What's your favorite BEER?

[Ashful]

How was it ?

It’s one of my favorite beers. Not the first time I’ve had it. Never looked it up on their website, but I suspect they’ll be doing a batch of this each year. It’s damn good.

The barrel aged thing has really caught on, in the last year or two. That means we’ll be seeing more of them, which also means we’ll be seeing poor executions by many, while a few get much better at the art of it.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

So far i havnt tried anything paired with apple i like. Cherries yes,citrus yes. Chocolate is hard to get right also,most seem to get it wrong IMO.

 

[Ashful]

Oak, I grabbed a few bottles of Founders, on my errands this morning. Enjoying a KBS now.

Figured it was time to post another inventory, of what I have in the Fridge, today. Yes, I enjoy the Belgian styles.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

What ? No Allagash Curieux

 

[Ashful]

What ? No Allagash Curieux

Just had one Wednesday. The place I hit today wanted $18 per bottle, and I can pick it up much cheaper at one of my usual lunch stops, so I didn’t get that one today.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Picked up a sixer of Founders Porter Dark Rich and Sexy. Since i haven't had anything from this brewer that was anything but very good, i want to try everything they make.

 

[Ashful]

It comes down to having similar taste to their brewmaster. I’m the same way with St Bernardous and a few others, mostly in Belgium.

Allagash is interesting, in that they (reportedly) have several folks doing their own brews. They have some of the best, and simultaneously some of the worst, beers I have ever tasted. Curieux to Session Brett, that’s some range.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Stopped at a local beverage outlet today. Conversation went like this:
Me: Do you happen to have anything from Founders Brewing Company?
Owner: Uh............ only thing i ever got from them was some IPA.
Me: Well can you order any of their other brews.
Owner Like what?
Me:Like Canadian Breakfast Stout.
Owner:Well ya know those mini micro breweries, that might be $100.
Me: Well i might order one for $100 . Can you check?
Owner: Well try callin me later next week ill see if i can find somthin out.
Me: Yea Ok ill put that on my calender.

Lookin around 80% of his stock was "lite" something or other so i didnt have high hopes going in.
Was in the same place about a year ago asking to order something from Dogfish Head and i got the impression the owner didnt want to be bothered with anything that didnt come form the Big national brand companies.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Just had one Wednesday. The place I hit today wanted $18 per bottle, and I can pick it up much cheaper at one of my usual lunch stops, so I didn’t get that one today.

Troegs make a Belgian Double. Would that be close to what your drinking .I dont think iv ever had a Belgian Triple ,but will definitely look for one to try

 

[Ashful]

Troegs make a Belgian Double. Would that be close to what your drinking .I dont think iv ever had a Belgian Triple ,but will definitely look for one to try

Doubles, or not traditionally “dubbels”, are made with red wine yeast. They’re dark, mellow, and wonderful. But they’re very different from tripels, which are made with champagne makers yeast. Tripels are bright, crisp, strong (ABV ~10%), and have a champagne nose.

So, not similar. You really need both!

 

[RobbieB]

Weather is warm here, 82, and I've shifted to "summer beer"

A pleasant surprise, Corona Familiar is now in 12's at the grocery. I like this stuff, it's nice and dry, but I've only seen it in quarts before. Longnecks are much more "user friendly"

On my second 12 pack, good straight and good for Micheladas too -

 

[Chimney Smoke]

I went to a new to me store today that is supposed to be pretty well stocked and got a few new ones to try. I got four packs of Founders Breakfast Stout, Founders Imperial Stout, Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout and Mast Landing Peanut Butter Stout. Mast Landing is a small local brewery and their PB Stout was great. Not too sweet with a little coffee and chocolate taste and peanut aftertaste. Haven't tried the others yet.

 

[Ashful]

Founders KBS was... meh. Nice booziness, but a chalky finish. The Backwoods Bastard, on the other hand, was as good as I remember. Glad I got four of those.

The real gem was the Freewill Brown Beard. I’ve been sampling this brewery since they opened, and they just keep getting better and better. Unfortunately, their pricing is too high for a local brew, I can’t imagine what they fetch out of town.

 

[begreen]

Doubles, or not traditionally “dubbels”, are made with red wine yeast. They’re dark, mellow, and wonderful. But they’re very different from tripels, which are made with champagne makers yeast. Tripels are bright, crisp, strong (ABV ~10%), and have a champagne nose.

