Craft beer Drinkers Unite!

[1puttTUT]

Can't tell if I like the Pineapple or Grapefruit Scupin better... either way, great for a 85 deg spring Friday.

 

85? I was in WV, VA, TN and NC today and didn't see anything close to that.

[toddnt]

Wow..... MT stepped up their stout game with this one.... Can actually taste the coffee..

[doublepar93]

My hometown, Macon,Ga is known for our Cherry Blossom festival. Our local brewery, Macon Beer Company, puts out a Cherry Blonde Rye Ale only during this week. It's called Macon Love. Our city is broken, but thanks to Macon Beer Co, and other companies going back downtown, we are on the rise. If you are in the area, check em out! They have an IPA ( Macon Music), and a pale ale (Macon Progress), among other seasonals.

[toddnt]

Not bad pumpkin .... Heavily spiced.

[toddnt]

Haven't had an Avery that didn't disappoint..

[One_Putt_Blunder]

4 days after I get back from my Firestone Brewery trip, yes there is a 99% chance I will be there

 

[daryguy77]

I was lucky enough to get a case of KBS, plus two four packs last Friday!

[CAJ4AU]

My hometown, Macon,Ga is known for our Cherry Blossom festival. Our local brewery, Macon Beer Company, puts out a Cherry Blonde Rye Ale only during this week. It's called Macon Love. Our city is broken, but thanks to Macon Beer Co, and other companies going back downtown, we are on the rise. If you are in the area, check em out! They have an IPA ( Macon Music), and a pale ale (Macon Progress), among other seasonals.

 

Just need a bourbon barrel aged with bacon

 

Macon Bacon

 

I'll be here all week

[One_Putt_Blunder]

Masters line up

 

Tower Station canned 03/07 :good: Alpine Duet for Thurs since I have to work Fri. 1 year old Old Foghorn, 2014 Old Stock, and Backwoods for Fri night watching the replay.

Saturday Old Raspy, Narwhal, and Expedition each aged 14-24 months. Sunday the 19.9% Black Tuesday, only 1 bottle needed lol

[One_Putt_Blunder]

Non BA aged stout shoot out, Gonna have to give it to the Narwhal all were very good and had changed quite a bit to very smooth drinking beers but the Narwhal was just a tad better, Although I think in the long run the Expedition will catch up as it was pretty hot for a non ba beer fresh and has mellowed out nicely in 18 months think 24+ is going to be the sweet spot for that one.

 

 

This guy, all I can say is wow

[toddnt]

Reminds me of a Godiva salted chocolate bar...

[One_Putt_Blunder]

Nice glass

[Puppetmaster]

Really liked this.

 

 

Hoppy, very crisp and clean taste. Stronger than a session IPA, but still a good summer/golf course/beach beer.

[ginger718]

I got a 4 pack of Curmudgeon Old Ale, and had one right when I got it. I left it and didn't touch it for awhile and let it age. I cracked one last night, so much tastier I highly recommend doing that.

[ginger718]

Breckenridge Vanilla Porter. In Denver. Nitro. Highly recommended. Nuff said.

 

It's ok in the bottle. Would like to try a Nitro draft.

Oh that one is next level on Nitro. (And the bourbon aged in bottle in not too shabby either.)

 

There is a dive by me and they almost always have this around whether on draft or in a bottle. The best thing about it is they have fried oreos to go with it and it is a killer combination.

[12tamale]

I was out at the course last Tuesday for the 5 dollar burger. Great burger, pretzel bun, hand cut chips. I thought I was gonna get out of there cheap deal.

I asked what's on tap?

She's like Bells two hearted ale, Lagunitas ipa, 3 Floyd's Live a rich life, I said stop, what's that?

A double ipa she says, it's really hoppy. I tell her I'm not usually a fan, but get me one. 3 later I'm seriously buzzed, and thankful I had a short country road drive home.

I ask what's the alcohol content, she's like about 10%

Wow it's so smooth, for such a hoppy beer, burnt orange color, small head, nice balance, great fruity smell, not really grapefruit, more tropical.

I guess it's brewed to honor one of there employees that passed to soon. Amazing beer. But the next day I paid for the 4 I drank and a couple Zombie dust I had at home.

