GRM beer tasting

had a Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye the other night and it was like baby jesus smiling at me while handing me the keys to a new Lotus.

I would say that is a pretty accurate description.

Try Founders Red's RyePA sometime if you haven't. Very similar to the Hop Rod Rye but a bit different. I love them both.

mtn wrote: I have a new go-to: Zywiec. Polish stuff. The beer snobs will probably come in and say that it is along the same lines as Becks (mass produced swill, just this one without the marketing), but everyone I know who has tried it comes away pleased.

No. I am a beer snob and will not Malign Zywiec. Not as good as some American craft beers, but better than most "premium" imported lagers. Becks is crap. I will save my full rant. Zywiec is definitely a far superior beer, and I enjoy drinking it. I prefer their porter to their Pils. Quite good. Very strong.

A couple tonight. 1st

A little bitter, but good. Found at local Trader Joes. 3 out of 5

2nd.

Really good. I found it at a Winery at the beach. Cant seem to find it around here, but I need to. 4.5 out of 5

I just read this article:

http://mancave.cbslocal.com/2012/08/08/5-breweries-full-of-beer-you-must-try/

Has anybody tried the Innis and Gunn? The clear bottles make me nervous, but I'm going to go looking for some at Peace Street market or something.

Me, nasty nate and the jew had a big crazy weekend a couple weeks ago; the highlight being Weasel "regular," cognac, and calvados barrel aged. Peeeyulmps.

HOP CRISIS TO RETURN!!!

http://beerpulse.com/2012/08/21st-amendment-hop-crisis-returns-beginning-next-week/

At the time, this was the best IPA I'd ever had. I have some 90 minutes, a couple Devil Dancers, and some burton baton on the way. It'll be interesting to see if the Hop Crisis stands up, or if it is only that good in my mind.

So, for obvious reasons, I've been drinking a lot of Schell's beer lately. They don't make the big, bold, high alcohol beers that a lot of folks here seem to like, but they've got some good ones.

Schell's Pils is seriously one of the best examples I've ever seen in that style. Way better than all but one or two I had in Germany. It makes the list of my top 5 Pilseners, which are in no particular order because I would have to be able to try them all fresh side-by-side, and that's impossible since they're from all over the country. But if you're in the Midwest and want an excellent Pils, I heartily recommend Schell's.

Their Stout is also excellent. It's not too heavy, very sessionable, but it has a really nice vanilla note to it that I really enjoy.

Emerald Rye is another good one. It's got the nice hop note and complexity of something like a West Coast Pale Ale, but it's much cleaner and crisper. The rye is just enough to give it some earthiness.

I'm looking forward to their winter seasonal coming out. I think I'm allowed to say what it's going to be, but I want to double check with folks to be certain.

Yum Yum. Very soft, yet flavorful ale.

Another beer thread (now pointed back to this one) mentioned Speedway Stout, which in turn makes me look forward (well, less kicking-and-screaming against) dark beer weather, when I look forward to having a little of Deschutes' Abyss: 11% ABV, sweet, strong, coffee and caramel (EDIT: dang, it's been a while; definitely lots of caramel flavor, now wondering whether I'm making up the coffee part)... Very tasty.

The first time I had it, I didn't realize how strong it was and drank two Imperial pints relatively quickly; more quickly than I would have if I'd known. The effect was... substantial.

The beer has already been covered, but I'll add my recent opinion. I had some Trois Pistoles. I'd paddled a kayak 5 miles, and while I made sure I was well hydrated out there, the first one was so delicious I drank another one and got a little bit giddy.

It's a big beer that also manages to be refreshing.

Hop Crisis is out. Good, but not great. The first one, I drank straight out of the can, and it had a weird rubbery aftertaste. It was better in a glass.

We sampled 16 beers Saturday night, nothing worth getting really excited about. Red Brick 17th Anniversary was probably the best of the bunch, but may have been a little hot. A few more months would've done it some good I think. By far the worst was "Kentucky Bourbon Barrell Ale." Tasted like someone substituted bud light for milk in their lucky charms. Possibly the worst beer I've had all year, and it scored an 85 on BA(?)

