• Cyburbia is a friendly big tent, where we share our experiences and thoughts about urban planning practice, the built environment, planning adjacent topics, and anything else that comes to mind. No ads, no spam, and it's free. It's easy to join!

NEVERENDING ♾️ The NEVERENDING Beer Thread

Across the street from my office is a mediocre pizza place that is a chain from the Midwest. The only reason I go is the have Goose Island Matilda. It is one of my favorite beers. I have not found it anywhere outside of Chicago. I tried the Goose Island Saison called Sofie...also very tasty.
 
JNA said:
USA Today Article: Top 15 craft beer breweries in the USA

http://www.usatoday.com/story/trave...0/top-15-craft-beer-breweries-in-usa/2637493/

Have any of you been to these and tasted their beer ?
Click to expand...

Well I guess I have 15 annual vacations planned now.

I've visited 1 of 15, but drank at least 1 pint from all 15,



While on vacation back home in FLA, I purchased several beers I could not buy here in NC - several Cigar City Ales were included. Next year we'll be going to the brewery for a visit.
 
I saw an Arrogant Bastard sticker on the back of an SUV at my kids' school yesterday. It took me back to my recent trip to SoCal. I became instantly thirsty.
 
Beers by Bells are now available in New York! Just picked up some Bells Porter. I also splurged on a bottle of Ovisholt Lava. (I tried it at Micro Bar in downtown Reykjavik, and declared it one of my top 10 favorite beers.)

Also got some great bargains from the expired beer shelf.

* BrewDog Hardcore IPA (UK/Scotland)
* Meantime London Porter (UK/England)
* Emelisse Rauchbier (Netherlands)


My tally of the USA Today Top 15

1. Dogfish Head :b:
2. Stone Brewing :b:
3. Boulevard :b:
4. Founders :b:
5. Cigar City
6. New Belgium :b:
7. Lagunitas
8. Bell's :b:
9. Russian River
10. Sierra Nevada :b:
11. Odell :b:
12. Three Floyds :b:
13. Avery :b:
14. Oskar Blues :b:
15. Rogue Ales :b:
 
Dan said:
Beers by Bells are now available in New York! Just picked up some Bells Porter. I also splurged on a bottle of Ovisholt Lava. (I tried it at Micro Bar in downtown Reykjavik, and declared it one of my top 10 favorite beers.)

Also got some great bargains from the expired beer shelf.

* BrewDog Hardcore IPA (UK/Scotland)
* Meantime London Porter (UK/England)
* Emelisse Rauchbier (Netherlands)


My tally of the USA Today Top 15

1. Dogfish Head :b:
2. Stone Brewing :b:
3. Boulevard :b:
4. Founders :b:
5. Cigar City
6. New Belgium :b:
7. Lagunitas
8. Bell's :b:
9. Russian River
10. Sierra Nevada :b:
11. Odell :b:
12. Three Floyds :b:
13. Avery :b:
14. Oskar Blues :b:
15. Rogue Ales :b:
Click to expand...
Not much representation from the northeast on that list, but there are some excellent beers there. Surprised Bear Republic didnt make it, that is an outstanding brewery.
 
The only one I'm missing on that list is Russian River


Dogfish Head Sixty-One Minute India Pale Ale. If you find it, drink it! YUM!!!
 
1. Dogfish Head :b:
2. Stone Brewing :b:
3. Boulevard
4. Founders :b::beers:
5. Cigar City
6. New Belgium :b:
7. Lagunitas :b:
8. Bell's :beers: :beers:
9. Russian River
10. Sierra Nevada :b:
11. Odell
12. Three Floyds :b:
13. Avery
14. Oskar Blues :b:
15. Rogue Ales :b:
 
hilldweller said:
Not much representation from the northeast on that list, but there are some excellent beers there. Surprised Bear Republic didnt make it, that is an outstanding brewery.
Click to expand...

