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This was absolutely undrinkable to me. Wayyyy to sweet. It was like drinking thick, cold, childrens cough syrup.
This was absolutely undrinkable to me. Wayyyy to sweet. It was like drinking thick, cold, childrens cough syrup.
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So been kinda busy since I got back from a work trip to ATL and then going on vacation back home to San Diego. The week I got back I got strep throat too so its been a rough month or so trying to get caught back up. Haven't even had time to drink much beer haha.
Finally got my hands on a ton of west coast beers that I would never be able to try without a trade. But when I found out I would be travelling back home I decided to make the most of it. Pliney the Elder, what can I say. I had super high expectations for Russian River beers and for the most part they delivered. My second day there I scoured for Pliney and nobody had any available. From what I heard most places get one or two cases a week and they limit 1 or 2 per person. Luckily I made a friend who owns a liquor/beer spot in east county who is willing to kill for Hopslam and Founders Breakfast Stouts. So I've sent him a few brews already since he hooked me up with 12 Pliney for $36 instead of shelf price at 5.99 per bottle. Best deal by far.
Also got to try RR's Supplication and Damnation, solid beers all around. Didn't get to try and Blind Pig but my hook up said he could shoot that too me if need be. Drank a ridiculous amount of Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale, its pretty hard to get around my way and they always go out quick because people buy them by the case. Drank a lot of DFH 90 minute and some new DFH I have never had called Midas Touch. Its made with a 1000 year old recipe that they supposedly found in one of the pyramids. Interesting but not one of my favorites from DFH. Drank a lot of Ballast Point Sculpin as well (actually went deep sea fishing and caught quite a few Sculpin, delicious fish that goes great with the beer).
Firestone impressed me with a few of their beers, loved the Union Jack, Wooley Jack, Firewater, and Parabola. I would have liked to take some home but we had too much crap as it was. Had a 12 pack of Einstock a Icelandic beer brewed with glacier water that was one of the most refreshing beers i've ever had. Black Metal from Jester King was a highlight for me. Wanted to try it ever since Based Mod posted it a while back. Apparently there are two versions, the original and a farmhouse version. The original was better by miles. If you like Imperial Stouts you need to get your hands on this one. In fact, the guy I meet while out there had almost 10 cases of the OG Bombers left. I was considering dropping a few bucks to get some shipped to me.
Alpine Brewing Company is a local brewery out in the boonies about 40 minutes from downtown SD and they had some of the best IPAs i've ever had. Exponential Hoppiness is top 3 for sure. If you ever get to head out that way stop in and try it out. The staff is super friendly and their food is awesome as well. Got to try Hair Of The Dog as well, I thought it was decent but for the price I could get better. Maybe I just didn't try the right ones. I took a lot more pictures of a ton more beers I drank but I cant seem to find them on my phone or laptop. Some highlights I can remember off the top of my head were HopHash by Caldera brewing, tried a ton of Bear Republic and Green Flash but by the end of those nights couldn't remember what all I had drank lol.
Any way, here are a few snaps I could find on my phone. Now I'm upset I'm at work on a Monday morning instead of drinking delicious beers on the west coast...
Finally got my hands on a ton of west coast beers that I would never be able to try without a trade. But when I found out I would be travelling back home I decided to make the most of it. Pliney the Elder, what can I say. I had super high expectations for Russian River beers and for the most part they delivered. My second day there I scoured for Pliney and nobody had any available. From what I heard most places get one or two cases a week and they limit 1 or 2 per person. Luckily I made a friend who owns a liquor/beer spot in east county who is willing to kill for Hopslam and Founders Breakfast Stouts. So I've sent him a few brews already since he hooked me up with 12 Pliney for $36 instead of shelf price at 5.99 per bottle. Best deal by far.
Also got to try RR's Supplication and Damnation, solid beers all around. Didn't get to try and Blind Pig but my hook up said he could shoot that too me if need be. Drank a ridiculous amount of Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Ale, its pretty hard to get around my way and they always go out quick because people buy them by the case. Drank a lot of DFH 90 minute and some new DFH I have never had called Midas Touch. Its made with a 1000 year old recipe that they supposedly found in one of the pyramids. Interesting but not one of my favorites from DFH. Drank a lot of Ballast Point Sculpin as well (actually went deep sea fishing and caught quite a few Sculpin, delicious fish that goes great with the beer).
Firestone impressed me with a few of their beers, loved the Union Jack, Wooley Jack, Firewater, and Parabola. I would have liked to take some home but we had too much crap as it was. Had a 12 pack of Einstock a Icelandic beer brewed with glacier water that was one of the most refreshing beers i've ever had. Black Metal from Jester King was a highlight for me. Wanted to try it ever since Based Mod posted it a while back. Apparently there are two versions, the original and a farmhouse version. The original was better by miles. If you like Imperial Stouts you need to get your hands on this one. In fact, the guy I meet while out there had almost 10 cases of the OG Bombers left. I was considering dropping a few bucks to get some shipped to me.
