NT, What Beer Do You Drink?

[wallyhopp]

My stout beer tasting has been completed.

So I took these out about one hour before I started tasting them. I left them outside on a nice 65 degree day. Itried to do this blindy but with such a small sample size, I pretty much knew what to expect.

We have the following:
Stone Imperial Russian Stout. Bottle date 3.15.13
Sierra Nevada Narwhal Imperial Stout Bottle around ~ August. 2013
Founders Double Chocolate Oatmeal Stout Bottled 12.24.12
Oskar Blues Ten Fidy bottled 1.3.13

Aroma wise, FBS was the least subtle. Which actually makes this one quite favorable in the long run. Ten FIDY was boozy all the way through. Narwhal had this upfront flavor profile that I couldnt quite pinpoint... The two most suble beers were Stone and FBS.. Founders though... It's really not even close.. That one just wins out with the double chocolate flavor profile. It's not overly bitter or crazy in the aftertaste like a lot of beers tend to be. The subtle nature of the chocolate has such a rewarding quality.

Narwhal is a bit boozy, much like ten fidy. Both have hints of different ingredients that sneak up on you... Stone has a bit of a carbonation bite that takes away from a solid mouth feel.

In the end, it was a no brainier. As a big fan of chocolate that isnt too bitter, Founders wins out on so many levels.. This one felt smooth from the very beginning. This one just sits in your mouth like a very well aged bourbon or whiskey.

To be honest, if a Left Hand Milk Stout had a bit more flavor and uniqueness, it would come close to what I like about FBS.

If I had to rank the four, I would literally follow the BA scores..

100 FBS
97 Stone
95 Ten fidy
90 Narwhal

There really wasn't any slouches present but. But FBS really stood out.. The beer almost tastes like a nitro version of a left hand stout, but 10 times better.. To be honest, after figuring out which one was FBS, I was let down with the others.. The overall quality of FBS has just really won me over... It was 2% ABV points lower than the others, but it still felt a bit too smooth. Even if the others could get lower, I dont think it would be close. The ABV didnt win me over here. The others had hints of things that had either off flavors or aftertaste notes that made you wonder. FBS was overall crafted just about as perfect as they come.
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yeahitsRUST, I finally had a chance to share a bomber of the HOPPYUM that I was sent by you... Truly solid stuff. This one has quite the hoppy pucker quality to it initially. It was hard to pick up any other subtle notes. But this is some decent stuff. I am very appreciative of being able to try it. This one was a bit more malt forward than the local IPAs I'm used to. But I would not say no to a pint of this. Great stuff by Foothills Brewery out of Winston-Salem, NC

 

[kickhead23]

I. am. Alive. But nothing more. Will report back tomorrow with tasting notes.

 

[lil black jean jacket]

After reading those walls of text, I think it's time for me to start drinking better beer . . I've just been on a budget lately so I drink 40's alot to get f--ked up :\

 

[yeahitsrust]

yeahitsRUST, I finally had a chance to share a bomber of the HOPPYUM that I was sent by you... Truly solid stuff. This one has quite the hoppy pucker quality to it initially. It was hard to pick up any other subtle notes. But this is some decent stuff. I am very appreciative of being able to try it. This one was a bit more malt forward than the local IPAs I'm used to. But I would not say no to a pint of this. Great stuff by Foothills Brewery out of Winston-Salem, NC[/quote]



All this talk of FBS has me scratching to do a 2011/12/13 comparison. But I'm not home.

However, I did spent absolutely too much money on FBS for myself, you, and my two friends in San Diego. Please believe me when I say I bought enough this year to go around. Or I hope so at least. My wife tried to choke me through the phone when I told her how much I "purchased with future trades in mind". She didn't buy it. If you liked the Foothills stuff I sent let me know. I love their Hoppyum and the Jade. Both are available and relatively cheap around my way.

I want to send you some of the local brews from my little town but thats only available in growler from. And I have learned that it gets very, VERY, expensive sending growlers of stuff. (Although I would be willing for fresh LC and some nice glassware).

Just let me know what you have in mind.

I hate to do this all here but for whatever reason I cannot access PMs through mobileNT. I can read the messages but I can't reply. Anyone else experience this?

 

[shannonscrooks]

Picked up a 4 pack of Founders breakfast stout for football viewing today, interested to see what the hype is all about

 

[salazaro44]

picked up some pumpkin and halloween beers for tonight. Staying in and watching halloween movies with my gf tonight.

 

[dneff34]

I'm gonna start going to Total Wine to "build my own" 6 packs. Any suggestions? I'm open to anything

 

[dneff34]

Post which total wines is close to you so they can see what's available stock wise.

I go to school in Reno (there's only one location here), but go back home to Roseville too!

