Recents


Sixpoint - Diesel

All of these cans from them are ok, none are amazing, and I think this is one of the better ones. It's a light bodied, dark colored, hoppy beer. I guess it's a dark IPA? As is typical, on this can they're more into hints, poetry, and scientific stats than actually explaining what you're about to drink in plain english. Good, interesting, but not amazing. B+


Long Trail - Double IPA

Still squarely in the Solid Local category as a brewery, their brewmaster series 22's are well executed if a little on the plain side. This was balanced, clean, and on the dry side, and was a bargain at about $5 for a the bomber. If memory serves, the big porter they make is better, so I'll be looking for it. B


Cambridge Brewing Company

Local brewpub that goes back to the late 80's or maybe early 90's... positively ancient for a craft brewery. I don't remember seeing these 22's before a year or two ago, and they've all been pretty good. This was a farmhouse with pepper corns, and they got the mix as right as you can. Similar to Pepe Nero, but lighter in color. Great body, great complexity, lots going on and nothing amiss. These are a solid bet. A-


Blatant Brewery - Blatant IPA

I think we're starting to see the floodgates open. Little breweries are popping up that I've never heard of. Spotted this yesterday, "WHO DIS," picked it up, had half last night. It's just ok. It tastes new, similar to the Idle Hands stuff from that new belgian style guy in town... not done. This was buttery and dry, with a very low-volume flat body. It's interesting, I'm learning about the esthers and higher alcohols that yeast produce that make those flavors. I always thought it was mostly hops, but there's a fucking cocktail of other shit going on. And all those things have flavors - good and bad. Coconut, butter, several kinds of fat, grapefruit, orange, banana, all kinds of shit. The more you know about it, the more impressive it is what some guys are able to do once, much less over and over again. It takes serious controls. B-

Recents:



Great Divide Claymore Scotch Ale 7.7% ABV

Stolen pic - I don't remember it being quite as dark as it appears in the pic. More of a dark reddish brown.

As far as the beer itself goes, it was ok but nothing noteworthy really. It was a little sweet upfront but you taste the alcohol. I would have guessed it was stronger than 7.7%. The carbonation had a little of a bite to it which I didn't really care for. I haven't had a lot of scotch ales though so I'm not sure how well this represents the style. On it's own, I'd probably give it a C+. I'd be fine drinking it if someone else was buying but I don't think I'd buy it again.



Great Divide - Nomad

Nothing objectionable here, just not one of the better pilsners I've had. I'd give it a B-. I love Great Divide's Stouts but I guess I should probably just stick to those.



Green Flash - Le Freak, 9.2% ABV

My neighborhood supermarket had these discounted by $2.00/bottle so I thought I'd give it a try. It's a Belgian Trippel meets an IPA in style. It was a pretty easy drinker but not all that impressive in flavor. I probably wouldn't buy it again but would rate it a B/B-.

Yeah their stouts are pretty great, and once in awhile something in the 12 pack mixer hits me ok, but the rest are just "solid local."

I grabbed that Blatant IPA and Le Freak today. I've had the former on tap before but just saw it in the bottle recently. I think I've had the latter before as well but can't really recall anything about it.

I also got a bottle of the Dogfish 75 too.

Founder's KBS 2012 came out today at my shop while I was at lunch. I have no idea how much they had but it was gone in less than 15 minutes.

Fucking bullshit.

This side of craft beer leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

It didn't use to be this way, and I'm talking about 2 years ago. Yes, there was less "craft" beer on the market, but most of the new stuff is not top-shelf stuff. Imagine walking into the grocery store and seeing 8 Goose Island Burb Co's and 3 or 4 4-packs of KBS just hanging out. The douches that used to walk by saying "that's too expensive for beer" now snag it and sell it on ebay.

I didn't get any either--the dude at Total Wine told me they only got two cases (though he did say, they will put you on a list and hold it for you--good to know for the future) and GAWOB by my house only got one case. Dude down here did tell me that Founders (the restaurant that usually has several Founders on tap) got a keg of it...

I'm not pissy or anything about it, I just hope they make more in the future.

Actually, I said I'm not pissy, but I did grudge buy a bottle of 75 Minute IPA (something I wasn't planning on doing).

Checking out a new brew pub tonight. These things are opening seemingly every month or two. Guy in charge of this one used to be involved in Goose Island. Looks like early offerings include:

Cast Iron Oatmeal Brown
Divided Sky Rye IPA
Reprise Centennial Red
Single Speed Session, an American blonde brewed with elderflower
Coffee Stout (made with coffee from a local roaster)

So...looks like at least a five beer night.

Has anyone tried the Boulevard Smokestack Series "Rye on Rye"? I'm going to a tapping party for it tomorrow night, and I'm pretty excited to try it on draft. It is a Rye Ale aged in Rye whiskey barrels. It gets a 99 on rate beer and has an 11% ABV.

http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/boulevard- ... ye/116045/

That sounds excellent as per usual for that brewery.

This however, does not.

Uncommon makes some weird beers. I've had their Siamese Twin before which is a Belgian Duppel with thai spices (coriander, kaffir lime, lemongrass, etc). Not very good at all.

Rye On Rye sounds delicious.

Bacon beer does not. This bacon trend thing needs to stop, now.

As much as I hate wheat beer, Eagle Rock Brewery makes this weird thing called Revolution XPA that's like a mid-hop IPA brewed from wheat. A new favorite.

While at SXSW, I had a Live Oak Schwarzbier and a 512 Pecan Porter and both were solid.
I also drank a lot of Lonestar tall-boys, a few Stellas and other shit I can't remember

The Rye on Rye was delicious, but not at all what I was expecting in the beer. It was a bit sweet, boozy, and lacked the zestiness I expect in a rye beer.

