Author Topic: If you have had a good (or bad) beer recently report the results here  (Read 273521 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Re: If you have had a good (or bad) beer recently report the results here
« Reply #750 on: October 23, 2015, 09:39:12 PM »

Offline SCeltic34

  • JoJo White
  • ****************
  • Posts: 16005
  • Tommy Points: 1956
This thread needs more love.  Beer is love.

A few reviews today:

Grapefruit Sculpin IPA by Ballast Point



I'm typically not a fan of fruity beers (especially the low-alcohol ones that are really fruity - those are horrendous), but this one is terrific.  As the name suggests, the taste of grapefruit is prevalent - but make no mistake about it, this is a man's beer.  7% ABV.  Strong flavor, bitter finish.  If you're not a fan of strong citrusy beers, you probably won't like this one.  Otherwise, it's delicious.  Personally I do get a little taste fatigue with this one.

8.5 / 10.  Recommended.  Not cheap though at about $14 per 6-pack.


Sculpin IPA by Ballast Point



Just the regular Sculpin.  Great beer. Nice balance of sweetness, bitterness; it's everything an IPA should be.  Very drinkable but at the same time with complex flavor.  Gave me a wicked hangover, but I ain't mad.

9.5 / 10.  Highly recommended.  Again, about ~$14 for a 6 pack.

I'm very impressed with Ballast Point.  Wish I could find that Porter that Lucky17 posted above, I'd bet good money that it's terrific.

Re: If you have had a good (or bad) beer recently report the results here
« Reply #751 on: October 23, 2015, 11:12:39 PM »

Offline Lucky17

  • DKC Commish
  • JoJo White
  • ****************
  • Posts: 16021
  • Tommy Points: 2352
I've actually yet to try either of the Sculpins, strangely. I will do so my next opportunity.

Thanks, SC34; there's a TP for you.
DKC League is now on reddit!: http://www.reddit.com/r/dkcleague

Re: If you have had a good (or bad) beer recently report the results here
« Reply #752 on: November 09, 2015, 09:49:44 PM »

Offline indeedproceed

  • In The Rafters
  • James Naismith
  • *********************************
  • Posts: 42583
  • Tommy Points: 2756
  • You ain't the boss of the freakin' bedclothes.
Local Beer Alert, Probably Only Useful To foulweatherfan: Racquette River Brewing Company

https://www.facebook.com/RacquetteRiverBrewing

The beer is always changing but it's always good. Absolutely worth a stop for anyone going through the mountains.

"You've gotta respect a 15-percent 3-point shooter. A guy
like that is always lethal." - Evan 'The God' Turner

Re: If you have had a good (or bad) beer recently report the results here
« Reply #753 on: November 09, 2015, 10:46:20 PM »

Offline fairweatherfan

  • Johnny Most
  • ********************
  • Posts: 20738
  • Tommy Points: 2365
  • Be the posts you wish to see in the world.
Local Beer Alert, Probably Only Useful To foulweatherfan: Racquette River Brewing Company

https://www.facebook.com/RacquetteRiverBrewing

The beer is always changing but it's always good. Absolutely worth a stop for anyone going through the mountains.

It'll take me til summer to get back but I'm so in. 

Re: If you have had a good (or bad) beer recently report the results here
« Reply #754 on: November 09, 2015, 11:19:39 PM »

Offline indeedproceed

  • In The Rafters
  • James Naismith
  • *********************************
  • Posts: 42583
  • Tommy Points: 2756
  • You ain't the boss of the freakin' bedclothes.
Local Beer Alert, Probably Only Useful To foulweatherfan: Racquette River Brewing Company

https://www.facebook.com/RacquetteRiverBrewing

The beer is always changing but it's always good. Absolutely worth a stop for anyone going through the mountains.

It'll take me til summer to get back but I'm so in. 

You'll probably be better served by waiting. As they say, "Winter is coming". And winter in Tupper Lake probably sucks more than most places. I refuse to admit that skiing, snowmobiling, or hot chocolate is a good thing under any context.

"You've gotta respect a 15-percent 3-point shooter. A guy
like that is always lethal." - Evan 'The God' Turner

Re: If you have had a good (or bad) beer recently report the results here
« Reply #755 on: November 10, 2015, 12:06:47 AM »

Offline Quetzalcoatl

  • Antoine Walker
  • ****
  • Posts: 4098
  • Tommy Points: 419
This thread needs more love.  Beer is love.

A few reviews today:

Grapefruit Sculpin IPA by Ballast Point



I'm typically not a fan of fruity beers (especially the low-alcohol ones that are really fruity - those are horrendous), but this one is terrific.  As the name suggests, the taste of grapefruit is prevalent - but make no mistake about it, this is a man's beer.  7% ABV.  Strong flavor, bitter finish.  If you're not a fan of strong citrusy beers, you probably won't like this one.  Otherwise, it's delicious.  Personally I do get a little taste fatigue with this one.

