What I'd love to read is a quarterly with long, in-depth interviews with bigger people in the beer world. It would also include deep tech articles about the applicable (and approachable) science end of fermentation techniques... discussions of microbes, pH, effects of process variables on the finished product, etc. And then perhaps some of the newer technology that's emerging, like enzymes that target and bisect gluten-family proteins in the finished product, new equipment for homebrewing...

This sums up how I feel as well. I do tend to like the format of Beer Advocate more than Rate Beer, but find Rate Beer to be slightly more credible, so yeah, drink up.

I don't use either that much but sometimes when I'm on the fence about buying a bomber of something that is $15+, I'll check the ratings and reviews to nudge me off the fence one way or another. Once I've bought a beer, I don't care what other people think of it.

As far as how reliable the reviews/scores are, all consensus systems are inherently flawed. It would obviously be much better if you could find a reviewer with a similar palate to your own and trust their reviews. Ratings and rankings can be particularly unreliable for things like sours where you probably have a bunch of people who try one and give it a poor rating when they just haven't realized yet that they just don't like sours in general. Rate Beer at least has a Style ranking which attempts to control for that. I at least somewhat trust the ratings at either extreme. Things that get really great scores are at least probably worth trying. Things that are universally panned probably shouldn't be a priority. Ratings in the middle I don't put much stock in at all.

Zymurgy is the closest magazine out there to what you want in a beer magazine, but it lacks the interviews and is a bit brief for a bi-monthly magazine. They provide a fair amount of recipes, and discuss things that are relevant to home brewing, but they could do a better job of discussing new equipment, new hop varieties, new yeasts strains, etc.

Jai Alai is still great... but a lot of similar great IPAs are pouring out of the numerous upstart local breweries around the TC.
Getting spoiled I guess...

Secondly, I tried Yuengling "Traditional" for the first time tonight (no distribution as far as I know in my parts). It's akin to the watery and malted "Nordeast" amber lager produced by Grain Belt based in the TC.

I sound like a homer but it's only perspective.

To be honest, it is a pretty good perspective to have. Your palate has become accustomed to local beers/beers readily available in your market, so they are a nice starting point for making a comparison to something you are consuming for the first time.
Plus, I think most people are starting to realize that a lot of the beers that are being brewed locally in their area are just as good or better than most of the beers/brewers that receive all the hype.
You also made a good point about the similarity of IPA's. I try them all, but I think that it is sort of silly to actively seek out or make a beer trade for a specific IPA, since it is getting really hard to assert that one IPA is so much more profoundly better than anything you can acquire at the local level.

I tend to agree, too, with regards to IPA...Jai Alai and Two Hearted are probably my favorite readily available six pack IPA's but I'm just as likely to get a six of Jekyll or Terrapin Hi-5.

The increasing quality of local/regional breweries is a win for everyone.

Yep. Will help as gas prices go up, too. Hops and grain are much cheaper to ship a long way than the finished product.

Muskoka needs a major branding overhaul. If it isn't shitbeer, it sure looks like it. Assumed it was a Bud product.

yeah, who poured that beer? i could pour a better beer than that with my eyes closed.

oh man...is there a story that goes along with this? they've infiltrated the BA Mountain Forum since moving here a few months ago. never met either, so i've got nothing personal, but his profile pic alone kinda bugs...

Candace made a huge stink about Clown Shoes' beer names and a bunch of BA posters started making fun of her for being so sensitive. So, naturally, Todd banned a bunch of them. She rode the bitch horse for a few months after before slinking back behind the scenes. I'm sure there's more because I remember a bunch of long time posters there getting banned but I stopped caring once that site got infiltrated by the new wave of beer truck chasers and tickers.

Also, a friend of mine met them when they came to Chicago and said she's as ugly looking as we all imagined.

had The Bruery Saison Rue that I've been saving for over a year. So fucking good.

Mikkeller Brunch Weasel stout, made with civet coffee, enjoyed by our own Neuro in the woods of VT while motocamping (our sixth annual!):

KBRX5315 by gordopuggy, on Flickr


Yours truly, enjoying a Heady Topper:

KBRX5502 by gordopuggy, on Flickr

Nice pics.

This just in, beer in Italy is terrible.

No shit. Though I have had a VERY smokey italian stout once that was interesting. Was at that beer/snout/tail place in Charleston a few months back, they had tons of great wierd shit on tap. I remember it tasting very much like I was drinking a campfire. A bit novel, but at least it was

A) Italian, and
B) Didn't outright suck

Girls are out of town, and I was aghast at the state of my beer reserves last night, so I hopped on the motorcycle to go to the craft beer cellar in Belmont (only like 3 miles from home, but 100% fucking uphill, so I never bike there.) Trying to remember what I bought...

- 8 Wired, iStout (NZ brewery I had some amazing oak aged DIPA from recently)... 16oz bottle I think? I know that other one I had from them was fucking Great. It's a Danish brewer who relocated to Marlborough, and I have high hopes for this one.
- Halve Maan, Straffe Hendrick Quad. Because it's one of my favorites, and reminds me of having one at the brewery in Bruge.
- Maine Beer Co., Porter. I can find them all over, but this is maybe the best porter I've ever had, and I should always have one around. Porters are goddam GOOD, man.
- Halve Maan, Straffe Hendrick Wild (2 bottles). This is something I've never seen before, they did one with some Brett in it. Super fucking excited for this guy. Will have one some nice day, then save the other one for a good while.
- Spencer Trappist Ale. The new local certified trappist guys, and to be honest the beer is really fucking great. I was surprised. Have had it 5 or 6 times, always enjoy it, should have a bottle around.

..and shit, there were 2 more bottles. I cannot remember what else.

I've got a bottle of Supplication with my name on it that a friend just brought me back from RR. Looking forward to that mother.

Orval. One of the 2 I can't remember was a bottle of Orval.

Ever had it before? Shit is really good (says Captain Obvious).

Never have.

I call shenanigans. I think you were just being lazy because that's not uphill if you take Concord Ave.

Also, has the price of that Spencer gone down? I think it was something like $16 for a 4pk when I first had it.

No, it hasn't. It was $18 a 4 pack this time.

Also the 8th beer I got was a Dragon's Milk stout, which I had once in Madison and I recall loving it.

Concord Ave is flat enough. My problem is that there are two little "downtown" strips in Belmont about a mile apart, and I always forget which one Craft Beer Cellar is in. One is uphill as hell, and CBC is in the other one.

Yeah it was $18 before as well. I was just guesstimating. I suppose per bottle it's okay but I would never buy a 4pk again.

If you just follow Concord down to where it turns onto Leonard and goes under that little overpass, you just hang a right and then a left and you're in the back parking lot of CBC. Though I've only gone there in a car so I really shouldn't talk.