The OFFICIAL Craft Beer Thread

rass · Post by **rass** » Mon Feb 29, 2016 4:21 pm

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The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Mon Feb 29, 2016 4:28 pm

BSF21 wrote:
Shirley wrote:
BSF21 wrote:Is this how it was right before Skynet became self aware? It started having opinions on beer?
Pretty sure that's a dude, not a bot. Maybe I'm feeling overly generous, but I'm not deleting him yet.
With a website like botmasterwebs.com, how could he not be human?

It's not an obvious fake, like that bot pimping BrightCar and DaveSez.com

Post by **Shirley** » Mon Feb 29, 2016 4:47 pm

OK fine, I'm happy to delete him. None of those techniques will really work on our forum, because we don't have the volume to hide their posts.

This thread is gonna look weird when his post is gone.

rass · Post by **rass** » Mon Feb 29, 2016 5:55 pm

Joke is on him/er.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Fri Mar 11, 2016 4:55 pm

The Sybian wrote:Finally took the plunge, and have my first batch of homebrew wort boiling on the stove. Most productive day of work ever. The wife was worried about the smell after a friend bitched to her about it, so I have to brew when she isn't home. Wasn't bad at first, but yeah, the bittering hops are starting to fucking wreak. Our friend is forced to brew outside, so hopefully the smell will dissipate before she comes home.

Recipe is a Ballast Point Sculpin clone. I won't follow BP's lead and ruin it with grapefruit juice, pineapple or mango. Grapefruit made the beer worse, and I refuse to try the other 2.

And it's bottled! Just need to wait about 10 more days. I calculate 5.1% ABV, so not too much lower than I should have gotten. Tastes hoppy as fuck, but that should dissipate a bit I'm told. Not bad hoppy, but overly fresh maybe? Just need to work on a better straining technique, and need to use a sock for dry hopping. I can't believe how think the layer of yeast and hop sludge was at the bottom of the fermenter. Can't wait to try this!

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Mon Mar 14, 2016 10:21 am

So Cigar City goes ... but not to InBev as expected. They're now part of the private firm that also owns Oskar Blues.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Mon Mar 14, 2016 10:28 am

Wow. It hasn't even made social media down here. I had to go search for it. Saturday was Hunahpu Day, their annual festival. The logistical nightmares that I discussed with getting in to El Catador Club were tenfold with Hunahpu Day a few years ago.

The Brewbound article I read sounds like this is a good fit, or at least a much better fit than AB Inbev.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Mon Mar 14, 2016 10:34 am

I didn't go to Hunahpu, or any of the Beer Week events last week, but Whole Foods did have Last Snow Porter on tap from Funky Buddha. It was a damn fine beer. A coconut and coffee porter, with neither of those tastes overwhelming the beer.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Mon Mar 14, 2016 10:39 am

Ended up finding a Thre Floyds War Mullet DIPA, which was good, but not worth the $13 I paid for it.

Also had a Stone Delicious IPA and it was super good. Very solid IPA.

wlu_lax6 · Post by **wlu_lax6** » Mon Mar 14, 2016 2:47 pm

Has anyone tried this? I am intrigued but am not convinced about value to yum.
https://www.mobcraftbeer.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Nonlinear FC · Post by **Nonlinear FC** » Mon Mar 14, 2016 3:29 pm

The Sybian wrote:Enjoying my first Nugget Nectar of the season. While it is every bit as great as I remember it, I think it's lost it's specialness because there are so many great hoppy ales, it doesn't blow me away anymore. Still a first rate ale, and a nice change from IPAs. For some reason, I rarely go with APAs or red ales; almost always DIPAs or IPAs.

Had a great beer tasting with my brother in law on Saturday and this was one of our favorites. It was a blind taste test (my wife did the pouring) and we both nailed this one easily.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Mon Mar 14, 2016 4:22 pm

wlu_lax6 wrote:Has anyone tried this? I am intrigued but am not convinced about value to yum.
https://www.mobcraftbeer.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sharktank fan? It's an interesting idea, but I'm not all that intrigued. I think this would be a big hit with millennials, the whole social media crowdsourcing being involved in the decision aspect. There is so much great beer from highly reputable and established breweries, I don't see myself ever buying this. Every week there is a new limited edition beer from a top tier brewery that I would rather try than a random one-off crowd sourced borderline homebrew by two guys.

I think Kevin nailed the business model, they should look to use available space in bigger breweries rather than invest in all their own equipment right now. I think they were incredibly stupid in their choice of samples to give to the Sharks. Ending the samples with a sour? Nobody likes sours at first. It is an acquired taste, more so than any style IMO. It took Rush encouraging me to keep trying sours for me to finally develop a taste for them. Mark is the only beer drinker on the panel, and to paraphrase Mark, "I love beer, but I'm a Bud Light guy."

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Mon Mar 14, 2016 10:47 pm

Mikkeller Bar is awesome as always. Encouraged my friend to try the Prairie Bomb! She's now infatuated.

