main
side
curve
  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

JCC The Official Craft Beer/Microbrew Beer Thread

Discussion in 'Community' started by WookatMe, Feb 26, 2011.

  1. WookatMe

    WookatMe Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 22, 2010
    In this thread we can discuss our favorite craft beers or review craft beers we have recently tried. We will discuss the types of beer we prefer and offer suggestions to others based on their tastes. So anytime you have tried a new beer please share your thoughts on it. It would be great if you could describe the different flavors and aromas the beer has, the ABV, and your overall ranking 1-10, 10 being the best.



    Last night I tried two new beers. A Bitter and a Cream Ale.

    Bitter - Wychwood Dirty Tackle
    [image=http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_4eTFuhlnpHY/R760R3PR5YI/AAAAAAAAAQQ/hGDCjfPVVEs/s200/caskclip_dirty_tackle.gif]

    Though this beer was well enough to drink I thought it would have more bite. It was tasty enough but I thought it fell kind of flat. I could taste the subtle citrus notes but I felt the flavor was too subtle, like I kept expecting more and it just didn't go there. It has an ABV of 4.4%. This beer is almost to easy to drink. It was not terrible but I doubt I will be ordering again.
    I give it an overall rating of a 4.

    Cream Ale - Swamp Head Wild Night
    [image=http://www.thebeerspot.com/blogs/images/1269.jpg]

    This beer made up for the lack of flavor the bitter gave me. It tasted fresh and lively. It had a bright golden color and had a slight fizz. A perfect taste of honey complimented the light taste hops. I seemed to enjoy the beer more as I kept drinking it. I would order this one again for sure. It has a ABV of 5.9%. I give this one a 7.

    Tonight I will be trying some Smuttynose Really Old Brown Dog Ale. I will post my review tomorrow.

     
  2. ApolloSmileGirl

    ApolloSmileGirl Jedi Knight star 8

    Registered:
    Jun 18, 2004
    I've got an idea Wooks, why don't you go in your garage and microbrew me some ****ing Shiner Bock?

    [image=http://www.kickbuttcoffee.com/images/darth-vader-bock.jpg]
     
  3. Mortimer_Snerd

    Mortimer_Snerd Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 14, 2004
    Do you brew Wook? I haven't brewed a batch of beer in over six years, which is a travesty, I know, but I'm coming around to the level of wanting to do stuff again.

    The very first beer I ever made was am amber ale, which I bottled of course. Several ales and one failed lager later I decided I was finished with bottling and started kegging. The first kegged beer I ever made was a raspberry stout, that our local pub let us push with their Nitrogen system for Guinness(after hours of course). It was easily the best beer I ever made.

    I'm not a huge fan of lagers, 'cuz I like hops, and I absolutely detest Weiss bier. My current favorite beer is still Lakefront Brewery's Cream City Pale Ale. Has been for years, but once in a while I'll run across some Three Floyds' Hop Devil, and I am compelled to purchase it and drink it immediately.

    Edit: Lakefront Brewery

     
  4. Cobranaconda

    Cobranaconda Jedi Grand Master star 7

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2004
    Brewdog.

    That is all :p
     
  5. darth_gersh

    darth_gersh Force Ghost star 7

    Registered:
    Feb 18, 2005
    Lakefront Brewery's Cream City Pale Ale and the Eastside Dark. Good stuff.
     
  6. WookatMe

    WookatMe Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 22, 2010
    I don't brew myself. I think I would like to give a try one day though, maybe when the babies are a bit older. I am really just starting to broaden my beer knowledge. I like ambers, pale ales and I am starting to get a taste for porters. I am not crazy about beers that are too hoppy, so I am not a big fan of IPA's. I will still try them though. It has kind of recently become a hobby my wife and I have. We don't drink every night or anything like that, but we usually get a six pack a week, and the local liquor has a great selection of craft beers. So we have been trying a new one each time. We also have a great bar that we like to go to when we can sneak away from the kids for an evening and they always have a rotation of great beers for a good price. Oh, I am also a big fan of pumpkin beers. I always look forward to fall so I can get my hands on some. I will keep my eyes open for that Lake Front though.
     
