How many craft beer enthusiasts do we have here? I know of a few already, myself included. I live in a great area for it. The Richmond area alone has about two dozen craft breweries, and there are dozens more across Virginia. My local favorites so far are The Veil, Triple Crossing, Ammo, Strangeways, and, due to its proximity to my work, Trapezium. Quite a few more places I haven't checked out yet. I've also visited all three in Williamsburg and the ones on the north sidebar of Hampton Roads. Of those, St. George in Hampton makes the best beer and Oozlefinch on Fort Monroe in Hampton has the best aesthetics, but it's comparatively expensive. I'm kind of an all-styles guy. I like IPAs, stouts, sours, browns, Trappist styles, you name it.
Yo.
We have some great ones in New England. Trillium's beers are amazing, people wait in line for hours to get Treehouse, and then there's the legendary Heady Topper made by The Alchemist. I've actually been to the Trillium Brewery in Canton, MA (right in Roadgeekteen's home territory :)) out near the I-93/I-95/MA 128 junction. Treehouse just opened a new facility in Charlton, MA to replace its location in Holland. Alchemist does have some other good beers other than Heady Topper, including Focal Banger and Crusher. Good luck finding it anywhere outside the brewery or beyond a 20 mile radius. I also hear Hill Farmstead is good stuff. As for CT beer, it seems like we are experiencing a boom of local breweries beyond just Thomas Hooker and Two Roads, which are both good beers. G-Bot (formerly Ghandi-Bot) by New England Brewing, is a well known IPA that is really good. I'm kind of a seasonal drinker; porters and stouts in colder weather, IPA's and lagers in warmer weather, sours anytime.
Quote from: jp the roadgeek on August 14, 2017, 06:24:32 PM
We have some great ones in New England. Trillium's beers are amazing, people wait in line for hours to get Treehouse, and then there's the legendary Heady Topper made by The Alchemist. I've actually been to the Trillium Brewery in Canton, MA (right in Roadgeekteen's home territory :)) out near the I-93/I-95/MA 128 junction. Treehouse just opened a new facility in Charlton, MA to replace its location in Holland. Alchemist does have some other good beers other than Heady Topper, including Focal Banger and Crusher. Good luck finding it anywhere outside the brewery or beyond a 20 mile radius. I also hear Hill Farmstead is good stuff. As for CT beer, it seems like we are experiencing a boom of local breweries beyond just Thomas Hooker and Two Roads, which are both good beers. G-Bot (formerly Ghandi-Bot) by New England Brewing, is a well known IPA that is really good. I'm kind of a seasonal drinker; porters and stouts in colder weather, IPA's and lagers in warmer weather, sours anytime.
Trillium is a popular one. I follow The Veil (among others) on Instagram, and every time they announce their can release, beer traders often offer Trillium products for them. Their can releases usually have lines; the one I went to a month or two ago had one that wrapped around the parking lot. I got one 4-pack of each of the four releases that day...$65 but the beer was great. Triple Crossing does bi-weekly can releases at noon on the Fridays I get paid, but my work schedule usually prevents me from going there. I may go to the Veil's next release Tuesday.
I love beer, period.
I would not call myself an enthusiast by any means (my consumption of anything alcoholic is infrequent). I am, however, the type to look at things like Bud Light and wonder "how do people drink this shit and enjoy it".
I prefer a good IPA, myself.
Lately I've taken a liking to DC Brau's Corruption IPA. (I just had a can of it with dinner.) I like Port City's Monumental IPA and their brewery is about the closest one to our house, maybe three miles as the crow flies (maybe five miles as the car drives), but the location is sort of a nuisance (Wheeler Avenue in Alexandria, for those who know the area), so I don't get over there for growler fills as often as I'd like.
I agree with Duke87 about being partial to IPAs.
Quote from: jp the roadgeekI also hear Hill Farmstead is good stuff.
Call me biased (since I live 2 miles up the road from them), but yes. They are also consistently at or near the top in the world on ratebeer.com's list.
