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NEVERENDING ♾️ The NEVERENDING Beer Thread

A little bit of Cleveland in Ithaca

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I was back in Buffalo again yesterday to run some errands. Unlike Clevelanders with Great Lakes Brewing, Ithacans with Ithaca Beer, Kalamazooians with Bells, Grand Rapidians with Founders, and so on, Buffalonians really haven't embraced their only hometown commercial microbrewery, Flying Bison. It's very difficult to find Flying Bison products in area bars and markets. Even specialty beer stores might only have a few six-packs of Aviator Red, while the selection of products from Ithaca, Ellicottville, Southern Tier, Middle Ages and Erie Brewing will be quite deep.

Why do Buffalonans eschew their local brew? I don't know. A wild-assed guess: it could be because for decades, Buffalonans considered Canadian beers and Genesee/High Falls products as their locals by proxy, so beer that's actually from Buffalo doesn't register. The closest beers Buffalo have to a universally available micro is probably Great Lakes and Southern Tier. Even then, you won't find them in most of the hundreds of blue collar gin mills in the city and 'burbs, while you can go to any workingman's dive in Cleveland and find Great Lakes in some form.

The other reason? Their products are sort of meh. Buffalo Brewing products are better than American macros, but compared to giants like Great Lakes, Ithaca and Southern Tier, not so much. No Beer Advocate praise, no awards, no innovative styles, no "you MUST try this" buzz among the zymurati. Most praise for Buffalo Brewing products seems to come from the homer/booster/Buffalo Rising crowd that will fawn over anything local. Even then, that praise is isolated mainly to Rusty Chain, which is available only in growlers and on tap in a few Elmwood Village bars. Why pay $9 to $11 for a six-pack of middle-of-the-road Aviator Red or 1990s-style Buffalo Lager, when one can pick up Great Lakes or Southern Tier for less?

A couple more beer-related photos, taken at the Corning Museum of Glass.

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The newest additions to the fridge.

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Kelpie Seaweed Ale and Mikkeller All Others Pale. One of them will be cracked open tonight.
 
Not too impressed with the Mikkeller All Others Pale, despite the hype all of his beers receive. It had the short-lasting, almost pop-like head of an amateur homebrew. It also tasted a bit homebrewish; granted, a very good homebrew, but a homebrew nonetheless. 8/10 for taste, but 6/10 overall.

The brewer loves American craft beers, and looks to them for inspiration, so I'll try another sometime. There's quite a few available at the local beer store.
 
Dan said:
Not too impressed with the Mikkeller All Others Pale, despite the hype all of his beers receive. It had the short-lasting, almost pop-like head of an amateur homebrew. It also tasted a bit homebrewish; franted, a very good homebrew, but a homebrew nonetheless. 8/10 for taste, but 6/10 overall.

The brewer loves American craft beers, and looks to them for inspiration, so I'll try another sometime. There's quite a few available at the local beer store.
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I'm bummed that you were not a fan of the Mikkeller. The one's I've had so far were fantastic.

Right now I have the Brother Thelonious and the Blue Star from North Coast. Overall, I've been very happy with their selection.
 
dw914er said:
Right now I have the Brother Thelonious and the Blue Star from North Coast. Overall, I've been very happy with their selection.
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I see Brother Thelonious on the shelves here all the time, but I've never picked them up, instead drifting towards an Ommegang product or something from Belgium itself. Next time I'm at Finger Lakes Beverage or Wegmans, I'll pick up a four-pack.

The Finger Lakes region is wine country, and it doesn't have the beer culture one encounters in the Pacific Northwest or Colorado. What's here is pretty good, though. Two passable brewpubs in town, along with the well-respected Ithaca Beer Company. Notable craftbrewers close by include Southern Tier, Middle Ages (NERDS!), Ommegang, Cooperstown Brewing, and Bitternuts,

Changing topics somewhat, I just saw this chart.

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My hometown of Buffalo had about 50 breweries in 1900. Today, there's just one brewery and two brewpubs, none of them with much respect in the nlarger craft brewing scene. Buffalo is 20 years behind the times with everything, it seems, including modern beer culture. :(
 
Went to the 'good beer' store yesterday and purchased the following:

Otter Creek Alpine Black IPA
New Holland Black Hatter IPA
Samuel Adams Imperial Stout

(I guess I was in a dark mood or something.)

The Otter Creek Alpine Black IPA is prettty good. Nice flavor, clean with no after taste and not overly hoppy.

