NT, What Beer Do You Drink?

[kickhead23]

Contemplating trading off my bottle of Westy 12 if someone can come at me with something good.  Not too sure if I'd go through with it, but I'm curious to see what my options are looking like.


Just sayin'.

I'm not sure I've got the ammo for the Westy 12, but I'm sure interested in a BCBCS having never gotten to try it and being in love with coffee stouts. I'm down here in Florida, anything this way you'd be interested in?

EDIT: Nvm, Wally has the BCBCS. But I would also be open to a trade with you, good sir. If I'm not mistaken you are an IPA man? Cigar city has some great offerings I usually get about 5 days after canning date. Lmk.

 

[wallyhopp]

Went with a sculpin Ipa for a night cap last night. I gotta say, much more hop bitterness in the initial tasting each time I took a drink than the first time I had it.. Great mouthfeel though. After the initial bitterness, it's just a smooth tasting IPA. Sessionable beyond belief. I didnt get a hop bomb sensation

Today.. The big boys get their day in court


RR Blind PIg IPA.. Bottled date 2/24/14

To me, it compares very similiarly to Sculpin. Initial hop bite then it's just unbelievably smooth and drinkable. Not at all like elevated. But that can be a good thing. Piney and some citrus hop smells. Not harsh in any regard anywhere. More like a pale ale imho. Worthy of its ba score 97/100.

RR Pliny the Elder. Bottled date 2/19/14

Upon cracking it open, what a smell. It's a fruity type of hop smell. It lingers throughout the entire drink through smell and taste. I didn't get a sense of any type of floral hops in this. It was very fruity smelling (grapefruits maybe?)..

Again, like Blind Pig and Sculpin, the mouthfeel is rather muted. Not thin persay, but it has an amazing sensation of tasting a touch light. Very smooth.. The fruity hops dominate this drink. I gotta say, I haven't really tried a beer that has used this combo of hops to create this distinct taste.. Not boozy at all. Off of memory, Project Dank comes close with some fruity hop smells, but tastes a bit heavier. Even Lagunitas Sucks has that heaviness that can be a turnoff to these lighter tasting IPAs, if that makes sense.. Top 5 beer in the world? Tough to say. I think people follow hype and are afraid of posting 4.5/5 review scores. But if Lagunitas Sucks can
earn a 97 overall, I suppose this is a near 99.. I would still say what elevated IPA does for me, puts it near or above Pliny.

The common component between HT, Sculpin, Blind Pig, and HT over this past month of drinking has been that thinner smooth mouthfeel.. I have tasted some IPAs that are harsh and abrasive hop bombs all the way through.. These 4 use hops in a way that they don't taste too crazy.. Who would've thought the best IPAs and DIPAs aren't really hop bombish? Elevated has a drier mouthfeel and the hop profile in smell and taste dominates everything listed above.. I will say, between a 95 rated IPA to a 100 is a very thin margin of error. They are pretty much all good. Giving a title to a beer seems crazy but its the world we live in.


Since both RR beers are fresh in my memory I'm gonna try a Project Dank 2/26/14 that I bought last week that I haven't had a chance to try yet.

Review soon...........

 

[GreenNGold89]

Had cafe racer 15 and apex last night. Enjoyed both.

 

[Final Bosa]

Reloaded the fridge with these last night. I thought the Illinois was excellent.

 

[wallyhopp]

So I had the latest Project Dank by La Cumbre last night to try and compare to some Pliny..

Bottled Date: 2/26/14
ABV: 7.5%... IBU: A LOT

Initial pour looked like this

Second serving had what appeared to be this crazy hop oil type sediment floating around in the bottom of the bear

It didn't seem to affect flavors too much. Maybe a touch hoppier.

I gotta say, it's a whole other beast compared to Pliny. Pliny is clean and refined. Hops up front, but then just crisp and clean after that.

The fruity hop flavors cannot compare either. Dank has much more going for it as far as smells and flavors. A touch oniony, very dank (think grassy and resiny), not too floral, but very very tropical fruit smelling.. Taste wise, this beer has a long lingering hop bite after every sip, you know there is a truckload of hops in this. Yet to me its still not too overpowering.. It's 100/100 within its own right. I can't say it compares to anything I have tried.

As far as what I have locally or available to me compared to how HT and PtE tastes, nothing quite comes close to having that crisp clean drinkability. Most IPAs try too hard and fail with too much floral taste or the mouthfeel is off.. I would love to have either as a local option, or at least something similar. But at the end of the day, I feel okay about the choices I have.

