Author Topic: The Beer Thread  (Read 3181464 times)

sweetcell

  • Member
  • Posts: 21394
  • I don't belong here.
Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #2490 on: April 26, 2013, 04:24:16 pm »
Those who like barrel aged need to get to Pizza Paradiso this weekend.

Celebrate Arbor Day with Wood & Barrel Aged Beers at All Locations

thanks for the heads-up.  gonna try hitting Dupont on the way home.  i've heard good things about Harviestoun Ola Dubh.

Just to clarify, what we drank was a homebrewered  (I think)clone of the Stone 09.09.09 that sweetcell and his friend Tony homebrewed. Every bit as delicious as the real thing. Or quite close anyway.

we brewed a 11 gallon batch together and each fermented 5.5 gallon.  in his half he got the oak right, while i got more belgian yeast character in mine.  we tried them side by side a few weeks ago and came to the conclusion that they tasted best (and closest to the original) when blended together.
<sig>

Yada

  • Member
  • Posts: 11537

BrettnotBritt

  • Member
  • Posts: 459
Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #2492 on: April 26, 2013, 05:50:37 pm »
Had the Espresso last night, basically had to drink the entire bottle myself since my wife only drank a four ounce pour. This morning was a little rough.

" had to drink the entire bottle myself"?  was it a chore, or did you like the beer?

Oh I definitely liked the beer, but at 10.6% percent, it was a little bit of a challenge to finish by myself. But I would not let it go to waste! And yes, my tolerance for alcohol has taken quite the nosedive after our son was born.

sweetcell

  • Member
  • Posts: 21394
  • I don't belong here.
Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #2493 on: April 26, 2013, 06:40:19 pm »
Some absolutely amazing beers on offer at the Paradiso. I tried:

- Ola dubh: mind blowing. Thick malt, heavy caramel, strong oak, borderline burning alcohol.
- Captain Lawrence's Golden Delicious: a dry-hopped tripel aged in brandy barrels. not distributed in this area, so Pizza Paradiso trucks it down themselves from upstate New York. Really nice Belgian and apple flavors with a touch of tartness. This was my "hydrating" beer... At 10%.
- Elysian the Dread: A  respectable oak aged imperial stout. Very creamy. Least fav of the 4 i had but I'd still have it again.
- BFM Abbaye de St bon chien 2011: defies description. An 11% sour biere de garde, and a very sour one at that. With wood flavor. Wow. Just wow.  I'm not the biggest sour fan but this was damn impressive. End your evening with this one. You won't be tasting anything afterwards. In a good way ;D

i've heard good things about Harviestoun Ola Dubh

Stevewizzle, you need to try this one.
« Last Edit: April 26, 2013, 07:15:02 pm by sweetcell »
<sig>


James Ford

  • Member
  • Posts: 5620
Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #2495 on: April 29, 2013, 08:16:15 am »
Jim Koch of Boston Beer Company, sounding a bit like someone most famous for brewing a mediocre lager, and never making a good IPA. (and sounding like atomicfront)


http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/blogs/99bottles/2013/04/mystic_brewing_finds_a_niche_j.html

They were also forthcoming. Koch in particular has a problem with hob-bombs, the big, boozy, 100-plus IBU beers that have been en vogue in recent years. I asked Koch what he thought of the Alchemist's Heady Topper and other massive IPAs. In a part of the interview that didn't make the paper, Koch said, "They're big IPAs. There's 100 of them. Are they new or interesting? Not really. I mean they're good, but there's nothing I'm going to learn from tasting that. There's not a huge set of skills to make an 80-IBU beer."

"There's probably 100 really good 80-IBU IPAs, and there's probably 500 or 1,000 that are out there. It's not that they're bad. It's like drinking Bud or Miller or Coors. You know what you're going to get, you're not going to be surprised. If you're surprised it's generally a bad surprise."

Koch expanded on what he meant.

"I think you go through stages as a beer drinker. And there is an early stage where you want the hoppiest stage that you can get. And then you go past it. It's like scotch drinkers, there's a stage where you want the peatiest, smokiest scotch and think that's quality. But you get through that stage, and then you're looking at the real fundamentals of quality, which to me is not just a lot of flavor but is balance, and complexity and harmony. That's kind of where I am. Let me see what flavors they put in there and how they came together. Because that I'll learn from. There's a real purpose of the brewer's art, which is not to make strange, exotic, extreme. At the end of the day the purpose of the brewer's art is to make beers that give people pleasure."


stevewizzle

  • Guest
Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #2496 on: April 29, 2013, 09:21:24 am »
- Ola dubh: mind blowing. Thick malt, heavy caramel, strong oak, borderline burning alcohol.
i've heard good things about Harviestoun Ola Dubh

Stevewizzle, you need to try this one.

oh, i kind of hate you.  i looked at the list on friday, debating whether i should head down, and this one was really sticking out to me.  then my roommate proceeded to talk me out of it, with quotes like "they are all $10+" and "tastiers are way too expensive there".

i'm broke these days, so it's probably for the best right now.  i'll keep it on the radar....

James Ford

  • Member
  • Posts: 5620
Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #2497 on: April 29, 2013, 09:31:05 am »


"they are all $10+"


My biggest reason for not going. Hopefully they have some good leftovers of these beers during their half price happy hours this week (Mon-Thurs at Georgetown and Tues-Wed at Dupont), as I have plans to be there on Tuesday.