  7. hudzu

    hudzu Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 1, 2003
    i've been wanting to get into homebrewing for several years now. my current problem is just a lack of space in my apartment. one day though. one day.
     
  8. Mortimer_Snerd

    Mortimer_Snerd Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 14, 2004
    It's woth it, man. If you've got a stove and a closet you can homebrew. Well, plus the initial investment for the stuff you'll need, but a five-gallon carboy doesn't take up that much space.

    You don't like hops Wook? I am just the opposite, I love hopping my brews at least three times, and I love IPA's. Huge fan of Hellertau hops as well.

     
  9. WookatMe

    WookatMe Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 22, 2010
    Have you tried Dogfish 90 Minute IPA? It's supposed to be the best. It was good, but not liking hops as much I can't imagine I would like it as much as you probably would.
     
  10. Mortimer_Snerd

    Mortimer_Snerd Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 14, 2004
    I have indeed! Love it. Bell's makes a good IPA whose name I can't remember at the moment. Sierra Nevada makes another nice one.

    Lemme make an exception about what I said about lagers earlier. I totally dig Pumpkin lager, and Holiday Spice, also from Lakefront.

    How do you guys feel about Barley Wines?


     
  11. WookatMe

    WookatMe Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 22, 2010
    I have not tried barley wine but they have it currently at the bar i frequent. I was very tempted to try it last night? Would you recommend? How would you describe their overall flavor?
     
  12. Harpua

    Harpua Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Mar 12, 2005
    I'm not a big fan of hops - I drink mostly amber ales and Guinness. I recommend Levity amber ale, by Odell.
     
  13. Mortimer_Snerd

    Mortimer_Snerd Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 14, 2004
    If you like sweet bock-style beer you'd probably like barley wine. I'm not a huge fan, but they average around 10%APV, so they warm the belly and fuzz the mind quite nicely. Years ago I broke down and bought a bottle of Samuel Adams Triple Bock, which I hated...(Sam Adams, I know) and it reminded me of something like a port sherry. I don't like stuff that's really syrup-like and sweet, unless it's Jaegermeister.

     
  14. WookatMe

    WookatMe Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 22, 2010
    Mort wish we could get together for a beer tonight. I am dying of thirst by now ha. I think I will give the barley wine a shot tonight if I decide to hit the bar tonight. Last night my wife got an imperial stout called Big Daddy Vladdy which had a 10.25 ABV. She was feeling pretty good by the time it was done. I took a taste, there were a lot of flavors going on and it was very dark. I don't think I tasted enough to make a proper judgment, it was $8 a glass, but that's all you need.
     
  15. Mortimer_Snerd

    Mortimer_Snerd Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 14, 2004
    I concur. Big Daddy Vladdy I have had and I don't mind saying that I enjoyed it thoroughly.

    I can't seem to open the brewery's page for some reason, but Stonefly Brewery (also in Milwaukee) makes a fantastic stout with an even more fantastic name: Imperial Star Destroyer Stout. They serve it in snifters ($5 a tap) at the brewery and two or three is all you need.

     
  16. Harpua

    Harpua Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Mar 12, 2005
    Barley wine is a bit too syrupy, for me.
     
  17. New_York_Jedi

    New_York_Jedi Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 16, 2002
    Put me in the love IPAs camp. Dogfish Head 90 minute on tap is fantastic. Also agree about the Sierra Nevada Torpedo IPA being real good.

    The bar down the street from me has 112 beers on tap; I'd go there more but I'm a poor grad student so I can't afford expensive beers when I'm out. I did have the Breckenridge 471 the other night, it was pretty good.
     
  18. WookatMe

    WookatMe Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 22, 2010
    My bar is getting Dogfish 90 Minute IPA on draft this week. I am lucky, the average price for a good pint where I go is $4. Not too bad so I can get a couple. I think the most expensive they have at the moment is a Belgian beer at $8.
     
