Whatcha drinking?
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
Scarlet > Fire Toasty Red Ale by Tighthead Brewing Co., Mundelein, IL. Past it's season, not flat like the Metal Monkey one I had last week. Aptly named, more scarlet than fire as the 5.6% ABV attests. The weather today resembles early March, so it's not entirely out of place, but I'm glad I didn't hold off for the Cinco de Mayo nachos I'm making later for dinner.
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- Rumpy
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
Jeff V wrote: ↑Tue May 05, 2020 3:58 pmWell, it's been more than 10 years now (time flies!) since I was in Montreal and trying things not Molson or Labatts. They mostly reminded me of some of the small (pre-micro) breweries here like Point and Leinenkugel, slightly different but not really a radical departure from the majors.Rumpy wrote: ↑Tue May 05, 2020 12:23 pmStill, I think it could change your perception. I think you have older memories of Canadian beer and you apply that to all of our beers. I think you'd be quite surprised. Our beer landscape has changed a lot, and we have a lot more micros everywhere, and this brewery is one of the more popular ones. Give it a try and make yourself new memories.
Canada's microbreweries took a long time to get started though. You likely tried things just as they were still figuring things out in their infancy. There are so many choices now that it's easy to get overwhelmed by the choices on the shelves. The trick is not to get your impression from restaurants, though that is also improving as more and more restaurants are carrying local beer.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
Beezer Double-dry hopped IPA by Old Irving Brewing Co., Chicago. This must have caught my eye because it was cheap, as I've been starting to avoid DDH beers after a preponderance of dirt beers. Fortunately, this one does not taste of top soil. It kind of tastes like a lemon melon. Hazy, obviously juicy, the flavor profile just doesn't resonate well with me. 6.9% ABV is standard for it's ilk. Would not spit it up if served to me; would not seek it out again either.
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- Kraken
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
Not Widowmaker's best effort -- too bitter on the finish, for me -- but it's for a good cause: "Proceeds from the sale of Canned Goods, along with the proceeds from All Together - Untold Brewing and Debt of Gratitude - Second Wind will go towards a group fund within the breweries, With The Frontlines, to help purchase gift cards from some of our favorite local restaurants. We’ll then be giving those gift cards to our first responders."
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
So I was out at a local Meat Market today and was pleased at how many beers from local breweries they had. Everything sold in 16oz cans, most in 4 packs. But why so expensive? Most are $20 a 4 pack. One Modesto brewery (Dust Bowl) was selling a 4-pack of their DIPA at $25. These are pretty much what you would pay for a draft in a local bar type prices.
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- Isgrimnur
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
I’ve been digging some Manhattan Project brews lately. Unfortunately, all they had at Wally yesterday was the hazy IPA and Pilsner, the two types I don’t particularly care for.
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- Alefroth
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
Mmm mmm good.Kraken wrote: ↑Wed May 06, 2020 9:36 pm
Not Widowmaker's best effort -- too bitter on the finish, for me -- but it's for a good cause: "Proceeds from the sale of Canned Goods, along with the proceeds from All Together - Untold Brewing and Debt of Gratitude - Second Wind will go towards a group fund within the breweries, With The Frontlines, to help purchase gift cards from some of our favorite local restaurants. We’ll then be giving those gift cards to our first responders."
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
Maybe your Meat Market has a markup, but 4-packs of high ABV brews from really popular microbreweries regularly hit $20+ these days.Scuzz wrote: ↑Thu May 07, 2020 3:27 pm So I was out at a local Meat Market today and was pleased at how many beers from local breweries they had. Everything sold in 16oz cans, most in 4 packs. But why so expensive? Most are $20 a 4 pack. One Modesto brewery (Dust Bowl) was selling a 4-pack of their DIPA at $25. These are pretty much what you would pay for a draft in a local bar type prices.