The craft brewing scene in the Northeast seems less well developed than points further west. In upstate New York, there's Southern Tier, Ithaca and Ommegang, as well as a thriving craft brewing/distilling scene in the Finger Lakes region, with microbreweries and picobreweries galore. In the larger upstate cities -- Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Albany, and Binghamton -- there's not much to be found. Buffalonians consider Canadian macros as locals, and the few local microbreweries (Flying Bison, Community Beerworks, brewpubs like Pearl Street and Pan Am) have yet to gain traction beyond the "local first" urbanatti. Rochester has a decent brewpub scene, but none bottle. Syracuse has Middle Ages, which seems to target the beards-and-guts/geek/SCA/Renfaire crowd.

BHzDy05.jpg


Worst bottle labels ever? Check out Horseheads Brewing in Elmira.

vExx7TX.jpg


Outside of Upstate, City Steam Brewery in Hartford seems to be making waves. Sixpoint in Brooklyn had a lot of hipster cred. Yuengling, though not a craft beer, is on tap at practically every bar in NYS (outside of the Buffalo metro) and Pennsylvania.
 
So I did a blind taste test with Schlitz and Beck's last night. To be honest I had a bit of trouble telling them apart. Both had that Rheinheitsgebot taste, but in any event I'd have to say Schlitz clearly held its own. Call me pleasantly surprised.
 
Happy Anniversary

It was 80 years old today that FDR had a truck load of Yuengling delivered to the White House to celebrate the end of Prohibition.
 
michaelskis said:
It was 80 years old today that FDR had a truck load of Yuengling delivered to the White House to celebrate the end of Prohibition.
Click to expand...

Now I wish I could find Yuengling out here on the West Coast to have in celebration of the end of Prohibition! I guess I will just have to find something else in the fridge to have tonight! :beers:
 
rcgplanner said:
Now I wish I could find Yuengling out here on the West Coast to have in celebration of the end of Prohibition! I guess I will just have to find something else in the fridge to have tonight! :beers:
Click to expand...

I would love to have it here in MI... but the closest place is OH and you know I am not heading down there.
 
WSU MUP Student said:
If Yuengling was all that was available to me, I'd have lobbied to continue Prohibition! :victory:
Click to expand...

On the way back from Pittsburgh in August my buddy made me stop so he could buy a couple of cases of Yuengling to take back to Michigan. When I'm in the area, I will partake in a Yuengling, but it's definitely not something I would "stock up" on.
 
michaelskis said:
I would love to have it here in MI... but the closest place is OH and you know I am not heading down there.
Click to expand...

hink might bring it to the border for you ('cause you know he ain't heading into Michigan)

We have Yuengling here and it's the last resort when eating establishments only have BudMillerCoors on tap.


Winter & Christmas Ales
All these are coming out now. Olde Hickory's Christmas Ale has a nice subtle spiced flavor. Highland Brewery (Asheville) winter ale Cold Mountain was just released and the good beer store limits purchases to only 3 bombers a customer. Very Limited and very good.
Hey beach_bum, if you can find it, buy a bottle and try it. I think you'll like it too.
 
Planit said:
We have Yuengling here and it's the last resort when eating establishments only have BudMillerCoors on tap.
Click to expand...

Yeah - Yuengling (available here in Georgia) exists in a gray area between good craft/micro/foreign brews (emphasis on good) and BudMillerCoors.
 
I don't think I've ever had a Christmas seasonal beer that I really like. I'm always suckered in to buying them thinking it will be different this time, but it never is.
 
Planit said:
hink might bring it to the border for you ('cause you know he ain't heading into Michigan)
Click to expand...

That might be a possibility... :)

Years back when I was working in PA, I went on the Yuengling brewery tour in Pottsville. Very cool place. I also love how it has been Father to Son for years.. but the current owner had 4 daughters. Talk about an awesome dowry!


Kind of bummed that the Sam Adams Holiday Porter is not in the winter sampler pack this year. I have not been able to find it otherwise.
 