Not easy to acquire, however. Basically requires a pilgrimage to my little corner of the world, but plenty of people do it...I've seen license plates in the parking area from as far as Nevada, Washington, and even Alaska.
I always liked the Coronado Brewiing Company for a good strong IPA. I was pretty beat up after a car accident on CA 75 (I say car because there was one car in the accident while I was on foot running) about a decade back and had a shattered arm. When I made it out the hospital after a day or two I paid them a visit. I asked for three beers and a sliced portion of whatever the biggest steak on the menu was, they obliged. I think that I left a $30 dollar tip, it might have not the been the best food and drinks I've had but they certainly were the most enjoyed after the few days leading up to that.
I try them, but there are very few that I have found to be a good go-to beer. Maybe a Session or Saison. Fat Heads in Ohio has a really good blueberry-tasting beer (Bumbleberry). It's just a hint of blueberries so it doesn't overpower it or leave you with a sugary hangover the next day.
The UK has slightly different definitions - Craft Beer is very much at the hipster, experimental, slightly crazy end of the spectrum here, whereas Real Ale (http://www.camra.org.uk/about-real-ale) is the main thing and, while there are special, fancy, and other beers, most brewers brew at least two session type beers that one can drink several pints of in the course of an evening if one wishes. Real Ale isn't about brewery size, but about process and (most importantly) storage. Craft beers can be Real Ale (though often here it's lager as that is the market they are aiming for), and mass produced stuff can be too (ie the Real Ales you can get across the country like Doom Bar, Green King IPA, Marston's Pedigree, London Pride, Black Sheep, Hobgoblin). We also couldn't care less about IBUs.
A couple of months ago, I did the Tring Brewery (https://www.tringbrewery.co.uk/) tour. It was a good tour of two rooms - four beers on tap all-you-can-drink (we were 'employed' as beer tasters for the evening for legal reasons), explanations of water, malt, yeast and hops with some samples of other beers they make to illustrate different malt and different hops, a tour of the brewing room, and supper from the chippy.
I prefer amber/red malty beers (generally lighter in the summer, darker in the winter), but I'd drink anything that was Real Ale providing it wasn't dry hopped. Dry hopping is terrible and sadly crossing the Atlantic in a big way: if I wanted the taste of weeds, I'd go grab some from the garden. I'd also drink lager provided it wasn't gassy shite or lite beer if the situation was right (eating spicy food or a hot day and it being ice cold and not meant to hit the sides).
I don't care for "craft beer". It just seems to me that it is like people who say "well, I like baseball, but really they should only have 2 players who try to hit a large soccer ball with a croquet mallet into a orange crate". You don't like baseball. That's fine, just don't put down those who do. And that is my deal with craft beer people.
Quote"How do people drink this s*** and enjoy it?"
Because we do. The majority of North Americans like the basic macro-brewed American style lager beer. After years of competition and different styles brough from all parts of Europe and beyond, this is what won out, because the most people liked it. If you don't, that's fine. Why all the hate? Just enjoy what you enjoy without having to put down other people's tastes.
Quote from: english si on August 15, 2017, 09:36:28 AM
I prefer amber/red malty beers (generally lighter in the summer, darker in the winter), but I'd drink anything that was Real Ale providing it wasn't dry hopped. Dry hopping is terrible and sadly crossing the Atlantic in a big way: if I wanted the taste of weeds, I'd go grab some from the garden.
One of the local breweries occasionally produces a small amount of one of its more popular IPAs in a double dry hopped variant. Last time it came out I finally had a chance to try it. It was awful and ruined the taste of what is normally one of the best beers in town.
Quote from: SP Cook on August 15, 2017, 09:45:35 AMI don't care for "craft beer". It just seems to me that it is like people who say "well, I like baseball, but really they should only have 2 players who try to hit a large soccer ball with a croquet mallet into a orange crate". You don't like baseball.
