Craft beer Drinkers Unite!

[SmiterOfPv1x]

I'm a HUGE craft beer fan and have been quite active in my local craft beer scene (volunteering at events, writing articles for websites, even being used as a sounding board for a brewery that started up a few months ago) and can safely say that craft beer is a passion I have even over golf.

 

It's hard for me to pick favorites as they change all the time but if anyone ever needs a suggestion about something to try, just shoot me a BM! I love chatting about beer, or golf, or both!

 

Cheers!

 

 

Beau

 

Heresy. Beer over golf? Why not just do both? The way I play if it wasn't for beer I'd go through so many clubs it'd be cost prohibitive.

 

And even though I acknowledge, especially with the volunteering part, that you may be the worlds foremost beer expert..., I will never shoot a BM at you. Of that I can promise.

 

(Read entire thing with a smile and you'll be alight-I had one when I wrote it).

[SmiterOfPv1x]

On special occasions you have to bring out the best:

 

 

schlitz malt liquor (the bull)

 

old English

 

mickey's big mouth

 

 

The three of these IMHO are the pinnacle of fine brews. The price point will unfortunately leave a lot of you guys out in the cold, but for those of us who can truly appreciate a quality handcrafted brew I say CHEERS!

 

If you like the taste of these three, and are priced out of the game by these high end brews, allow me to suggest King Cobra. It's only available in a 40oz. As a golfer, playing a King Cobra is a delight. As a beer drinker, allow it to be a delight too. 40oz for well less than the price of a normal 12oz? Something in my cheap nature sure loves the idea of this.

 

Back when I was in college, these were available for $.99 here in the great state of Ohio. I'm sure they are more now, and as such I hope they haven't proved themselves out of the game for the average Joe. That would be a crying shame. (The other crying shame would be having to actually consume one of these, I think I'd rather take a bite from a real Cobra).

[SmiterOfPv1x]

Anyone getting on the bandwagon of the barrel aged stuff?

 

Great Divide oak aged yeti chocolate stout. My #1 beer right now. A delicious toasty, dark, Imperial stout.

 

Here's a trio to grab at your local store, if you're looking for something new to try:

 

Great Divide - oak aged Yeti Imperial Stout (as mentioned above. pours like pennzoil, tastes like heaven)

Ommegang - Three Philosophers (hoppy/fruity but not ladylike)

Unibroue - La Fin du Monde (triple fermented ale... like Chimay but with better taste)

 

I had the Great Divide oak aged yeti. It was pretty good, but didn't really get the whole oak aged thing. It didn't take the barrel aging like I thought. However, it was a really good beer.

 

 

Today, it was nasty, so I went about going over some new beers. I dropped around $200 last night and made a massive haul on some beer to try out.

 

Tried out the Left Hand Milk Stout.. Killer beer. Much lighter than I expected, more coffee/chocolate taste to it. Very easy drinking beer, closer to say... a Porter, IMO.

 

Terrapin Moo-Hoo. Wow, this is good. Very smooth, easy drinker. Hides the ABV good, taste a bit more lactose suger up front, good malty finish, and a hint of chocolate in there. Hops jumps in a bit, but only to clean it up for the next sip!

 

Southern Tier Eurotrash Pilz- New release for this year, came out last week. Pretty decent beer. Not like any other ST beer I've had. Had the Pilsner hops, really fills in the Belgium style. Very crisp and clean, ultra clean/clear brew. I liked it, but wasn't blown away at first, but as I drank it, I wanted more.

 

Victory Golden Monkeys.. Got a growler of it on a whim. 9.5 ABV, so it's a big kid, but nothing really wild. Nice golden beer, nice and clean pour. Good head on it, pretty good retention for what ended up being a really nice beer. Tripel Ale, not exactly "textbook", but good. Sweet, and malty beer. Smells of fruits and most important, bananas a bit. Probably for the name. ;) Good beer, really drinkable, easy to drink at dinner. Works well with most meals I bet. I like it!!

