Best (and worst) beers you've ever had

[AUDub 11,153]

28 minutes ago, Tiger Refuge said:

Nice job! It always feels good to tackle a project that falls outside the comfort zone.

Definitely outside my comfort zone. Electricity? No problem. Flooring? Well, I’ve done a bit. Drywall? Done that before too. 

Plumbing, though? I was pretty much helpless before today except for things like seats, springs and the occasional faucet/dishwasher replacement. I’m confident I can at least handle the basics. Still going to leave things like this shower to the pros though.

[Grumps 3,704]

Just for the record, I just LOVE you guys and your beer conversations! I have been staying away from beer lately for health reasons (too fat) but I really enjoy being educated by you all!

[Tiger Refuge 6,670]

I'm an idiot...apparently I can't read a can. That Hoppyright was an Imperial IPA, not a double. Even though it says IIPA which my brain processed as double....nevermind, I has bad reads. 

 

ETA...good heavens. I (re)learn something new every day. Imperial...double....potato....tomato....

[McLoofus 35,182]

9 hours ago, Grumps said:

Just for the record, I just LOVE you guys and your beer conversations! I have been staying away from beer lately for health reasons (too fat) but I really enjoy being educated by you all!

I was just thinking the same thing about the plumbing conversation, lol.

Work trip to Atlanta this past week. Three Taverns is doing cool things with their sours, and I don't even drink many sours. Wrecking Bar still killing it. They're bringing heavy dankness back to accompany the current, tropical/citrus hops. They also had a Belgian pale ale that is like Orval with slightly fruitier hops. And the food... goodness. Scofflaw POG Basement in cans now. And my buddy will be starting up his hop on/hop off brewery bus soon. It's called... wait for it... Atlanta Beer Bus.

[AUDub 11,153]

25 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

I was just thinking the same thing about the plumbing conversation, lol.

One of my favorite sayings is "failure breeds success."

I didn't pussyfoot around on the last stuck delta dome. I whipped out my Dremel, cut that sumbitch and peeled it right off, which is what I should have done on the shower one I broke before applying too much elbow grease. Lesson learned.

Hope to hear from the plumber today. While I'm confident I could repair the shower, I'd rather leave that to the pros. Me doing it means removing some tile.

[McLoofus 35,182]

4 minutes ago, AUDub said:

One of my favorite sayings is "failure breeds success."

I didn't pussyfoot around on the last stuck delta dome. I whipped out my Dremel, cut that sumbitch and peeled it right off, which is what I should have done on the shower one I broke before applying too much elbow grease. Lesson learned.

Hope to hear from the plumber today. While I'm confident I could repair the shower, I'd rather leave that to the pros. Me doing it means removing some tile.

During our move, we ended up paying people to do a lot of work. It didn't feel good at first but in hindsight, I don't regret a penny. Well, except for one guy who just sucked at his job. 

[AUDub 11,153]

13 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

During our move, we ended up paying people to do a lot of work. It didn't feel good at first but in hindsight, I don't regret a penny. Well, except for one guy who just sucked at his job. 

Is there a story there?

This house was a fixer upper when we bought it. Still needs some of TLC, matter of fact. We’ve poured something like $30,000 into it on a metal roof, flooring, exterior paint, water heater, ACs etc. I still need to do the decks and the yard. Can’t really complain, though. For the location (Trussville) and size (5-3, 3100 sq ft, which, with 6 of us, we needed every bit of), we’re still way ahead of where we would be otherwise.

To save money, I had to learn to do a lot of stuff on my lonesome. The prior owner was a clueless DIYer so a lot of stuff needed fixing. Electrical splices without a junction box, no GFC’s near water, Romex line running outdoors, etc.

And practically everything is original, hence the leaky faucets I tried to fix and such.

It’s required a lot of work, but I’ve gained a lot of knowledge on handling basic electrical work, woodworking, flooring and now plumbing thanks to this house. Knowing your limits is important (hence the plumber) but it’s nice to actually know what goes into the work that goes into keeping a house livable rather than viewing it as black magic. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

52 minutes ago, AUDub said:

The prior owner was a clueless DIYer

Say no more. Seriously. Don't say anything else about that because it gives me nightmares...   (The previous owner of our new house only hosed one wall in one bedroom with his novice work and that was unpleasant enough.)