DaveEstey wrote: had a Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye the other night and it was like baby jesus smiling at me while handing me the keys to a new Lotus.

Hmmm. Beer Advocate says 95/100. "World Class." I wonder how i could get some.

Yeah, my local liquour place has Beer Advocate scores next to special brews. I don't use them to make choices in most cases but this one worked out.

Had a Sierra Nevade Beer Camp Outmeal Stout last night and it was lovely. Nice mouth feel, lovely aftertaste, great balanc. Going to have to get some more.

Since it's GRM GT5 race night tonight I'll be having a pounder of Dead Guy Ale.

When I first started drinking Guiness, I felt as if I was being different than the average beer drinker. (drank it because I liked it, not for 'appearance') Now I feel mainstream.... That Schell Stout sounds tasty, and the Abyss is temping to. Yes, I like my stouts with the occasional Oktoberfest thrown in.

I went looking for Innis and Gunn at the Peace Street Market, but I found this instead:

OBPToasted Coconut Porter

This is smooth and coconut up front, with a good malt and chocolate in the middle and then all of the hops at the back.

I think this is would be superlative if paired with a meal (something with shrimp in it) vs. drinking by itself, where it is just kind of novel.

I went and got some Innis&Gunn and some Ommegang Rare Vos.

Innis&Gunn: Tasted pretty much like a pale ale aged in oak to me. This might be a new go-to beer in the hot weather. While it has some definite hop character, it has managed to avoid the almost undrinkable levels of hops some U.S. brewmasters have heaped into their beers.

Rare Vos: Yeasty like a Belgian with a clean finish. I'd certainly drink it again, but I prefer the traditional Ommegang Belgian ale to this. Others will probably have a different opinion- if I want a yeasty Belgian ale, I want it to be a malty, fruity, yeasty explosion of complimentary flavors.

Had some O'Fallon Pumpkin Ale. Not nearly as good as the Schafly, but if you're not into the sweet taste, it may be more towards your taste. And then the hood dropped and spilled the remaining on the floor.

Not a big fan of the pumpkin ales, but DFH "Punk" isn't bad. Big on the spices. If you have a burgina, chances are, you'll like it.

My wife took me out for "date night", weekend before last. We watched Expendables 2, and went to the local steak house for some prime rib. GREAT GOOGELEYMOOGELEYS they had Old Rasputin on tap.

By the end of the night, I was fit to vanquish a Jabberwock.

My wife also picked-up a Shiner "Family Pack" the other day after shopping. Shiner Bock is my go to for an available drinkable brew, that is usually on tap at the local restaurants. But even so, I have been pleasantly surprised by the Bohemian Black Lager , and Oktoberfest. I can't wait to try most of the rest.

I have not had this beer. I have no idea what it tastes like. I'm just very amused that this is a real product and irked that I never saw it while in Germany:

By the way "hell" or "helle" in German refers to a light (as in color, not ABV) beer. Apparently "berkeleying" (rhymes with 'booking') is a town in Austria. So this is actually NOT A JOKE.

My fam-damnily and I went through 3 cases of Zywiec (20 16oz bottles each), 2 cases of Bud Light, 4 random Becks that were in our fridge for some reason, and a bottle of bourbon. Apparently we have an alcohol problem

EvanB wrote: I would say that is a pretty accurate description. Try Founders Red's RyePA sometime if you haven't. Very similar to the Hop Rod Rye but a bit different. I love them both.

Where do you get that in Ohio Evan?

Also...

Bourbon Barrel Aged Old Rasputin XV has been bottled and shipped to distributors. Look for it in stores in time for the holidays.

That's right. Russian. Imperial. Bourbon. Stout.

I have not tasted the blended product... yet. But I did get to sample quite a few of the individual barrels as the beer was being transferred to tanks for carbonation and bottling (this was actually genuine quality control and part of my job); all good stuff. Some barrels I liked better than others. Word is, there is nothing subtle about this beer.