Whatcha drinking?

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Jeff V
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by Jeff V »

There's a greater than zero chance I could visit Canada in the next year, so we'll see if it's improved in the years since I last been there. But I'm not the one who posted suggesting that it has not. :P
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

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Jeff V wrote: Fri Aug 16, 2019 10:02 pm But I'm not the one who posted suggesting that it has not. :P
Sure, but you certainly like ragging on it it any chance you get. It's one experience. Luck of the draw. This one experience doesn't reflect the status of our industry. What do you take us for, neanderthals of Beer?
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by bathwalter991 »

Jeff V wrote: Sun Feb 25, 2018 2:59 pm Grunsfeld lager by Ravinia Brewing, Chicago. Bright, honey flavored and oozing of summer, the can claims it goes with music, foosball and space walks. I'll have to take their words on the last two, but I can image drinking this on a warm summer night are Ravinia, as a spacer perhaps between real beers as this is only a meager 5.0%.
How deliciously written! I wanted to plunge into this atmosphere)
And I, as a girl, I like to drink sweet beer (Chérie Cherry Konix Brewery or Cider)
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by AWS260 »

Sixpoint's Funky Spritzer. It's a weird one: sour farmhouse ale + sweet Gewurztraminer grapes + plenty of carbonation. Not something you would drink on a regular basis, but a fun change of pace.

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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by Jeff V »

Sierra Nevada/Bitburger Brewery 2019 Oktoberfest. By my count, I believe this is the 3rd year in a row Sierra Nevada collaborated with a German brewer and the third year the result is a resounding "meh." They are single-handedly crushing the narrative that German beer is awesome if you get it fresh -- nope, this is as flavor-free as the bottled dreck we get from the likes of Beck. At 6.0% ABV, it lacks any sort of oompah that might otherwise make up for the weak flavors. I'm pretty sure Sierra Nevada would do a better job left to their own devices.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by Jeff V »

Oktoberfest - Revolution Brewing, Chicago. OK, no claims of actual Germans involved, but apparently when someone said Sierra Nevada is making an almost flavor-free, ultra-low alcohol beer, the folks at Revolution literally said "hold my beer." 5.7% of nothingness...with the cooler weather, I'm ready for a malty fall beer, but so far neither of the two I invested in fits the bill.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by Kraken »

After years of trying to like Oktoberfests, I finally concluded some years ago that I don't. Most are too sweet and/or boring. Between those and the pumpkin beers that are taking over taps everywhere now, fall is my least-favorite season.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by Jeff V »

Kraken wrote: Thu Aug 29, 2019 7:08 pm After years of trying to like Oktoberfests, I finally concluded some years ago that I don't. Most are too sweet and/or boring. Between those and the pumpkin beers that are taking over taps everywhere now, fall is my least-favorite season.
I like me a good fall dopplebock, but my long time faves are either no longer being produced or aren't being distributed in this area. I suspect the former, because the past couple of falls I searched in vain in the brewery's backyard up in Cheeseland.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by Isgrimnur »

I like the Spaten Oktoberfest.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by Kraken »

Hoppy brown and red ales were a thing several years ago, but seem to have been a flash in the pan. SN's Tumbler was pretty good. I think they stopped paying my packie for placement so I never see palettes of their 12-packs on sale anymore.

I don't mind coming off my summer hop high when the weather turns cool, and Tumbler was a good transition beer. 'Course, by the time fall weather comes we're already into the spicy winter ales.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by Scuzz »

Kraken wrote: Thu Aug 29, 2019 7:08 pm After years of trying to like Oktoberfests, I finally concluded some years ago that I don't. Most are too sweet and/or boring. Between those and the pumpkin beers that are taking over taps everywhere now, fall is my least-favorite season.
I like a few of them but pretty much have quit looking for or ordering them in bars. Same with the seasonal Pumpkin beers. With both it seems like the bad usually outnumbers the good.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by Scuzz »