Elevated cravings are always there. Elevated has more of a hop bomb type taste throughout and some mango type fruit sweetness all throughout. Pliny the elder has its own fruity hop smell and slight sweetness. It seemed to lack that hop punch feeling you get with some IPAs. Elevated punches you and then rewards you with some nice malt sweetness. PtE never quite reaches that hop pucker level. Clean and smooth all through..

Seeking out anymore or ANY other top IPA/ DIPAs probably wont be done from here on out. They are great but many beers do come close.

I'd love to hear your take on Project Dank tee eye ehm.
------------

NeoSole89, how is that Stone go to IPA? I saw some at my grocery store, but they were asking $8.99/six pack. I'd rather GO to buy a lagunita sucks six pack for the same price and twice the ABV..

 

[Chopper]

Hunahpu Day @Cigar City Brewing:

Spoiler

Got there at 11a. Waited in line for an hour to get in. Wasn't that bad of a wait in all reality. The line was HUGE and moving at a good clip so I was surprised it only took an hour. NO ONE was buying their guaranteed 3 Hunahpu Imperial Stouts for the first two hours (11-1p). I hopped around and tasted at least a handful of beers from 12p to 1p, then decided to go grab my 3 bottles at 1p. I was about 5th in line when I picked mine up. Took less than 3 minutes. From 1p - 3p I mingled, tasted at least five more beers from other breweries, and shared BCBS for a couple other pours with a large group of people I met (I rolled dolo). Tasted some excellent beers. 3p hits and I went to the mosh pit to try and get my hands on a case of Huna Imp. Stout, as they said they'd start selling the leftovers by case load at 4p. Walked out of that joint and hailed a cab at 4:30p as a happy individual. Cigar City Brewing F'd up my letting people in who purchased counterfeit tickets via Ebay, Stubhub, etc. It was supposed to only be 3.5k people there, but there had to be double that.

This stuff is straight up chronic. Wow. 10/10.

 

[yeahitsrust]

My past few pours over the past week or so before getting home from Alabama yesterday. Glad I got my hands on some Jester King, one of my absolute favorites.Also had another shipment in from Wally, thanks my man! And that last pic is whats boxed up and ready to go out tomorrow morning via ups. Threw in a couple you didn't request but I think you'll enjoy them Drinking my last Elevated and going onto Sour in the Rye from the Bruery.

Cheers!

 

[Comparison Ford]

Hunahpu Day @Cigar City Brewing:

Spoiler

Got there at 11a. Waited in line for an hour to get in. Wasn't that bad of a wait in all reality. The line was HUGE and moving at a good clip so I was surprised it only took an hour. NO ONE was buying their guaranteed 3 Hunahpu Imperial Stouts for the first two hours (11-1p). I hopped around and tasted at least a handful of beers from 12p to 1p, then decided to go grab my 3 bottles at 1p. I was about 5th in line when I picked mine up. Took less than 3 minutes. From 1p - 3p I mingled, tasted at least five more beers from other breweries, and shared BCBS for a couple other pours with a large group of people I met (I rolled dolo). Tasted some excellent beers. 3p hits and I went to the mosh pit to try and get my hands on a case of Huna Imp. Stout, as they said they'd start selling the leftovers by case load at 4p. Walked out of that joint and hailed a cab at 4:30p as a happy individual. Cigar City Brewing F'd up my letting people in who purchased counterfeit tickets via Ebay, Stubhub, etc. It was supposed to only be 3.5k people there, but there had to be double that.

This stuff is straight up chronic. Wow. 10/10.

Will trade away my Westy 12 for a bottle.

Plz papi.

 

[salazaro44]

Pbr for me tonight.With the amount of craft I drink it helps remind me to not be a beer snob and it's nostalgic. With that being said anyone have FBS, hopslam, left hand nitro milk stout or zombie dust to trade? Maybe some heady topper??

 

[neosole89]

NeoSole89, how is that Stone go to IPA? I saw some at my grocery store, but they were asking $8.99/six pack. I'd rather GO to buy a lagunita sucks six pack for the same price and twice the ABV..

Honestly, it tasted like a light beer with hops. Very disappointed. At 4.5 ABV, you're going to have to drink the whole 6'er to even get any kind of buzz. Probably won't buy it again.

 

[salazaro44]

Honestly, it tasted like a light beer with hops. Very disappointed. At 4.5 ABV, you're going to have to drink the whole 6'er to even get any kind of buzz. Probably won't buy it again.

It's a session beer. Under 5%. It's meant to be consumed 3 or 4 bottles in one sitting and still be fine to go back to work or drive. If you want to get hammered get old gaurdian, RIS, double bastard, or enjoy by.

