Best (and worst) beers you've ever had

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

10 minutes ago, Bigbens42 said:

It's a decent IPA, but there are a ton of decent IPAs out there. 

Noted and acknowledged.

In my day, however, not so much.

Gimme time? I'm an old dog trying to learn...

 

[AUDub 11,153]

8 minutes ago, AUinTLoosa said:

Noted and acknowledged.

In my day, however, not so much.

Gimme time? I'm an old dog trying to learn...

We've come a long way and still have a long way to go. Alabama is very backwards about beer. Beers with ABV above 6 were illegal until 2009 (13.9 is the cap now, so we still miss on a few good beers). Bombers were illegal until 2012 (you can get up to 750ml, about 25 oz now). 

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

2 minutes ago, Bigbens42 said:

We've come a long way and still have a long way to go. Alabama is very backwards about beer. Beers with ABV above 6 were illegal until 2009 (13.9 is the cap now, so we still miss on a few good beers). Bombers were illegal until 2012 (you can get up to 750ml, about 25 oz now). 

Telling me?

I rued the day we lost access to Ballentine Ale in this state.

"It's getting better all the time."

[Tiger Refuge 6,670]

@AUinTLoosa It's a really, really good time to be a beer explorer. As some of our states play catch up, all kinds of new options are becoming available. Welcome to the beerhood. (if you don't have one already, get an app that you can use to keep track of the beers you've tried/liked/disliked...I use Untapped).

[AUDub 11,153]

Sweetwater's Juicebox IPA. A grapefruit IPA extremely reminiscent of Goin' Coastal. Pleasently grapefruity on the nose. Smells better than it tastes. Doesn't taste bad, I mean. Just not much there. An inoffensive, easy drinker with a hint of grapefruit. Would be a great beach/post mowing beer. 

[AUFAN78 3,911]

[ShocksMyBrain 9,366]

19 hours ago, Bigbens42 said:

It's a decent IPA, but there are a ton of decent IPAs out there. 

I agree. I think it's a great "shelf" IPA. Something that I can keep around all the time. 

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

Seasonal shelf beer time:  Had a Sam Adams Cherry Wheat this weekend.  Forgot how tasty that thing is.  2nd best cherry infused beer I've had.

#1 with a bullet is Shipwrecked Brewery's Door Country Cherry Wheat.  Use fresh cherries from the farms in northern Wisconsin.  Cool tap room too if you're ever up that way.

[ShocksMyBrain 9,366]

My store got a case of Snake Handler today. My dad and I bought half of it. 

Having my second currently, and I'll say it's good, bordering on great. The alcohol is fairly well hidden, and can get pretty dangerous. That said, it's not blowing me like it did when I had it at the brewery in 2011 or whenever that was; but I've also had literally hundreds of D/IPAs since--some better and many, many much worse. Beer buzzword time: it's dank/resinous and has a very strong malt backbone. 

2017 Hopslam is marginally better IMO. They are virtually the same in terms of price, about $3 per 12oz. beer. Some people may find the price of the 4pk easier to swallow(pun). I will buy it again for sure. 

[ShocksMyBrain 9,366]

On 2/5/2017 at 7:10 PM, Bigbens42 said:

Sweetwater's Juicebox IPA. A grapefruit IPA extremely reminiscent of Goin' Coastal. Pleasently grapefruity on the nose. Smells better than it tastes. Doesn't taste bad, I mean. Just not much there. An inoffensive, easy drinker with a hint of grapefruit. Would be a great beach/post mowing beer. 

That's Sweetwater for ya. Easy drinking, inoffensive craft beer. Basically the New Belgium of the Deep South. I've voiced my deep seated disappointment and frustration with both of those breweries numerous times in this thread; however, I keep trying whatever new fangled brew they come out with. Entry level craft, and that's it(save for the NB sours--as I've also mentioned numerous times).

I recently had NB's Voodoo Ranger 7 Hop(they also have an 8 hop "variant" for whatever reason). Meh. Better than Ranger and Rampant though. The whole X amount of hops trend, like what Rogue has also been doing, feels like a marketing ploy to me. You don't need 17 different hop varietals for your D/IPA to taste good. 

But whatever. Just being a jaded, cynical craft beer drinker who has both loved and hated how craft beer has been evolving since my first Sierra Nevada Pale Ale when I was 18 or 19. As always, I encourage people to drink what they like. 