8.5 / 10.  Recommended.  Not cheap though at about $14 per 6-pack.


Sculpin IPA by Ballast Point



Just the regular Sculpin.  Great beer. Nice balance of sweetness, bitterness; it's everything an IPA should be.  Very drinkable but at the same time with complex flavor.  Gave me a wicked hangover, but I ain't mad.

9.5 / 10.  Highly recommended.  Again, about ~$14 for a 6 pack.

I'm very impressed with Ballast Point.  Wish I could find that Porter that Lucky17 posted above, I'd bet good money that it's terrific.

I can usually find the silver lining with any food, but I loathe fruity beers.  However, I just ordered a regular Sculpin and the coffee shop/bar I'm studying at just gave me a Grapefruit Sculpin by accident.  Rather than be a diva and send it back, I sucked it up and took it anyway.  I have to say it's not bad, even though I'm super biased against it and want to not like it on principal.  7/10 - I literally just finished it and then was surprised to see it in this thread  TP!

Re: If you have had a good (or bad) beer recently report the results here
« Reply #756 on: December 10, 2015, 10:16:36 AM »

Offline Donoghus

  • Global Moderator
  • Bill Russell
  • ******************************
  • Posts: 30933
  • Tommy Points: 1607
  • What a Pub Should Be
Anybody have any experience on aging beer?

I was given an early Xmas present last night of two Goose Island Bourbon County Stouts; one regular & one coffee. 

Unsure whether I should a) refrigerate b) age c) what temp to drink at?

Also goes back to the question of aging if I do choose to do that.  Does it just depend on the type of beer and how long to age it?  Do you reach a point where it's too long?

I own a handful of Stone Vertical Epics from various years (9/9/09 to 12/12/12).  Been keeping them at 50 degrees in my wine fridge.  Should I be concerned that any of them are too old?

I also tend to buy a couple of Dogfish Head 120 Minutes each year and wait 12 months before cracking.  Am I doing that right?

Just curious for peoples' thoughts.


2010 CB Historical Draft - Best Overall Team

Re: If you have had a good (or bad) beer recently report the results here
« Reply #757 on: December 10, 2015, 10:26:26 AM »

Offline fairweatherfan

  • Johnny Most
  • ********************
  • Posts: 20738
  • Tommy Points: 2365
  • Be the posts you wish to see in the world.
Anybody have any experience on aging beer?

I was given an early Xmas present last night of two Goose Island Bourbon County Stouts; one regular & one coffee. 

Unsure whether I should a) refrigerate b) age c) what temp to drink at?

Also goes back to the question of aging if I do choose to do that.  Does it just depend on the type of beer and how long to age it?  Do you reach a point where it's too long?

I own a handful of Stone Vertical Epics from various years (9/9/09 to 12/12/12).  Been keeping them at 50 degrees in my wine fridge.  Should I be concerned that any of them are too old?

I also tend to buy a couple of Dogfish Head 120 Minutes each year and wait 12 months before cracking.  Am I doing that right?

Just curious for peoples' thoughts.

I'm jealous of the coffee - I got ahold of 3 regular Bourbon Countys before my store ran out.

I'm no expert but I drank one of mine at room temperature and liked it better than the chilled one.

W/r/t aging other beer, I'm again no expert but I know some beers will have labels like "drink fresh" or "keep cold"; those are the only ones I think you wouldn't want to age at all.  If you do age, cool to temperate and dark is probably the way you want to go.  I have some 3 year old 120 waiting for the birth of my kid right now, I'm curious to see if I can tell the difference. 

Re: If you have had a good (or bad) beer recently report the results here
« Reply #758 on: December 10, 2015, 10:39:10 AM »

Offline Donoghus

  • Global Moderator
  • Bill Russell
  • ******************************
  • Posts: 30933
  • Tommy Points: 1607
  • What a Pub Should Be
Anybody have any experience on aging beer?

I was given an early Xmas present last night of two Goose Island Bourbon County Stouts; one regular & one coffee. 

Unsure whether I should a) refrigerate b) age c) what temp to drink at?

Also goes back to the question of aging if I do choose to do that.  Does it just depend on the type of beer and how long to age it?  Do you reach a point where it's too long?

I own a handful of Stone Vertical Epics from various years (9/9/09 to 12/12/12).  Been keeping them at 50 degrees in my wine fridge.  Should I be concerned that any of them are too old?

I also tend to buy a couple of Dogfish Head 120 Minutes each year and wait 12 months before cracking.  Am I doing that right?