[One_Putt_Blunder]

Off to the Bruery and Firestone Walker tomorrow. Looking forward to both visits the Bruery tap room is small but a pretty cool place. Hitting up both FW Barrelworks and then the main brewery in Paso.

[daryguy77]

I got a 4 pack of Curmudgeon Old Ale, and had one right when I got it. I left it and didn't touch it for awhile and let it age. I cracked one last night, so much tastier I highly recommend doing that.

What year is the Curmudgeon? I had one from this year, and it wasn't nearly as good as what I recall having on tap last year.

I also picked up a case of Full Pint Rye Rebellion, which is a stout aged in Rye Whiskey barrels. It is almost on par with KBS, and just as good as Weyerbacher Sunday Morning Stout.

[Puppetmaster]

In Chicago this week and had a bunch of beers for the first time:

 

Goose Island Jukin Luke - sort of a letdown to be honest, too light, not enough flavor

Goose Island Green Line - on the light side, but more flavorful than the Jukin Luke

Revolution Anti-Hero - solid, hoppy flavor

Half Acre Daisy Cutter - my favorite thus far on this trip, I know they have double too and that would have been great to try

Belhaven Black Stout - decent but too bland for so called stout

Alltech Bourbon Barrel Ale - I've had this before but still a solid strong ale on tap

Moody Tongue Sliced Nectarine IPA - so so, nothing to write home about

 

Would have liked to have tried more but there were only so many I could squeeze into a business trip.

[One_Putt_Blunder]

On the 101 headed to Firestone Barrelworks in Buellton. We visited The Bruery last night and had a great experience. I'll post in more detail once we get back looking forward to FW today.

[Tampajoe3]

Picked up some brew from the hometown area.

[JC671]

Belhaven Black Stout - decent but too bland for so called stout

 

Tried it on tap recently, and I agree, very bland

[CAJ4AU]

 

 

Ballast Point Mango Even Keel goes hand in hand with the beach and sandcastles! 3.8% allows for all day consumption and making it to dinner! I like it for a beach beer!

[1puttTUT]

 

 

Ballast Point Mango Even Keel goes hand in hand with the beach and sandcastles! 3.8% allows for all day consumption and making it to dinner! I like it for a beach beer!

 

Very nice! I just spent a few days at the beach myself and was drinking Resin double IPA's in the 85 degree weather, lol.

 

I did mix in a few grapefruit sculpin's for good measure.

[One_Putt_Blunder]

Back from So Cal/Central Ca visits to The Bruery, Firestone Walker's Barrelworks in Buellton and Firestone's main brewery in Paso. Some good, some great, and some bad.

 

The Bruery. If you are into beers other than IPA's I cannot recommend a visit to their taproom enough. It is really well set up and well run. Kinda like a sushi menu you select 5 beers you would like to sample and get healthy 3oz pours of each. Wide variety to choose from from kinda plain to super sour, to strong and dark. Most of the stuff they have on tap is stuff we dont see in distro especially in AZ. Bar staff is great very knowledgeable It seems they hire beer geeks who enjoy being in the scene and that reflects in the service and conversation you have if you sit at the bar.

Had the following,

 

Mash 2015 solid BA English Barleywine but a few notches below Sucaba

Mash & Grind BA Barleywine W/Coffee if you like coffee and barelywines you will enjoy this

Chronology 6 Wee Heavy BBA Wee Heavy my favorite of the 5 like a better version of Founders Backwoods

Colonel Kernal BBA Barleywine with Corn. Didn't even finish the glass just not good

BA 7 Swans BA quad solid beer.

heres where it gets interesting, the bartender found out we were from out of town and he graciously offered up tasters normally for society members

 

2012 Black Tuesday, super smooth for a 19% beer but some of the flavor had dropped off I might not age mine as long as I originally intended now

Chocolate Rain 2015 19.2% of pure chocolate and vanilla hands down my favorite beer of the trip

Poterie their 8th Anniversary ale aged in Scotch barrels. interesting beer kinda overwhelmed the palate with the scotch barrel.

My Fiance had the sours on the left not my style but she enjoyed them (couldnt even tell you what she had)

 

There is also a really good bottle shop on the corner where you turn into the Bruery definitely worth a stop if you are there.