We hired a guy just to paint some walls. Big walls, the wife wanted it done before I could get to it, etc. Dude ended up only showing up once or twice a week, so ironically of course it ended up taking longer than if we'd just done it ourselves. And of course when we really put the screws to him he started rushing it and getting sloppy. Lesson learned. Either DIY or spend a little extra on true pros. 

I never once offered that bastard one of my beers. 

[AUDub 11,153]

49 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

Say no more. Seriously. Don't say anything else about that because it gives me nightmares...   (The previous owner of our new house only hosed one wall in one bedroom with his novice work and that was unpleasant enough.)

We hired a guy just to paint some walls. Big walls, the wife wanted it done before I could get to it, etc. Dude ended up only showing up once or twice a week, so ironically of course it ended up taking longer than if we'd just done it ourselves. And of course when we really put the screws to him he started rushing it and getting sloppy. Lesson learned. Either DIY or spend a little extra on true pros. 

I never once offered that bastard one of my beers. 

My wife and I handled all of the interior painting on our own. It was a big job. What little painting the prior owner had done was so sloppy you just couldn't help but laugh. Didn't even bother to remove the outlet and switch plates. Everything else was that ugly contractor beige or pink(ish) color they use to get out cheap. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

Just now, AUDub said:

My wife and I handled all of the interior painting on our own. It was a big job. What little painting the prior owner had done was so sloppy you just couldn't help but laugh. Didn't even bother to remove the outlet and switch plates. Everything else was that ugly contractor beige or pink(ish) color they use to get out cheap. 

[AUDub 11,153]

3 minutes ago, McLoofus said:

I literally gaped myself. Finding that sort of laziness in prior work became a lot less shocking over time though. The electrical stuff terrified me. Open electrical splices in the ceilings? Nooope. Fixed that with the quickness. 

[McLoofus 35,182]

3 minutes ago, AUDub said:

I literally gaped myself. Finding that sort of laziness in prior work became a lot less shocking over time though. The electrical stuff terrified me. Open electrical splices in the ceilings? Nooope. Fixed that with the quickness. 

Yeah. That was some of what I ran into. WTH are people thinking? One of the things I was happy to have had a pro on hand for. 

I still have a ton of beige switches and receptacles to swap out.

[Tiger Refuge 6,670]

4 hours ago, McLoofus said:

 

[AUDub 11,153]

I’m going to fix it myself. I’ll update as I go. Getting a crash course on tiling from a friend that does it for a living. 

[Tiger Refuge 6,670]

20 minutes ago, AUDub said:

I’m going to fix it myself. I’ll update as I go. Getting a crash course on tiling from a friend that does it for a living. 

Always nice to have that friend on tap! Like you guys said earlier, I’ve done a little bit of it all...carpentry, tiling, flooring, plumbing, etc. I HATE painting. I really suck at it. But, I readily admit it. Gimme a saw, an air compressor, nail guns, a drill, and a level. I promise I can tear something up with the best of’em.

 

Seriously, keep us posted. I used subway tile on my kitchen backsplashes. It wasn’t bad at all. 

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

On 3/24/2018 at 11:10 PM, AUDub said:

Got my hands on the Voodoo Ranger Juicy Haze. Tasty and crushable. Wish more NEIPA’s floated down here. 

Had to learn to solder pipe today. Jacked up a delta faucet trying to replace the seats. Was original, dome had cemented itself into place and I turned too hard on this one, the third out of four that needed fixing. Turned the water to the house back on and it was leaking into the wall. Plumber came out and said he could fix it without detroying tile and was going to get parts. He never made it back. Went to Lowe’s, bought some ball valves and by the grace of God soldered them into the lines going up to the shower. Now I’m minus one shower until I get it fixed, but at least we have running water and I have learned a new skill. 

Hate plumbing with a passion (despite my old Ch.E.)! New installations ain't all bad, but most projects involve old, corroded, frozen, or stripped pipes or fixtures. Good on you and your new skills.

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

On 3/26/2018 at 8:47 AM, AUDub said:

Is there a story there?

This house was a fixer upper when we bought it. Still needs some of TLC, matter of fact. We’ve poured something like $30,000 into it on a metal roof, flooring, exterior paint, water heater, ACs etc. I still need to do the decks and the yard. Can’t really complain, though. For the location (Trussville) and size (5-3, 3100 sq ft, which, with 6 of us, we needed every bit of), we’re still way ahead of where we would be otherwise.