Most American Adjunct Lager drinkers just seem to me like people who'd say "well, I like baseball, but I don't like it when they throw the ball, or when they hit it, but I get to sit there for several hours slowly getting drunk rather cheaply". It's beer for people who don't like the taste of malt or hops (the two flavouring ingredients of beer).
I honestly don't understand beer lovers. Unless I'm missing something, beer tastes awful. While I understand that there are a whole lot of people (including a lot of my roadgeek friends) who love trying new beers at microbreweries, and they do drink beer for reasons other than becoming intoxicated, that's not me. I don't drink much at all, but in the past when I did drink beer, it certainly wasn't because I liked the taste. :bigass: I can't see myself ever drinking beer if not for the purpose of getting drunk. And I certainly wouldn't drink one -- even one -- and get behind the wheel of a vehicle for at least two hours afterwards.
Of course, given my recent experience with gout and the fact that beer is one of the leading causes of gout, it's doubtful I will ever drink a beer again in my life.
Quote from: hbelkins on August 15, 2017, 03:31:11 PM
I honestly don't understand beer lovers. Unless I'm missing something, beer tastes awful. While I understand that there are a whole lot of people (including a lot of my roadgeek friends) who love trying new beers at microbreweries, and they do drink beer for reasons other than becoming intoxicated, that's not me. I don't drink much at all, but in the past when I did drink beer, it certainly wasn't because I liked the taste. :bigass: I can't see myself ever drinking beer if not for the purpose of getting drunk. And I certainly wouldn't drink one -- even one -- and get behind the wheel of a vehicle for at least two hours afterwards.
Of course, given my recent experience with gout and the fact that beer is one of the leading causes of gout, it's doubtful I will ever drink a beer again in my life.
Admittedly, it's an acquired taste. I didn't get into it until I was well into my 20s, and only started visiting local breweries until I was 30.
Quote from: Takumi on August 15, 2017, 06:15:22 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on August 15, 2017, 03:31:11 PM
I honestly don't understand beer lovers. Unless I'm missing something, beer tastes awful. While I understand that there are a whole lot of people (including a lot of my roadgeek friends) who love trying new beers at microbreweries, and they do drink beer for reasons other than becoming intoxicated, that's not me. I don't drink much at all, but in the past when I did drink beer, it certainly wasn't because I liked the taste. :bigass: I can't see myself ever drinking beer if not for the purpose of getting drunk. And I certainly wouldn't drink one -- even one -- and get behind the wheel of a vehicle for at least two hours afterwards.
Of course, given my recent experience with gout and the fact that beer is one of the leading causes of gout, it's doubtful I will ever drink a beer again in my life.
Admittedly, it's an acquired taste. I didn't get into it until I was well into my 20s, and only started visiting local breweries until I was 30.
Yeah, that's precisely it: an acquired taste (however clichéd and hackneyed thatt is to say). Your first beer won't taste good, and if you're fairly new to beer, then the better ones won't taste good at first. I wouldn't touch an IPA for several years, but now, while it's still not my favorite style, I can handle them easily and appreciate the quality of good ones.
So, yeah, you are missing something–and perhaps just knowing that will help you understand beer lovers. :-)
Quote from: Takumi on August 15, 2017, 06:15:22 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on August 15, 2017, 03:31:11 PM
I honestly don't understand beer lovers. Unless I'm missing something, beer tastes awful. While I understand that there are a whole lot of people (including a lot of my roadgeek friends) who love trying new beers at microbreweries, and they do drink beer for reasons other than becoming intoxicated, that's not me. I don't drink much at all, but in the past when I did drink beer, it certainly wasn't because I liked the taste. :bigass: I can't see myself ever drinking beer if not for the purpose of getting drunk. And I certainly wouldn't drink one -- even one -- and get behind the wheel of a vehicle for at least two hours afterwards.
Of course, given my recent experience with gout and the fact that beer is one of the leading causes of gout, it's doubtful I will ever drink a beer again in my life.
