The Beer Thread

[i am gay and i like cats]

this




is an incredible beer.  i must find more.

[sweetcell]

people get all excited about super-hoppy beers, but for my money belgian ales are where it's at.  i tried that beer a few months back, tasty but not quite my thing:

- http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/gouden-carolus-cuvee-van-de-keizer-rood-red/86944/
another weird spicy number.  i'm a fan of belgian beer, especially witbier, so i had high hopes for this one.  it was damn tasty but the pungent herb-y smell was a bit much by the end of the bottle.  very thick mouthfeel (just learned that word).  i'll be keeping my eye out for the darker "blue" version.

You gotta try Cuvee van de Kaiser Blau. That's one of my favorite Belgians.

still haven't tried the blau yet.  need to get on that.

[i am gay and i like cats]

actually . . . i just realized i purchased the "rood" version.  your ode to detail back then was spot on about the beer.  my gay lover man and i agree it was top notch.  did not know there were other versions of it.

[stevewizzle]

I brew.  How to brew is the best resource you can use to start.  Theres a home brew store in Falls Church (MLHBS) which is very helpful as well.  You could go in there and walk out with ingredients to start brewing right away. 

http://www.northernbrewer.com/ is a good resource for supplies, they are priced very competitively.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/ is a great forum, every question i've ever had has been answered at some point on this forum.

awesome, thanks for the input.  i will definitely have to swing by MLHBS (might even go tonight).  there is also The Flying Barrel in frederick that i've heard good things about. 

what is you best tip for the newbie?  anything you wish someone told you before you ruined your first batch?

best tip, which is commonly passed along for people starting off is, "Relax, don't worry, have a homebrew".  people often get caught up in one or two things, say your brew pot boiled over, or you didn't sanitize something before it contacted your ingredients, etc.  in the end, the small mistakes you make usually don't matter much.

i've ruined a few batches, and sometimes i've aimed for one thing, and got something completely different.  it's all a part of the process, and it's fun and interesting. i would say brew with a friend, it makes for an enjoyable time. i'd say start off with a kit, the LHBS has one for rogue dead guy, and has many others.  they can definitely get you started.  when i went in there the first time, i had no clue what i was doing and i didn't ask enough questions.  tried to play it off like i did all my research, when in fact, i didn't do nearly enough.  just be humble, and those guys will help you out and make sure you have everything you need. 

[BrettnotBritt]

Went on a beer run yesterday. Came back with bottles of Heavy Seas Loose Cannon, Brookyln Black Chocolate Stout, Bells Java Stout, Troegs Mad Elf, and Schafly Reserve Imperial Stout.
Couldn't find Great Lakes Xmas Ale anywhere, but ordered a bottle of it at Dino last night with my burger. So good.

[sweetcell]

i'm in wisconsin this week, west of milwaukee.  any good local brews i should be on the lookout for?

[dave24]

Wisconsin should put you pretty well into Surly territory

[sweetcell]

Wisconsin should put you pretty well into Surly territory

thanks for the suggestion.  i'll definitely keep my eyes open for surly, but according to their website the stuff isn't available outside of minnesota.  maybe their distribution info is out of date?

[grateful]

I'd seek out Deschutes.  You can't get it here, which upsets me to no end. In fact, I might only drink Deschutes.

I'd also BOLO for Big Sky, Three Floyds, Lost Coast, Great Lakes, Grand Teton.  Lots of other choices of stuff you can get there but not here, but I don't recognize those names...

[James Ford]

Drank and brought back far too much beer while spending the holidays in Indiana. Made a day trip to chicago, a stop off in Cleveland, and one in Columbus on the way home. Didn't make it to Three Floyds brewpub (and missed out on a six pack of the rarely bottled Zombie Dust) because I caught a stomach flu from my in-laws and was puking my guts the day we were supposed to go.

Among the beers consumed/brought home that aren't available in DC area:

Three Floyds (Indiana) Dreadnaught DIPA, Alpha King APA, Robert the Bruce Scotch Ale, Alpha Panzer Wolf DIPA
Half Acre (Chicago) Daisy Cutter APA
The Brew Kettle (Cleveland area) Old 21 DIPA
Columbus IPA
Ska Brewing (Colorado) Modus Hoperandi IPA
Thirsty Dog (Ohio) Siberian Night Imperial Stout and Old Leghumper Porter
Dark Horse (Michigan) Scotty Karate Scotch Ale
Boulevard (Kansas City) Sixth Point Quad and Double Wide  DIPA

[James Ford]

Coolest beer can of all time?

[James Ford]

My wife must have tipped off her parents to our beer tastes, as they had a selection of Ommegang and Dogfish products waiting for us.

At the Thanksgiving table, I read the Hennepin label aloud, noting that as the label said, Father Hennepin discovered Niagara Falls. My devoutly Catholic father in law launched into a long, boring lecture telling us all new knew about Father Hennepin.

In the middle of said lecture, my four year old daughter blurts out "Mmmmm, this cheese is so fucking delicious!" My father in law went right on babbling, oblivious to the blurt and ensuing laughter.

[James Ford]

Deschutes in WI in mid-2012, but not there yet.

I'd seek out Deschutes.  You can't get it here, which upsets me to no end. In fact, I might only drink Deschutes.

I'd also BOLO for Big Sky, Three Floyds, Lost Coast, Great Lakes, Grand Teton.  Lots of other choices of stuff you can get there but not here, but I don't recognize those names...

[BrettnotBritt]

Going to New Orleans this weekend. Anything particularly special/exclusive down there? (no, Abita doesn't count)

[grateful]

Somewhere in this thread (a few pages back) is an excel file showing which beers are available in which states, by brewery.  I think it's a great guide if what you want to do is explore offerings from breweries that you don't typically have access to.

If you have a strong preference for a particular style, I'd suggest seeking that out, regardless of whether you can get it at home.  I will absolutely seek out an Imperial Stout or a DIPA, depending on my mood.