To save money, I had to learn to do a lot of stuff on my lonesome. The prior owner was a clueless DIYer so a lot of stuff needed fixing. Electrical splices without a junction box, no GFC’s near water, Romex line running outdoors, etc.

And practically everything is original, hence the leaky faucets I tried to fix and such.

It’s required a lot of work, but I’ve gained a lot of knowledge on handling basic electrical work, woodworking, flooring and now plumbing thanks to this house. Knowing your limits is important (hence the plumber) but it’s nice to actually know what goes into the work that goes into keeping a house livable rather than viewing it as black magic. 

Been there, still doing that (dammit!). 

[weekend still polishing that boat anchor of a house in Tloosa]

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

On 3/26/2018 at 9:44 AM, McLoofus said:

Say no more. Seriously. Don't say anything else about that because it gives me nightmares...   (The previous owner of our new house only hosed one wall in one bedroom with his novice work and that was unpleasant enough.)

We hired a guy just to paint some walls. Big walls, the wife wanted it done before I could get to it, etc. Dude ended up only showing up once or twice a week, so ironically of course it ended up taking longer than if we'd just done it ourselves. And of course when we really put the screws to him he started rushing it and getting sloppy. Lesson learned. Either DIY or spend a little extra on true pros. 

I never once offered that bastard one of my beers. 

Maybe that's been my problem. I offer everybody beers.

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

13 hours ago, Tiger Refuge said:

Always nice to have that friend on tap! Like you guys said earlier, I’ve done a little bit of it all...carpentry, tiling, flooring, plumbing, etc. I HATE painting. I really suck at it. But, I readily admit it. Gimme a saw, an air compressor, nail guns, a drill, and a level. I promise I can tear something up with the best of’em.

 

Seriously, keep us posted. I used subway tile on my kitchen backsplashes. It wasn’t bad at all. 

Wife (bless her heart) won't let me paint.

Blessings of color blindness.

[McLoofus 35,182]

3 minutes ago, AUld fAUx@ said:

Maybe that's been my problem. I offer everybody beers.

Your loss is humanity's- physically and conceptually- gain. 

[AUld fAUx@ 2,584]

T'loosa weekend, went to Southern Ale House and, for dessert, met my second (count'em, two!) Alabama (legal) whiskey.

Clyde May's "Bourbon" out of Dothan- OK, smooth enough (not what you'd call robust of flavor),   with a hint of apples???

1st (about a year ago) was John Emerald "John's Alabama Single Malt Whiskey" from Opelika - Again, competent, OK to good, but didn't really identify with any traditionally known whiskey variety (to me). Bought a bottle of that one to explore (at least the label) more carefully, and it's described as "Malt Whiskey Distilled From Pecan and Peach Wood Smoked Malted Barley."

I present these not to recommend travel from out-of-state to try either, but to express,

"Aaah what a brave new world that has state 'stillers in't!"

[McLoofus 35,182]

2 minutes ago, AUld fAUx@ said:

T'loosa weekend, went to Southern Ale House and, for dessert, met my second (count'em, two!) Alabama (legal) whiskey.

Clyde May's "Bourbon" out of Dothan- OK, smooth enough (not what you'd call robust of flavor),   with a hint of apples???

1st (about a year ago) was John Emerald "John's Alabama Single Malt Whiskey" from Opelika - Again, competent, OK to good, but didn't really identify with any traditionally known whiskey variety (to me). Bought a bottle of that one to explore (at least the label) more carefully, and it's described as "Malt Whiskey Distilled From Pecan and Peach Wood Smoked Malted Barley."

I present these not to recommend travel from out-of-state to try either, but to express,

"Aaah what a brave new world that has state 'stillers in't!"

I've had one whiskey that I really liked that straddled the fence between varieties, and that is the Corsair Triple Smoke. Very intentionally a hybrid of bourbon and Islay whisky. Otherwise, I haven't ventured out much. But like you said, it's just great that you can locally source these things in more and more areas if so inclined. Variety is the whiskey of life, or something like that.

[ShocksMyBrain 9,367]

Corsair does a lot of off the wall stuff. They also have a 1 or 2 barrel nano brewery at their tasting room...with actually pretty fine beer. 

[AUDub 11,153]

MIA Mega Mix is quickly becoming a staple in my fridge. Awesome pale. And the can design is just awesome.  

[ShocksMyBrain 9,367]

Do go to Bearded Iris if you’re in Nashville.