Admittedly, it's an acquired taste. I didn't get into it until I was well into my 20s, and only started visiting local breweries until I was 30.
Heh. I guess it's a matter of personal taste. I do enjoy the taste of some beers (certainly not all of them), but I've also been drinking beer since I was a little kid (4 or 5 years old, probably). Our parents always gave us a small amount of beer with dinner if they were having beer, typically if we were having burgers or steak. By "a small amount" I mean the amount those small brown souvenir mugs with the wooden handles will hold–probably a similar amount to a shot glass.
But regarding personal taste, I like IPAs. My father doesn't. He prefers Heineken. My brother generally likes porters. My wife doesn't like beer except after golf on a hot day, and then she'll drink Yuengling.
Quote from: 1995hoo on August 15, 2017, 09:54:11 PM
Quote from: Takumi on August 15, 2017, 06:15:22 PM
Quote from: hbelkins on August 15, 2017, 03:31:11 PM
I honestly don't understand beer lovers. Unless I'm missing something, beer tastes awful. While I understand that there are a whole lot of people (including a lot of my roadgeek friends) who love trying new beers at microbreweries, and they do drink beer for reasons other than becoming intoxicated, that's not me. I don't drink much at all, but in the past when I did drink beer, it certainly wasn't because I liked the taste. :bigass: I can't see myself ever drinking beer if not for the purpose of getting drunk. And I certainly wouldn't drink one -- even one -- and get behind the wheel of a vehicle for at least two hours afterwards.
Of course, given my recent experience with gout and the fact that beer is one of the leading causes of gout, it's doubtful I will ever drink a beer again in my life.
Admittedly, it's an acquired taste. I didn't get into it until I was well into my 20s, and only started visiting local breweries until I was 30.
Heh. I guess it's a matter of personal taste. I do enjoy the taste of some beers (certainly not all of them), but I've also been drinking beer since I was a little kid (4 or 5 years old, probably). Our parents always gave us a small amount of beer with dinner if they were having beer, typically if we were having burgers or steak. By "a small amount" I mean the amount those small brown souvenir mugs with the wooden handles will hold–probably a similar amount to a shot glass.
But regarding personal taste, I like IPAs. My father doesn't. He prefers Heineken. My brother generally likes porters. My wife doesn't like beer except after golf on a hot day, and then she'll drink Yuengling.
Very few of my friends like IPAs; the only ones who do are coworkers who became friends due to our common interest in craft beer. One brews his own beer, and I helped him out with his most recent one. It won't be ready for awhile as it's going into a bourbon barrel to age for a few months.
Saw this at a brewery yesterday, above the urinals in the men's room. Because light beer is...you know.
(https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/tmhcqxjizhfnl45squ19.jpg)
Quote from: Takumi on August 20, 2017, 08:32:41 AM
Saw this at a brewery yesterday, above the urinals in the men's room. Because light beer is...you know.
:-D That's fantastic.
Beer at the Broken/Mended Drum in Ankh-Morpork is rented, not bought.
Thankfully the beer I had at a beer festival last year that pretended it was from Ankh-Morpork in honour of Pratchett (from a brewery with some geographical connection to Sir Terry) wasn't piss.
There's many definitions of what craft beer is. Mine is anything made by an independently owned brewer. Unfortunately there are many small breweries owned by large corporations and it isn't always clear which ones are as they deliberately don't show it on the bottles. The big boys are trying to infiltrate the market by buying breweries and creating beer brands of their own. Anyone who says Blue Moon is craft beer needs shooting :ded:
Goose Island, Lagunitas and Ten Barrel are brands which are no longer craft. The only positive thing to come out of beer acquisitions is the availability of such beers as Goose Island which can now be found virtually everwhere. Even United is now serving it free in economy class.
My favourite type is American IPAs of around 6-8% strength. When visiting the States I make a point of buying microbrew IPAs, particularly beers from the local area if they are available.