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- Kraken
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
My pain point is $4 per pint. I'll occasionally spend more than $16 on a 4-pack, but not often.pr0ner wrote: ↑Thu May 07, 2020 4:50 pmMaybe your Meat Market has a markup, but 4-packs of high ABV brews from really popular microbreweries regularly hit $20+ these days.Scuzz wrote: ↑Thu May 07, 2020 3:27 pm So I was out at a local Meat Market today and was pleased at how many beers from local breweries they had. Everything sold in 16oz cans, most in 4 packs. But why so expensive? Most are $20 a 4 pack. One Modesto brewery (Dust Bowl) was selling a 4-pack of their DIPA at $25. These are pretty much what you would pay for a draft in a local bar type prices.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
What's nice about Flight is that you don't have to invest that much just to try a beer. It's easier to justify $4 for a single can. That said, while they have sub-$4/can offerings (most are pounders but some are 12 oz cans or bottles), things in that price range are much more hit-or-miss, and it seems the hits don't last very long. Their huge selection is constantly changing (much more so than, say, Binny's) so I'm lucky if I can find a hit on my next weekly visit. The frequency of hits improves dramatically if I go >$4, but some beers will go for $10 or more. A few weeks ago I spent $28 on a six-pack, I try to not go that high though and last week managed an $18/6 which included 2-12oz cans.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
Hazy River IPA by Urban Renewal Brewery, Chicago. Yes, the Chicago River is hazy...some might call it murky. Or even a flowing cesspool. That doesn't make it a good base for a beer. In homage, the can features a C.H.U.D. tubing along some toxic slurry.
This chunky hazy beer is not a dirt beer, but is murky nevertheless. The 4 types of hops don't really play well, the Citra tries to rise above it with a bright note that is subsequently brought down by the morass of mosaic, Idaho 7, and Amarillo. 6.5% ABV adds no ancillary excitement.
This chunky hazy beer is not a dirt beer, but is murky nevertheless. The 4 types of hops don't really play well, the Citra tries to rise above it with a bright note that is subsequently brought down by the morass of mosaic, Idaho 7, and Amarillo. 6.5% ABV adds no ancillary excitement.
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- Scuzz
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
Of the beers they are carrying that I have seen elsewhere they are charging the same price. But I do at least appreciate them carrying the beers.pr0ner wrote: ↑Thu May 07, 2020 4:50 pmMaybe your Meat Market has a markup, but 4-packs of high ABV brews from really popular microbreweries regularly hit $20+ these days.Scuzz wrote: ↑Thu May 07, 2020 3:27 pm So I was out at a local Meat Market today and was pleased at how many beers from local breweries they had. Everything sold in 16oz cans, most in 4 packs. But why so expensive? Most are $20 a 4 pack. One Modesto brewery (Dust Bowl) was selling a 4-pack of their DIPA at $25. These are pretty much what you would pay for a draft in a local bar type prices.
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- pr0ner
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
Random late response, but I've had crowlers last in my fridge much longer than that. I drank one that I've had at least 6 weeks last night - still tasted fresh, still had carbonation.Scuzz wrote: ↑Mon May 04, 2020 3:24 pmI have had breweries tell me that here, while other have no problem filling some other breweries growlers. They just put duck tape over the other breweries logo and attach their own tag.Kraken wrote: ↑Sun May 03, 2020 10:25 pm MA has a stupid law that says breweries can only sell and refill their own growlers. One cannot have a generic bottle, or one from a rival, filled at any brewery or brewpub. So growler shopping is a bigger headache than it should be, and they are correspondingly unpopular.
The industry counters with "crowlers" -- 32-oz cans (half-growlers) filled from the tap.
Crowlers started slow here, just one place doing it. Now they almost all do it. I asked a few breweries that weren't doing it and they said the machines were expensive, but I think they just didn't want to make the investment. A 32oz crowler should last 7-10 days in your fridge, no growler will do that.
The first place I ever saw a crowler machine was at Cigar City back in 2015. The process definitely took a while to get up here in Northern VA, but it seems like tons of places do them now, and I'd much rather just buy a crowler of something than tote a growler along with me.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
I'd agree if they were carry-out priced, but they are bar-priced. Going with pre-packaged cans or bottles, I can easily find comparable beers at 1/2 - 1/4 of the price.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
West Coast Wizard IPA by Miskatonic Brewing Co., Darien, IL. Another competent effort from a brewery I've been hoping will knock my socks off some day. Clear, clean...if there was such a thing as an "Ice IPA" this would be it. No real flavor, yet nice bitterness. 6.3% ABV, I'd pick up a six on sale.