 

I'm drinking, and struggling to type this now after today. :) But anyways, I'm drinking Lost Abbeys Angels Share. Which is a bourbon barrel aged Ale. I've seen conflicting places on their site calling it a Barleywine, and then an Ale. This isn't a Barleywine, and really closer to a Strong Ale. Little carbonation to it. Dark brown ale, baby lacing on the sides, and it's because of the 12.5 ABV in this REALLY big beer. Sweet nose, bourbon blows it out in the nose. Caramel and vanilla, good mouthfeel on it. Boozy fruit flavor a bit, really pick up the oak. Great beer though, one of the BEST examples of a barrel aged beer, but it's been aged for 12 months atleast. It's just really boozey on the finish, which is a bit of a turn off for me, but hell, it's in bourbon barrels, and it's a 12.5 brew, what did I expect. I poured it on draft from my growlette that I got of it. Pretty pricey beer, worth just sipping after dinner and enjoying. Don't waste it on your wussy friends who don't like wild craft beer, and who don't like bourbon or high alcohol beer. They will hate it, and at this price, it's not worth wasting!!! I'd buy it again, but man, it's a big, big beer.

 

Thats all I got today.. I've got a fair amount of other brews to drink, and a few rare ones that I'll save for a special occasion.

 

Everyone should have a hero. You are now mine. If you can get past my long drive warts, I'd love to buy you a beer sometime. Hopefully your liver is still good after all these years?

[toddnt]

Had .. My Morning Coffee on nitro at Ballast last night.... One of the best coffee stouts Ive had 12.3%!

[One_Putt_Blunder]

Sitting at a grocery store near my place drinking 2017 Parabola. Hotter than previous years but abv is up to just over 14. 2014 still my favorite year fresh. This one should age well though.

 

 

[toddnt]

Does anyone here ever think... Ive just got too much beer sitting around!

[quackhead]

Elysian Space Dust is one of my favorite IPAs. And my favorite pale ale is Alesmith 394.

[1puttTUT]

Elysian Space Dust is one of my favorite IPAs. And my favorite pale ale is Alesmith 394.

 

Have you had the Alesmith DIPA? It's awesome.

[quackhead]

Elysian Space Dust is one of my favorite IPAs. And my favorite pale ale is Alesmith 394.

 

Have you had the Alesmith DIPA? It's awesome.

 

Yes. It is a great beer for sure.

[Puppetmaster]

Does anyone here ever think... Ive just got too much beer sitting around!

 

All the time! I took a bunch to the beach, had several per day for 4 days, and came home to see I barely made a dent.

 

In other news, had my Firestone Walker Bravo today and it was great. Felt like more of a wee heavy than a brown ale, but who's complaining?

[1puttTUT]

Does anyone here ever think... Ive just got too much beer sitting around!

 

All the time! I took a bunch to the beach, had several per day for 4 days, and came home to see I barely made a dent.

 

In other news, had my Firestone Walker Bravo today and it was great. Felt like more of a wee heavy than a brown ale, but who's complaining?

 

Umm yeah, i probably have about 500 bottles between my garage and basement. I've looked at my year end credit card breakdown and between golf and beer i spend around $25k lol.

[kalamazoo]

Does anyone here ever think... Ive just got too much beer sitting around!

 

All the time! I took a bunch to the beach, had several per day for 4 days, and came home to see I barely made a dent.

 

In other news, had my Firestone Walker Bravo today and it was great. Felt like more of a wee heavy than a brown ale, but who's complaining?

 

Umm yeah, i probably have about 500 bottles between my garage and basement. I've looked at my year end credit card breakdown and between golf and beer i spend around $25k lol.

 

25k?!? ? I'm not there....yet.

 

I've actually made it a goal to drink down my cellar in 2017, and it's actually been a lot of fun. Every time I drink a cellared beer it feels like free beer ? There's just so much incredible craft beer on the shelves in Michigan that I rarely feel the need to buy anything in large quantities anymore.

[One_Putt_Blunder]

Does anyone here ever think... Ive just got too much beer sitting around!