 

[salazaro44]

Went to the stone brewery yesterday and they had beers left over from the pour it black event. I had a glass of suede, deschutes black butte xxv, rip currents kona storm, vanilla storm, hazardous hazelnut porter and rescue buoy. The rip current beers were seriously so amazing. The hazelnut just blew any other hazelnut beer I've ever tried.

 

[Comparison Ford]

Today's been a pretty good day so far:

Oh...and the new Backstage series beer from Founders sounds like it's gonna be a winner: 

"It’s not always a good thing when your reputation precedes you. But the complexity of this powerful wheat wine will give it a Sweet Repute no matter where, when or how your paths meet. Our brewing team painstakingly choreographed each layer of this beer’s characteristics, starting with a healthy wheat and roasted malt base and adding clean, fragrant hops. It’s one-hundred percent barrel aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels and bourbon barrels over the course of sixteen months, then blended using carefully calculated ratios for the ultimate final product. The resulting 13% ABV liquid pours a bright warm russet with a stubborn ivory head and an intoxicatingly sweet nutty aroma. Take your time allowing the layers of flavors to unfold…Because it’ll only get better."

http://foundersbrewing.com/backstage-series/sweet-repute-2013/

 

[jbug88]

I'm down in Tampa right now. Had to stop by Cigar City. Very cool place. Nice employees. Had a Tropical Trippel. Very tasty and not boozy for 9.5%.

 

[MajinZuub]

Had this last night. Enjoyed it, was bitter at first then starts to get better after the first few sips. Can't go wrong with Stone.

 

[fade on you]

Tonight

 

[Comparison Ford]

Two more reviews for my NT bretheren:

A friend of mine brought this over Friday night.  Knowing that I have a general disdain for pumpkin beers, he decided to pick one out that he thought I'd enjoy.  I'd had the Schlafly's pumpkin ale a few weeks ago and enjoyed it well enough, so I was curious to see how this compares. Pours a golden/light amber color with a fizzy head that dissipates fairly quickly.  Aroma wasn't as strong as the Schlafly's; this was a little sweeter smelling and less spiced. Upon the first sip of this beer, I had an epiphany.  I had figured out the origins of my disdain for pumpkin beer:  I worked for Michaels Arts and Crafts for 3 years when I was in high school.  From the end of the summer to the end of winter we used to sell those dank cinnamon pinecones.  You'd be able to smell them the second you walked inside the store.  While most customers loved the smell, I naturally grew to hate it.  It's been about 8 years since I stopped working there, but the hatred carries on.  Basically what I'm trying to get at is...pumpkin beer tastes like Michaels Arts and Crafts.  Having said that: this beer is somewhat tolerable for the style.  I liked that this beer wasn't as spiced as the Schlafly's, and had actual pumpkin puree in it.  This beer actually tasted like pumpkin, whereas Schlafly's tasted like a spiced brown ale.  In closing: I'm glad I tried it, it's a great representation of the style, but I will not be drinking another this season. 8.8/10

This just came in at most of the beer distributors by my house today. I'd heard great things about this, so I scooped of a 4-pack with the quickness.  Poured a light amber/golden color, pretty much what you'd expect from an IPA.  Aroma is more piney and floral than citrusey, quite pleasant.  Taste matches the nose.  Considering that the bottle was about a week old, it obviously tastes really fresh and crisp.  Not much maltiness on this beer.  Pretty much straight hop juice.  Overall I wouldn't go crazy searching for this beer, but it's a great beer that I wouldn't mind purchasing again. 9.2/10

 

[Chopper]

Sipping a Founders Porter. This stuff is literally PERFECTION!

Heading up to the Twin Cities in about a week. Going to load up on Surly Bender and Furious. Anybody that's never had it and is looking for some shoot me a PM. 

 

[tee eye ehm]

Had this for dinner last night.

 

[salazaro44]

Just had a few awesome beers. Clown shoes 1.5 hoppy feet, lagunitas lucky 13. Bought a 4 pack of golden road point the way ipa to support local la craft beer but I didn't realize it was an old expired batch. It was bottled back in June. It smells like an amazing beer but the taste is way off since it's old.

 

[ROYGBiV]

Sorry for the newb question but ive had a bottle of DFH pumpkin ale and a bottle of wild blue in my fridge for like close to a month and a half. are they still good to drink?

 

[dneff34]

Been trying some different stuff lately, really enjoyed this one

 

[stillin729]

Victory Winter Cheers

6.7% Winter Unfiltered Wheat Ale

 

[wallyhopp]

Trying to catch up with the new posts here

picked up some pumpkin and halloween beers for tonight. Staying in and watching halloween movies with my gf tonight.

I had to look the majority up online. But they look like some beasts. I would be drinking pumpkin beers religiously if something of true interest was there. One local place (the last growler review I made: Witch's Tit) is nice but that's not just always feasible price or consumption wise.

I've had a few clown shoes beer.. Galatica IPA is solid. Some of their other reviews on their bombers are good too. But I haven't invested the $7-$9 on a bomber just yet.

