yep. their 22oz's are much more interesting than their 4/6 packs though.

I'll play the Top 5 game:

Russian River
Surly
Hill Farmstead
Founders
and as much as I hate to say it... Three Floyds.

Alpine is on deck and would be in the top 5 if they weren't so small.

There is no brewery out there that makes better IPAs and sours than RR. You can find Elder, Blind Pig, Supplication, Consecration and Damnation on the regular. If you go to the pub, you'll see they make every style including golden ales and American stouts. The only thing I haven't seen out of them is an RIS, but I don't like most Californian takes on stout anyway, so I'm good.

Wow. I really wish I had access to Russian River.

Oh man, terrible labels, but TOP quality beer.

Seriously and for me it's more just flat out curiosity than anything.

Sort of related to the top 5 breweries thing, I was thinking about it and Sierra Pale Ale really is the beer that everyone from Budweiser to Sam Adams' Lager claim to be: the Great American Beer. Widely available, reasonably priced, incredibly drinkable, delicious.

Totally agree. Considering the quality of it, their distribution (both in reach and in volume) is really impressive. Sam Adams can match it, but it tastes like Sam Adams. Sepeaking of, there's a supply chain organiztion doing a brewery tour of SA on Monday. I pretty much have to go on that, right?

YES

Recents



Southern Tier - Pale Ale

Just picked up a mixer 12 pack from Southern Tier - this time it's a themed mixer, all "pale" somethingerothers. So far so meh. These are solid, and perfectly ok, but not special in any way. If these guys were in my home town, operated a good brewpub, and gave money to cyclist causes or something else I cared about, I would probably buy their stuff happily as my "base stock" beer. They have skills, but this is incredibly plain stuff. And sometimes plain is good - fresh off a lawnmower, or right after a 3 hour hike, this would taste incredible. Otherwise, it's an also-ran, and near the bottom of that list. B-


Southern Tier - 422 Pale Wheat Ale

See above. A little better for the wheat imo, but still not within shooting distance of Exciting. B


Long Trail - IPA

These guys ARE in my back yard, they DO run a nice brewpub (Woodstock VT), and they make my beloved Double Bag, so we never miss them when we ride up thattaway. This is their IPA and it's... you know, ok. This is an IPA your dad could probably drink. B


Oskar Blues - Old Chub

No stranger to my fridge, but it's been awhile and I don't know if I ever wrote it up. These days my take is this: solid if unspectacular canned scotch ale, high alcohol content, no pretensions, maybe a little too sweet for me (even for that style), and for christ's sake you lazy little man pour it in a glass, it's so much better that way. B+


21st Ammendment - Hop Crisis Imperial IPA

These guys aspire to bigger and better things, and they can their stuff, so I support them in spirit. Some of the results are great-ish, some are off the mark. I like this better than anything else of theirs I've had, and I would say "if you can find it, try it." I don't say that much. Chalk it up to my liking of imperial IPA's, my love of wood aging, and my soft spot for canned beers. Still, this is a complex, nuanced, balanced beer but with a lot of knobs set to 11. Also the can art was great. A


And from the motorcycle camping trip to Vermont last weekend...

Genesee - Cream Ale

I wanted tall cans for pack-out reasons, and besides Bud / Miller this was it. Neuro ain't picky and neither am I, so Genny it was... one six of this Cream Ale and one of "Beer." This was the better of the two. This is their High Life, with sweeter malt notes and less metallic rice flavor. I strongly suspect the presence of corn in this, and/or wheat. Something mellows it out and drags the flavor into a broader picture. For camping, it's great. Or maybe I guess for getting loaded in a parking lot and punching people or something, but it's not something I could see buying for home consumption. C+


Genessee - Beer

This can looks like something from a movie set, where they can't use real brands. For all my desire not to buy something miller-bud, I realized three swigs into this can that any difference is superficial at best. This was thin metallic swill just like the big guys. But it was frosty cold in that saddle bag full of ice, and we were 20 miles from the nearest power line or cell tower, and there was a field full of blackberries and raspberries and a campfire to get going. It didn't really matter. C-


Long Trail - Triple Bag

At the brewery, enjoying a pint of the bigger heavier version of the Double Bag. This one was just under 10% content, but still sweet and smooth going down. I should've gotten 2 lower gravity beers, but I reeeeeally wanted to try this one. I'd buy it again, for sure. Like a triple bock, or a souped-up altbier. It has that sweeter german malt taste, and this version also had about as many IBU's as a standard IPA to try and balance it out. B+

Done.