 

 

Firestone Barrelworks

Most disappointing stop on the trip and probably the one I was looking forward to the most. The beer selection on the barrelworks side was amazing All the FW barrel aged vintage series and a great sour list (for my fiance) I really thought we would be here a couple hours. I walked in not knowing where to go sat a the front bar while fiance went to restroom. Not greeted for a while and when I was finally greeted I was not offered a tap list just asked what I wanted and not in a friendly way. I gave up the two seats at the bar and decided to walk around. Found the barrelworks bar and sales fridge. I grabbed some Sucaba (limit 1) no Parabola in the cooler, headed to check out, waited again while others that came in after me got helped. I asked if they had anymore Parabola in the back just got a quick no. Paid for our 2 bottles of Sucaba and got a taster of Parabola. Again not very friendly at the counter after paying I had to ask for a bag for the beers.

 

We walked around to check out the barrelroom decided to have a quick appetizer and hit the road. My Fiance decided she wanted a tank top after waiting at the main bar to no avail to pay for her tank top she walked over to the Barrelworks side to try and check out there. I followed her in. Much to my surprise there were now 8 bottles of Parabola in the fridge that they were out of 20 min earlier. So thankfully due to their poor service I actually ended up being able to buy two bottles of Parabola when she paid for her tank top. (she was sent back to the main bar to pay BTW)

We hit the road to Paso I was hoping it would be better.

 

Firestone Paso Robles

 

We hit up the brewery store on the way in since they closed early (6pm) The guy in there was really cool, they had the walk in cooler grabbed a Velvet Merkin some more Sucaba and something as a gift for Forelife picked up some glassware etc and headed out to our hotel at this winery just up the round. (Amazing room and grounds really was the highlight of the trip) Its called Calipaso Winery if anyone is headed out there.

 

Went back for dinner that evening, Our server was awesome and really made up for the trip to barrelworks earlier. The restaurant itself is pretty cool, nothing crazy on tap there. There was a better selection of Proprietors etc at the visitors center across the street but they closed earlier at 6 like the store. Fiance had the ribs she loved them. I had a NY Strip ordered medium came out well done. (didnt send it back) asked server about grabbing a Parabola to go she said they were all out but after she found out we were from out of state and we were there as my bday weekend the manager came back with a Parabola in a bag with a bunch of stickers. We stuck around for a couple beers out of the regular line up Luponic Distortion is pretty solid for a session IPA, had the unfiltered DBA with desert and enjoyed it.

 

All in all really solid trip. If I did it again I would have skipped barrelworks it's in a tough location to really be able to spend a few hours drinking unless you were to get a hotel in Buellton. Even though their tap list was on paper the best of any of them just not worth spending the night there for. I would have rather had another night/day in Paso. More to do especially if your significant other likes wine. Send her on a winery tour and then hang out at the Paso visitors center enjoy a tap list that is a bit worse than Buellton but still plenty of good stuff.

 

Such a great drive up or down the coast depending on where you are coming from. If you are ever in the area or are in reasonable driving distance well worth a trip up/down the coast. The area is exploding with vineyards and there are a ton of cool winery residences to stay at.

 

Came home with a few goodies.

[CAJ4AU]

 

 

Ballast Point Mango Even Keel goes hand in hand with the beach and sandcastles! 3.8% allows for all day consumption and making it to dinner! I like it for a beach beer!

 

Very nice! I just spent a few days at the beach myself and was drinking Resin double IPA's in the 85 degree weather, lol.

 

I did mix in a few grapefruit sculpin's for good measure.

 

I drank 10 on the beach and managed Ruth Chris and a glass of vino. Time for bed. Ha

[Puppetmaster]

10??? Either there was a bathroom close by or that water was kept pretty warm... :D

[CAJ4AU]

10??? Either there was a bathroom close by or that water was kept pretty warm... :D

 

Water in the gulf is really cold right now! That was over the course of all day though!

[One_Putt_Blunder]

After seeing Toddnt post up a bunch of MT brews figured I would give this a shot and boy I was not disappointed and only wish I bought more when I was in CA. It is like Hawaii in a bottle very tropical and juicy without being overpowered by hops

 

[1puttTUT]

After seeing Toddnt post up a bunch of MT brews figured I would give this a shot and boy I was not disappointed and only wish I bought more when I was in CA. It is like Hawaii in a bottle very tropical and juicy without being overpowered by hops

 

 

THAT. SOUNDS. AMAZING.