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NEVERENDING ♾️ The NEVERENDING Beer Thread

Lots of beer reviews to catch up on!

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Steelbound Brewery, Ellicottville NY - Killer Lite

Does the art look familiar? Hmmmmmm ...

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Anyhow, let's take a closer look.

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Yup. 3.9% Didn't feel much of anything after finishing off a 16 ounce (475 ml) can. Tasted decent, though. They really should be marketing this as a good session or broomstacking beer, rather than some badass craft light lager.

Five mugs. I'd give it six mugs, but I'm subtracting one mug for the Trooper "tribute" label. Just a coincidence, huh?

:beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer:
 
Review #2.

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New Holland Brewing, Holland MI: Dragons Milk White

Bourbon-barrel aged white stout? Okay, let's try it out.

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I downed that too fast. Glad I bought two cans. Next time, I'll buy a four-pack or six-pack. 8/10 mugs.

:beer::beer::beer::beer::beer::beer::beer::beer:
 
I have yet to try Dragon's Milk White. I will make a point to do so now, though.
 
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Thin Man Brewing, Buffalo NY: Pills Mafia.

Like I've said before, most breweries in Buffalo have a New Glarus-style "by us, for us" distribution model, refusing to distribute any of their products outside of the Census-defined Buffalo Consolidated Metropolitan Statistical Area. Thin Man, one of the smaller craft breweries in Erie County, is one of the two exceptions to the "716 only" rule. (The other is another small brewer, Pressure Drop.) Thin Man is probably Buffalo's least parochial brewer, considering its collaborations with Mikkeller, Collective Arts, Captain Lawrence, Industrial Arts, Prairie, Bellwoods, New Belgium, De La Senne, and KCBC. A very impressive resume.

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Pills Mafia is one of two Bills tribute beers around here. The other is "The Thurminator", an American light lager from Ithaca Brewing.

The names and packaging of beer from Buffalo-area breweries often push the Buffalove hard, which might limit their appeal outside of upstate New York. The next county over, Jets fandom takes over, so I doubt many would give this pilsner a second look.

Anyhow, this is the third time Pills Mafia landed in my basket, so it can't be that bad, right?

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It's a decent pilsner. Clean, grassy, and mineral-y. 7/10 mugs.

:beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer:

Go Bills.

 
Dan said:
The names and packaging of beer from Buffalo-area breweries often push the Buffalove hard, which might limit their appeal outside of upstate New York.
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We got Buffalove here in the DFW Metroplex:

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It even has our DFW Bills Backers logo
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Dan said:
Go Bills.

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I was watching the video and explained to my wife that "this is what Bills Mafia does" and that there will probably be people doing that at the tailgate Thanksgiving Day here in DFW when the Bills play the Cowboys. Then I had to spend 10 minutes convincing her that no, I wouldn't be participating in those activities. She closed it out with, "Just don't end up on Youtube, okay?"
 
The description of Buffalo Thunder, though ... "Unfiltered American pilsner made with the tears of MANY Super Bowl losses." :cry:
 
My wife's cousin and her husband are coming to stay with us tomorrow through the morning of Christmas Eve so I decided to use the occasion to go get some beer to have in the house.

I haven't been to the liquor store in quite some time but was surprised to find basically a pallet of Founders CBS and KBS available so I picked up a 4-pack of the CBS - the clerk told me that they just massively increased production of those two over the past year or so and now it's easily available everywhere (the next day I saw a display of it at Kroger and now wonder how many times I walked past it over the past few months).

I also picked up a really good Cranberry Gose from ROAK Brewing here in Royal Oak called Little St. Nick. I don't generally like cranberries but I like gose style and somebody had given me this last year and it was surprisingly good.

Last, I got something from @Dan's neck of the woods - a chocolate milkshakes nitro stout from Southern Tier. I've had their Creme Brulee nitro on tap and enjoyed it so thought I would give this a shot. I've never had a nitro from a can, but it sounded interesting. A good dessert beer for the holidays!
 