So, not similar. You really need both!

I'm sure some may have tried that, but I haven't come across using wine yeast a general practice. There are very specific Belgian ale yeasts. The dubbel's that I have seen are typically made with a Belgian Abbey ale yeast or a high gravity yeast like Trappist. "The Trappists helped one another rebuild the abbeys and breweries in the 19th century. They also shared yeast and knowledge. The Westmalle strain is used by Achel and Westvleteren, and no doubt many other brewers across Belgium. Chimay has its own house strain."
http://allaboutbeer.com/article/belgian-dubbel/

I have read that sometimes champagne yeast can be used for finishing.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/anyone-ever-brew-a-beer-with-wine-yeast.55270/

 

[Ashful]

This is all true, but I’ve been told by at least one brewer of Belgian ales that the ancestors of these yeasts were as I stated.

 

[begreen]

As noted in the beer advocate thread, wine yeasts will not fully digest all sugars to alcohol. The monks in Belgium did a lot of finessing with their yeasts resulting in different attributes of spiciness, fruitiness, etc.. If I was in a monastery I would have been brewing.

"We're drinking the best beers now because ancient brewers were smart enough to start breeding yeast before they knew what they were doing. It was really an art."
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/09/160908130552.htm

 

[Ashful]

Just read that. Interesting. Maybe I was just given bad info, but it’s been repeated more than once. The way it was explained to me (not a brewer) was that the 7-8% of most Dubbels is the natural termination point of red wine yeast strains.

 

[begreen]

Not sure if this shows up on the east coast, but it is a worthy brew. The founder of this brewery is in part responsible for resurrecting and saving the Samuel Smith brand.
(broken link removed to https://www.pikebrewing.com/pike-organic-double-oatmeal-stout)

Their Monk's Uncle is dangerously drinkable.
(broken link removed to https://www.pikebrewing.com/pike-monks-uncle)

 

[Ashful]

I’ve seen the Pike label out here, only a few times, but never the Monk’s brew. I’ll have to keep an eye out for it.

We have a local brew that fits your description though, Victory Golden Monkey. It’s cheap enough (locally) that many folks who aren’t into high ABV Belgian ales will just grab it on a whim, without noticing it’s alcohol content. Deceptively drinkable, many locals have a “Golden Monkey story”.

My theory is there’s more than just alcohol in that bottle. ;-)

 

[Ashful]

Glad to see Midas Touch back on tap this week. Most bars around here stopped carrying the Ancient Ale series, due to the brewers choice of keg styles (not available in the sixtels that most bars use for their craft ales), so it’s been some time since I’ve had this one. Here’s hoping they do the Theobroma again, too!

If you haven’t tried the Dogfish Head Ancient Ale series, you’re missing some interesting stuff.

 

[fbelec]

would that dogfish head ancient ale be a ipa or something that i say (more normal)

 

[Ashful]

Definitely not IPA. That crap is what you do to beer when it needs to survive a long sea voyage without refrigeration, not anything anyone with good taste should drink on purpose. [emoji12]

This stuff has light hops, a little citrusy, just the right balance of sweet, bite, and booze. If comparing to something most have had, somewhere between a traditional Saison and Tripel.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

Up this week for taste test. Sweet Baby Jesus (Duclaw),and Founders KBS. So far the SBJ has been disappointing. Not near as interesting as anything from founders. Of course ill go for a second opinion as there are 5 left. Ill try the KBS tonight.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

If you haven’t tried the Dogfish Head Ancient Ale series, you’re missing some interesting stuff.

I have not. Ill put that on my to do list. Since most of dogfish offerings are very interesting. The chocolate lobster being the most interesting.Usually available only at the brewery bar in Milton DE.

 

[Ashful]

I have not. Ill put that on my to do list. Since most of dogfish offerings are very interesting. The chocolate lobster being the most interesting.Usually available only at the brewery bar in Milton DE.

Keep in mind, our tastes are very different, so I won’t be surprised if you don’t like it. You like KBS, I think it’s just... okay. I like Merry Monks, I think you said it was too peppery for you. Different strokes for different folks.

If I’m going for an imperial stout, I’d go Fegley’s Insidious, or even Delirious if you can find it. I also like Weyerbacher TINY.

I think we agree on Backwoods Bastard. That is a damn good beer.

Today’s lunch treat, St. Bernardous Tripel.