BEER

[eddy]

shmenguin, when I can come by and pick up all the beer in your basement since you're out of the beer game

i may end up selling it. i will give you opportunity to join the bidding

31 bourbon county stouts + 11 barley wines
a couple KBS
a case of st bernardus christmas
8 dogfish worldwide stout from 2010
a case of dogfish worldwide stout from 2013
12 dogfish raison d'extra's (the 18% version of raison d'etre)
10 dogfish Urkontinent (one of the tastiest beers ever made IMO...which they only made once)
2 Bruery Scure's, which i've never tried, and have been aging for a couple years

so again...f***ing s***. but there is a decent pay day in there if i put in the leg work.

Please let me know when it gets to that, I'll be happy to purchase some of that from you.

[slappybrown]

Yea those first two lines are calling my name. I've never had.

[Kraftster]

I think the thing about saisons, in the case of a beer tasting/trading event, is that you literally have no idea what you're going to get out of different breweries. Some are really hoppy, others lean towards a fruity side, some can be malty, and yet others have bitter aftertastes.

It's a lot better to pick a style that has general guidelines. Saisons are all over the place.

Hmm. I don't know that is really accurate. Yes, as a style it has a greater breadth insofar as there can be a variation in more numerous parts of the beer. But that said, there's still a standard for the traditional style. American saisons have taken the style to a lot of new places, but that's a fairly recent thing.

[count2infinity]

shmenguin, have you tried any of the Omission stuff? I see it all the time in the stores here.

there's not really any point in that for me. i've snobbed out over the years and stuck to my limited amount of brands. so if i can't have those, i'd probably rather have wine than beer that i don't love.

Makes sense... have you gotten into the cider game at all? I know I prefer Angry Orchard over Woodchuck, but that's about the extent of my cider knowledge. I make my own, and it's awesome, so I just stick with it.

[shmenguin]

shmenguin, have you tried any of the Omission stuff? I see it all the time in the stores here.

there's not really any point in that for me. i've snobbed out over the years and stuck to my limited amount of brands. so if i can't have those, i'd probably rather have wine than beer that i don't love.

Makes sense... have you gotten into the cider game at all? I know I prefer Angry Orchard over Woodchuck, but that's about the extent of my cider knowledge. I make my own, and it's awesome, so I just stick with it.

i had a really good cider a few months ago. it was from some small joint in michigan, i think. it was dry and oaky...good stuff. but all the brands i see on the shelves are just sugar bombs. way too sweet for me. not enough alcohol either. i want some burn.

so yeah, i like a good cider. but they're hard to come by.

[Kraftster]

I am awaiting the bugs + cider games. I foresee that coming at some point here, and I think it will be most delicious.

[count2infinity]

shmenguin, have you tried any of the Omission stuff? I see it all the time in the stores here.

there's not really any point in that for me. i've snobbed out over the years and stuck to my limited amount of brands. so if i can't have those, i'd probably rather have wine than beer that i don't love.

Makes sense... have you gotten into the cider game at all? I know I prefer Angry Orchard over Woodchuck, but that's about the extent of my cider knowledge. I make my own, and it's awesome, so I just stick with it.

i had a really good cider a few months ago. it was from some small joint in michigan, i think. it was dry and oaky...good stuff. but all the brands i see on the shelves are just sugar bombs. way too sweet for me. not enough alcohol either. i want some burn.

so yeah, i like a good cider. but they're hard to come by.

The keg I currently have on will likely be gone in the next month or so but it's very dry, and 9% ABV. I know that since I made it, it holds a special place in my heart, but it's probably the best cider I've ever had. Homemade cider is super easy to make too. Way easier than making beer.

[MWB]

shmenguin, when I can come by and pick up all the beer in your basement since you're out of the beer game

i may end up selling it. i will give you opportunity to join the bidding

31 bourbon county stouts + 11 barley wines
a couple KBS
a case of st bernardus christmas
8 dogfish worldwide stout from 2010
a case of dogfish worldwide stout from 2013
12 dogfish raison d'extra's (the 18% version of raison d'etre)
10 dogfish Urkontinent (one of the tastiest beers ever made IMO...which they only made once)
2 Bruery Scure's, which i've never tried, and have been aging for a couple years

so again...f***ing s***. but there is a decent pay day in there if i put in the leg work.

Please let me know when it gets to that, I'll be happy to purchase some of that from you.

In.

[columbia]

I just found an Anderson Valley gose in the fridge.

Score.

[llipgh2]

The Market District down the street from me has pumpkin beers in stock. A lot. Halloween candy is already in stores, so why not pumpkin beer?

Too early. To me, that's a fall/winter beer.

[eddy]

Sierra Nevada Octoberfest with Brauhaus Riegele is out now as well. I'm really looking forward to this one. Will probably have to pick up a case and hold on to it for a while.

[count2infinity]

Pumpkin beers should stay off the shelves until at least September. Octoberfest beers are fine IMO to come out in August considering the real Oktoberfest is in September. Plus they're not hop bombs or flavored with spices, so they'll be fine to age. Actually, I believe a genuine Oktoberfest beer should be brewed in March and aged until August/September.

[eddy]

I dig the new bottles.

three variants will make their first ever appearances:

Regal Rye Bourbon County Brand Stout

This nationally-released variant adds the base beer to Heaven Hill and Jim Beam rye whiskey barrels which are then blended together. Fresh, tart cherries from Michigan were added to the barrel for a few months, while Yakima Valley "single-strength" blackberry juice and Luxardo candied cherries were blended in afterward using a stainless steel infusion vessel. Uniquely, a touch of sea salt was added at the end. "It props the flavors up and rounds out the tartness," Siegel told me.