I'm going on record to say that Shiner Holiday Cheer is one of my personal all time favorite beers. The spice balance of this dunkel is remarkable. Not so strong as to overwhelm the drinker, but present in every swig. I just love its' peachy spicy goodness! When it appeared on the shelves back in October I immediately got two cases and added a third a couple weeks ago when that ran out.

Image result for shiner holiday cheer
 
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Yeah, I poured it too fast.

Resurgence Brewing, Buffalo NY: Sponge Candy Stout.

Yup, another beer from another brewery in Buffalo with a very limited distribution area.

What's sponge candy, you ask? It's another oddball Buffalo delicacy. From Visit Buffalo Niagara:

What makes up this sweet treat, on the surface, seems pretty simple – caramelized sugar spun into a light, airy honeycomb and covered in melted chocolate. But take a deeper dive into the sponge candy realm and you’ll soon realize that each chocolatier takes an incredible amount of time and care in perfecting their recipes. From the actual sponge-making to secret chocolate recipes, to hand vs. machine-dipped, there are distinct methods to the deliciousness.

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The big reason why sponge candy is a "Buffalo thing" is the climate. From Atlas Obscura:

While sea foam candy, as it’s called on the west coast, and honey comb, as it’s called in Great Britain, are similar confections, Buffalo residents will happily inform you that they lack sponge candy’s signature crunch. That’s because sponge candy’s bubbled structure is uniquely sensitive to heat and humidity; in more humid climes, it will begin to melt . Locals therefore claim that Buffalo’s notoriously cold climate is perfect for the candy, making the city a confectionary paradise. ... To experience the bubbly fun in peak crisp conditions, candy lovers will need to plan a sweet trip to Buffalo, as it does not travel well (although some vendors will ship the candy in a cooler during the warmer months).

It's the same reason why you can't get Coffee Crisp and Aero bars outside of Canada. Take them too far south -- like, to Erie, Pennsylvania -- and they melt.

You know, it kind of looks like sponge candy.

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Zoe seems to like it.

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It tastes like a toasty stout with a slight sweet, chocolatey subflavor. The overal flavor is like 85% stout, 15% sponge candy, and that's a good thing. Nice mouth feel. 8/10 pint glasses.

:stout::stout::stout::stout::stout::stout::stout::stout:

Salmissra said:
I tried the Celis Brewery (out of Austin) seasonal over the weekend.
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Celis? Did you write this post in 1997, and hit the enter key just now?
 
Need to run to the good beer store and stock up for the holidays. I do have a limited edition stout I'm saving for Christmas. Details & review forthcoming.
 
Dan said:
Yup, another beer from another brewery in Buffalo with a very limited distribution area.

What's sponge candy, you ask? It's another oddball Buffalo delicacy. From Visit Buffalo Niagara:

What makes up this sweet treat, on the surface, seems pretty simple – caramelized sugar spun into a light, airy honeycomb and covered in melted chocolate. But take a deeper dive into the sponge candy realm and you’ll soon realize that each chocolatier takes an incredible amount of time and care in perfecting their recipes. From the actual sponge-making to secret chocolate recipes, to hand vs. machine-dipped, there are distinct methods to the deliciousness.

View attachment 47279

The big reason why sponge candy is a "Buffalo thing" is the climate. From Atlas Obscura:

While sea foam candy, as it’s called on the west coast, and honey comb, as it’s called in Great Britain, are similar confections, Buffalo residents will happily inform you that they lack sponge candy’s signature crunch. That’s because sponge candy’s bubbled structure is uniquely sensitive to heat and humidity; in more humid climes, it will begin to melt . Locals therefore claim that Buffalo’s notoriously cold climate is perfect for the candy, making the city a confectionary paradise. ... To experience the bubbly fun in peak crisp conditions, candy lovers will need to plan a sweet trip to Buffalo, as it does not travel well (although some vendors will ship the candy in a cooler during the warmer months).