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Dneff34,
With so much to choose from, I would cheat just a touch
http://www.totalwine.com/eng/categories/beer!sortBy/HR
Sort by "Professional Reviews" and you'll see some solid choices. I would look immediately at Scuplin IPA, anything Firestone Walker really. Sometimes you just have to read their little description and or take a chance on something unknown.. There is a reason most of these are bottled and distributed.. As bad as some of us may think something is, someone likes it. This is by no means a beer snob thread.

You can also sort by beer style and country, so do just a touch of prep work, and you may not be so overwhelmed.

Not sure if the Eel river porter was one of your pick ups there. But you gotta start somewhere. if you like that sort of flavor, seek out other stouts or porters.. 1 or 2 new tries a week goes a long way in expanding your long term choices

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Comparison Ford, Nice pickups. What's that third beer over in the white label? Harvest Ale looks amazing, color wise.

I truly believe pumpkin beers need to be in the double or Imperial level to balance out what they all are trying to accomplish, so seeing IMPERIAL right on the label of the pumking would almost win me over. Have you tried Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin? Other than local stuff, that's about the only above 6% abv pumpkin beer around.

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EyeSeeSoles, You should be fine. Most beers have a shelf life of around 3-4 months. Most IPAs you want to try to drink within 6 weeks. But other styles can go much long
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Was at a Total Wine and other beer store a couple days ago browsing and not buying. So when I finally go to Walmart not expecting much, i see two twelve packs of Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale... This was the one "winter" beer I was waiting for.. Along with that, they had some of my local Oktoberfest beer for $2 less than any other place. I bought out that place lol.

Onto Celebration Ale. This one, unlike other Winter beers, is listed as a harvest ale/IPA. In theory, you can harvest hops as late as late August in many parts of the country, so this beers release date is right in line with what they are trying to do. This one is very hard to judge. It is as full bodied as you will find with IPAs. It has quite a bit sweetness to balance out the hops, a touch more sweetness than most IPAs i'm used to. And even then, the hops sneak in all over the place. I say it's balanced, yet the malt sweetness has pronounced flavor, and also the hops just come through everywhere. It has balanced extremeness i guess you can say. The beer has a chewiness while drinking it, almost like a stout. It is very malt forward. I even taste some sort of winter spice thrown in at some point.. WIth no crazy off tastes, this one goes down smoothly, although not as smooth as other beers. It does feel a bit heavy for a 6.8%. But that's a good thing. It does feel like a warm sipping IPA because of the beers heaviness.. I would easily give this a 9.4 out of 10.

(Bottled date was September 30th, 2013)

Also have been having some Kellerweis... My true go to "light" beer offering.. Lovely stuff

 

[Comparison Ford]

Comparison Ford, Nice pickups. What's that third beer over in the white label? Harvest Ale looks amazing, color wise.

I truly believe pumpkin beers need to be in the double or Imperial level to balance out what they all are trying to accomplish, so seeing IMPERIAL right on the label of the pumking would almost win me over. Have you tried Shipyard Smashed Pumpkin? Other than local stuff, that's about the only above 6% abv pumpkin beer around.

That would be a 2010 bottle of Bell's Expedition Stout. I'm fortunate enough to live 15 minutes away from a small homebrewing shop that carries a bunch of "white whales." That's where I got the Expedition Stout and the Firestone 16.  The also had a 2011 bottle of Cherry Rye Bourbon County Stout, a 2010 Cigar City Hunahpu, a 2006 Stone RIS,  Russian River Redemption, and Cuir from The Bruery. I'm making friends quickly there 

.

Never tried any beers from Shipyard, to be honest. I've heard of Smashed Pumpkin, but know nothing about it. I've read a lot of things from people saying that they really enjoy Pumpkinhead, regardless of its low score on BeerAdvocate. One of my friends also enjoys it.  Might have to give it a day in court. 

 

[newbs24]

Grabbed a TenFidy to see how it is... Bought my good friend a sixer of Stone IPA after his wife had a double mastectomy yesterday... Only 32... God bless her.

 

[yeahitsrust]

Grabbed a TenFidy to see how it is... Bought my good friend a sixer of Stone IPA after his wife had a double mastectomy yesterday... Only 32... God bless her.

Ignorant post on my behalf. I'm sorry your boy and his wife are going through that...

 

[jbug88]

Grabbed a TenFidy to see how it is... Bought my good friend a sixer of Stone IPA after his wife had a double mastectomy yesterday... Only 32... God bless her.

Bruh, that is unnecessary information to post. Damn man.
After one boy and one girl I'm considering the snip. Way to ruin this thread for me Newbs....

ummm...you got your 'ectomys mixed up Rust.
Mastectomy is the removal of breast tissue for women. Often done in response to some sort of breast cancer.
Dudes will get a vastectomy. Snipping of the vasdeferans.

-J-