WSU MUP Student said:
I don't think I've ever had a Christmas seasonal beer that I really like. I'm always suckered in to buying them thinking it will be different this time, but it never is.
Click to expand...

I had a Great Lakes Brewing Co. Christmas Ale a week or so ago.

1349893593-1318962474-christmas-ale.jpg


I didn't really like it very much. Especially for what a 6-pack costs. Luckily, I wasn't the one who bought it. :)
 
btrage said:
I had a Great Lakes Brewing Co. Christmas Ale a week or so ago.
I didn't really like it very much. Especially for what a 6-pack costs. Luckily, I wasn't the one who bought it. :)
Click to expand...

It's funny it seems I'm fairly consistent in my disappointment with many Christmas ale offerings. I thought Bells Christmas ale was okay, but as Scotch ales go, it was kinda subdued.
 
Planit said:
you must require periodic sampling to ensure quality so as not to ruin the good town's name (unless you've already done that)
Click to expand...

They will have a tasting area...so I'm sure I'll have to make a few site inspections. :)

One of the reasons they chose to locate here was because we have brewery as a permitted use in our zoning...made possible by the large macro-brewer that has been located here since the 1970's.
 
I live in a beer paradise.

I am a short walk from several places with great craft selections, including a gas station that routinely has three-five beers on tap for growler fills.

Tonight we will be drinking selections from Long Trail and Rock Art, but none of the magic potion in the silver can from Alchemist. I like Heady Topper when I can get it but i don't go out of my way like some people do.

I had a very nice Bear republic "Cafe Racer" the other night.

Dan said:
Outside of Upstate, City Steam Brewery in Hartford seems to be making waves. Sixpoint in Brooklyn had a lot of hipster cred. Yuengling, though not a craft beer, is on tap at practically every bar in NYS (outside of the Buffalo metro) and Pennsylvania.
Click to expand...

The Sixpoint "Crisp" is an excellent Lager, IMHO, and a good example of how to achieve complexity within the boundaries of what is supposed to be a very simple style.
 
Top 20 Beers in the world. Oh look, 4 of them are brewed here in West Michigan! Would that make us the Beer Capital of the World. Bells must be happy to have 3 of the top 20.
LINK

Side note trivia, the first Stanfest was held at Bells in Kalamazoo.
 
Is it just me or does it seem beer critics get all excessively gaga just because something is brewed in the style of a Belgian trappist ale? As if that's the final word pinnacle of brewing accomplishment. Nothing is better? Seriously?
 
michaelskis said:
Top 20 Beers in the world. Oh look, 4 of them are brewed here in West Michigan! Would that make us the Beer Capital of the World. Bells must be happy to have 3 of the top 20.
LINK

Side note trivia, the first Stanfest was held at Bells in Kalamazoo.
Click to expand...

Well cool! I have had 6 of them - now I have a New Years Resolution...drink the other 14
 
michaelskis said:
Top 20 Beers in the world. Oh look, 4 of them are brewed here in West Michigan! Would that make us the Beer Capital of the World. Bells must be happy to have 3 of the top 20.
LINK

Side note trivia, the first Stanfest was held at Bells in Kalamazoo.
Click to expand...

I had never had Bell's Expedition Stout but bought some last week to share with an out of town guest who likes that style. I was very pleased with it.
 
Dan said:
gywGW0X.png
Click to expand...

How did I miss this?

There is much one can infer from this highly useful graph. First off, democrats have much better taste in beer than republicans. What sells when there's high dem voter turnout? microbrews!

low turnout and -40 dem skew? Time to hit the Olde English 800!
 
I love the graft, I mean graph. It looks like the reds prefer red and the blues white. Also, the reds like to hit the hard stuff a little more.

I just had a couple new breweries open up in town. They both have decent beer from what I've heard - haven't had time to sample it. The difference, one serves great pizza and a few other food items. The other does not serve food at all, but you can bring some in. Which one do you think will make it?
 