 

Yup. Even after my bachelor weekend, wedding and only buying 5-6 bottles between Sept and Feb. Im finally starting to see a dent in the stash though. I have not replaced a lot of my large 22oz or 750ml bottles. I have changed my stance on the larger format and lean more towards 12oz bottles now unless they are lower abv IPA's. Me trying to knock off a 22oz bottle of 12% beer solo is just not as fun as it used to be.

[PaulCar65]

So going to be In the Ft. Walton, Destin area this week. There is a World Of Beer in Destin. Is it worth going or is it just a bunch of "commercial " beers?

[Neverfadeaway86]

Does anyone here ever think... Ive just got too much beer sitting around!

 

having to much beer is like saying I have to many golf balls it just isn't possible lol

[Puppetmaster]

So going to be In the Ft. Walton, Destin area this week. There is a World Of Beer in Destin. Is it worth going or is it just a bunch of "commercial " beers?

 

The ones here have a decent craft beer selection, even limiteds sometimes. Like Whole Foods, they are big accounts, so they do get good stuff more than you'd think. At least, judging from the two that I've seen locally.

[Gamble Gamble]

Finally got to try this...

 

 

Quite the pairing

[Puppetmaster]

Picked up a growler of Ballast Point Unfiltered Sculpin and boy, this is good. Robust and hoppy but still easy to drink.

[toddnt]

BA Old Rumskull and Carnitas tacos at AleSmith!

[toddnt]

 

I'd put Abyss, Choc Rain, Blk Tues and Speedway above it!

[One_Putt_Blunder]

Latest Tavour order came in. another non AZ distribution IPA load. Melvin makes some unbelievable stuff. Excited to try the Frost Beer Works Lush finally got my hands on a NE style IIPA. Oh and a totally random Bravo score last night from the same little grocery store I grabbed the Parabola from. The Cast out from Crux sounds interesting but I've never really been able to get into the New Zealand galaxy hops all that much.

[Neverfadeaway86]

So going to be In the Ft. Walton, Destin area this week. There is a World Of Beer in Destin. Is it worth going or is it just a bunch of "commercial " beers?

 

love world of beer, ours has 50 beers on tap and over 400 bottles available

[BeerPerHole]

There are just a few things I love about California. One is our beer. For many, many years I brewed my own to get what I wanted. But, the selection is so good now I just drink. Some truly epic beers:

12 Rounds "Eye of the Tiger" (small local operation)

Arrogant bastxxx

Ballast Point "Sculpin" and "Dorado" (truly epic)

Lost Coast

Lagunitas

 

We have many fantastic small breweries throughout this Sacto region. It's really exploded.

[1puttTUT]

There are just a few things I love about California. One is our beer. For many, many years I brewed my own to get what I wanted. But, the selection is so good now I just drink. Some truly epic beers:

12 Rounds "Eye of the Tiger" (small local operation)

Arrogant bastxxx

Ballast Point "Sculpin" and "Dorado" (truly epic)

Lost Coast

Lagunitas

 

We have many fantastic small breweries throughout this Sacto region. It's really exploded.

 

Just not "Watermelon" Dorado

[BeerPerHole]

No flavored beers...

[toddnt]

Some of the best sellers are favored.. BP's Grapefruit and Pineapple Sculpin would say otherwise! Even some of Bruery's Terraux's sours are growing on me!

[CHuntsman]

Some of the best sellers are favored.. BP's Grapefruit and Pineapple Sculpin would say otherwise! Even some of Bruery's Terraux's sours are growing on me!

 

I'm currently digging BP Mango Even Keel.

[toddnt]

I went to Modern Times and they had a Smoked Pineapple Sour and its one of the best sours Ive had!

[One_Putt_Blunder]

If you guys ever get the chance to pick up any of the Melvin Brewing IPA's or IIPA's do it. I could argue that they are making the best IPA's in the country right now.

[1puttTUT]

I picked up some more M-43 and Boxer, some Bell's Mars DIPA and some 2017 120 minute today...it's a good thing tomorrow is pay day!