After a nearly 3 week Mononucleosis-imposed beer drought, Old Chub won the taste-test and I got drunk.

Old Chubb is the only one I've had, but I'd expected at least Ten Fidy to be better (for the price).

Isn't Gordon the one that's supposed to be so great?

I'm not totally sold on the whole Oskar Blues thing. Too much $$ for canned beer.

I've had Old Chub, TenFidy, Pork Slap, and another one... nonne of them are AMAZING but they're egenerally solid. I think Chub hits closest to the mark of the ones I've had, though that TenFidy was a lot of fun in a can. Just not enough snap crackle and pop for a big heavy stout.

the dale's is definitely the best of those.

Busy weekend in Wisconsin / Chez Busty. I let a lot of them get away too - no camera in dark bars with delicious pint glasses. The ones that didn't get away:

Brooklyn - Local 1

At home, the night before we left (weds). This was a surprisingly good belgian. Surprising because I don't know Brooklyn as a belgian kinda brewery, so I was impressed with how well formed this is. It was as good or better than lower fare choices from Belgium. A little pricey, but that comes with the territory. It was floral and rounded and reeeally good.


New Glarus - Honey Bock
Capital - Wisconsin Amber
Bells - Two Hearted
Lake Louie - Tommy's Porter

My sister in law went to the store and hooked my ass UP. We stayed with her for a night when we first got to town and it was all I could do to get all of these into my busy schedule. The Honey Bock is a new one from NG, and it was a little better than most of their solid-but-stodgy offerings (Spotted Cow notwithstanding). Sweetish, mellow, another great sessioner. Cap Amber has long been another of my favorites, for just reg'lar everyday fridge-stockin' beer. You got a fridge to fill up, you head for this and Spotted Cow. There's something just interesting enough about it, just balanced right, that makes it exceed its price point. Not a fan of the new label but whatever. Bells 2 Hearted will make you fall in love all over again if you haven't had it in awhile. It IS that good, just so full, hoppy, complex, wet, uuuunh. I will cross the street for one of these anytime. Easy to take for granted when you've got them at-hand all the time, but go without for a bit and they're humblingly good. Lake Louie Porter is another example of these guys doing something simple EXTREMELY well. No trickery, no fancy hidden ingredients, except possibly some crack. I know almost nothing about these guys, but judging by their beers they take small steps carefully, and don't put it out unless they nailed it.



Southern Tier - Imperial Gemini

Busty had this one waiting, among other goodies. ST combined two of their existing beers to make this, one of them an IPA and I don't recall the other. The effect, as Busty put it, was better than the sum of its parts. A little odd to get IPA flavors but in muted tones, but a good beer all the same. And then I had to photo the Cow... still my go-to when I get homesick. Just so sunny, friendly, and uniquely Wisconsin.


Oscar Blues - TenFidy

High-content stout in a can. Pours right - like motor oil. Good, bordering on Great, but not excellent. A little too sweet and not enough GRRRRR for my taste. Almost like a beer that's 90% done conditioning instead of 100%. In fact, First Mate had a sip and mistook it for a scotch ale, which tells you how sweet it is. Sure packs a whallop tho. Reinforces my notion that everything Oscar Blues makes has got something small wrong with it, something not-quite-right. So close.


Oscar Blues - Gubna IPA

First thing Busty handed me. Again, I liked it, and it's a pretty good Imperial IPA (lots of booze, good and thick) but still has that something hinky going on that trips it up at the finished line of greatness.


3 Floyds - Robert the Bruce Scottish Style Ale

Probably tied with 2 Hearted for "Best Beer Pictured Here." This was rich and sweet and complex, and a great kick in the nuts. They did this very, very well. I would get this again in a millisecond. Great big thumbs up.


Horny Goat - Hopped Up And Horny

Busty bought a sixpack from this local brewery "in about, oh, July" and still had 5 of them as his Emergency Only beers. We'd wiped out everything else and I had an hour to kill before going to the airport, so... that's an emergency. And yes, they're not very good. He warned me. It tastes like you took a bottle of Point or Hamm's and put a handful of hops into it. Just... meh.

I've eyed that 3 Floyds more than once and just never walked out with any- think I'll change that situation. My beer consumption lately has just about dwindled to 2 or 3 a week, anyway.

