NT, What Beer Do You Drink?

[wallyhopp]

comparison ford, what'd you think of that stuff? I found BCBS and the BW variety almost 90% bourbon flavor wise. I guess I'm not that big of a fan of bourbon after all. The ultimate appeal of BCBCS was the coffee notes creating a unique experience. The other two were drinkable for sure (considering their ABV), but it just seemed to be all bourbon.

I traded away a bottle set of BCBCS, BCBS, and BCBW for some HT and some others to a fellow NT member. We'll see if I regret that decision in a couple days. I'm officially left with one BCBCS (to be had soon) and my 2013 "haul" is officially depleted. Hope ya'll enjoy/enjoyed what I shared/traded. I certainly had no regrets.

Last night.. I had some La Cumbre Malpais Stout dated 2 months back.. Maybe it was the other booze in me. But that stuff was super drinkable. The age on the cans seemed to diminish the apparent bitterness that is usually there. I think I like some age on this beer.

Tonight, I got some elevated lined up, project dank 5/3 (which I havent had yet), and I got a sample of some BitBurger german beer from my dad. Slightly sweet, crisp.. Many times better than a budlight.. I really like so many of these Euro beers that seem to get neglected on the American shelves.. I could drink that stuff for days without a problem. I guess that import price is of ultimate concern. I may even go with a sampling with some buddies tonight.. Allagash White, La Cumbre Hefe, and Weihenstephaner Vitus.. None are of the same variety. But flavor profile wise should give us a good idea of what we all ultimately like. ie, if you hate the banana aspect of weizen's, the witbier may be your calling..

 

[Comparison Ford]

comparison ford, what'd you think of that stuff? I found BCBS and the BW variety almost 90% bourbon flavor wise. I guess I'm not that big of a fan of bourbon after all. The ultimate appeal of BCBCS was the coffee notes creating a unique experience. The other two were drinkable for sure (considering their ABV), but it just seemed to be all bourbon.

It's certainly not a bad beer, but I find BCBS superior and I like BCBCS and BCBBR above all else.  The barleywine and BCBS are definitely bourbon bombs.  Backyard Rye and coffee were a lot more balanced and the bourbon was a lot more subdued.

 

[neosole89]

I cracked one shortly after I sent you it and felt the same. I've had the kotaku hopped one which was worse IMO so maybe it's just the malt profile that they use that doesn't do it for me. Gonna be hard for me to buy another sixer of any regardless of hops

No worries man. You saved me from getting a sixer haha.

I gotta seek out these CA NTers for a chance at that. That's definitely on my radar for the future. Not one of the four I had yesterday had that true HOP aroma of when you pick up a hop flower and smell it. Some great IPAs have that floral aroma of gods. Maybe it was the age of the bottles or how they were stored. In a very unscientific method where I just picked what a store had to offer, this is what I got.

Unless I can get them super fresh, I would probably be best to stay local. The thanks I got from trying 4 different IPAs I hadnt had in awhile? Huge headache today. 8 beers in a 4-5 hour span is a solid session I will admit. But it felt like I had 40 beers. I knew something was up with them. Shouldve drain poured a few. On my good days, 4 elevateds do nothing to me.

its weird neosole.. All I got out of my beers was mostly malt. Almost no crazy bitterness or aromas. Is TW where hops go to die? For those that have had elevated, what else compares out there?

Today its back to elevated and project dank for some mothers day dinner. Experimentation days are over :x .

I gotta say out of the bigger breweries out there, OskarBlues has Dales Pale ale on lock, Lagunitas, and Stone are solid. I'm gonna avoid NB and Odell for awhile.

Can't really speak for TW since there isn't one near me but I know BevMo's around my way has a ton of old stock. Especially the singles section. I've seen PA's and IPA's there that were over 3 months old .