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- Scuzz
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
I think the longest I have gone with a Crowler was 2 weeks, but when purchasing I am always told sooner than that. For a couple years only 1 place in town did them, now there are at least three I know of. But I wish out of town breweries that don't bottle much would offer it.pr0ner wrote: ↑Fri May 08, 2020 3:58 pmRandom late response, but I've had crowlers last in my fridge much longer than that. I drank one that I've had at least 6 weeks last night - still tasted fresh, still had carbonation.Scuzz wrote: ↑Mon May 04, 2020 3:24 pmI have had breweries tell me that here, while other have no problem filling some other breweries growlers. They just put duck tape over the other breweries logo and attach their own tag.Kraken wrote: ↑Sun May 03, 2020 10:25 pm MA has a stupid law that says breweries can only sell and refill their own growlers. One cannot have a generic bottle, or one from a rival, filled at any brewery or brewpub. So growler shopping is a bigger headache than it should be, and they are correspondingly unpopular.
The industry counters with "crowlers" -- 32-oz cans (half-growlers) filled from the tap.
Crowlers started slow here, just one place doing it. Now they almost all do it. I asked a few breweries that weren't doing it and they said the machines were expensive, but I think they just didn't want to make the investment. A 32oz crowler should last 7-10 days in your fridge, no growler will do that.
The first place I ever saw a crowler machine was at Cigar City back in 2015. The process definitely took a while to get up here in Northern VA, but it seems like tons of places do them now, and I'd much rather just buy a crowler of something than tote a growler along with me.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
Seems to me if not a tap-house offering, then it's something third parties would do. I imagine if the breweries themselves were engaging in a canning operation, it would be standard 12 or 16 oz denominations. I think I've seen some shit beer in 32oz cans (or maybe just 24); but I've not seen any micro brewery crowlers on the shelf.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
Seems to me if not a tap-house offering, then it's something third parties would do. I imagine if the breweries themselves were engaging in a canning operation, it would be standard 12 or 16 oz denominations. I think I've seen some shit beer in 32oz cans (or maybe just 24); but I've not seen any micro brewery crowlers on the shelf.
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- Scuzz
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
Crowlers are filled to order by the breweries around here. Of the, maybe 6-7 breweries operating, only 1 is large enough to can/bottle a large selection. A couple others are doing more because of the pandemic, but there is one that does pints, growlers, crowlers, 32oz bottles and 16oz cans. You just never know with the prepared ones which beers they have available.Jeff V wrote: ↑Fri May 08, 2020 10:37 pmSeems to me if not a tap-house offering, then it's something third parties would do. I imagine if the breweries themselves were engaging in a canning operation, it would be standard 12 or 16 oz denominations. I think I've seen some shit beer in 32oz cans (or maybe just 24); but I've not seen any micro brewery crowlers on the shelf.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
Crocus DDH DIPA by Half Acre Beer Co., Chicago. Combining something I'm a fan of (DIPA) with something I'm not (DDH), Half Acre nevertheless manages a credible beer (then again, I expect nothing less from them). The rich bitterness I love in DIPAs is tempered by the astringent hops, but no hints of dirt as is common with DDH beers. 8.5% ABV is a nice bonus.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
Prairie Madness IPA by Hailstorm Brewing Co., Tinley Park, IL. This is a delicious beer, almost like liquid caramel yet also nicely bitter (100 IBU). It drinks like a DIPA, but only a single, so I can excuse the 7% ABV. I'll definitely be looking for this again.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
Hop Surf DNEIPA by Energy City Brewing made by Great Central Brewing Co., Chicago. Hazy, complex fruity, 8.2%, delicious. Perfect refreshment after mowing the lawn.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
Going Places IPA by Hopewell Brewing Co., Chicago. A solid unfiltered IPA, nicely bitter, not terribly fruity. 6.8% is decent for it's ilk.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
Hop Cycle Hazy DIPA by Short Fuze Brewing Co., Schiller Park, IL. I don't recall having a beer made with either Sabro or Lotus hops, but this has them both. And they are delicious. It's a fruity IPA to be sure, but not cloying. 8.6% ABV is reasonable.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
Hop Nawi NEIPA by Energy City Brewing, Batavia, IL. A juicy, cloudy beer, you can taste citrus just before the yeast makes it's presence felt. I falsely assumed "Nawi" is what you get by colliding Galaxy and Vic Secret hops in the Fermi Lab particle accelerator, but no, for some reason they named the beer after an Australian aboriginal canoe. 7.2% ABV.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