Samuel Admas Imperial Stout is one of their "Imperail Collection" ales and this one is 9.9% abv. You can taste that its strong, but is very drinkable to me. Mrs. P said it was alittle thick and too much for her taste.

I might have to go back this weekend. There were a couple more that looked intriguing but didn't have the extra cash on hand. Also I noted that there are several more options of canned good beers. Several pales, IPAs, browns and even a hefe. I'm going to pick up at least one for weekend poolside drinking.
 
If you happen to be in the Dallas area, I highly recommend the Bavarian Grill in Plano for both it's food and bier selection. This month they have added Aventinus Eisbock by the bottle and Weihenstephaner Kristall on tap.

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I drank a beer last night called 'Miller High Life'.

It was fairly unremarkable and tasted a lot like Coors, Budweiser, Pabst, Strohs, and several other beers I have sampled. Very light bodied and a low alcohol content. The flavor of adjuncts (corn or rice maybe) was evident. Good head retention, though.
 
Maister said:
I drank a beer last night called 'Miller High Life'.

It was fairly unremarkable and tasted a lot like Coors, Budweiser, Pabst, Strohs, and several other beers I have sampled. Very light bodied and a low alcohol content. The flavor of adjuncts (corn or rice maybe) was evident. Good head retention, though.
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You have no shame!
 
Planit said:
You have no shame!
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Some of us are on a budget and can't always partake of la fin du monde as much as we'd like. Plus I am convinced one should occasionally maintain touch with the bad in order to better appreciate the good.

oh who am I kidding. Actually, I drink quite a bit of 'bad' beer.
 
I have been home brewing.
Currently enjoying my first brew, an American Pale Ale. A little too much malt for me, but it is drinkable and my friends like it.

When bottling the Pale Ale, I started an IPA. This one had a robsut fermentation and bubble over (a process I found to not hurt the beer).

Next is a Kolsch, which juts finished its primarly ferentation and was transferred to the secondary last night.

I will say, it was nice to just bring up a 12 pack from the basement and put in the fridge!

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At my (new) job, we are just entering into commercial development after building houses for many years. One of the upcoming projects (probably about a year and a half out) is...a brew pub! I'm so excited, especially as its in my neighborhood. Also, my job is to oversee the project and make sure it progresses apace. And you can imagine what that might entail. Now I will have TWO choices of locally made beer to choose from. You should all feel sorry for me - this is a terrible, terrible job...
 
Went to this event last night. Very fun and entertaining for a good cause. However I did not win anything in the raffle :(

Come be a part of the fourth annual REUNION - A Day For Hope. Representatives from Shmaltz Brewing Company and Terrapin Beer Company will support the release of the Reunion Ale ‘11. Both elite craft brewers have partnered to support The Institute for Myeloma & Bone Cancer Research by providing a keg each.

This year's beer is a complex dark ale brewed with cocoa nibs, vanilla and
chili peppers. This brown ale leads with a sweet and subtle spicy aroma. The flavor begins with complex malt overtones and quickly gives way to a chocolate and vanilla mix of satisfying bliss.

I don't know if I would have described it quite like this. The subtle chili pepper taste showed up at the end / aftertaste. Definitley worthwhile to try a pint.
 
I had a bottle of Green Flash West Coast IPA this weekend. Probably just about my favorite beer. The 4-pack box label says: "A menagerie of hops is layered throughout the brewing process; Simcoe for unique fruitiness and grapefruit zest, Columbus for strong hop pungency, Centennial for pine and citrus notes and cascade for floral aroma. A multi-dimensional hop experience."

Quite hoppy but not ultra bitter. Just a nice full spectrum of hop flavors and scents.
 
dobopoq said:
I had a bottle of Green Flash West Coast IPA this weekend. Probably just about my favorite beer. The 4-pack box label says: "A menagerie of hops is layered throughout the brewing process; Simcoe for unique fruitiness and grapefruit zest, Columbus for strong hop pungency, Centennial for pine and citrus notes and cascade for floral aroma. A multi-dimensional hop experience."

Quite hoppy but not ultra bitter. Just a nice full spectrum of hop flavors and scents.
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interesting analysis. I too enjoy this beer but I have always found it to be extremely bitter (in a good way).
 
imaplanner said:
interesting analysis. I too enjoy this beer but I have always found it to be extremely bitter (in a good way).
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I would say Dick's IPA is probably the bitterist beer I've tasted: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1345/14783/?view=beer&sort=&start=10
And it's only 5.5% abv so not a lot of alcohol-producing malts to sweeten the deal. I can appreciate one or two though.