 

[neosole89]

It's a session beer. Under 5%. It's meant to be consumed 3 or 4 bottles in one sitting and still be fine to go back to work or drive. If you want to get hammered get old gaurdian, RIS, double bastard, or enjoy by.

Yeah I know but I thought the taste was lackluster. My girl liked it though since it had a lighter taste. For the price, I'd get something else for sure.

 

[yeahitsrust]

Pbr for me tonight.With the amount of craft I drink it helps remind me to not be a beer snob and it's nostalgic. With that being said anyone have FBS, hopslam, left hand nitro milk stout or zombie dust to trade? Maybe some heady topper??

I have everything you posted except for HT and zombie dust. If you're still interested.

 

[wallyhopp]

Rounding out some beers I received last week

Knee Deep Brewing Hoptologist DIPA 9% ABV... Bottled date 1/28/14

I hate when this happens. This beer had an incredible sense of smelling like caramel and toffee, almost to the point where the hop smell isn't really there, or it doesnt smell like the traditional bright hop aroma. What I hate is that I have never tried this before. So I don't know if this is normal or a bad bottle. It gives off an almost "spoiled malt" vibe to it. Something is off and I can't pinpoint it. I want to say that it's highly drinkable and balanced, But maybe the wrong mix of balance.

I knew nothing about the beer or brewery before trying it. Only after did I see that it's a 87/100 BA scored beer. I'd say it probably lives up to that number.. The odd taste isn't spit out of your mouth bad, nor is it a drain pour. I'd almost say its more of an english IPA, where the malts can be the dominating factor. I even sense some toasted malt. Now for 9%, I don't get a sense of any true sweetness. The malts used blend in with the hops to create this weird mash of flavors. I can't tell if I hate it, or just an accepting of the flavors.

I do appreciate the opportunity to try it. Not bad. Not amazing. Has anyone tried this stuff before? They are out of Auburn, CA. I'm reading about them from their website, and I didn't really catch any sense of citrus or pine hop characteristics.

 

[Final Bosa]

^ I definitely was not feeling hoptoligist. . Maybe I was expecting more. These are our pours tonight, with some steaks .

After having the Illinois for the second time.. it is definitely one of my favorites and can easily substitute Pliny the Elder.

 

[based mod]

PtY

Took 30 seconds to get a glass. Love SD beer bars

 

[salazaro44]

Day off. Drinking fresh squeezed while packing. Moving in 2 weeks. Huge mango and tangerine notes. Amazing brew. Usually hesitant about buying IPAs where I found this but luckily it's an enjoy by June 2014 so it must be pretty fresh.

 

[uncalled4boy]

Doing A Beer Challenge At Work. We Are Drinking At Least One Beer From Every State.

I Wanted To Be The One Who Got The Beer From Hawaii Or Alaska But Idk If Any NTers There Can Recommend Me Something

Any NTers In West VA, Illinois, TX, Or The Carolinas Have Any Reccommendations For Brews From Your States?

 

[uncalled4boy]

Also Forgot To Share Some Recent Beers I've Tried.

 

[yeahitsrust]

PtY

Took 30 seconds to get a glass. Love SD beer bars

I miss home... Based was this at Tornado? Who else had PtY on tap?

 

[pftjordans]

Tried this Left hand Brewery Stout and it is so damn good creamy, dark and Rich!!!
Way better than the Bells I posted earlier
[emoji]128076[/emoji][emoji]128076[/emoji][emoji]128175[/emoji][emoji]128175[/emoji][emoji]128588[/emoji][emoji]128588[/emoji]

 

[hurley34]

Big fan of left hand's nitro milk stout. Will have to check that one up there out too.

 

[shannonscrooks]

I've had 400 Pound Monkey, Sawtooth and Milk Stout from Lefthand, huge fan of all 3, never seen that RIS from them

 

[Chopper]

^^ I concur. LH Nitro Milk Stout is awesome. 

Trying to get my hands on some Surly Blakkr next week while I'm in Minneapolis. It's a black IPA collab between Surly, Three Floyds and Real Ale. 

 

[based mod]

PtY

Took 30 seconds to get a glass. Love SD beer bars

I miss home... Based was this at Tornado? Who else had PtY on tap?

O'briens.

Pretty much all the beer bars you'd expect had it - Toronado, Hamilton's, couple of Pizza Ports, Blind Lady, etc. Some had raffles, others threw it on by surprise. I think this was O'briens's second keg cause I know they had a raffle too but the one today was a surprise.