Proprietor's Bourbon County Brand Stout (2015)

This Chicagoland-only special release adds the base beer to bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup barrels sourced from Sugar Chalet in Ohio. A local culinary school helped the brewers roast 1000 pounds of raw pecans which were then added to the beer along with guajillo peppers just to give some moderate heat to the back-end. "Don't worry, it won't be face-melting," Siegel notes.

Rare Bourbon County Brand Stout (2015)

As Siegel told me, "This beer is a story that goes back two years ago. Our barrel broker came to us with this windfall of 33- to 35-year-old Heaven Hill bourbon barrels which had been more or less lost in one their warehouses. Did we want them? YES!" The base beer was added to these barrels and will come out in the next month or so, at just about the two-year mark. Because of the barrels' age, this most limited variant will have tons of extra oak character. "You just don't come across barrels like these."

http://www.esquire.com/food-drink/drink ... outs-2015/

[slappybrown]

Pumpkin beers should stay off the shelves until at least September.

[meecrofilm]

Ohhhhh snaaaaaaappp

[shmenguin]

I dig the new bottles.

three variants will make their first ever appearances:

Regal Rye Bourbon County Brand Stout

This nationally-released variant adds the base beer to Heaven Hill and Jim Beam rye whiskey barrels which are then blended together. Fresh, tart cherries from Michigan were added to the barrel for a few months, while Yakima Valley "single-strength" blackberry juice and Luxardo candied cherries were blended in afterward using a stainless steel infusion vessel. Uniquely, a touch of sea salt was added at the end. "It props the flavors up and rounds out the tartness," Siegel told me.

Proprietor's Bourbon County Brand Stout (2015)

This Chicagoland-only special release adds the base beer to bourbon barrel-aged maple syrup barrels sourced from Sugar Chalet in Ohio. A local culinary school helped the brewers roast 1000 pounds of raw pecans which were then added to the beer along with guajillo peppers just to give some moderate heat to the back-end. "Don't worry, it won't be face-melting," Siegel notes.

Rare Bourbon County Brand Stout (2015)

As Siegel told me, "This beer is a story that goes back two years ago. Our barrel broker came to us with this windfall of 33- to 35-year-old Heaven Hill bourbon barrels which had been more or less lost in one their warehouses. Did we want them? YES!" The base beer was added to these barrels and will come out in the next month or so, at just about the two-year mark. Because of the barrels' age, this most limited variant will have tons of extra oak character. "You just don't come across barrels like these."

http://www.esquire.com/food-drink/drink ... outs-2015/

none of us plebes get to try the last 2. and the first one is this year's vanilla rye...but worse, by the looks of it.

[shmenguin]

also...

The old 12- and 22-ounce bottles (as well as four-packs) have been scrapped in favor of a uniform 16.9-ounce format across the board.

this makes me feel better about quitting beer. i have zero interest in a 16.9 ounce bottle. what a stupid move.

[eddy]

also...

The old 12- and 22-ounce bottles (as well as four-packs) have been scrapped in favor of a uniform 16.9-ounce format across the board.

this makes me feel better about quitting beer. i have zero interest in a 16.9 ounce bottle. what a stupid move.

trying to compete with the big Straub returnable bottles I guess...

[shmenguin]

they're making it so it's both impractical to have a bottle on your own, and also impractical to split a bottle with a friend.

it's just really really dumb.

[eddy]

I for one welcome the 16.9oz bottle on your own, but I get what you are saying.

[shmenguin]

I for one welcome the 16.9oz bottle on your own, but I get what you are saying.

i could down a 16.9, sure. but it's excessive. if you buy 2 bottles, you get 34 ounces or so...that's 3 sessions of drinking that they're forcing you to condense into 2.

[Panther]

shmenguin, have you tried any of the Omission stuff? I see it all the time in the stores here.

there's not really any point in that for me. i've snobbed out over the years and stuck to my limited amount of brands. so if i can't have those, i'd probably rather have wine than beer that i don't love.

Makes sense... have you gotten into the cider game at all? I know I prefer Angry Orchard over Woodchuck, but that's about the extent of my cider knowledge. I make my own, and it's awesome, so I just stick with it.

i had a really good cider a few months ago. it was from some small joint in michigan, i think. it was dry and oaky...good stuff. but all the brands i see on the shelves are just sugar bombs. way too sweet for me. not enough alcohol either. i want some burn.

so yeah, i like a good cider. but they're hard to come by.

The keg I currently have on will likely be gone in the next month or so but it's very dry, and 9% ABV. I know that since I made it, it holds a special place in my heart, but it's probably the best cider I've ever had. Homemade cider is super easy to make too. Way easier than making beer.

How'd you get started? Any recommended place online to read up?

[count2infinity]

I learned most of the stuff that I did from reddit.com/r/homebrewing and various youtube videos. If you're looking to get into kegging, I suggest adeventures in homebrewing to buy kegs and the rest you can find by searching online. I mostly just did internet searches and watched a ton of youtube clips. Don Osborn has a lot of good stuff on youtube.

[MWB]

Pumpkin beers should stay off the shelves until at least September.

Finally, something we can agree on.

[MWB]

I for one welcome the 16.9oz bottle on your own, but I get what you are saying.

Same here. I like the 16 oz cans as well. For me, that's just the right amount to have in a night.