Denial and Error English Pale Ale by Lil Beaver Brewing, Bloomington, IL. Another nerfed beer coming from a college town. Flavor not as well developed as it should be, although it does have a hint of classic English ale. 5% ABV will keep the kids drinking all night and still blow clean on a breathalyzer.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
Foklsbier's Harbinger of Spring, a really tasty maibock from a small brewery near me.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
Preserved in Three Dimensions DIPA by Hop Butcher to the World, Bedford Park, IL. Unfiltered, tastes of citrus and melon, this is a pretty good effort from a brewery in a town known for it's endless industrial parks. 7.5% ABV is a little weak for a DIPA, but it's a tasty beer. Don't remember what I paid for it, if it was much more than $4 for a pounder then I probably paid a little too much.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
Gilded King NEIPA by Riverlands Brewing Co., St. Charles, IL. A satisfying example of the style, this milky-urine colored opaque beer tastes of grapefruit juice, underripe Korean melon, and kumquat pith. 6.8% ABV is average for its ilk. I would probably buy again.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
Hubbard's Cave Fresh V40 Imperial IPA by Une Annee Brewery, Niles, IL. First from this brewery, unusual mix of hops (V40, Azacca, Southern Passion, and Mosaic). I blame the Mosaic for making this beer as uninteresting as it is. I like my imperials >10% ABV, so 8.5% is a let down here. Not a bad beer, but I suspect I overpaid for it.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
The Humble Gator DIPA by Urban Renewal Brewing, Chicago. Last summer the city was captivated by the story of a gator prowling a park lagoon. Dubbed "Chance the Snapper," the gator was ultimately captured and relocated to Florida. Now a beer exists in his honor. A competent, if not exceptional, DIPA. Tasting of melon with a hint of mango, this unfiltered beer could use a little more time in the tank. Only 7.5% ABV, its on the lower rung of the DIPA ladder.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
Boss Tweed DIPA by Old Nation Brewing Co., Williamston, MI. As if using 5 types of hops wasn't a recipe for confusion, it would seem they all worked to cancel each other out and yeast is the prevailing flavor. 68 IBU is low for a DIPA, there is no rich hop flavor or deep bitterness that I get with the better representatives of the style. It does, however, have 9.3% ABV in it's favor.
I think I'm 0-3 with this brewery.
I think I'm 0-3 with this brewery.
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- Z-Corn
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
I did, but I can't see where I posted a review of it here. I don't recall being too impressed by it, but perhaps I need a reminder?
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
Put a Light On NEIPA by Whiskey Hill Brewing Co., Westmont, IL. Another local brewery I've not had previously. First time I recall seeing "Nelson Sauvin" hops, and I'm not quite sure what they taste like because the citra made this almost pure grapefruit juice. 7.75% ABV isn't bad for something not a DIPA.
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
That's their claim to fame. I like it. It was the first NEIPA that made me accept that maybe that is a legit style and not just lazy brewing.
- Isgrimnur
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
Z-Corn wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2018 6:58 pm My wife and I had the day off yesterday and it was her birthday, so why not hit up our favorite little pub in the country for lunch?
Got to finally try a beer that make a big splash here last spring, M-43 from Old Nation Brewing Company. Impossible to find all summer...
I'd been resistant to try the NE IPA style because, TBH, it sounds like lazy brewing to me. "Intentionally Cloudy" my ass...lazy brewing!
This was really quite nice. Massive citrus hop flavor with very little hop bitterness. I only had two beers and both of them were this.
https://oldnationbrewing.com/beer/m-43/
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- Z-Corn
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
You are really good at copy and pasting.Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Sun May 24, 2020 7:41 pmZ-Corn wrote: ↑Tue Feb 20, 2018 6:58 pm My wife and I had the day off yesterday and it was her birthday, so why not hit up our favorite little pub in the country for lunch?
Got to finally try a beer that make a big splash here last spring, M-43 from Old Nation Brewing Company. Impossible to find all summer...
I'd been resistant to try the NE IPA style because, TBH, it sounds like lazy brewing to me. "Intentionally Cloudy" my ass...lazy brewing!
This was really quite nice. Massive citrus hop flavor with very little hop bitterness. I only had two beers and both of them were this.
https://oldnationbrewing.com/beer/m-43/
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Re: Whatcha drinking?
Searching and hitting quote, thank you very much.
It's almost as if people are the problem.