[ShocksMyBrain 9,366]

Closest thing we have to an NEIPA. And readily available. @Tiger Refuge, expect some. 

SPB is totally legit. They've upped their labeling and beer completely.

[Tiger Refuge 6,670]

Now that looks very nice!

[McLoofus 35,182]

13 hours ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

But whatever. Just being a jaded, cynical craft beer drinker who has both loved and hated how craft beer has been evolving since my first Sierra Nevada Pale Ale when I was 18 or 19. As always, I encourage people to drink what they like. 

Cheers.

Funny that you concluded that "rant", for lack of a better term, with an SN mention. As you were discussing the multi-hop wars, I was thinking about how they like to feature a single hop in so many of their seasonals and other limited releases. It's amazing how they continue to be such a vital brewery while still focusing on elegant, clean, true-to-style beers. I can't remember the last time I tasted a beer from them that missed the mark, and they're usually good-to-great. 

[Tiger Refuge 6,670]

I feel like I can pretty well throw beer into one of four categories. 1) Toe curling 2)Go to 3)Meh 4) Horrid.

 

Not it sure why I posted this. It felt right?

 

I clearly need a beer.

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

1 hour ago, Tiger Refuge said:

I feel like I can pretty well throw beer into one of four categories. 1) Toe curling 2)Go to 3)Meh 4) Horrid.

 

Not it sure why I posted this. It felt right?

 

I clearly need a beer.

Get one, soon

Actually, I do try to avoid #4 (and I actually have met some - e.g., when Ballantine's Ohio vats went fungal it was #4) but other 3 all have some value.

My Dad (bless his heart) sort'a explained it to me in terms of coffee ("Coffee is kind'a like sex. When it's good, it's real, real good. When it's bad, it's

 

still pretty good").

[McLoofus 35,182]

2 hours ago, Tiger Refuge said:

I feel like I can pretty well throw beer into one of four categories. 1) Toe curling 2)Go to 3)Meh 4) Horrid.

Not it sure why I posted this. It felt right?

I clearly need a beer.

Hah! I love the scale. I'm going to try using it in future reviews.

[Grumps 3,704]

On ‎2‎/‎7‎/‎2017 at 7:00 PM, ShocksMyBrain said:

My store got a case of Snake Handler today. My dad and I bought half of it. 

Having my second currently, and I'll say it's good, bordering on great. The alcohol is fairly well hidden, and can get pretty dangerous. That said, it's not blowing me like it did when I had it at the brewery in 2011 or whenever that was; but I've also had literally hundreds of D/IPAs since--some better and many, many much worse. Beer buzzword time: it's dank/resinous and has a very strong malt backbone. 

2017 Hopslam is marginally better IMO. They are virtually the same in terms of price, about $3 per 12oz. beer. Some people may find the price of the 4pk easier to swallow(pun). I will buy it again for sure. 

Thanks for the recommendation! Very good beer. I was surprised that I liked it. IPAs are definitely growing on me. Now a question for you guys. My favorite grocery store has some new selections. What about Elysian and Orpheus breweries?

Oh, for a rating I'd say corner of my lips curling, which means better than go to but not quite toe curling.;)

[McLoofus 35,182]

8 minutes ago, Grumps said:

Thanks for the recommendation! Very good beer. I was surprised that I liked it. IPAs are definitely growing on me. Now a question for you guys. My favorite grocery store has some new selections. What about Elysian and Orpheus breweries?

Oh, for a rating I'd say corner of my lips curling, which means better than go to but not quite toe curling.;)

Other guys can speak more to Elysian, but Orpheus does a pretty good job. They're one of those "subtle twists on familiar styles" breweries. Atalanta is a tart plum saison that is super refreshing and easy to drink. That's in Refuge's "Go to" category at our house in the warmer months. Lyric Ale is a safe saison. Their IPAs are okay- Life.Death.Life.Truth and Truth.Body.Soul. Their double IPA is Transmigration of Souls and it's good, but I go elsewhere at that price point. (You can tell from the names that their branding is a little, uh, indulgent...) I was in a store recently when some of their cans started exploding, but I haven't heard of that being an ongoing problem. 

Happy drinking!