Kraken wrote: Thu Aug 29, 2019 8:02 pm Hoppy brown and red ales were a thing several years ago, but seem to have been a flash in the pan. SN's Tumbler was pretty good. I think they stopped paying my packie for placement so I never see palettes of their 12-packs on sale anymore.
I don't know if you can get Figueroa Mountain beers but they make a good Hoppy Brown. And around here red ales are still being made by the local breweries. But few here are large enough for mass distribution. I do like a good red ale from time to time.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by Jeff V »

Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Hazy, Chicago, IL. Since the calendar says summer is not over yet, enough of the tepid Oktoberfest beers. Finally found this on sale, Lagunitas limited run beers tend to be over priced and this was clocking in at around $12/6. At $10.50, decided to give it try. The tag line is "An unfiltered take on Sumpin' classic." Well, to me that would mean grapefruit juice with the pulp. To Lagunitas, it's simply milky urine-colored grapefruit juice. Which is fine, just not worth the premium price. 7.2% ABV suggests a sub-$10 price point.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by AWS260 »

AWS260 wrote: Tue Aug 27, 2019 10:09 am Sixpoint's Funky Spritzer. It's a weird one: sour farmhouse ale + sweet Gewurztraminer grapes + plenty of carbonation. Not something you would drink on a regular basis, but a fun change of pace.
Tried of a couple of other beers in this family:

Atomic Spritzer Bomb: New England IIIPA with a few different wine grapes. Tons of flavor -- maybe too much -- and pretty boozy at 10% abv. Not as interesting as the Funky Spritzer.

Spritzer: Simpler than its cousins, this is a grassy farmhouse ale with sauvignon blanc grapes. Very refreshing and more of an everyday beer.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by mori »

Fall means the return of IPAs that are hopefully not of the hazy bullshit kind. My local has done away with their fall brown ale and are going from Oktoberfest straight to winter milk stout. I told them them if they ever do a pumpkin beer I will never step foot in their place again :evil: .
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by Scuzz »

mori wrote: Sat Aug 31, 2019 8:15 pm Fall means the return of IPAs that are hopefully not of the hazy bullshit kind. My local has done away with their fall brown ale and are going from Oktoberfest straight to winter milk stout. I told them them if they ever do a pumpkin beer I will never step foot in their place again :evil: .
We checked the current beer list at one of our local favorites and they are already producing two new heavy winter stouts. But it won't even get cold here for another 2 months.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by YellowKing »

At the risk of having to turn in my beer snob card, I'm drinking a good ol' Sam Adams Octoberfest. It's one of my guilty pleasures. I rarely stray out of the craft beer zone into mainstream stuff but I really like this one.

I'm still trying to finish off my summer stock before I start buying a bunch of fall stuff. There's still time, dammit!
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by Jeff V »

YellowKing wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2019 8:01 pm At the risk of having to turn in my beer snob card, I'm drinking a good ol' Sam Adams Octoberfest. It's one of my guilty pleasures. I rarely stray out of the craft beer zone into mainstream stuff but I really like this one.

I'm still trying to finish off my summer stock before I start buying a bunch of fall stuff. There's still time, dammit!
Usually this sets the benchmark for fall beers - a stronger caramel malt flavor is generally better, a weaker is just lame. Maybe my taste buds are malfunctioning this year, but the Sam Oktoberfest seems weak of flavor (like the other two Oktoberfest beers I've had). I bought some to a party a few weeks ago and just bought a 12 today because the grocery store didn't have anything more...maybe it'll be better on tap.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by YellowKing »

The tap is much better than the bottle, that's for sure. I've had both this year. But the bottle's not terrible. I haven't had any other Octoberfests this year to compare though.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by mori »