On this side of the pond the industry is similar with plenty of small startup breweries opening. Unfortunately the likes of Inbev and Anheuser Busch are also buying microbreweries here too. Although the amount of beer consumed in this country is falling craft beer is gaining an increasing share of the market. The biggest losers are the mass produced beers which I don't care for anyway. There's just no comparison in taste or quality between the likes of Coors/Miller/Budweiser and craft beer.
Connecticut beer fans, see Steve Wood's CT Museum Quest Beer Reviews (http://www.ctmq.org/category/beer/). His goal is to visit and comment on every point of interest in the state, and that includes its local beers. He also shares an interest (mild compared to us) in its roads: there are pages for NY 120A and a few ferry crossings.
Quote from: Truvelo on August 20, 2017, 03:58:36 PM
Goose Island, Lagunitas and Ten Barrel are brands which are no longer craft. The only positive thing to come out of beer acquisitions is the availability of such beers as Goose Island which can now be found virtually everwhere. Even United is now serving it free in economy class.
Devil's Backbone is another one. I stopped drinking their beers after A-B bought them early last year. It's a shame, because their Vienna Lager was one of my go-to beers.
New Glarus (WI) has a heavy cult following. I'm not much of a drinker but their Spotted Cow is my favorite beer. They have no interest in distributing outside Wisconsin and wear that as a badge of pride, but you can readily find it anywhere in the state; I lived in Superior which is about as far away from their brewery as you can get while still being in WI and it was everywhere in town.
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on August 20, 2017, 07:43:43 PM
New Glarus (WI) has a heavy cult following. I'm not much of a drinker but their Spotted Cow is my favorite beer. They have no interest in distributing outside Wisconsin and wear that as a badge of pride, but you can readily find it anywhere in the state; I lived in Superior which is about as far away from their brewery as you can get while still being in WI and it was everywhere in town.
I've had their beer and didn't think it was anything special. Maybe it's just because I'm a spirits guy (I love rum) but I don't get the hype around their (or anyone else's, really) beer.
Quote
"how do people drink this shit and enjoy it".
My attitude toward beer and wine in general. About the only wine I can stand is dessert wine made from/with berries, and beer is just disgusting.
Quote from: MNHighwayMan on August 20, 2017, 07:59:50 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on August 20, 2017, 07:43:43 PM
New Glarus (WI) has a heavy cult following. I'm not much of a drinker but their Spotted Cow is my favorite beer. They have no interest in distributing outside Wisconsin and wear that as a badge of pride, but you can readily find it anywhere in the state; I lived in Superior which is about as far away from their brewery as you can get while still being in WI and it was everywhere in town.
I've had their beer and didn't think it was anything special. Maybe it's just because I'm a spirits guy (I love rum) but I don't get the hype around their (or anyone else's, really) beer.
New Glarus is one of my favorite breweries. In fact I just visited the brewery last week with a friend. Their beer goes way beyond Spotted Cow. It is good, but once you try some of their other stuff you'll be hooked. The only beer or theirs I've had that I can truly say I didn't like was Moon Man IPA. IPAs are probably my least favorite style anyway. I like most ales, pilsners, lagers, porters, and stouts. New Glarus does do a lot of experimental brews and seasonal brews. Their Staghorn Oktoberfest is outstanding. The best part about New Glarus is they distribute only in Wisconsin, so it's all ours! Though it does draw a lot of people across the border.
Quote from: tchafe1978 on August 21, 2017, 08:35:02 PM
The best part about New Glarus is they distribute only in Wisconsin, so it's all ours! Though it does draw a lot of people across the border.
IMO that's the
worst part about it. No one chooses to go to Wisconsin voluntarily. :bigass:
I might be the only craft beer person who thinks Alchemist is meh, but that may be due to not liking insanely-hopped American IPAs like they're known for (I do like a good European IPA, though). Vermont has a ton of better breweries (i.e. Long Trail, Otter Creek, Magic Hat).
I guess I'm lucky, as I have at least 3 very small to regional brewery taprooms within walking distance of my apartment, plus a craft beer bar that typically has a couple dozen on tap from around New York and New England.