[Grumps 3,704]

27 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Other guys can speak more to Elysian, but Orpheus does a pretty good job. They're one of those "subtle twists on familiar styles" breweries. Atalanta is a tart plum saison that is super refreshing and easy to drink. That's in Refuge's "Go to" category at our house in the warmer months. Lyric Ale is a safe saison. Their IPAs are okay- Life.Death.Life.Truth and Truth.Body.Soul. Their double IPA is Transmigration of Souls and it's good, but I go elsewhere at that price point. (You can tell from the names that their branding is a little, uh, indulgent...) I was in a store recently when some of their cans started exploding, but I haven't heard of that being an ongoing problem. 

Happy drinking!

Thanks! The two Orpheus offerings were the Atalanta and Life.Death.Life.Truth. The two Elysians they have are Immortal IPA and Stardust (I think) IPA. You guys have me trying all sorts of new beer. I am starting to understand that there is a difference between a "good beer" and a "beer I like".

[McLoofus 35,182]

2 minutes ago, Grumps said:

Thanks! The two Orpheus offerings were the Atalanta and Life.Death.Life.Truth. The two Elysians they have are Immortal IPA and Stardust (I think) IPA. You guys have me trying all sorts of new beer. I am starting to understand that there is a difference between a "good beer" and a "beer I like".

Wow. I love that quote. Goes back to what Shocks said- drink what you like. Good stuff.

I've heard good things about the Elysian IPAs. Will try them soon. Was just on a local beer kick the last month or so. 

As for trying all sorts of new beer, it's a luxury we have now that I'm happy to indulge. Except for a short list of locals and all-time favorites, I'm trying a new beer every time I go out. I'm often disappointed, but that's part of the fun. Quality is always relative.

Hmm. I might not be strictly following corporate policy at lunch today. 

 

 

[ShocksMyBrain 9,366]

Elysian has failed to impress me on numerous occasions. Beer I'll drink if it's around, but not something I buy 6pks of. 

AB-I bought them a couple years ago, if that's something you'd like to know. I've tried their stuff before and after the acquisition and I couldn't tell any difference in quality. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

6 minutes ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

Elysian has failed to impress me on numerous occasions. Beer I'll drink if it's around, but not something I buy 6pks of. 

AB-I bought them a couple years ago, if that's something you'd like to know. I've tried their stuff before and after the acquisition and I couldn't tell any difference in quality. 

I forgot they were one of those. 

And this is where the AB stuff is actually useful for me. It's a crowded marketplace and I look for any help I can get in narrowing down my list of things to try, especially with a 2-yr old in the house and the ways in which that limits my opportunities to try new beers. If there's a brewery that goes AB, then I'm not mad at them, but I know they'll survive without my meager ducats. Maybe I'll splurge on the occasional BCBS or whatever, but if there are two equal beers and one of them is AB, I'll go with the other one every time. I don't expect every little guy to turn down the big payday. Just makes my life easier.

[ShocksMyBrain 9,366]

58 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

I forgot they were one of those. 

And this is where the AB stuff is actually useful for me. It's a crowded marketplace and I look for any help I can get in narrowing down my list of things to try, especially with a 2-yr old in the house and the ways in which that limits my opportunities to try new beers. If there's a brewery that goes AB, then I'm not mad at them, but I know they'll survive without my meager ducats. Maybe I'll splurge on the occasional BCBS or whatever, but if there are two equal beers and one of them is AB, I'll go with the other one every time. I don't expect every little guy to turn down the big payday. Just makes my life easier.

There was a bit of drama surrounding Elysian's buyout between the former owners. One was for it and the other was staunch against it, but the one against lost out on a vote among others financially invested. Or something along those lines. 

Not as dramatic as the former Goose Island headbrewer urinating in a glass at a bar and proclaiming, "there, that's what we are making now". I want to say he went off to start Two Brothers or Off Color or some other current Chicago based brewery. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

4 minutes ago, ShocksMyBrain said:

Not as dramatic as the former Goose Island headbrewer urinating in a glass at a bar and proclaiming, "there, that's what we are making now". 

Never heard that story. Hahaha... brewers, man. 

[ShocksMyBrain 9,366]

12 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Never heard that story. Hahaha... brewers, man. 

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2011-04-11/news/chi-bar-incident-leaves-goose-islands-greg-hall-contrite-20110411_1_bar-incident-glasses-bartender