I think the best beer I've ever had was India Pelican Ale: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1304/3977It's brewed in Oregon. I had it in Portland. Unfortunately, I haven't seen it on the east coast. It's pretty bitter I suppose - to most people. But the aroma and taste is just the way I imagine a beer should taste when I'm in a bar having a good time. I highly recommend it if you like IPA's.

If you had to narrow it down, what would you say is your fav beer or two or three imaplanner?
 
Hit the Lab brewpub in downtown Asheville last week - decent porter, pretty good American pale ale, but probably the most disappointing brewpub IPA I've ever had...just very, very meh.
 
I am not sure if someone posted this before, but a local (and newer) microbrewery here in GR opened up and they don’t bottle their beer… they can it. The idea seems so foreign to me mainly because I have always been a bottle beer drinker and enough of a beer snob that I would drink water over many kinds of light beers often served in a can (think Bush Light)…

But there is discussion about the UV rays causing bottle beer to go bad and that canned beer is cheaper to ship and less likely to break. There is also the argument that it maintains temperature better… or so I am told.

But does it result in a better beer? The beer is good out of the tap, but I have not been able to bring myself to buy a 4-pack… Partly because of the price, partly because it’s in a can!

What are your thoughts on the bottle vs. can debate?
 
I love this time of year! There are so many seasonal :b:brews:b: to try, and I started last month with these:

Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin

St. Arnold's Oktoberfest :tx:

Shiner Oktoberfest :tx:

Nevada Ale Brown Nut Tumbler*

All four get a thumb's up, but the Pumpkin Ale is the bestest of the bunch.

*Not sure this is the correct name, but you get the idea.
 
michaelskis said:
I am not sure if someone posted this before, but a local (and newer) microbrewery here in GR opened up and they don’t bottle their beer… they can it. The idea seems so foreign to me mainly because I have always been a bottle beer drinker and enough of a beer snob that I would drink water over many kinds of light beers often served in a can (think Bush Light)…

But there is discussion about the UV rays causing bottle beer to go bad and that canned beer is cheaper to ship and less likely to break. There is also the argument that it maintains temperature better… or so I am told.

But does it result in a better beer? The beer is good out of the tap, but I have not been able to bring myself to buy a 4-pack… Partly because of the price, partly because it’s in a can!

What are your thoughts on the bottle vs. can debate?
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More and more you'll see canned micro-brewed beer it the nongrocery store places. Part of it is its easier to take camping than bottles, or to the pool - but I bet price of canning is cheaper. Next time I head to Total Wine & Beer, I'll get a list or pic.

I've had Dale's Pale & Old Chub in cans and its good.
 
Planit said:
More and more you'll see canned micro-brewed beer it the nongrocery store places. Part of it is its easier to take camping than bottles, or to the pool - but I bet price of canning is cheaper. Next time I head to Total Wine & Beer, I'll get a list or pic.

I've had Dale's Pale & Old Chub in cans and its good.
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A lot of breweries have shifted or are shifting to canning now. I love it. I tend to pour beer into glasses anyways unless I am doing some sort of outside activity- in which case cans are better. Cans are easier to recycle also. I heard it was something to do with the liners in the cans- the technology changed somehow leading to beer in cans that didn't have any of the disadvantages of old canned beer?
 
Recent pickups:

New Belgium Hoptober
Bootlegger's Old World Hefewiezen

I've been trying to find either Southern Tier's or Dogfish Head's pumpkin ale. Never had one before so I'm kind of excited :)
 
I had Heavy Seas (Maryland) Brewing's "the Big DIPA" last night. It's a Double IPA from what they are calling their Mutiny Fleet of beers and ales - which are brewed in small batches. ABV is 10.6% and it tasted more like a barleywine than an IPA. The hoppy taste was not prominent.


Tonight's ale of choice is going to be Southern Tier's "Imperial Black Ale"
 
At lunchtime I discovered a local establishment that has North Coast Brewery beers on tap.

On an unrelated note... At lunchtime I discovered that Brother Thelonius Belgian Style Abbey Ale is not a lunchtime beer.
 
WSU MUP Student said:
At lunchtime I discovered a local establishment that has North Coast Brewery beers on tap.

On an unrelated note... At lunchtime I discovered that Brother Thelonius Belgian Style Abbey Ale is not a lunchtime beer.
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North Coast is great. And yes, that's a rather heavy beer. Their pilsner is a great refreshing lunchtime beer though.
 