A lot of brewers are turning to Frank-n-yeast to turn tanks over quicker. An Oktoberfest traditionally takes at least a month or longer to ferment and lager, but with this new yeast that can turn it over in 2 weeks. It does show in the flavor however. So if your favorite Oktoberfest or lager does not taste as good as you remember, there may be a reason.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by Jeff V »

mori wrote: Mon Sep 02, 2019 8:21 pm A lot of brewers are turning to Frank-n-yeast to turn tanks over quicker. An Oktoberfest traditionally takes at least a month or longer to ferment and lager, but with this new yeast that can turn it over in 2 weeks. It does show in the flavor however. So if your favorite Oktoberfest or lager does not taste as good as you remember, there may be a reason.
This could very well be the case. Capitol in Madison, WI made my 2 favorite fall beers and they've been MIA for several years now (Autumnal Fire and Eisfyre). I'll have to do a mix-six at Binny's soon to see if there are any fall beers I like this year.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

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Scuzz wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2019 4:22 pm But it won't even get cold here for another 2 months.
That's interesting, because over here we've already started hitting the cold weather, dropping into the single digits at night. As a result, I'm already feeling ready for porters and stouts.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by Scuzz »

mori wrote: Mon Sep 02, 2019 8:21 pm A lot of brewers are turning to Frank-n-yeast to turn tanks over quicker. An Oktoberfest traditionally takes at least a month or longer to ferment and lager, but with this new yeast that can turn it over in 2 weeks. It does show in the flavor however. So if your favorite Oktoberfest or lager does not taste as good as you remember, there may be a reason.
A local brewery makes a blood orange IPA which I used to like. But last time I was in there it just didn't taste the same, sweeter, kind a syrupy. The guy pouring told me they had switched from juicing their own oranges to buying a pre-packaged orange additive. It was easier to make. It just didn't taste as good.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

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mori wrote: Mon Sep 02, 2019 8:21 pm A lot of brewers are turning to Frank-n-yeast to turn tanks over quicker. An Oktoberfest traditionally takes at least a month or longer to ferment and lager, but with this new yeast that can turn it over in 2 weeks. It does show in the flavor however. So if your favorite Oktoberfest or lager does not taste as good as you remember, there may be a reason.
Are you referring to kveik yeast? Just read an article about it today's Chicago Tribune. It doesn't mention its use with Oktoberfest beers, but says that it's being used in a lot of new beers, and especially to complement hazy IPAs due to its fruity qualities. The article spins it as a positive, but I don't really have an opinion on it as I haven't been aware of it yet. I'll keep an eye (tongue?) out (although I'll probably avoid the hazy IPAs, because, gross).
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by mori »

ImLawBoy wrote: Wed Sep 04, 2019 12:27 pm
mori wrote: Mon Sep 02, 2019 8:21 pm A lot of brewers are turning to Frank-n-yeast to turn tanks over quicker. An Oktoberfest traditionally takes at least a month or longer to ferment and lager, but with this new yeast that can turn it over in 2 weeks. It does show in the flavor however. So if your favorite Oktoberfest or lager does not taste as good as you remember, there may be a reason.
Are you referring to kveik yeast? Just read an article about it today's Chicago Tribune. It doesn't mention its use with Oktoberfest beers, but says that it's being used in a lot of new beers, and especially to complement hazy IPAs due to its fruity qualities. The article spins it as a positive, but I don't really have an opinion on it as I haven't been aware of it yet. I'll keep an eye (tongue?) out (although I'll probably avoid the hazy IPAs, because, gross).
I am not sure. The article you linked implies kveik yeast imparts a lot of esters and phenols into the beer which you absolutely do not want in your Oktoberfest or any other lager. But it also hinted that there are other variants and maybe one of those is what they use. I will be at a party this weekend with several professional brewers and if I remember I will talk to them about this subject.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by Jeff V »

Hay'z for Horsez by Oswego Brewing Co., Oswego, IL. Geographically the closest brewery to my house, this hazy IPA was the most interesting thing I hadn't already had at a nearby pizza joint. It doesn't distinguish itself in any way, including the tepid 6.6% ABV but holds up well with others of it's ilk.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by Isgrimnur »

Tonight's consumption was underwhelming.

Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest with some Bitburger hops in it
Lakewood Lager
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by Jeff V »

Kids birthday party yesterday.