Quote from: MNHighwayMan on August 22, 2017, 02:33:33 AM
Quote from: tchafe1978 on August 21, 2017, 08:35:02 PM
The best part about New Glarus is they distribute only in Wisconsin, so it's all ours! Though it does draw a lot of people across the border.
IMO that's the worst part about it. No one chooses to go to Wisconsin voluntarily. :bigass:
Maybe from Minnesota or Iowa, but tell that to the FIBs that penetrate the cheddar curtain every weekend.
I have a bar and restaurant "Alchemy Elements" down near me in Bel Air, Maryland which specializes in craft cocktails. So it expands upon the concept by going beyond craft beer.
Dragon's Milk, that is all.
Quote from: MNHighwayMan on August 20, 2017, 07:59:50 PM
Quote from: TheHighwayMan394 on August 20, 2017, 07:43:43 PM
New Glarus (WI) has a heavy cult following. I'm not much of a drinker but their Spotted Cow is my favorite beer. They have no interest in distributing outside Wisconsin and wear that as a badge of pride, but you can readily find it anywhere in the state; I lived in Superior which is about as far away from their brewery as you can get while still being in WI and it was everywhere in town.
I've had their beer and didn't think it was anything special. Maybe it's just because I'm a spirits guy (I love rum) but I don't get the hype around their (or anyone else's, really) beer.
I had a similar reaction; for a Wisconsin brewery, give me Lakefront any day. They make a wide variety of styles, and they make all of them excellently.
Quote from: Brandon on August 21, 2017, 02:37:47 PM
Quote
"how do people drink this shit and enjoy it".
My attitude toward beer and wine in general. About the only wine I can stand is dessert wine made from/with berries, and beer is just disgusting.
This may not be quite the right thread for you, then... ;-)
As for myself, my most preferred styles are usually dark lagers and real ales, also going into the Oktoberfest/Vienna lager category. I've developed a taste for hoppy beers out of necessity, but my preference lies much more on the malt end of the spectrum.
It's a bit cooler today, and I have nothing better to do, so I'm going to try this bad boy. 20% ABV. I've had the regular version of this before and liked it.
(https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--o0QtcRUO--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_320/fcctrujkpfok9307zpqf.jpg)
^^ 20% = drink like Port or Sherry ie small glass filled many times.
Quote from: empirestate on August 28, 2017, 12:51:21 PMAs for myself, my most preferred styles are usually dark lagers and real ales, also going into the Oktoberfest/Vienna lager category. I've developed a taste for hoppy beers out of necessity, but my preference lies much more on the malt end of the spectrum.
(https://media.tenor.com/images/f5b10d0d087853b38c2c2f35c7686363/tenor.gif)
Quote from: kurumi on August 20, 2017, 04:35:41 PM
Connecticut beer fans, see Steve Wood's CT Museum Quest Beer Reviews (http://www.ctmq.org/category/beer/). His goal is to visit and comment on every point of interest in the state, and that includes its local beers. He also shares an interest (mild compared to us) in its roads: there are pages for NY 120A and a few ferry crossings.
Good to see some cideries visited there. America is beginning to remember that they used to make that in spades. Sadly some of these places seem to be appeal to nonsense like the hipster shite I saw in Whole Foods in California, and obsessed with adding hops like it's craft beer or other gimmicks like it's bad beer. Sure, if you have two or three types of apples-only ciders, then there's nothing wrong with adding other flavours (pears, berries, spices - though hops is just weird) to broaden your range but if you only make one type of plain cider and the rest are just the same stuff flavoured, then you aren't really crafting cider. Others seem to be aimed at wine ponces, and while they seem to care less about gimmicks and more about the product, it's still pretentious when cider shouldn't be. this place (http://www.ctmq.org/bf-clydes-cider-mill/) seems to get it right - sell it in big containers, focus on the apples rather than additives, introduce and explain the differences between the different types they make while keeping it unpretentious, if a bit overboard on the rusticness.
