Author Topic: The Beer Thread  (Read 3181746 times)

stevewizzle

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Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #1395 on: June 07, 2012, 11:39:59 am »
Some of the can't miss items IMO:
Stone "Soon-to-be-named" IPA
Boulevards whole booth (farmhouse 7!)
Surly's whole booth
Nebraska's whole booth  (Barrel Aged Belgian IPA!)
Denver's Graham Cracker Porter (brewed w/ graham cracker once... didn't turn out so hot)
Coronado's Barrel Aged Barleywine
Cigar City Amber/Red Ale
Troegs Barleywine 

sweetcell

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Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #1396 on: June 07, 2012, 02:21:10 pm »
i'd be at savor if i could, but mom is in town this weekend. 

Are there any beers on the Savor list that are a must try?

http://dcbeer.com/2012/03/20/brewers-association-releases-savor-beer-list/

one not mentioned there, but that's i'd like to try, is the  Boulevard & Sierra Nevada collaboration: Terra Incognita. http://www.savorcraftbeer.com/news/boulevard-and-sierra-nevada-collaborate-to-brew-savor-beer/

on that list, the following caught my eye more than others: Rye-on-Rye, Brooklyn Sorachi Ace (not available in MD, only in VA), Stoic, Brainless on Peaches, Hop?solutely, anything by Hardywood Park, Sobrehumano Palena ?ole (wtf is that?), both offerings from Odd Side Ales, both Chatoe Rogue's, Highway 78 Scotch Ale... damn.  there is a lot to choose from.
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stevewizzle

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Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #1397 on: June 07, 2012, 02:42:55 pm »
pretty stoked to walk out with a bottle of terra incognita.

Venerable Bede

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Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #1398 on: June 07, 2012, 07:20:54 pm »
I'll be at Savor for the first time too. Churchkey was packed for the Deschutes event last night.  I figured it would be crowded but not to that extent. Are there any beers on the Savor list that are a must try?

http://dcbeer.com/2012/03/20/brewers-association-releases-savor-beer-list/

i'm a fan of Ninkasi and Odell, but they aren't pouring the double IPAs that I love from them....Boulevard, however, looks to be bringing the good stuff.
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sweetcell

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Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #1399 on: June 08, 2012, 02:07:18 am »
Churchkey was packed for the Deschutes event last night. 

speaking of deschutes: this week i tried several bottles of their Inversion IPA.  solid IPA, but i'd say only a tad above average.  this brewery gets a lot of respect/hype so i was looking forward to this, but i wasn't particularly blown away. 

i'd love to try their Reserve Series.  those look particularly tasty.
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sweetcell

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Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #1400 on: June 08, 2012, 02:08:45 am »
guess it would depend on what kind of saison you're going for.  saaz and the like are a tad spicey so they could reinforce that aspect of your saison, or you could try getting some other flavor in there with your hops.  i'm happy to trade if you want to try bobek, lemme know what ya got :)

here's what the saison ended up being: http://hopville.com/recipe/1405033/saison-recipes/let-the-pig-out-of-the-farmhouse ..  went with a more forgiving yeast. 

will work with carapils next time, thanks for the heads up.

your saison recipe: interesting that you went with 2-row instead of the more traditional pilsner.  should give just a tad more maltiness.  the wheat should help with head retention (as will a 48+ hours in the fridge before consumption: more cold = more time for CO2 to be absorbed in the liquid from the headspace.  if you really want to impress someone with your homebrew, try refrigerating it for a week).

nice move to the French Saison 3711.  that's the yeast i was considering when planning a saison, but decided to go with a belgian blond instead.  should be a little less demanding in terms of what constitutes "warm" for it.  what temp are you able to maintain?

fyi carapils is more or less the same thing as carafoam - they're pretty much interchangeable, in case you can't find one just use the other.

awesome update!  if you need any help drinking any of those...

the amarillo/optic smash should be ready in ~3 weeks (dry-hopping this weekend, bottling next weekend, then 2 weeks to carb).  the blond should be a week or two behind that.  the stout won't be ready for several months, apparently it comes into its own in half a year.  i'm lucky that i have a lot of cellaring space so i'm building up a supply of strong beers that require aging.  i have a dark belgian that's about a month old, now the stout, and in a few weeks i will be making a tripel with the yeast from the blond.  the plan is to not touch these until the xmas holidays, or later.  yeah, that's the plan... however...  ;D

but as for my other brews that don't require aging - c'mon over.  would be a blast to compare beers.  this weekend won't work, but if you're free any other lemme know!
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stevewizzle

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Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #1401 on: June 08, 2012, 12:21:41 pm »
your saison recipe: interesting that you went with 2-row instead of the more traditional pilsner.  should give just a tad more maltiness.  the wheat should help with head retention (as will a 48+ hours in the fridge before consumption: more cold = more time for CO2 to be absorbed in the liquid from the headspace.  if you really want to impress someone with your homebrew, try refrigerating it for a week).

nice move to the French Saison 3711.  that's the yeast i was considering when planning a saison, but decided to go with a belgian blond instead.  should be a little less demanding in terms of what constitutes "warm" for it.  what temp are you able to maintain?

2-row was slightly forced upon us. the original recipe called for pils, but w/o a grain mill (any reccomendations?) we weren't about to crush 6#s by hand.  so, 6# of pre-crushed 2-row was substituted. 