It's the same reason why you can't get Coffee Crisp and Aero bars outside of Canada. Take them too far south -- like, to Erie, Pennsylvania -- and they melt.

You know, it kind of looks like sponge candy.
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I am officially intrigued and want badly to try this beer. I also need to try sponge candy too for comparative purposes. I was contemplating a family trip to Rochester next summer to visit the Genesee Country village and Museum living history site. This may tip the balance in the decision to go, as we would be passing by Buffalo on the way and would be able to obtain this beer.
 
I've had sponge candy and enjoyed it. I'd definitely try that sponge candy beer. Maister - if you pass through the Detroit area on your way home from Rochester, feel free to make a slight detour and drop me off some!

As for Coffee Crisp candy bars... those are my favorite! When I first started working here in '07 I was excited to see that our office vending machines stocked them but I haven't seen one in there in at least 5 or 6 years. Thankfully, my SIL is Canadian and they make frequent trips over there and she usually brings me back a few.
 
Time for another beer review.

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Boulevard Brewing, Kansas City MO: Steep Drop.

It's a "nitro coffee milk stout." Let's look at the head.

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Flat. The coffee flavor overpowers anything stout-like.

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And down the sink it goes. 1/10 glasses. :stout:

Too bad I've never been able to find Boulevard Wheat around here.
 
I love the review Dan!


It's Hopslam season here in Detroit. I'm not a big fan but a coworker was at the store at lunch and they had 4-packs for about 60% of their normal price so he texted a few of us to ask if we wanted any so now I've got that chilling in the back of my Jeep. I haven't had Hopslam in a few years though so maybe I'll enjoy it more now.

Another friend has been singing the praises of PBR's "Hard Coffee" so now I need to keep an eye out for that one:

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(his picture, not mine as I haven't tried it yet)
 
WSU MUP Student said:
It's Hopslam season here in Detroit. I'm not a big fan but a coworker was at the store at lunch and they had 4-packs for about 60% of their normal price so he texted a few of us to ask if we wanted any so now I've got that chilling in the back of my Jeep. I haven't had Hopslam in a few years though so maybe I'll enjoy it more now.
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I'll give Bell's this much, they are mastering the whole 'unveiling' marketing thing. Just wait kids, only 118 days until Solsun 2020 is released....as if it were some sort of highly anticipated EVENT that anyone, apart from the sales dept., was looking forward to.

As for Hopslam itself, I'd like to think I've outgrown the whole 'hops with a generous side of hops' flavor profile. Kind of like how bubblegum is a very strong and distinctive flavor that delights children everywhere, but as an adult I've come to appreciate the subtleties in life. Now where is that lightly seasoned medium-rare ribeye steak, served with potatoes au gratin and asparagus I ordered? If you're in the mood for something Bell's brews that might appeal to a mature pallet, go no further than an Oarsman Ale.
 
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Planit said:
Haven't seen Hopslam down this way yet...
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Hopslam has come and gone here in 2 weeks. There were 3 grocery stores (not chains, but just stores for the same chain) and they would put out a case every couple days. I ended up with only two 6-packs this year ($16.99 each). The good beer stores (there are only 2 & they're in the next city to the west) had a couple case and a couple mini-kegs. Our friend didn't get one of those this year, but his wife did score three 6-packs for them (she works close by the stores). I only know of 3 bar/restaurants/taprooms in the county that had it on tap & I had at least one at each. Here was the pricing, each was different: $8/pint - $6/10 oz pour - $6/12 oz pour.

Just curious what are/were the going prices in the glove state?





And now for something completely different ---> Here you go science nerds & hop heads:
 
Planit said:
Hopslam has come and gone here in 2 weeks. There were 3 grocery stores (not chains, but just stores for the same chain) and they would put out a case every couple days. I ended up with only two 6-packs this year ($16.99 each). The good beer stores (there are only 2 & they're in the next city to the west) had a couple case and a couple mini-kegs. Our friend didn't get one of those this year, but his wife did score three 6-packs for them (she works close by the stores). I only know of 3 bar/restaurants/taprooms in the county that had it on tap & I had at least one at each. Here was the pricing, each was different: $8/pint - $6/10 oz pour - $6/12 oz pour.