- Ola dubh: mind blowing. Thick malt, heavy caramel, strong oak, borderline burning alcohol.
i've heard good things about Harviestoun Ola Dubh

Stevewizzle, you need to try this one.

oh, i kind of hate you.  i looked at the list on friday, debating whether i should head down, and this one was really sticking out to me.  then my roommate proceeded to talk me out of it, with quotes like "they are all $10+" and "tastiers are way too expensive there".

i'm broke these days, so it's probably for the best right now.  i'll keep it on the radar....

stevewizzle

  • Guest
Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #2498 on: April 29, 2013, 09:31:36 am »
Jim Koch of Boston Beer Company, sounding a bit like someone most famous for brewing a mediocre lager, and never making a good IPA. (and sounding like atomicfront)

i don't think your dig on Koch is fair.  he's done wonderful things for the craft beer scene, and his assessment on IPAs is pretty spot-on if you ask me.  what's the best double IPA? if you ask me, it's usually whatever is the freshest ingredients.  that, in fact, takes very little talent by any brewer.

atomicfront

  • Guest
Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #2499 on: April 29, 2013, 09:48:20 am »
Jim Koch of Boston Beer Company, sounding a bit like someone most famous for brewing a mediocre lager, and never making a good IPA. (and sounding like atomicfront)


http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/food/blogs/99bottles/2013/04/mystic_brewing_finds_a_niche_j.html

They were also forthcoming. Koch in particular has a problem with hob-bombs, the big, boozy, 100-plus IBU beers that have been en vogue in recent years. I asked Koch what he thought of the Alchemist's Heady Topper and other massive IPAs. In a part of the interview that didn't make the paper, Koch said, "They're big IPAs. There's 100 of them. Are they new or interesting? Not really. I mean they're good, but there's nothing I'm going to learn from tasting that. There's not a huge set of skills to make an 80-IBU beer."

"There's probably 100 really good 80-IBU IPAs, and there's probably 500 or 1,000 that are out there. It's not that they're bad. It's like drinking Bud or Miller or Coors. You know what you're going to get, you're not going to be surprised. If you're surprised it's generally a bad surprise."

Koch expanded on what he meant.

"I think you go through stages as a beer drinker. And there is an early stage where you want the hoppiest stage that you can get. And then you go past it. It's like scotch drinkers, there's a stage where you want the peatiest, smokiest scotch and think that's quality. But you get through that stage, and then you're looking at the real fundamentals of quality, which to me is not just a lot of flavor but is balance, and complexity and harmony. That's kind of where I am. Let me see what flavors they put in there and how they came together. Because that I'll learn from. There's a real purpose of the brewer's art, which is not to make strange, exotic, extreme. At the end of the day the purpose of the brewer's art is to make beers that give people pleasure."



He is stating the obvious.   

James Ford

  • Member
  • Posts: 5620
Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #2500 on: April 29, 2013, 10:21:03 am »
Yes, he's a pioneer, a trailblazer, blah blah blah.

Still it just sounds like sour grapes coming from a guy whose main products have obviously been surpassed by the new guys.

Now if that statement was made by GREG Koch, it would be more interesting.

Jim Koch of Boston Beer Company, sounding a bit like someone most famous for brewing a mediocre lager, and never making a good IPA. (and sounding like atomicfront)

i don't think your dig on Koch is fair.  he's done wonderful things for the craft beer scene, and his assessment on IPAs is pretty spot-on if you ask me.  what's the best double IPA? if you ask me, it's usually whatever is the freshest ingredients.  that, in fact, takes very little talent by any brewer.

atomicfront

  • Guest
Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #2501 on: April 29, 2013, 10:25:52 am »
I had some Blue Point toasted lager yesterday.  Pretty tasty.

James Ford

  • Member
  • Posts: 5620
Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #2502 on: April 29, 2013, 12:04:36 pm »
freshly canned OTWOA at DCBrau this weekend.

With fresh Double Trouble available (for cheaper) and SN Hoptimum on the way, may have to take a pass again.

sweetcell

  • Member
  • Posts: 21394
  • I don't belong here.
Re: The Beer Thread
« Reply #2503 on: April 29, 2013, 12:36:01 pm »
"they are all $10+" and "tastiers are way too expensive there".

they weren't all $10.  some were, some were less.

Hopefully they have some good leftovers of these beers during their half price happy hours this week (Mon-Thurs at Georgetown and Tues-Wed at Dupont), as I have plans to be there on Tuesday.


they still have several listed in dupont!

"There's probably 100 really good 80-IBU IPAs, and there's probably 500 or 1,000 that are out there. It's not that they're bad. It's like drinking Bud or Miller or Coors. You know what you're going to get, you're not going to be surprised. If you're surprised it's generally a bad surprise."

the first part of that statement can be applied to any beer.  only a fraction of any style - stout, pilsner, pale ale, etc - are going to be really good.  so nothing new there. 

i have a problem taking his opinion seriously if he thinks all 80+ IBU beers are the same and you should expect the same thing from each one, every time.

it is indeed relatively easy to brew a big hop bomb (you still need to be able to brew a good pale ale - then you crank up the hops).  it's very hard to brew an excellent hop bomb.  there is a reason why pliny, heady, zombie dust, etc have a following: they are unique.  they sell the stuff as fast as they can make it, you'd think everyone who makes "just another hop bomb" would be in the same position... but they're not.
<sig>

James Ford

  • Member
  • Posts: 5620