Goose Island Oktoberfest - less disappointing than other Oktoberfest beers have been this year, but maybe it was the $11/12 price point.

Revolution Northeast Hero - NEIPA, 7%, nice flavor but doesn't stand out. You can find the same flavor/booze level in beers selling for $1-2/6 cheaper.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

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Jeff V wrote: Mon Sep 09, 2019 12:37 pm Revolution Northeast Hero - NEIPA, 7%, nice flavor but doesn't stand out. You can find the same flavor/booze level in beers selling for $1-2/6 cheaper.
Their "Hero" series of IPAs are really overpriced, IMO. They're tasty enough beers, but I agree with you that they need to be $1-2 cheaper per six pack (which would put them in line with the rest of Revolution's beers). As it is, they're in the same price range as Three Floyds, which is also overpriced.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

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One of my brother's friends organized a distillery tour of the Durham Distillery (Durham, NC) while we were there this past weekend for a bachelor party.

They make Conniption gin, and a small selection of canned cocktails - a GIn & Tonic, Vodka & Soda, and Rose Spritzer. They also have some dessert liqeuers under the "Damn Fine Liqueurs" label.

I'm not a huge gin fan, but this stuff was damn tasty. The straight Conniption gin was great, and they had a cucumber vodka that was out of this world. Even the canned gin & tonic was so good I'd buy it again. More than that, however, I was just impressed with the place. Everyone was super friendly and they' really seemed to have a passion for their product.

Definitely made me a fan. They are in eight states now, primarily east coast, but check them out if you run across them.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by Smoove_B »

I love sipping quality gin so I'll definitely be on the lookout. Thanks for the recommendation.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

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Innis & Gunn Mango IPA. Fairly good. It's a fairly mild IPA as far as things go, but the mango do complement the citrus notes well and take some of the acidity away, making it a fairly enjoyable beer. On the IBU scale, it feels pretty low, although I can't find it listed on the can.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

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Rumpy wrote: Fri Sep 13, 2019 12:40 am Innis & Gunn Mango IPA. Fairly good. It's a fairly mild IPA as far as things go, but the mango do complement the citrus notes well and take some of the acidity away, making it a fairly enjoyable beer. On the IBU scale, it feels pretty low, although I can't find it listed on the can.
I don't know how wide a distribution Barrelhouse Brewery in California has but their Mango IPA is one of my favorite beers.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

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I wonder how different they'd be. I know that there are so many interpretations of what an IPA is depending on style, that it could still end up being very different.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

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My favorite mango beers are those able to extract the mango flavor without adding juicy sweetness. The beer remains bitter, but with an identifiable flavor.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

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Image

I should have known by the art work that it was going to be hazy. It's not bad in a bitter fruit juice sort of way.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by Kraken »

Image

This one lives up to its reputation. Will buy again...when I can get it. I happened to be shopping when they were stocking it; it never lasts more than a few hours in the cooler.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

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Rumpy wrote: Fri Sep 13, 2019 3:01 pm I wonder how different they'd be. I know that there are so many interpretations of what an IPA is depending on style, that it could still end up being very different.
At the BevMo yesterday they had another brands Mango IPA. Belching Beaver I think. I may try that. They make some decent IPA's.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by Jeff V »

Tired of investing too much in lackluster fest beers, I stopped at Binny's yesterday and picked up a mix pack. First two were winners (finally!) - Great Lakes Oktoberfest, Cleveland, OH (6.5%) and Atom Smasher by Two Brothers, Warrenville, IL (7.0%) The Great Lakes had the rich toasty flavor I've been looking for, while the Two Brothers was a little thinner in flavor but upped the booze to compensate.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?

Post by Jeff V »

Shiner Oktoberfest, Spoetzl Brewery, Shiner, TX. I wasn't expect much and was neither disappointed nor pleasantly surprised. Nice color, weak flavor. 5.7% ABV seems geared toward Texans of weak constitution. But if you have to choose between this, Sam Adams Oktoberfest, or the Sierra Nevada co-creation, pick this one if it's the cheapest available.
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