The Beer Thread

[Yada]

i went to a restaurant once, high end you know, and they only had fine beer on the menu.  my friend asked the waiter, what do you do if somebody just wants a bud light or something.  the waiter told us, "we would throw them out."  good tip for him that evening.

[stevewizzle]

i went to churchkey on saturday afternoon, and holy fuck was it great.

they had a bunch of gravity kegs of rare german beers, which were all delicious, but the real highlight was the couple next to me completely trashed, maybe on their 2nd or 3rd date, making out and just having a blast.  overall the bar was pretty sloppy, and made for some wonderful people-watching at a bar that tends to have a fairly homogeneous crowd.

[sweetcell]

i hit CK on friday night for a quick drink before dinner.  while walking up 14h street the missus said "hey, isn't that the beer bar you're always talking about?  wanna stop in for a quick drink?"  best.  wife.  ever.  went with the ovila quad made with plums.  intense.

tried DFH's burton baton last night.  gets a big thumbs-up from me for making the hops, oak and the sweetness work together; but i can see how some might not like it. 

[stevewizzle]

a tribute beer to the town of burton, without using the insane burton water profile. i die a little every time i drink it. 

[sweetcell]

i die a little every time i drink it. 

in a good way?

unclear...

[stevewizzle]

it's an incredibly delicious beer, but i die because it does injustice to beer tradition. 

something like german beer purity law (rheinheitsgebot) is specific to water, malt and hops to each region. the idea of preserving beer history to region makes me very happy.

burton, england is infamous for it's water.  the burton water profile is insanely high in alkalinity and sulfur, making for a highly bitter beer. from what i gather, burton baton is 50/50 90-minute and strong ale.  it seems to match the description for a burton ale fairly well, but if you're going to make a tribute beer, follow similar purity law. and make the beer from scratch. it just feels like a knock-off to me.

edit: interview w/ sam from WAY back describing what's in burton baton, as well as history

[i am gay and i like cats]

dog fish head.  how do they do it?  burton baton is awesome.  and the label is the shit.  have you seen the "olde school barleywine"?  the label is similiar in style.  ive never had a barley wine beer.  are they good?

[James Ford]

Label designed by Jon Langford of Mekons/ Waco Brothers fame.

Two thumbs up for Burton Baton from me. Neck and neck with 90 Min and Indian Brown as my favorite Dogfish beers.

And fuck German purity laws. Biggest reason German beer scene is and always will be stuck in a rut.

dog fish head.  how do they do it?  burton baton is awesome.  and the label is the shit.  have you seen the "olde school barleywine"?  the label is similiar in style.  ive never had a barley wine beer.  are they good?

[sweetcell]

ive never had a barley wine beer.  are they good?

i quite like some barley wines, but i wouldn't say it's my favorite style... it's B, maybe a B+ in my books.  it's a big beer (must be over 8%, with many clocking in at over 10%), with a lot of caramel malt flavor and a good amount of hops.  one way of looking at them is as a super-malty IIPA/DIPA.  i find too many of them to be too sweet but there are some tasty ones out there.

[James Ford]

Barleywine is probably my second favorite style, next to DIPA/IPA.

Particularly the hoppy American style barleywines (as opposed to English style barlewines). Sierra Nevada Bigfoot is a good one to start with, still a great value at $10/4 pack. Even better is Victory Old Horizontal, but they haven't made it the past couple of years. Even better is Great Divide Old Ruffian.

dog fish head.  how do they do it?  burton baton is awesome.  and the label is the shit.  have you seen the "olde school barleywine"?  the label is similiar in style.  ive never had a barley wine beer.  are they good?

[i am gay and i like cats]

god . . . i do love this here thread

[grateful]

The missus has a strong preference for Schlafly Barleywine.

[i am gay and i like cats]

here . . . an offering for your knowledge.  this is awesome!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IT83qIma09E#!

[James Ford]

That's one of the best I've had that Beer ADvocate classifies as an "English Barleywine". JW Lees Harvest Ale might be the best I've had (haven't had FW SUCABA, if anyone wants to bring it to a bottle share sometime, feel free!)

The missus has a strong preference for Schlafly Barleywine.

[sweetcell]

(haven't had FW SUCABA, if anyone wants to bring it to a bottle share sometime, feel free!)

it'll be on tap next week at the smoke & barrel.