Cap'n thanks for the info on the Brooklyn Local 1, been seeing that and a few other of the #s they make, but never tried it..I may try the Belgian now though. I've had the Gemini recently, has that typical double IPA taste I've gotten from the Stoud's Double IPA and one other I can't remember..It's not bad, but they all taste the same to me. God I wish they had Three Floyds stuff here in PA..My buddy in work has had Gumball Head and Alpha King fedexed to him and dam they make some good stuff.

Grabbed a 6er of Stone IPA and Lagunitas Pils tonight..

Catawba Valley Brewery was sponsoring trivia night, so I had three Firewater IPA's (not my photo):

Took my first visit to the Horny Goat this past weekend while in town...I tried the Belgian style wheat and a Porter, I thought the Porter was pretty good actually...although, this has to be one of the crappiest locations in Milwaukee, decent little place inside though. I'd go back.

I had dinner with haq and his woman over the weekend, and he gave me shit (I think) for not being as adventurous with my beer choices as he'd expected. I'm a Guinness man through and through! I do think that it's mindblowingly cool that you can have food delivered to a bar in nyc, gotta give them that.

I'm going to crack one of these Monks Blood's after the 10k this weekend. I thought it was supposed to be kinda scarce, as it's hard to find around here, but then I saw it in the jet Blue terminal at Kennedy.

I love Ten Fidy... chocolate cake in a can. Gordon is good, but not great for the style. The others are OK. I hear Gubna is fucking awful but I'll still seek it out.

Put these down recently... both awesome.

I'm going to a weekly cask night at a local bar that debuts local brewery beers, and they have several new beers on tap.

This one stood out in the FB invite:
Goose Island/Pepe Nero, a Black Saison brewed with peppercorns

Has anyone tried it yet? I'm curious to taste it. I like peppery/spicy things, but not so sure a Belgian style Ale is going to be one of those.

I'd give it a twirl. Try that shit and report back!

My take on the Goose Island Pepe Nero:
It was pretty mild for a Saison or any sort of Belgian Ale. The taste of the Pepper Corn was an after taste, and mostly like what you expect from standard table pepper. It wasn't inherently zesty nor did it add much to the flavor.
It was a fairly palatable and drinkable beer, but not extraordinarily flavorable overall.

Sounds like back shelf brew.
Only time I've ever purchased Goose Island is when it's on sale.
I prefer Grainbelt. Ain't sayin' much.

Cap'n you should start a beer blog. You got me droolin.

That Pils that Oskar Blue makes is canned muskrat shit. BLECH. But I like the Dales. Good option for when you HAVE to have cans (Boating, Nascar, Camping).

I finally had a Bell's Two Hearted, and I almost had to go jack off it was so good. Seriously might be the best beer I've ever had. It definitely tastes like a cool Spring day.

Hells yes dude, 2 Hearted is just fucking wonderful. I miss it already.

Sorry to hear about the peppercorn beer results, but not surprised I guess.

I had that Sam Adams Pilsner that Cap poured out earlier in the thread. Shit was terrible, and I like Sam Adams.

Did you taste a hint of soap too? I swear I didn't make that up.

Interest piqued. I'll look out for these round here.


Saturday:

Anderson Valley Brewing Company - Brother David's Double



There's a foodie (I hate that term too) kinda shop near us on Huron with a wierdly diverse selection of top shelf bomber singles like this. They're limited on space, but it's the kinda place that stacks the shelves with local or otherwise noteworthy singles and occasionally sixers, and there's literally not a mediocre beer in there. Well, not a mediocre price tag, let's say. I think Ballantine's cans are as low-brow as it gets. I dig them, especially for their sidewalk bbq they do saturdays starting this past weekend, that shit is GOOD (BBQILF). Anywho, I cannot resist grabbing something wierd and new whenever we go in, and this is what I snagged saturday. Maybe it's the hippy in me falling for the Solar Powered Brewery cap, or maybe I was really in the mood for an abbey. It poured well, with a low head bordering on Newcastle levels of flatness. It was well-made, but too sweet for an abbey to my taste. It reminded me of a scotch, or a slightly less thick Double Bock. Maybe I'm getting spoiled, but I need something to stand out or else it just fades into the herd, as this one did.

Solid, decent, forgettable.

don't they have pulled lamb there?

More Bells

Email from my local best bar said they were tapping a keg of this today:



Has this shit been talked about here? If so, did the person who tasted it live through the night? What the screaming FUCK are these people thinking?