75* right now (which is perfect for 3711), but no temp control.  Not enough space cellar, or have a keezer, etc.  Which belgian blond did you use?

the amarillo/optic smash should be ready in ~3 weeks (dry-hopping this weekend, bottling next weekend, then 2 weeks to carb).  the blond should be a week or two behind that.  the stout won't be ready for several months, apparently it comes into its own in half a year.  i'm lucky that i have a lot of cellaring space so i'm building up a supply of strong beers that require aging.  i have a dark belgian that's about a month old, now the stout, and in a few weeks i will be making a tripel with the yeast from the blond.  the plan is to not touch these until the xmas holidays, or later.  yeah, that's the plan... however...  ;D

but as for my other brews that don't require aging - c'mon over.  would be a blast to compare beers.  this weekend won't work, but if you're free any other lemme know!
well shit, i'll need some brews ready for drinking first (a serious hiatus from brewing occurred between january and april).  that's cool about the ability of cellaring, ever thing about working with a brettanamyces and letting that age?  working with amarillo for the first time myself, i'm excited to hear how that beer turns out for u.  i hear dry-hopping with amarillo is amazing.

i am gay and i like cats

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Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #1402 on: June 10, 2012, 01:58:10 pm »
the beach was . . . nice this time of year.

drank this

dogfish head  tweason'ale  (yummy)

dogfish head  90 min ipa  (this stuff was everywhere.  everybar and restaurant.  i almost drown)

anderson valley  winter solstice  (thought weird for drinking this at the beach, but was the best!!)

bell's  consecrator dopplebock  (first bell's beer i have liked)

sisters of the moon   ipa  (some local area stuff.  not bad)


don't fall flat out staggering intoxicated into a face full of beachy sand . . . people might stare and laugh at you.

sweetcell

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Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #1403 on: June 10, 2012, 11:17:54 pm »
a grain mill (any reccomendations?)

based on what little research i've done, it looks like it's a choice between a cheap corona mill (can be under $30, needs to be tweaked to get a good crush, not easily configurable/variable, can be hit-or-miss), or a more expensive Barley Crusher ($120, high-quality parts, dial to adjust gap, very consistent crush, etc).  so it depends if i want to go big or not and i'm still weighing whether i want to leap into that investment.  it would allow me to get in on bulk grain purchases which really drives costs down.  but i don't brew *that* often, and i kinda like being able to run to the shop and get just what i need, instead of that equipment and grain taking up space in my basement then feeling the need to use whatever i have as opposed to whatever i want... if i do go the self-milling route it wouldn't be until this fall.  after the tripel in a few weeks i likely won't be brewing again until late sept or oct.

Which belgian blond did you use?

i went with wyeast 3522, Belgian Ardennes (AKA the Achouffe strain).  a big attraction is the fact that it flocculates nicely for a belgian.  hopefully both the blond and the ensuing tripel will come out clear.

well shit, i'll need some brews ready for drinking first (a serious hiatus from brewing occurred between january and april). 

well shit, get on that ;D  no worries.  you just brewed a batch, didn't you?  so you'll be good to go in a few weeks.  if not i've got plenty to keep us entertained.  you can host next time.

that's cool about the ability of cellaring, ever thing about working with a brettanamyces and letting that age? 

interesting idea.  i really need to learn more about brett.  i'm not even 100% sure what it tastes like.  i'm also not big on tying up a carboy for that long, so need to look into whether is can be added at bottling time and can do it's thing in a sealed bottle.

working with amarillo for the first time myself, i'm excited to hear how that beer turns out for u.  i hear dry-hopping with amarillo is amazing.

i'll be dry-hopping tomorrow and bottling next weekend.  the optic-only brew is the lightest thing i've made to date, the yellow is amazing.  can't wait to see what it looks like once it clears.
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hutch

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Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #1404 on: June 11, 2012, 01:07:24 am »
"flocculates"


sounds kind of scary....


i've had a lot of beer today...time to hit the hay.

BrettnotBritt

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Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #1405 on: June 11, 2012, 12:07:17 pm »
Came across not one but two bottles of Firestone Parabola while visiting my parents this weekend. Naturally bought them both. That's one fantastic brew.

James Ford

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Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #1406 on: June 11, 2012, 12:29:53 pm »
For $15/bomber it better be! (I've had it only on dradt and it is pretty damn fine.)

Back from Germany/Belgium/Holland, I'll tell y'all about it after i catch up on work.


Came across not one but two bottles of Firestone Parabola while visiting my parents this weekend. Naturally bought them both. That's one fantastic brew.

HoyaSaxa03

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Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #1407 on: June 11, 2012, 02:39:24 pm »
made the pilgrimage to Dogfish Head in Rehoboth on Saturday.  samplers included:

120 min IPA - great, but almost too much of an alcohol taste
90 min IPA - mmmmmmmmmm
Aprihop - better than expected
Black & Blue - good, but i'm not a big blueberry beer fan
Red & White - WOW, great
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grateful

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Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #1408 on: June 11, 2012, 02:45:50 pm »
made the pilgrimage to Dogfish Head in Rehoboth on Saturday.  samplers included:

120 min IPA - great, but almost too much of an alcohol taste
90 min IPA - mmmmmmmmmm
Aprihop - better than expected
Black & Blue - good, but i'm not a big blueberry beer fan
Red & White - WOW, great

Their World Wide Stout is one of my all time favorites.

James Ford

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Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #1409 on: June 11, 2012, 04:22:13 pm »
How was the water temperature at Rehoboth?

Normally early June might find cold water temps, but maybe the record breaking warmth we've had spells warmer water temps earlier this year?