These places just opened up last month. I'm not sure they're top 20 beer good, but I'll let you know when I get around to sampling. We've just all been making fun of the no food place. I do live in the fattest county in Kansas. I think food is a requirement around here.
 
dvdneal said:
I just had a couple new breweries open up in town. They both have decent beer from what I've heard - haven't had time to sample it. The difference, one serves great pizza and a few other food items. The other does not serve food at all, but you can bring some in. Which one do you think will make it?
Click to expand...

We have a brewery with mediocre beer in the area that doesn't serve food but allows you to bring it in (or they will order take out from a pizza place nearby for you) and they have lasted about six years so far and are always very busy. I think they've got a great location working in their favor. But I know of other places around Metro Detroit and a few in some other metros with similar business models and they seem to hold on.
 
While visiting my sister I've tried Vollmond Bier (Full Moon Beer) in Switzerland. Quite tasty! It's a pilsner style.

On the back of the label (in German and English):

Only when the moon is full is the time truly right. By its silvery light our master brewer descends into the vaults to work his wonders. Made from the finest organic ingredients and blessed by the mythical powers of the celestial body in all its glory, it's claimed that in Vollmond Bier lies the magical force of nature.

Also on the label, a timestamp for when the :b:beer was bottled, and another for an best buy date.
 
An interesting side note to both scientists and beer connoisseurs. I had a bottle of Aecht Schlenkerla (Weisen) sitting on the table on the back porch during that super cold spell we had recently and the beer inside mostly FROZE. Not so with the bottle of Bell's Porter or Woodchuck Cider sitting right next to it!

I'm not sure why this happened, but I refuse to believe the rauchbier has that much lower of an alcohol content that it would freeze where a 5% cider would not..

Sure wish I had a replacement bottle.....
 
Maister said:
An interesting side note to both scientists and beer connoisseurs. I had a bottle of Aecht Schlenkerla (Weisen) sitting on the table on the back porch during that super cold spell we had recently and the beer inside mostly FROZE. Not so with the bottle of Bell's Porter or Woodchuck Cider sitting right next to it!

I'm not sure why this happened, but I refuse to believe the rauchbier has that much lower of an alcohol content that it would freeze where a 5% cider would not..

Sure wish I had a replacement bottle.....
Click to expand...

I would not be surprised if the Aecht Schlenkerla wasn't bottled as tightly as the Bell's or Woodchuck, which probably are more "mass produced" and bottled more tightly to endure more shipping and give them a longer shelf life. Even the tiniest bit of air getting into the bottle can cause it to freeze where another bottle, sealed more tightly but stored right next to it, would remain unfrozen. As an experiment, put a couple of unopened bottles of water in your freezer and also put in a bottle that you've opened and then closed back up.
 
WSU MUP Student said:
I would not be surprised if the Aecht Schlenkerla wasn't bottled as tightly as the Bell's or Woodchuck, which probably are more "mass produced" and bottled more tightly to endure more shipping and give them a longer shelf life. Even the tiniest bit of air getting into the bottle can cause it to freeze where another bottle, sealed more tightly but stored right next to it, would remain unfrozen. As an experiment, put a couple of unopened bottles of water in your freezer and also put in a bottle that you've opened and then closed back up.
Click to expand...

I can accept that explanation
 
This year's batch of Bell's Hopslam was just released and a friend in Maryland is pestering me to ship him a couple of six packs. I've tried it a few times and just do not see the appeal. Waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy too bitter and hoppy for my tastes. I think I am definitely over the IPA and super high ABV craze.
 
WSU MUP Student said:
This year's batch of Bell's Hopslam was just released and a friend in Maryland is pestering me to ship him a couple of six packs. I've tried it a few times and just do not see the appeal. Waaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy too bitter and hoppy for my tastes. I think I am definitely over the IPA and super high ABV craze.
Click to expand...

Yippee - I need to call the local good beer store and have them reserved my 2 six-pack limit.

I understand what you're saying, but I still really enjoy the IPAs, but I'm getting over the "high octane" ABVs. They seem to be just too sweet.
 
Back
Top