Cracked this open tonight. Haven't really heard much about this beer but this was recommended to me by a fellow NT'er. Aroma was nice. Got some mangoes, peaches and pineapples. Taste followed the aroma with sweet citrus and tropical fruits but was very flat and syrupy. This is probably due to the best by date being 5/20 so it's pretty much on its last leg. Reminded me of flat soda. Hops were present but faded very quickly. I'm sure if the bottle was fresher, this beer would be fantastic. I might just have to crack open another bottle tonight to make up for this.

 

[based mod]

BTW, if you guys haven't had fresh Alesmith IPA, you ain't lived. One of the most crisp, refreshing IPAs evaaaaaaa. I've read about how the hops seem to completely disappear within a few weeks after bottling and I think I agree. Shame cause you can find it EVERYWHERE here in San Diego but they've been on the shelf for months and months. They just don't seem to sell well.

 

[tee eye ehm]

BTW, if you guys haven't had fresh Alesmith IPA, you ain't lived. One of the most crisp, refreshing IPAs evaaaaaaa. I've read about how the hops seem to completely disappear within a few weeks after bottling and I think I agree. Shame cause you can find it EVERYWHERE here in San Diego but they've been on the shelf for months and months. They just don't seem to sell well.

Very underrated ipa! Alesmith is easily one of my favorite breweries out right now. Speedway Stout is a staple in my fridge, i wish to taste the bourbon barrel, vietnamese coffee, and kopi luwak variations one day.

Last night, I had my first Jai Alai ever. I was so excited to try it and enjoyed it so much I forgot to snap a pic. Very balanced and super drinkable, and so easy to see why this is considered world class.

Tonight:

This was one of the few surprise extras that were thrown into a trade I got a couple days ago. It was bottled in January, so pretty old. However, it had a great aroma. Citrusy and fruity. It tasted pretty good considering the age. It was smooth and finished dry. I can imagine this being great fresh and on a nice summer day. Solid IPA for sure.

 

[wallyhopp]

Cracked open a project dank 5/3 this afternoon.. Much like the others. I realize they are using 4-6 of the same great hops, and try to change up how they are used. I just taste some dankness mixed in with sweetness most of the time. It's definitely a subtle change each time. Something that is hard for me to pick up on. I swear your taste buds need almost the entire 22 oz bomber to get used to the flavors. By the time it is nearly 3/4 gone, the hops are already on your tongue, and you taste the sweetness coming through. I love that end flavor. But that can cause havoc on so many people sampling or reviewing beers. It's definitely back to being "dank".

Later this evening I'll try to do what I was mentioning a few posts back. A la cumbre hefe, allagash white, and weihenstephaner vitus tasting. It might be blind. It might not. Havent decided yet. I'm looking for that crisp carbonated refreshing bite.

 

[hurley34]

Sadly freshness on some of these is out the window, but I was at least able to get a fat discount for the lack of freshness. Excited none the less.

 

[jay2da3o]

summer beer I love land shark, drink that with cookout food, but I love red strip im a true Jamaican lol

 

[wallyhopp]

I want the blue wildnerness treats. Heard the mouthfeel is amazing. lol


I was in NY last year about this time. Victory is not avavailable locally. If all the beers I tried, Hop Devil was quite the hop bomb. Maybe with some age, its a bit more "normal". I never mind trying hop bomb type beers with a couple months on them.

Let us know how you like those. I have access to five of those.. Illinois has been around for a while. You can likely find the bottled on/enjoyed by dates somewhere on the bottles if you look hard enough. Then again, they are already bought. Just drink them up and lay out your impressions of them.

My hefe, weizenbock, and witbier tasting is going down in about 20 minutes. I'll lay out my impressions in this post as the night progresses.

^ I gotta be honest. I see redstripe on sale all the time, like $9 a 12 pack. but I have never had it. I have never seen it available in a single bottle form. What type of beer is it? Just a light lager type beer? So many Caribbean, Central American, and S. American countries have their "mainstay" light beers, they all end up being the same. No fault in staying with your affiliation.

 

[neosole89]

BTW, if you guys haven't had fresh Alesmith IPA, you ain't lived. One of the most crisp, refreshing IPAs evaaaaaaa. I've read about how the hops seem to completely disappear within a few weeks after bottling and I think I agree. Shame cause you can find it EVERYWHERE here in San Diego but they've been on the shelf for months and months. They just don't seem to sell well.