A local grocery store was closing our the higher end beers this weekend and selling them for 1/2 price. I went a little stupid and bought 96 beers, but saved quite abit.

What a way to celebrate the anniversary of the 21st Amendment (end of prohibition).
 
Anyone been following the story on Billy Busch and the beer ("Kraftig")he hopes to compete with the macros?
I'm kind of on the fence about this; on the one hand I like to see the macros get challenged any way they can, but otoh if it's just going to be another macro-style brew that's really not an improvement in the state of American beer, is it?
 
We've been toasting the New Years with specialty beers & ales for the last several years. This year we broke out Dogfish Head's Pangaea.

Brewed with ingredients from each and every continent, Pangaea is a slightly spicy ale with a mouthful of rich flavors. The list of worldly ingredients includes:
Crystallized ginger from Australia
Water from Antarctica
Basmati rice from Asia
Muscavado sugar from Africa
Quinoa from South America
Yeast from European
Maize from North American

It's not over the top with a ABV of 7.0% and very tasty.
 
Maister said:
Anyone been following the story on Billy Busch and the beer ("Kraftig")he hopes to compete with the macros?
I'm kind of on the fence about this; on the one hand I like to see the macros get challenged any way they can, but otoh if it's just going to be another macro-style brew that's really not an improvement in the state of American beer, is it?
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Another watered down lager? I am also on the fence to be honest. More beer is always good - even if us craft snobs are not the target market. Realistically the majority of the beer drinking American public enjoys their macro lagers and pilsners. Having another option is probably good BUT the majority of the beer drinking american public also has pretty solid beer brand loyalty. Is the guy who has been drinking Coors his whole life suddenly going to switch? Probably not. So, IMO an interesting business strategy.
 
Not easy to find in this neck of the woods, but if you can get Bells HopSlam, buy it, drink it, enjoy it.

Our local brewpub got one keg of it and was tapped at 4:30 and lasted until 7:00 (they also have 26 other taps). Kinda expensive at $6.50 a pint, but well worth it. It was like a strong IPA, but not over the top hoppy.

You Michiganders ought to be able to get it without too much problems.
 
Planit said:
Not easy to find in this neck of the woods, but if you can get Bells HopSlam, buy it, drink it, enjoy it.

Our local brewpub got one keg of it and was tapped at 4:30 and lasted until 7:00 (they also have 26 other taps). Kinda expensive at $6.50 a pint, but well worth it. It was like a strong IPA, but not over the top hoppy.

You Michiganders ought to be able to get it without too much problems.
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If interested in a trade, let me know. I'm already sending out one six-pack to a friend either tomorrow or Saturday. I'm not the biggest fan, and have yet to crack the ones I bought for myself, but I've heard from a few folks that this year's supply is better tasting than recent years.
 
WSU MUP Student said:
If interested in a trade, let me know. I'm already sending out one six-pack to a friend either tomorrow or Saturday. I'm not the biggest fan, and have yet to crack the ones I bought for myself, but I've heard from a few folks that this year's supply is better tasting than recent years.
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I've got a six-pack to be held at the good beer store when they get it (waiting the call). However, will do a trade with you. What your pleasure? PM me with details.
 
Favorite Springtime Beer(s)

I love springtime!

:tx:St. Arnold's :tx:Spring Bock :b: is available on the shelves. I buy a 6-pack :beers: every time I'm at the store. LOVE this stuff! I'm a huge fan of St. Arnold's to begin with, but the Spring Bock is the best. Close second: Lawnmower :beers:

New brewery in Ft. Worth has a selection available at local stores. Rahr & Sons Amber Ale is tasty, and my cousin likes their Ugly Pug. They have a blonde/wheat line, and that's on my list to try.

:tx:Shiner :tx:also has some good springtime beers. I should probably spread the beer money around and buy some of their springtime brew, but I'm so estactic over Spring Bock being available again that I just haven't gotten around to it.
 
The fridge was starting to look a little bare, so it was time to take a trip to the local beer store.

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Let's step inside, shall we?

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Turn around.

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The Belgian Aisle.

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Our local.

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The Town Next Door.

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The Mitten State is represented somewhat.

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Oh Maister?

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Nothing but Mikkeller pictured here. Considering how much his beers cost, there's got to be at least $10K in beer in that photo. :D

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Cider.

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They keep the swill in back, where it belongs.

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