Just curious what are/were the going prices in the glove state?
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Same prices here.
 
SlaveToTheGrind said:
I have a few variants of this in my can collection. Still brewed?

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I don't believe so, however, these fun cans are sought after by collectors and are generally regarded as 'must-haves' in any good collection. When I checked a number of years ago, steel pull tab cans were generally going for around $8-10. I'm not sure if there are specific rare variants that are more valuable, but it's quite possible.

Edit: I just googled and it looks like they revived the brand in time for a 50th anniversary celebration.
 
I tell you, the more beers I sample the more thoroughly convinced I become that Shiner Brewery can do no wrong. I recently got a six of Shiner S'mores. I know what you're thinking - doesn't that sound like some kind of sickeningly sweet kiddie flavor? Nope. As per usual the flavors are more subtle than that: it's filled with delightfully smooth caramel and chocolate notes. Presumably, the marshmallow is represented in the sweetness (in addition to regular pale malts they obviously have added some darker malts to the wort). It truly is evocative of a campfire experience.

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A new nano-brewery opened here this weekend. They are brewing 4 types - a brown, an ipa, a farmers ale & a farmhouse ale.

I didn't try the brown, but was told it was sweet, nor the farmers & the farmhouse as were both very light in color. I started with the ipa which the brewmaster said it had 33 ibus & 5% abv. It had a metallic taste and very bland (not a lot of flavor at all). That's why I did not try the others and left shortly.

Very disappointing overall & its not a place that I would frequent for any other reason. Oh well.
 
I don't know why it took a global pandemic for us to allow home delivery of beer here, but I'm glad it's available! These were dropped off on my porch just in time for my weekly online staff meeting a little bit ago... but I refrained. I've actually been very good about not drinking while I'm home during working hours.

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I've got a raspberry gose, their "House Gose", and their "Table Bier" all from The Ferndale Project which is a new brewery here in the Detroit area. I've had the Raspberry Gose before and it's fantastic. I'm making a pot of chili for dinner so I'm looking forward to trying one of the others with that this evening.
 
A local-ish brewery is offering 1/6 kegs for $50. That's 55 12oz beers for the price of 5 6-packs. Too bad that I don't have a kegerator.
 
Big Owl said:
A local-ish brewery is offering 1/6 kegs for $50. That's 55 12oz beers for the price of 5 6-packs. Too bad that I don't have a kegerator.
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Hmm... What brewery is this and how far do they deliver? lol

There is one brew pub here in the town I live in that always has some really good seasonal sours but they only ever offer them on tap at the bar and they aren't available to purchase in a growler. I just checked their website and while they're still not selling them in cans, it looks like I can get them in a growler now. I'll have to place an order for a couple once I get through the beer that got delivered yesterday. This might be my only chance!
 
Big Owl said:
A local-ish brewery is offering 1/6 kegs for $50. That's 55 12oz beers for the price of 5 6-packs. Too bad that I don't have a kegerator.
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I went to pick up some canned beer from this brewery yesterday evening. The guy working the register is the same guy that works the bar when the taproom is open. He and I were talking about the kegs and he just point blank told me that I couldn't commit to one beer that long based on my present and past purchases. He's right.
 
Here's an excerpt of what's on tap at the good beer store: 3 Big STOUTS!

And with 25% off growler fills, I may need to swing by there.
 
Some juicy IPAs I've enjoyed recently and rate as very good. All are solid choices in that style. All regional breweries in NC.