Never had a super fresh Alesmith IPA but the ones I've had in the past were definitely tasty. They sit around in shelves here in the Bay Area as well unfortunately.

Very underrated ipa! Alesmith is easily one of my favorite breweries out right now. Speedway Stout is a staple in my fridge, i wish to taste the bourbon barrel, vietnamese coffee, and kopi luwak variations one day.

Last night, I had my first Jai Alai ever. I was so excited to try it and enjoyed it so much I forgot to snap a pic. Very balanced and super drinkable, and so easy to see why this is considered world class.

Sipping some Jai Alai as I type this. Love this stuff!

I want the blue wildnerness treats. Heard the mouthfeel is amazing. lol


I was in NY last year about this time. Victory is not avavailable locally. If all the beers I tried, Hop Devil was quite the hop bomb. Maybe with some age, its a bit more "normal". I never mind trying hop bomb type beers with a couple months on them.

Let us know how you like those. I have access to five of those.. Illinois has been around for a while. You can likely find the bottled on/enjoyed by dates somewhere on the bottles if you look hard enough. Then again, they are already bought. Just drink them up and lay out your impressions of them.

My hefe, weizenbock, and witbier tasting is going down in about 20 minutes. I'll lay out my impressions in this post as the night progresses.

^ I gotta be honest. I see redstripe on sale all the time, like $9 a 12 pack. but I have never had it. I have never seen it available in a single bottle form. What type of beer is it? Just a light lager type beer? So many Caribbean, Central American, and S. American countries have their "mainstay" light beers, they all end up being the same. No fault in staying with your affiliation.

My local Whole Foods just got some Victory beers in. This is probably the first time I've seen them here in my area. Was tempted to pickup a sixer of Hop Devil but I still have a bunch of beers in the fridge . If it's still there this weekend, I may have to pick some up. I've only had DirtWolf from them and thought it was a fantastic DIPA.

 

[af1 1982]

Never had a super fresh Alesmith IPA but the ones I've had in the past were definitely tasty. They sit around in shelves here in the Bay Area as well unfortunately.
Sipping some Jai Alai as I type this. Love this stuff!
My local Whole Foods just got some Victory beers in. This is probably the first time I've seen them here in my area. Was tempted to pickup a sixer of Hop Devil but I still have a bunch of beers in the fridge

. If it's still there this weekend, I may have to pick some up. I've only had DirtWolf from them and thought it was fantastic DIPA.

Be prepared to be dissapointed with Hop Devil man, it's about as generic as it can get for an IPA. They sell the 21st Amendment IPA for $7.50 around here, definitely suggest giving that a try

 

[tee eye ehm]

Perfect beer after a long day at work. Tropical, fruity, sweet definitely makes it so that the 11% isnt noticeable taste wise. But really glad its there hahahaha

 

[sooperhooper]

I don't stray too far from the usuals. bud light platinums will put me on my level if i'm not in the mood for hard liquor. I prefer the hard liquors usually, but sometimes its just too heavy/thick.

 

[scrub0bk]

Had my first Fat Heads Headhunter last night, bottled 4/28 and man was it tasty, so glad i was able to get a case - only thing is it'll make me drive out west to pick it up more often. I NEED to try juju next year when it comes out if HH is any indication of the quality Fat Heads put out.

 

[neosole89]

I have a trade setup for some Hop Juju next week. Looking forward to that!

 

[tee eye ehm]

I had Hop Ju Ju on tap at a beer festival. It was simply amazing! Ended up purchasing extra tickets just to get more pours of it!

 

[jbug88]

Took me a minute, but I got my "Murderer's Row" pic.
Special thanks to @WallyHopp and @tee eye ehm and @Comparison Ford for helping

4 of the top 5 beers in BA's top 250.
And my birthday is Saturday. I'm going to have a nice selection.

-J-

 

[tee eye ehm]

Happy early birthday bro! Looks like youre going to have a good one!

