The Beer Thread

[sweetcell]

also had small pours of over a dozen homebrews at the monthly DC homebrewer's club meeting.  some of the stuff was mediocre but none of it bad.  some were downright amazing: my highlights were a sparkling mead, belgian pale ale with gooseberries, a nelson sauvin IPA, a thin mint stout, and a three-year-old straight lambic.

that bud light was downright amazing.

ha!  that was an interesting experiment - in the middle of all these flavorful (and several over-the-top) beers, someone broke out a bud light.  my palette was pretty beat up at this point but i literally could not taste the BL.  i could feel the carbonation... that's about it.

[sweetcell]

i was at the 930 last night, a few new offerings on tap (new to me at least):

- Victory Golden Monkey (downstairs, not my favorite tripel it but satisfied my urge for belgian esters)
- Stateside Saison (upstairs, very decent interpretation of the style)
- Palm Belgian Pale Ale (not gonna tell you where.  in case you're ever tempted by the "belgian" designation - don't. avoid. trust me.)

i considered having a DFH Indian Brown Ale but held myself to two drinks.  the 60 minute seemed to be the only other hoppy offering i saw

[Yada]

So where is everyone boozing this week?

http://www.dcbeer.com/cbc2013

I'm afraid these will all be mob scenes.

[i am gay and i like cats]

im staying home and not drinking much . . . so jesus can arise in peace.

[sweetcell]

i started last night at the Pizza Paradiso in Dupont.  tried:

- Evil Twin Femme Fatale Brett: almost no aroma but huge citrus taste.  barely bitter yet it was labeled an IPA...
- Oxbow/Stillwater B.A. Liquid Swords: good amount of sharpness and sourness from the brett, liked it
- t?Gaverhpke Singing Blonde: decent amount of brett sourness, not much else in the way of taste
- Tilquin Gueuze: just the right amount of sour, very tasty and refreshing
- Ballast Point Big Eye IPA on cask: meh.

i sat beside a beer distributor from MN.  among the many things we talked about was the AB takeover of Goose Island.  he thought it was a good thing.  apparently AB is investing a ton of money in GI, they recently bought a warehouse across the street from the brewery and have filled it with barrels.  he said it was sad that several brewers left right after the buy-out but that the folks who stayed are all really good, and this is their big chance to prove themselves so they're working really hard.  he claimed that AB was taking a hands-off approach to managing GI.

moved on over to the Big Hunt where i had a Founders Black Note and a 3 Stars barrel-aged Pandemic Porter.  they were both superb.  best beers of the night.  i might have preferred the Pandemic a tad more, stevewizzle was all about the Black Note.  chatted with the 3 Stars crew who were sitting right next to me at the bar.

[stevewizzle]

that black note was absolutely delicious.  will have to see how those firestone walker stouts compare at smoke n barrel tonight.

[imbecile]

Not that it matters too terribly much.  But I believe Black Note is from Bell's.  Had it at a previous event at ChurchKey.. agreed, really good.

[Unsanity]

Anyone else try that Game of Thrones blond ale from Ommagong? Its was only $8.50 for a bomber at Total Wine Chantilly. I found it to be okay.

[sweetcell]

Not that it matters too terribly much.  But I believe Black Note is from Bell's.  Had it at a previous event at ChurchKey.. agreed, really good.

d'oh.  well of course it matters.  i blame the black note for not getting it right

[i am gay and i like cats]

Anyone else try that Game of Thrones blond ale from Ommagong? Its was only $8.50 for a bomber at Total Wine Chantilly. I found it to be okay.

yes . . . ok.  nice but i dont watch the series, so does it somehow make you think of it?  i hate the price of beer in the city.  good lord.  we get raped out here in the sticks.  im surprized there is not a band yet called "raped in the sticks"

[sweetcell]

Big Hunt:
Still have some great @3starsbrewing tasties pouring today! Also 15¢ wings and @BellsBrewery Hopslam, Oberon, & Black Note! #dcbrews

[Yada]

Had amazing brews at Smoke and Barrel last night, the highlights were the Firestone Walker Parabola and Firestone Walker Velvet Merlin (nitro). Both outrageous.

[sweetcell]

amazing beers indeed!  agreed that the parabola was mind-blowing.  did you try the anniversary 16?  also mind-blowing... so many flavors going on in there.  the sucuba was good, but a little too hot on the alcohol.  i had the nitro'd merkin after having destroyed my palette on the aforementioned 13% beasts so i didn't get to enjoy its full potential.

also had: wookie jack (still the only black IPA i'll support), sculpin (huge amarillo nose), Thai Chili Wahoo Wheat (went really well with our spicy tacos).  i wanted to try the reserve porter but ran out of steam.

the S&B was a complete zoo when i got there at 6.  there was no way of making it to the bar, people were "in line" a good 10-15 bodies away from the bar.  i went downstairs and managed to get a spot at the bar - incredibly lucky since downstairs was only slightly better than upstairs.  chatted for a long time wit the 2 guys from The Brew Gentlemen - frat boys who are opening a brewery in pittsburgh.  great guys, living the dream.  the alstrom bothers were there.

yada, we suck for not coordinating a meet-up.  i probably bumped into you.

[Yada]

amazing beers indeed!  agreed that the parabola was mind-blowing.  did you try the anniversary 16?  also mind-blowing... so many flavors going on in there.  the sucuba was good, but a little too hot on the alcohol.  i had the nitro'd merkin after having destroyed my palette on the aforementioned 13% beasts so i didn't get to enjoy its full potential.

also had: wookie jack (still the only black IPA i'll support), sculpin (huge amarillo nose), Thai Chili Wahoo Wheat (went really well with our spicy tacos).  i wanted to try the reserve porter but ran out of steam.

the S&B was a complete zoo when i got there at 6.  there was no way of making it to the bar, people were "in line" a good 10-15 bodies away from the bar.  i went downstairs and managed to get a spot at the bar - incredibly lucky since downstairs was only slightly better than upstairs.  chatted for a long time wit the 2 guys from The Brew Gentlemen - frat boys who are opening a brewery in pittsburgh.  great guys, living the dream.  the alstrom bothers were there.

yada, we suck for not coordinating a meet-up.  i probably bumped into you.

I agree... bad timing, one of these days it will happen. I pondered sending you a quick email when I arrived but as you stated, it was a complete zoo. I was surprised how chill it was though once most of the beer industry folks left for the reception. 

I started with a taster of Parabola and then immediately ordered another. By 6:30 my friend arrived and we started ordering tastings of basically everything. We somehow missed the anniversary 16.

Our samplings...


sucaba (I agree with your thoughts)
indra kunindra (really interesting beer, literally could taste every aspect of the beer based on the description; lime, cayenne, etc)
dorado double ipa (up there with some of the best DIPA's imo
sculpin (delicious)
pivo pils (pointless in drinking last night, but it ended the evening)
velvet merlin (I want to swim in that beer)

Off to CK and possibly Meridian Pint tonight!

[sweetcell]

you had a pils?  after all that imperial stuff?!?