Stopped by a shithole little mom and pop on the way back to the hotel. Had the entire range of Russian River, sans beautification, and two styles of Bourbon County. Went with Brown Shugga, cause I loves it so.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 7:45 am

The Sybian wrote:It's an interesting idea, but I'm not all that intrigued. I think this would be a big hit with millennials, the whole social media crowdsourcing being involved in the decision aspect. There is so much great beer from highly reputable and established breweries, I don't see myself ever buying this.

So what do they do if some tester beer wins, they scale it up to cover demand and it just doesn't work? That would my biggest concern, beyond the gimmicky nature and what you said about just not needing something like that.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 8:04 am

mister d wrote:
The Sybian wrote:It's an interesting idea, but I'm not all that intrigued. I think this would be a big hit with millennials, the whole social media crowdsourcing being involved in the decision aspect. There is so much great beer from highly reputable and established breweries, I don't see myself ever buying this.
So what do they do if some tester beer wins, they scale it up to cover demand and it just doesn't work? That would my biggest concern, beyond the gimmicky nature and what you said about just not needing something like that.

You pre-order. So presumably if yours didn't win you don't have to buy, right? So they know their demand immediately.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 8:35 am

It certainly seems like a way to guarantee sales independent of quality.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 8:38 am

mister d wrote:It certainly seems like a way to guarantee sales independent of quality.

Absolutely. I didn't see that as where you were coming from. No way all of those beers will be good.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 9:06 am

The fact that one of them is a barrel aged IPA doesn't exactly fill me with confidence either.

BSF21 · Post by **BSF21** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 9:11 am

mister d wrote:The fact that one of them is a barrel aged IPA doesn't exactly fill me with confidence either.

That was my first thought when I clicked on the website.

Guacamole and Reese's Cups are great. Doesn't mean I want them together.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 9:53 am

Boulevard's Ginger Lemon Radler is back. It's March 15. Summer is here!

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 10:01 am

Brontoburglar wrote:Boulevard's Ginger Lemon Radler is back. It's March 15. Summer is here!

Basically, a shandy?

Post by **Sabo** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 10:08 am

mister d wrote:The fact that one of them is a barrel aged IPA doesn't exactly fill me with confidence either.

They also were pushing an India Pale Lager, which I had sometime in January. It was arguably the worst craft beer I've ever had.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 10:20 am

Hoppy lagers can work, but they fail a whole lot more often. Like I love Sunshine Pils by Troegs, but that's the exception.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 10:39 am

Brontoburglar wrote:Boulevard's Ginger Lemon Radler is back. It's March 15. Summer is here!

This made me laugh. I was just discussing how stupid the early seasonal releases have become. Last year, Octoberfest beers were out in early August.

Rush, how do you go to Mikkeller Bar and get Brown Shugga? Maybe it's different in CO, but Brown Shugga is everywhere in NJ. Mikkeller is probably my favorite bar, just don't walk more than a block or two in the wrong direction. Best part, you are guaranteed a contact high walking down the street in that area. People openly smoking joints on the streets.

Post by **brian** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 10:44 am

mister d wrote:Hoppy lagers can work, but they fail a whole lot more often. Like I love Sunshine Pils by Troegs, but that's the exception.

Sierra Nevada had a really good IPL in their Beer Camp series a couple years ago. Don't remember what brewery they worked with on it, but it was great. Their Beer Camp Tropical IPA was everywhere in Reno last weekend and I was impressed. Felt like they've missed more than hit on most of their seasonals and collaborations lately, but it was really good and not at all "fruity" like I feared.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 12:04 pm

The Sybian wrote:
Brontoburglar wrote:Boulevard's Ginger Lemon Radler is back. It's March 15. Summer is here!
This made me laugh. I was just discussing how stupid the early seasonal releases have become. Last year, Octoberfest beers were out in early August.

Rush, how do you go to Mikkeller Bar and get Brown Shugga? Maybe it's different in CO, but Brown Shugga is everywhere in NJ. Mikkeller is probably my favorite bar, just don't walk more than a block or two in the wrong direction. Best part, you are guaranteed a contact high walking down the street in that area. People openly smoking joints on the streets.

I'm heading up to San Francisco to go to Mikkeller with Rush this evening! I wouldn't mind also going to City Beer, which is near Mikkeller and also great, but I wouldn't walk those four blocks after dark. Luckily, Mikkeller is right next to my BART stop, and only a couple blocks from Rush's hotel.

Post by **brian** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 12:09 pm

I thought San Francisco was so gentrified that it was basically like Manhattan now -- not really any "bad" neighborhoods.

ETA: But seriously, last time I was there (three years ago-ish) I stayed at that Omni on Montgomery and walked all over -- to Chinatown, down to AT&T Park, etc. Could be the Detroiter in me, but I didn't get any weird vibes or sense any crappy neighborhoods.

howard · Post by **howard** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 12:12 pm

sancarlos wrote:…but I wouldn't walk those four blocks after dark.

Wow. I guess the old Tenderloin is back. And Civic Center. I thought they cleared out the homeless camp under the freeway there by City Beer.