Alpine Brewing Company is a local brewery out in the boonies about 40 minutes from downtown SD and they had some of the best IPAs i've ever had. Exponential Hoppiness is top 3 for sure. If you ever get to head out that way stop in and try it out. The staff is super friendly and their food is awesome as well. Got to try Hair Of The Dog as well, I thought it was decent but for the price I could get better. Maybe I just didn't try the right ones. I took a lot more pictures of a ton more beers I drank but I cant seem to find them on my phone or laptop. Some highlights I can remember off the top of my head were HopHash by Caldera brewing, tried a ton of Bear Republic and Green Flash but by the end of those nights couldn't remember what all I had drank lol.
Any way, here are a few snaps I could find on my phone. Now I'm upset I'm at work on a Monday morning instead of drinking delicious beers on the west coast...
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- Jul 1, 2005
Debating if I want to drink anymore of these Founders Breakfast Stouts or let a few roll and age for a minute or two.
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- Sep 15, 2003
IMO food is slightly overpriced, unless you order fries, since you get enough for 3 people for $4 bucks. The flatbreads are solid, tried duck and bacon once, it was super tasty but just not worth $8, worth more like $5-6 but they do serve food until like 12:15am. Tried the portebello burger($7 or $8?) and that thing was like the size of a whopper jr. and didn't at all taste that great. Last 5-6 visits there I just order brew. But the women there are seriously disappointing, over my visits there i've probably been rejected 12-15 times, had one successfull conversation amidst that. Actually went there last friday, saw this super cute 21-22 year old girl at the bar with her friend, sat next to her and asked her what she was eating, she said salad n pulls out her phone. I ask her something else or said something to her and she completely ignores me and continues texting on her iphone, stared at her 30 seconds waiting for a reply before i gave up n went back to drinking my beer. This was at the Azusa chapter if it matters.
Gonna hit up a different local bar next friday, little more hip , younger crowd so I should do better with women hopefully
I only laugh because I know that feel.
I've only been to Congregation Ale House once (Pasadena location) and I had just happened to drop in during happy hour so it wasn't too bad on the wallet. I liked the burger I had (don't remember which one) and their fries and dips were good. Their draft beer selection was pretty solid. I remember having Aprihop, a cask dry hopped Ruinition, and some black IPA I don't remember the name of. The waitress was cute and knowledgeable about beer. Turns out she brewed beer with her boyfriend so we chopped it up about favorite breweries and beer styles and what not. She must have mentioned her boyfriend like 5 times, at least.
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- Jul 31, 2007
I bought some Bridgeport IPA for the game tonight. I was surprised it had such a mild taste for a IPA.
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- Aug 23, 2007
I only laugh because I know that feel.
I've only been to Congregation Ale House once (Pasadena location) and I had just happened to drop in during happy hour so it wasn't too bad on the wallet. I liked the burger I had (don't remember which one) and their fries and dips were good. Their draft beer selection was pretty solid. I remember having Aprihop, a cask dry hopped Ruinition, and some black IPA I don't remember the name of. The waitress was cute and knowledgeable about beer. Turns out she brewed beer with her boyfriend so we chopped it up about favorite breweries and beer styles and what not. She must have mentioned her boyfriend like 5 times, at least.
honestly, Stork is right, i went to the congregation ale house in pasadena and they were subpar with service. the lady didn't even get my order right. that guy who co-founded stone was talking and the whole bar went silent like he was some god and everyone was lost in transition. anyway, she got the order wrong even though i was the only one ordering and everything was quiet and she didn't even give me a receipt. i prefer stone company store because it is more personal and they get your order right. as well, the price is reasonable. i'm not much of a eater when i drink beer, especially when i'm out. pub houses just charge too much. if you guys really want to experience the bar scene with a club atmosphere, i suggest dillions in hollywood or dublins in downtown LA. however, i prefer dillions because it's 3 DOLLARS a pint of anything you want (that's rare to find especially in hollywood). i usually just get arrogant bastard because that's the best one for your buck and dillions is bigger so you don't feel sardines in a can.
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heineken and stella right now...
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- Aug 31, 2012
If you can get your hands on this, do you yourself a favor and buy as much as possible. Seriously the best beer I've ever had:
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- Nov 4, 2003
Grabbed a 4 pack of Burton Baton on the way home.
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- Aug 14, 2005
If you hadn't planned to, you should think about aging 1-2 of them. I aged for a year and it was delicious - very smooth, whiskey-ish, nice alcohol burn. The hops fade, but it just brought out all of the other flavors.
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- Sep 28, 2004
Anyone else stock up on seasonals? I'm currently trying to obtain 3-4 cases worth of an oktoberfest. I'm spacing out buying them, hoping to get fresher beer the longer I wait.. Last year, they ran out a week before Thanksgiving. So I am now trying to stock up in a proper manner. Two years ago, we forced ourselves to save a six pack for late January.. That's one thing about liking either in house drafts or limited beers. One must always have a go to largely distributed beer that they can rely on in emergencies.