Just curious for peoples' thoughts.

I'm jealous of the coffee - I got ahold of 3 regular Bourbon Countys before my store ran out.

I'm no expert but I drank one of mine at room temperature and liked it better than the chilled one.

W/r/t aging other beer, I'm again no expert but I know some beers will have labels like "drink fresh" or "keep cold"; those are the only ones I think you wouldn't want to age at all.  If you do age, cool to temperate and dark is probably the way you want to go.  I have some 3 year old 120 waiting for the birth of my kid right now, I'm curious to see if I can tell the difference.

Wow.  Birth of your kid is certainly a good excuse to crack on!  That'll be exciting!  Congrats!

I've never had any of the Bourbon Counties so this'll be exciting.  It's like a cult out here for that stuff.


2010 CB Historical Draft - Best Overall Team

Re: If you have had a good (or bad) beer recently report the results here
« Reply #759 on: December 10, 2015, 10:52:19 AM »

Offline indeedproceed

  • In The Rafters
  • James Naismith
  • *********************************
  • Posts: 42583
  • Tommy Points: 2756
  • You ain't the boss of the freakin' bedclothes.
Anybody have any experience on aging beer?

I was given an early Xmas present last night of two Goose Island Bourbon County Stouts; one regular & one coffee. 

Unsure whether I should a) refrigerate b) age c) what temp to drink at?

Also goes back to the question of aging if I do choose to do that.  Does it just depend on the type of beer and how long to age it?  Do you reach a point where it's too long?

I own a handful of Stone Vertical Epics from various years (9/9/09 to 12/12/12).  Been keeping them at 50 degrees in my wine fridge.  Should I be concerned that any of them are too old?

I also tend to buy a couple of Dogfish Head 120 Minutes each year and wait 12 months before cracking.  Am I doing that right?

Just curious for peoples' thoughts.

My basic understanding is:

1) Bigger ABV is better when aging

2) The citrusy hop profile and especially the aroma profile diminish with aging. Bitterness remains, but its the back end bitterness. The upfront hop profile of some of the best known IPA's (Pliny, Union Jack, etc) wouldn't weather prolonged aging well. In fact, Russian River used to recommend (maybe this has changed) that you drink Pliny's within a month of bottling, no more.

3) But its also an experiment. If you have the discipline to wait, and the basic bookkeeping skills to keep accurate records, it can be a really interesting thing to do. And the results can be worth it. I just got to try a 2010 Chimay Special Edition (I forget the actual name) and it was one of the best beers I've ever had in my life. Maybe part of the reason it was so good is because I know that I'll never have that exact beer ever again.

"You've gotta respect a 15-percent 3-point shooter. A guy
like that is always lethal." - Evan 'The God' Turner

Re: If you have had a good (or bad) beer recently report the results here
« Reply #760 on: May 14, 2016, 01:39:45 PM »

Offline Eja117

  • NCE
  • Bill Sharman
  • *******************
  • Posts: 19274
  • Tommy Points: 1254
I'm not really a pale ale guy but Menemsha Creek and Lazy Frog lately. Really liked em

Re: If you have had a good (or bad) beer recently report the results here
« Reply #761 on: May 15, 2016, 03:08:47 PM »

Offline Eja117

  • NCE
  • Bill Sharman
  • *******************
  • Posts: 19274
  • Tommy Points: 1254
Heady Topper from Waterbury VT. It's ok. Maybe a tad too hoppy for me

Re: If you have had a good (or bad) beer recently report the results here
« Reply #762 on: May 21, 2016, 08:47:50 PM »

Offline Greyman

  • Jayson Tatum
  • Posts: 784
  • Tommy Points: 211
I didn't want to start a new thread on beer with this one here. A question though from Australia. Beer is obviously huge here, but cider is making a huge return and boutique ciders are popping up all over the place. Is the same happening in the USA or other countries? I experimented with cider when in my twenties but not a big fan.

Sorry for highjacking the thread a little bit but I am curious about the growth of cider.

Re: If you have had a good (or bad) beer recently report the results here
« Reply #763 on: May 22, 2016, 10:58:22 AM »

Offline Eja117

  • NCE
  • Bill Sharman
  • *******************
  • Posts: 19274
  • Tommy Points: 1254
Cider....the girls like it. You rarely see commercials for it. You might see one on a menu.

Re: If you have had a good (or bad) beer recently report the results here
« Reply #764 on: May 22, 2016, 10:59:25 AM »

Offline Eja117

  • NCE
  • Bill Sharman
  • *******************
  • Posts: 19274
  • Tommy Points: 1254
I recently reasonably enjoyed Candlepin and another beer called Bohemian Pilsner by Von Trapp Brewing in Stowe Vt.