I really hate Sierra Nevada. In fact, I can't think of beer I like less with a retail price over $10/case.

If Anchor Steam were a little more widely available on tap, I'd say it would get the nod. A lot better than Sam or Sierra, almost as easy to find in liquor stores/supermarkets but if a bar has three beers on tap, Sam or Sierra are likely one of them and Anchor Steam never is. Still, it's pretty widely available and it's a much better beer.

Some recents:



Lucky Buddha

I bought this on a whim intrigued by the bottle. It must be China's answer to Rolling Rock. Eminently drinkable and it certainly could have been much worse but won't be a repeat buy.



Monty Python's Holy Grail Ale

Another whim buy out of curiousity. Also not terrible but not good either.

on to the good ones...



Russian River's Sanctification

This is a sour blonde ale. A little tart with some tropical fruit notes. Pretty nice but this might be my first sour ale I've had so I really don't have much basis to compare it to.



North Coast's Pranqster

Not my pic. I had this on tap the other night. It's North Coast's Belgian Style Golden Ale. I'm a big fan of North Coast. I think Scrimshaw is probably my favorite Pilsner and this was pretty nice too. Would definitely drink again.



Victory Prima Pils

Also not my pic. Thoroughly enjoyable pilsner and a nice summer drinker. This is my first exposure to Victory. I don't like it quite as much as Scrimshaw but it's close. I'll definitely try more of their beers.

enjoying one of these Highland Cattail Peak organic wheat beers right now. Straight up decent wheat beer. Nothing showy, without that lingering yeasty aftertaste that makes your mouth taste like shit.

One of my friends went recently and said that they just left out pitchers of beer and you just poured it all and as much as you want for yourself.

I hope Dogfish got the memo to do the same, I'm heading there on a tour on Saturday.

I tried hard but there was NO fucking way I could make it to this. Sucks, but then I can always just go no the damned tour anytime I want - it's right by some people I know well.

Ancestor of lager yeast finally found, in PatafuckingGonia...

link

All this fancier stuff aside, I gotta say I really enjoyed knocking back some Negra Modelo with limes to wash down some tripe tacos this weekend.

We should go once we get settled in over there.

Hell yeah. I was bummed about yesterday. I looked at my watch during a meeting that was going to run an hour over time, sighed, and kept going.

So, given the time lines of all this - was this something that was brought back by explorers, or one of those anomalies like "This mummy has coca in it's lining but coca only grows in South America"?

They were guessing that it made the trip in a boat, yeah, but maybe in the guts of insects. That's the thing about yeast... it only takes a few, and then if they find some fuel they party down and make more yeast. The kicker was when someone figured out that that yeast would ferment below 55F, unlike ale yeast.

I'm a fan as is femdisco. I usually go with it or Bohemia if I'm at a Mexican joint.

Ditto.

Some recents...

Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA: As good as advertised; packs a mean punch but it is a totally enjoyable trip. Cue "Killing Me Softly"

Allagash White: Delicious but with a White I was expecting something more summery--the spices in this are all about Christmas. Could be a great pairing for Thanksgiving dinner if one were so inclined.

Founders Cherry Cerise: We were at Taco Mac (a local chain wing joint with a great beer selection) before the MMJ show and I had a sudden craving for something fruity and ordered this on a whim. I thought it was totally delicious, very sweet and fruity. Not something you'd want to session with but as a situational choice, I'd say hell to the yes.

North Coast Scrimshaw Pilsner: Well done, but something about the taste of pilsner's (even good ones) is not really my thing. Would not be my first choice in the future

I haven't had that Founders, but as I've said before, they are pretty damned talented, especially with heavier, darker stuff. Midwestern breweries are all about the malt.


Oh and I know who I forgot in my top 5 discussion: Brooklyn. That's a brewery capable of making excellent sixpack / restaurant tap beer, and then excellent belgian-inspired 22's.