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I'm spotting a few winter ales making their way out.. Last year around this time, I think I was picking up Noche Buena from Dos Equis.... I spotted a few others. I'm not sure I want to jump too far into the realm of winter ales... Summer seasonals and fall seasonals are enough for me...
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Some home brew news.. We brewed this up at the beginning of the month... It should be a brown ale, but we always OD on the black malt and chocolate malts... It's just too damn delicious.... We just brewed up another brown ale/porter, this time using some roasted barley and smoked malt.. Flavor should be out of this world.
It should technically be an english style brown ale.. Hops @ around 27 IBU. Booze level way up, ABV around 6.6%. You taste nothing but a bitter chocolate aftertaste, and wonder why you feel drunk after just 2. It's maybe 50% similar to the recipe for that specific brew. So we could call this one our own I guess
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I'm spotting a few winter ales making their way out.. Last year around this time, I think I was picking up Noche Buena from Dos Equis.... I spotted a few others. I'm not sure I want to jump too far into the realm of winter ales... Summer seasonals and fall seasonals are enough for me...
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Some home brew news.. We brewed this up at the beginning of the month... It should be a brown ale, but we always OD on the black malt and chocolate malts... It's just too damn delicious.... We just brewed up another brown ale/porter, this time using some roasted barley and smoked malt.. Flavor should be out of this world.
It should technically be an english style brown ale.. Hops @ around 27 IBU. Booze level way up, ABV around 6.6%. You taste nothing but a bitter chocolate aftertaste, and wonder why you feel drunk after just 2. It's maybe 50% similar to the recipe for that specific brew. So we could call this one our own I guess
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Malts > Hops
wish i could get into homebrewing. impossible to do it with a tiny apartment.
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- May 17, 2004
Fan of brown to dark ale's.
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Man I was so hyped to find this in a liquor store buy me..Scooped it up and poured it for a Buckeyes Game...I thought this was one of the worst beers I've ever tasted. Actually, it might be the only beer that I could not drink. It tasted like liquid smoke
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- Apr 20, 2005
Drinking a Bear Republic Racer 5 and it's one of the best IPAs I've had. Also just tried a couple of Stone beers I've never had before just last night: Stone IPA and Stone Leviation. Levitation is supposed to be more of an amber ale, but it has a nice, strong hoppy finish to it.
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- Aug 31, 2012
Nice. Drinking a Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye as we speak. If you're into IPA's definitely look into that beer I posted a few posts up. IPAs are my favorite, and that is the best one I've had to date by a pretty wide margin. Stone IPA is my 2nd favorite though.
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- Jul 31, 2007
The name comes VooDoo doughnut shop in Portland Oregon where they make the bacon maple bar, though.
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- Jan 21, 2004
Malts > Hops
wish i could get into homebrewing. impossible to do it with a tiny apartment.
It's possible to homebrew in an apartment.
Check out Northern Brewer's Small Batch Starter Kit: http://www.northernbrewer.com/starter-kit-buyers-guide/
Or Brooklyn Brew Shop's 1 Gallon Kits: http://brooklynbrewshop.com/beer-making-kits
I keep meaning to get one to try it...I know tons of people that brew and want to trade beers for beers with 'em.
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- Jul 1, 2005
Bout to get my drank on as soon as the clock strikes 6pm. Oatmeal Porter and Oktoberfest on deck. 
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- Aug 31, 2012
Today's pickups:
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- Oct 31, 2012
Dogfish Head 90 minute IPA. Dat 4 pack will have u rite.
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- Apr 20, 2005
I'll keep an eye out for that one. Came home last night from a long day at work and wifey had made me a burger and picked up a 22oz CBC Audacity of Hops. I definitely recommend it if you can get your hands on it.
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- Jul 21, 2012
cant go wrong with russian river. visited the brewery a couple months back and got a growler of pliney the elder. their sours are also the ish.
but got a couple of bottles of trader joes vintage this past weekend. great belgian style dark ale and a must try for ppl that like strong belgians. def going to stock up before they run out this year.
but got a couple of bottles of trader joes vintage this past weekend. great belgian style dark ale and a must try for ppl that like strong belgians. def going to stock up before they run out this year.
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- Feb 17, 2008
Went to Bevmo for the first time today, selection was crazy. can't believe it took me this long to get over there, and I only live a 5 minute drive away 
:x
wasn't really sure if I would even buy anything, but that all changed when I saw they had Stone brews, gotta find out out what the hype is all about
. Probably open this thing up next saturday. copped a sweet glass too, just wish it was blank but it's still awesome 
:x wasn't really sure if I would even buy anything, but that all changed when I saw they had Stone brews, gotta find out out what the hype is all about
. Probably open this thing up next saturday. copped a sweet glass too, just wish it was blank but it's still awesome
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- Apr 30, 2011
Went to Bevmo for the first time today, selection was crazy. can't believe it took me this long to get over there, and I only live a 5 minute drive away
wasn't really sure if I would even buy anything, but that all changed when I saw they had Stone brews, gotta find out out what the hype is all about
good call on both pickups. that duvel glass is one of my favorites. the etched 'D' in the bottom of the glass keeps a nice steady head.
