- 68,176
- 24,538
I want to try that blueberry hill lager
- Aug 4, 2005
- 35,033
- 16,945
Not a big fan of it.Blueberry doesn't go well in beer IMO. Had sea dog blueberry wheat and it wasn't that good.
Had perpetual IPA last night. Pretty good, a little on the bitter side. Wish it was more balanced
- Dec 29, 2008
- 68,176
- 24,538
Hmm I like the Blue Point Blueberry Lager but that's about it to my blueberry tastes
Perpetual isn't bad but IPA's aren't really my thing
Perpetual isn't bad but IPA's aren't really my thing
- Sep 28, 2004
- 13,924
- 5,900
Fruit beers are hard to get right.. Most I've tried are either too light on the fruit taste and have a bit of bitterness/tartness to them (blueberry hill lager has this strange bitter aftertaste that is vile). Or they are overly sweet, almost like a malt 'female' beverage. There are only a few in between that I like. Pyramid Apricot Ale I can drink all day.
Annheiuser Busch makes this one called Rascal's Wild Red and Wild Blue. Both are about 8% ABV, and just massively sweet. The fruit flavor is all there. I did a fruit beer tasting back around July 4th, and found this one one of the only drinkable fruit beers.. Then I see review scores around 61.. I guess this wasn't one of our better tastings, lol.
Maybe I need some palette cleansing beers once in awhile. But I've had quite a few variety shocktops and found them above average. I don't feel like I'm tasting a beer in the traditional sense, with minimal malt and hop flavor. But for what it is, I can drink them. They now have a pumpkin beer out, which may be the only pumpkin beer I like, believe it or not.
Annheiuser Busch makes this one called Rascal's Wild Red and Wild Blue. Both are about 8% ABV, and just massively sweet. The fruit flavor is all there. I did a fruit beer tasting back around July 4th, and found this one one of the only drinkable fruit beers.. Then I see review scores around 61.. I guess this wasn't one of our better tastings, lol.
Maybe I need some palette cleansing beers once in awhile. But I've had quite a few variety shocktops and found them above average. I don't feel like I'm tasting a beer in the traditional sense, with minimal malt and hop flavor. But for what it is, I can drink them. They now have a pumpkin beer out, which may be the only pumpkin beer I like, believe it or not.
- Dec 29, 2008
- 68,176
- 24,538
I copped some Evolution Jacques Au Lantern
Supposed to be an awesome pumpkin ale
Not my pic but for reference
Supposed to be an awesome pumpkin ale
Not my pic but for reference
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- Apr 12, 2006
- 2,397
- 471
I mainly drink heiniken, corona, or SA. Sometimes asahi.
- Mar 10, 2013
- 9,025
- 8,119
New Belgium Brewing just made its way to Central FL. Two 22 oz bottles for $5.00 at Total Wine. Good deal, but no 1554 which is the only NBB beer I really like. Fat Tire is aight. Not feeling this Ranger IPA too much.
- Aug 31, 2012
- 12,487
- 35,120
Finally cracked one of these open. It's getting better as it warms up, but I feel as if it's hard for me to pull out any distinct flavors from this beer. It's obviously malty, and a tiny bit smoky...but other than that I feel like the flavors are kind of vague. Not a bad beer, but I prefer Dirty Bastard over this and I definitely prefer Backwoods Bastard by a mile. 7.5/10
- Aug 31, 2012
- 12,487
- 35,120
Now this is just a great all around beer. Hoppy, but perfectly balanced and really drinkable. Awesome citrus fruit flavors in this. Probably my favorite Single IPA along with Sculpin. 9.5/10.
- Oct 18, 2017
- 2,696
- 5,692
Anyone into ciders?
Tried Shock Top's Cider draft and I enjoyed it.
If anyone can recommend any others to try, LMK.
Thanks.
Tried Shock Top's Cider draft and I enjoyed it.
If anyone can recommend any others to try, LMK.
Thanks.
- Feb 26, 2004
- 2,736
- 355
I'm a fan of Shipyard's Pumpkinhead.
It gets a bad rap on BA, but I really liked it.
A bit more spicy and sweet than pumpkin, IMO.
-J-
It gets a bad rap on BA, but I really liked it.
A bit more spicy and sweet than pumpkin, IMO.
-J-
- Dec 29, 2008
- 68,176
- 24,538
Ya know what? At first I hated and as years have gone on, I really like it
It's VERY unique
- Feb 26, 2004
- 2,736
- 355
It's an EXCELLENT beer to have with a cigar. We were smoking a CAO Brazilia and it completely heightened all of the flavors in the beer.
-J-
- Dec 29, 2008
- 68,176
- 24,538