  19. anakin_girl

    anakin_girl Jedi Knight star 6

    Registered:
    Oct 8, 2000
    Interesting thread. I'm a bit of a beer connoisseur; I always make a point to try local beers when I'm at a place that sells them. There are several breweries in western North Carolina; I've got a dark beer ("Vortex") in the refrigerator from one of them right now. The pale ale was excellent, hoping the dark one doesn't disappoint.

    There is also a restaurant in Charleston, SC, T-Bonz, that sells local beers. Last I tried was their winter brew, it was outstanding.

    I like dark beers in the winter and pale ales in the summer. I'm partial to Blue Moon and Samuel Adams' seasonal brews.

    Not familiar with hops or self-brewing, I just taste 'em. :p

     
  20. Ostrich_Stapler

    Ostrich_Stapler Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    Jul 9, 2004
    Great thread--I love homebrewing! So far all I have tried is ales because I seem to have trouble getting ahold of good lager yeasts around here. My next plan is to brew a stout as those are my favorite kinds of beer. I am a bit of a hophead, but only when the beer is fairly dark, like maybe a minimum of 15 degrees SRM. As such I do not really enjoy IPA's or even most pilseners. Most of my ales come in between 5.5-6% ABV. I only have been able to locate the fairly common hops around here, like Cascade, Fuggles, Saaz, etc. I have only ever used whole hops as the pellets clog up my filters :mad:

    I am hoping to make a really good oatmeal stout in the style of my favorite commercial brew, Samuel Smith. [face_love] It's about 4.4% ABV and I would guess about 35 degrees SRM. I understand Sam Smith also puts out a good Imperial stout although I have, sadly, never tried it--anyone here ever sampled it?


    Some other commercial brews I like are Warsteiner and Franziskaner Dunkels. I do like a good doppelbock every once in a while too, like Spaten Optimator. Most of the other Spaten brews I have tried were "okay" but Optimator is fairly decent. As a doppelbock it stands at a fair 7.2%.


    I don't really like particularly sweet beers either, although I do like crystal malt brews on occasion. I have a few recipes for beer made with cherries, but I can't seem to bring myself to make beer with fruit.

    On my "beer bucket list" is also Lambics and Rauchbiers. Anybody ever tried these? I am scared of brewing Lambics because using wild yeast is just weird. :p

    A website you guys might like is Beer Advocate. They rate thousands of beers there and have a list of the "world class" beers as well.
     
  21. mrsvos

    mrsvos Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 18, 2005
    Mississippi Mud!
     
  22. WookatMe

    WookatMe Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Aug 22, 2010
    That site is good but I have been using RateBeer lately. I think it's pretty good.
     
  23. xblackout

    xblackout Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jun 5, 2008
    I had never ever really enjoyed beer until I tried Sam Smith's oatmeal stout. I'm a big fan of that stuff. And last week I tried a milk stout per the bartender's suggestion & that was DELICIOUS.
     
  24. Ramza

    Ramza Administrator Emeritus star 9 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 13, 2008
    It's quite good, I'd personally rank it above their oatmeal stout - which may very well be akin to beer blasphemy, but there you have it.

    I don't get to drink as many craft beers as I'd like to - as I live near a college campus, the majority of the liquor stores in my area specialize in quantity over quality. Of what I have had Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout is probably the best, and I'm partial to Stone's Arrogant Bastard Ale. But for the most part I vary between a staple of Guinness Extra and Sam Adams' seasonal brews.
     
  25. Mortimer_Snerd

    Mortimer_Snerd Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    Mar 14, 2004
    Ostrich you know you can steep the pellets in a grain bag, right? Haha. I agree, I use whole hops too. As for brewing a cherry/other fruit beer, it may go against the Reinheitsgebot, but it usually involves adding an extract to the finished wort. I've only ever brewed one pilsner and I added an apricot extract to it because pilsner is a girl beer anyway. It turned out okay. The raspberry stout was amazing though. A cherry stout would probably be pretty good too, I might just try that.