 

[wallyhopp]

Another successful trade.. Didnt think about it too much but its all IPAs. I guess I kind of like those (and or DIPAs)

I've had this coaster for about 2 yrs now. I can finally match it up with some real HT beer

Thanks fellow NT member.

This weekend I plan to do a HT/Pliny/Sculpin/the three La Cumbre IPA/DIPAs, and maybe one or all of the other IPAs I received today.. In other words, once in a lifetime for a HT to meet up with a Father Nelson, and some Sculpin and Pliny in NM.

I posted on BA about my allagash/la cumbre hefe/weihenstephaner vitus tasting with some friends.. Each one was quite unique. I knew they were different styles but not until they are together, do you catch different hints. A bit floral spice hint out of Allagash White. I loved it more this second time for sure. LC hefe kind of stood in the middle. It didnt taste totally carbonated and or full of the bright flavor Im used to. The can is no more than a month old.. Vitus stood out as our favorite. Crisp carbonated edge. It's like a coca cola type carbonated bite. We found the 7.7% beer the most refreshing.. Go figure

 

[notoriouslar]

Some samples from the weekend:

 

[wallyhopp]

one down

I gotta say. It was an amazing beer. But not earth bending or space bending, or orgasmic, or genre shattering. The smell is among the best aspect of the beer. A true hop aroma. You would think each IPA would have that. But it smells like a fresh picked batch of hops. I love it. Taste is so similar to other great IPA/DIPAs. Silky smooth mouthfeel sets this apart. No true carbonation bite. I wouldn't even call it too complex really. I guess its so simple and they make it seem that way. But it may be a hard process.

The first through 10th time I had BCBCS, I was blown away. This HT just doesnt have that aspect. The genre as a whole is built with fierce competitors. I probably said it before. Unless you live in the boonies, there is probably a close competitor right in our backyards.

A blind tasting of the 2nd can will ensue in a true royal rumble. I dont think Ill touch another beer until Saturday afternoon

 

[shannonscrooks]

Heady Topper's reputation is built off availability, or lack thereof. Don't get gassed

 

[neosole89]

Took me a minute, but I got my "Murderer's Row" pic.
Special thanks to @WallyHopp and @tee eye ehm and @Comparison Ford for helping

4 of the top 5 beers in BA's top 250.
And my birthday is Saturday. I'm going to have a nice selection.

-J-

Happy early birthday man! Heck of a lineup! Stay safe haha.

Another successful trade.. Didnt think about it too much but its all IPAs. I guess I kind of like those (and or DIPAs)

I've had this coaster for about 2 yrs now. I can finally match it up with some real HT beer

Thanks fellow NT member.

This weekend I plan to do a HT/Pliny/Sculpin/the three La Cumbre IPA/DIPAs, and maybe one or all of the other IPAs I received today.. In other words, once in a lifetime for a HT to meet up with a Father Nelson, and some Sculpin and Pliny in NM.

I posted on BA about my allagash/la cumbre hefe/weihenstephaner vitus tasting with some friends.. Each one was quite unique. I knew they were different styles but not until they are together, do you catch different hints. A bit floral spice hint out of Allagash White. I loved it more this second time for sure. LC hefe kind of stood in the middle. It didnt taste totally carbonated and or full of the bright flavor Im used to. The can is no more than a month old.. Vitus stood out as our favorite. Crisp carbonated edge. It's like a coca cola type carbonated bite. We found the 7.7% beer the most refreshing.. Go figure

Nice haul Wally. Can never have to many IPA's lol.

Stopped by my local spot today and picked up a few items.

 

[zs05wc]

I've been looking for that doughnut break.

I had a chance to go with my uncle to one the Michigan breweries and help him brew his own beer. He wanted to brew an IPA. I think it's going to turn out pretty good, but man theres a lot of science that goes into brewing beer. Very interesting day, the brewmaster we worked with said they think people were brewing beer before bread was ever made.

 

[tee eye ehm]

neosole89 Did you cop at Jane's?