I've heard crime is up, but didn't realize some of those blocks/neighborhoods had gotten that dangerous at night. I blame Apple.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 12:16 pm

mister d wrote:So Cigar City goes ... but not to InBev as expected. They're now part of the private firm that also owns Oskar Blues.

A more in depth piece on Cigar City that helps explain some of the reasons to make the move they did yesterday.

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 12:28 pm

howard wrote:
sancarlos wrote:…but I wouldn't walk those four blocks after dark.
Wow. I guess the old Tenderloin is back. And Civic Center. I thought they cleared out the homeless camp under the freeway there by City Beer.

I've heard crime is up, but didn't realize some of those blocks/neighborhoods had gotten that dangerous at night. I blame Apple.

Maybe you guys are tougher than me, but 6th/7th/8th streets, south of Market Street certainly aren't gentrified.

howard · Post by **howard** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 12:39 pm

Yeah, I suppose so, the little bit of residential around there is weird. I've rarely had occasion to walk in that area in recent years (find ballpark parking south of the freeway around 6th or 7th; haven't had to go the Hall of Justice in quite a while.)

(Then again, the EndUp is still there on 6th.)

sancarlos · Post by **sancarlos** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 12:48 pm

howard wrote:Yeah, I suppose so, the little bit of residential around there is weird. I've rarely had occasion to walk in that area in recent years (find ballpark parking south of the freeway around 6th or 7th; haven't had to go the Hall of Justice in quite a while.)

(Then again, the EndUp is still there on 6th.)

Yeah, it's fine near the ballpark. I'm talking about the area north of the highway, closer to Folsom/Harrison/Mission. City Bar is on Folsom/7th.

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 12:57 pm

The Sybian wrote:Mikkeller is probably my favorite bar, just don't walk more than a block or two in the wrong direction. Best part, you are guaranteed a contact high walking down the street in that area. People openly smoking joints on the streets.

I bought the Brown Shugga for enjoyment in the hotel room. I had a Modern Times Rye IPA, a barrel conditioned IPA, and a Mikkeller coffee stout at the bar.

Nonlinear FC · Post by **Nonlinear FC** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 1:34 pm

brian wrote:
mister d wrote:Hoppy lagers can work, but they fail a whole lot more often. Like I love Sunshine Pils by Troegs, but that's the exception.
Sierra Nevada had a really good IPL in their Beer Camp series a couple years ago. Don't remember what brewery they worked with on it, but it was great. Their Beer Camp Tropical IPA was everywhere in Reno last weekend and I was impressed. Felt like they've missed more than hit on most of their seasonals and collaborations lately, but it was really good and not at all "fruity" like I feared.

I had the Beer Camp Tropical last weekend and REALLY enjoyed it.

I have to say, since I haven't posted much in here... I'm not a big fan of heavy beers. A lot of the stuff you guys post about, I know I wouldn't like much. I'll try anything, but really heavy stouts and stuff feel like I'm doing work or something.

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 1:56 pm

I liked the tropical. I'm hit or miss with the added fruit or the fruity hops.

I like the Sculpin Grapefruit and a local brewery's take on the grapefruit IPA, but was very very disappointed in the most recent Chasin' Freshies, which was made with some hop variant that tastes of lemon.

I run the gamut of beer styles (though I do not like wheat/wits.) I prefer stouts if I'm only having one beer to enjoy as if it's a sipper it tends to last for more than 15 minutes.

Brontoburglar · Post by **Brontoburglar** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 4:22 pm

sancarlos wrote:
Brontoburglar wrote:Boulevard's Ginger Lemon Radler is back. It's March 15. Summer is here!
Basically, a shandy?

Yeah, it's a not-fake-sweet (or as sweet) and better version of Leinenkugel's.

It's not a world-class beer by any means, but I like it, especially when it's really hot outside.

A_B · Post by **A_B** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 4:45 pm

I still haven't seen any boulevard beer around here. May go check the joint where I got my three floyds the other day.

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 6:59 pm

A_B wrote:I still haven't seen any boulevard beer around here. May go check the joint where I got my three floyds the other day.

I'm not the biggest fan of their shelf beers, but I really like the one-offs/series beers they do. Big fan of the Barrel Aged Quad and the Rye-on-Rye.

The Sybian · Post by **The Sybian** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 7:54 pm

Rush2112 wrote:
A_B wrote:I still haven't seen any boulevard beer around here. May go check the joint where I got my three floyds the other day.
I'm not the biggest fan of their shelf beers, but I really like the one-offs/series beers they do. Big fan of the Barrel Aged Quad and the Rye-on-Rye.

I'm not a big saison fan, but Boulevard Tank 7 is really damned good. Just tried Rye-on-Rye, and all I tasted was rye. Rye Whiskey, but no beer taste at all. I have an open bottle of Templeton's right now, which is who they got the barrels from. Tastes exactly like Templeton's without the bite. I love Templeton's, but I prefer when the beer dominates with a more subtle whiskey addition. The Calling and Heavy Lifting IPAs are solid.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Tue Mar 15, 2016 8:20 pm

Picked up a Bourbon Barrel Quad from Boulevard at Whole Foods the other day. Anyone ever had it?