Cider in the UK is mostly focused in the SW (Herefordshire, Somerset-Devon-Cornwall), though there's patches elsewhere (eg around by me, where we have more cider choice than in London and some places where there's a focus on cider), and every place that has booze would have a cider available, even if it's a crap one like Strongbow (which is at least not quite as teenagers-in-the-park as White Lightning). That said, having crewed beer festivals on warm days and had to deal with local lager drinkers not wanting the lighter ales (or after we'd finished those barrels), there's a lack of knowledge and we cleared out several big boxes of Scrumpy just because it was the only type of cider they knew, and trying to offer different ones didn't work "We have this Medium, that Medium, this Dry, that Dry, Sweet, Scrumpy and Pear - which one" (I gave better short tasting notes than 'this' or 'that' - things like ABV, whether it was more sharp, fruity or tannin).
A neighbour who grew up in Somerset was telling me yesterday that, as a (older) child, she'd be sent with a bottle to the local farm (now home of a reasonably-well known brand of cider) to get some cider to have with dinner and be asked "sweet, medium or dry?", which just meant how much sugar syrup they put in the bottle with the cider - a very lazy way of tweaking flavour. And, of course, this being rural Britain, no one cared that much about children handling alcohol or drinking it as long as no one was hurt.
While one can certainly be poncy about it, it's a rustic drink - I like these descriptions given to James May: gut rot, singing cider, fighting cider, (warning, you may need subtitles to understand the ziderrr maker).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgrI8ZFzwCQ
Bu-Bump...
Anyone try any good pumpkin beers this year? I usually get New Belgium's PumpKick and Blue Moon's Pumpkin.
Quote from: on_wisconsin on September 21, 2017, 04:47:17 AM
Bu-Bump...
Anyone try any good pumpkin beers this year? I usually get New Belgium's PumpKick and Blue Moon's Pumpkin.
Why yes; I just enjoyed me some Dogfish Head Punkin Ale.
I like craft beer. There are several craft breweries in my area, and I'm in the process of tasting them all. There's even a bar dedicated to craft beer, which carries one or two American references among its extensive list of beers which changes from time to time (last time I visited they had one from Colorado, and the previous time there was another from California).
Southern Tier Pumking is the gold standard for pumpkin beers.
Quote from: CNGL-Leudimin on September 21, 2017, 04:46:09 PM
I like craft beer. There are several craft breweries in my area, and I'm in the process of tasting them all.
You're supposed to taste the
brews, not the breweries. :-D
Quote from: jp the roadgeek on September 21, 2017, 05:09:21 PM
Southern Tier Pumking is the gold standard for pumpkin beers.
I had Imperial Pumking last year. Quite solid. A non-pumpkin fall beer that I really like is the maple brown ale from Starr Hill out of Charlottesville.
Cincinnati is a good area for locally brewed craft beers.
Specifically, my two anytime favorite IPA's are Rhinegeist's Truth (7.2%) and MadTree's PsycHOPathy (yes, that's really the name, and it's a 6.9% ABV).
As for the seasonal, right now I'm waiting for Southern Tier PumKing to hit Jungle Jim's in Fairfield, because the second it does, I do believe my roommate and I will be driving up there to buy a pack...or three. But right now, I'm getting by with Rhinegeist's Franz (Oktoberfest/Märzen, 5.9%).
Quote from: Takumi on September 21, 2017, 10:05:09 PM
Quote from: jp the roadgeek on September 21, 2017, 05:09:21 PM
Southern Tier Pumking is the gold standard for pumpkin beers.
I had Imperial Pumking last year. Quite solid. A non-pumpkin fall beer that I really like is the maple brown ale from Starr Hill out of Charlottesville.
Pumking and its variants are the only pumpkin beers I remotely like. They actually taste decent.
Pumking gets all the hype but don't miss Southern Tier's Warlock, an Imperial Stout brewed with pumpkins.