Recents, plus Secondary Fermentation / Dry Hopping Time


6 Days Of Clarifying

Still incredibly orange milk-like, very cloudy. Needs more time to sit and let gravity pull that stuff out. Notice the big crust of Kreuzen at the top from the yeast head. That's where the magic happened. Meanwhile, time to hop it some more...

Sweet Amarillo

This is what one ounce of whole-leaf amarillo hops looks like. Taint cheap, but man did it smell good. I need to just grow this stuff myself.

In You Go

fapfapfapfapfapfap

Not Ready

But you know, it tasted like beer. Sweet and fresh and nowhere near done, but it had a KICK. First beer I made in about 12 years. Cheers, y'all.


Since I took those it's been 3 days, and the beer is already clearer and redder. I'm starting to be a little more optimistic.

Baxter - Pamola Extra Pale

Shiv loves these guys, and I see why. These are some solid motherfucking cans of beer. Had company, and they were guzzled down. Crisp, smooth, allllllmost IPA's but not quite. The malt body was smoother and creamier, and there wasn't enough bitterness. A-- (ie, B+ but they canned it so it gets a boost)


Baxter - Amber Road

Ok so you're going to mix up some light red paint. You can do it one of two basic ways... you can buy a tube of light red paint and use it 100%, or you can use 90% white paint and 10% dark brown. They did the latter with the malt here. It's got a pronounced little dark-roasted-stout-malt flavor in the background / smell, but it's clear and red and light bodied. So they must've used really pale malt with just a touch of something roasted to hell. It's different, and really good. 'Nother score from Baxter. B+


Maine Beer Company - Mo Pale Ale

I'll be up front about the fact that I enjoyed this more than a LOT of things I've had recently. Total surprise. I've had 2 others from them, and they're respectable enough but not stand-outs. This had the nose of something like Pliny, but with less malt and bitterness. They did something very, very right with the hops - I would've confidently pegged this as something west coast in a blindfold test. Holy shit, great surprise. I have to find more (but not a lot more, because they ain't cheap.) Shiv et al, find this shit and drink it from a glass with a big mouth on it. Great little beer. A


Founders - Double Trouble

Been meaning to try these, finally did. Pretty weird, pretty good, tons of booze. Emphasis on "trouble." 9.1% I think. The hops are dry, stinky, good, and not like much else. It's not my favorite double ipa, but it did manage to kick my ass AND entertain me by not tasting like all the others. Closest thing to a "miss" from them yet, and not a miss. Very dry and funky, not very green and sweet. B+

I gotta go to that place near that has all the Founders on tap and have Double Trouble again--I like it in the bottle but its a totally different animal out of a keg.

I got my care package from the mail order beer place on Friday so I've got a couple of new ones as well.

Capn, I did get that Mo. It's in my fridge just waiting to be drank.

Also, found some Dogfish Head Immort Ale today. One of my friends said they were great.

I had the Lagunitas Cappuccino Stout this weekend. It's no Yeti but still very good at about 1/2 the price. Would definitely buy it again.

Restocked a little too picking up these:

Drake's Hopocalypse DIPA
Ballast Point Sea Monster Imperial Stout
Stone/Fat Head's/Bear Republic Texas Brown Ale Collaboration
Green Flash Palate Wrecker DIPA (4 pack)
Lost Abbey Lost & Found Dubbel

My small haul from Leuken liquor:

Cigar City Jai Lai IPA (6)
Dogfish Head Worldwide Stout (1)
Lagunitas Doppel Weizen (22 oz)
Bells/De Proef Brouwerij "Van Twee" Collaboration (Bomber)
Hoppin Frog B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher Stout (Bomber)

Also ordered a six of Anderson Valley IPA in cans but I guess they ran out...they didn't email me or anything, just a note in the box and of course no charge. If they had emailed me I probably would have picked something else and they could have made more money, but hey, run your business they way you want to.

Have had a few of the Jai Lai and they are pretty damn good--a very dry hoppiness, really nice flavors, obviously well made. I understand why these guys beers are so well rated even if this isn't a typical "West Coast" IPA. It's almost like a dryer Two Hearted. I'm really curious now to try more of their beers, especially their collaborations with The Breuery.

I split the Lagunitas with the wife and we both liked it: Not really either of our usual thing and a little sweet but they nail that German weizenbock flavor, the banana smell and the booze (9%) is well hidden. Not something I'd buy all the time, but like most Lag 22's it was a good beer and cheap.

Hey what should I try to make next?

There's two different ways to go...try to closely replicate beers you like and drink a lot or or try to make a style that you like but is harder to find. When I brewed, I usually went the second way. I made a helluva lot of English Bitters just because I couldn't easily buy a good one. That's probably still the way I'd go and brew a bitter, a mild ale or a kolsch. I can see the argument for the other way though particularly if you feel you're getting good at it.

Definately not "good at it" yet, but anxious to try to get there. I don't think I prize one style much over the others, really, besides the big crazy stouts, and I mean the kind you hang onto and stash. And those, you don't want to drink all the time. I'll have to try something basic and gluten free next for the Mrs, but just a small batch. I bought an extra fermentor or two so I should be able to have 2 or 3 going at one time.

But I don't know what regular (as opposed to gluten free) style to shoot for next. And I don't feel (at a gut level) that something smooth and light is what I want to focus on. So many easy cheap choices, and so much effort to do it myself. I'm probably too eager too soon, but I made 25 batches of MehBrau already.

Yeah, I would have suggested a session beer, since you are attempting to go big with this one.
It's hard to give you advice, since most of the people I know who make beer own barrels for aging and have made some stouts with some ridiculously high starting gravity numbers in an attempt to clone Dark Lord.
How about a Biere de Garde or a Quadrupel? Maybe a Baltic Porter or a Gruit?