Reptar Juice (26 Acres)
Tiny Ass Umbrella (Southern Range)
Ice Cube's a Pimp (Southern Range)
Hopsequences (Southern Range)
Juiciness (Sycamore)
Citraquenchy (Heist)
Blurred is the Word (Heist)
Slow Heavy Metal Music Playing (Town)
Zoom Party (Catawba)
 
A couple friends were down in Athens, GA and brought home a growler of Creature Comfort's Schoolhouse Bulldog Front triple IPA @ 12%. You'd think with that high AVB, it would have sweet taste, but no. It was very smooth and drinkable (and could get you in trouble). I felt it after 2 pints.

bubba, you need to find it!
 
Planit said:
A couple friends were down in Athens, GA and brought home a growler of Creature Comfort's Schoolhouse Bulldog Front triple IPA @ 12%. You'd think with that high AVB, it would have sweet taste, but no. It was very smooth and drinkable (and could get you in trouble). I felt it after 2 pints.

bubba, you need to find it!
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Creature Comfort is solid across the board. I'll look for that one the next time I'm in the beer store. I have a sixer of their Tropicalia IPA to start on tonight.
 
MD Planner said:
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There is unfortunately a kernel of truth to this. LOTS of pumpkin beers are poorly executed. Getting the right flavor balances with fruit (and in this case vegetable) is a tricky business and I'd say only a narrow fraction of brewers manage to pull it off successfully.

In other beer news the Oktoberfests are just starting to appear on the shelves. What are some of your favorite brand of Oktoberfests? Of course germans invented the stuff so naturally they define the style. Paulaner and Hacker Pschorr are both great. but I'm curious about your American picks primarily.
 
Maister said:
There is unfortunately a kernel of truth to this. LOTS of pumpkin beers are poorly executed. Getting the right flavor balances with fruit (and in this case vegetable) is a tricky business and I'd say only a narrow fraction of brewers manage to pull it off successfully.

In other beer news the Oktoberfests are just starting to appear on the shelves. What are some of your favorite brand of Oktoberfests? Of course germans invented the stuff so naturally they define the style. Paulaner and Hacker Pschorr are both great. but I'm curious about your American picks primarily.
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Last night, I had a Oktoberfest from Shinner. It drinkable and i didn't regret buying a 6-pack. I'd buy it again if my favorite Oktoberfest's weren't available. I prefer Oktoberfest from Cigar City and Olde Mecklenburg.
 
Oktoberfest from Shiner is a good one. Another is St. Arnold's. Sam Adams has one as well, but for some reason I'm not recalling whether it's any good.

I agree that not all pumpkin beers are created equal. St. Arnold's Pumpkinator is a limited release craft beer that I LOVE and will buy extra bottles to last into our (Southern) winter. Pumpkin definitely works best with darker beers IMHO.
 
I haven't had Shiner's Oktoberfest, but absolutely everything I've ever tried that that brewery's made has been well executed. I'd be amazed if Shiner's Oktoberfest didn't exist on the same plane as Paulaner's simply through reputation.
 
Quickie beer review. We’re on our way to Buffalo, and I’m making an attempt to cull some photos from the phone. There’s many beer reviews I have to catch up on.

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Zywiec Lager, Zywiec Brewery, Zywiec, Poland.

I like Polish beerskis, so I though I’d revisit this Dyngus Day staple. I paid $2 for what seemed like a 550 to 600 ml can; I can’t recall. Good stuff. A nice full flavor that is still summer friendly. Tastes like a blend of a German lager and Molson Canadian.

If you’re an IBU whore, this isn’t for you. If you like lagers, pilseners, wheats, and the like, give it a try, 6/10 pink flamingoszcaks.

:flamingo::flamingo::flamingo::flamingo::flamingo::flamingo:
 
Some brews we have enjoyed this summer....

Cape May Brewing The Bog Cranberry Shandy
Cape May Brewing The Grove Citrus Shandy
Cape May Brewing Tan Limes
Carton Brewing Boat
Carton Brewing Beach
Asbury Park Brewing Blonde
 
A belated tribute to Joseph Kunz, William Lavelll, Herman Leighton, and Lester Van. From April 14, 1893.

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