The Goodjer American Beer Exchange 2

Norfair wrote:

Might take me a little bit to get to it.

I did finally tape yours up and print labels for it. I'll have to drop it off on my way home from work today so it should be on it's way to you soon.

Meh, I'm in no hurry to get them even though I am very excited. I just wanted to get the work part of all of this over with, so I got mine out fairly quick.

Since the actual UPS drop off location is closed today I decided to take a chance and go to a UPS store. I just told them it was glassware and other than asking how well it was packaged they didn't say a thing about it. Phishposer, I PMed you the tracking number in case you want to follow Santa on his trek across the country.

I'm pretty sure I packed it plenty well, but I still worry about it some. I used a wine case. (I tried a box specifically used for 22oz beer bottles, but there wasn't any extra room for padding in there, wine boxes give an extra inch or so for padding on top and bottom of the bottles.) I added a couple layers of bubble wrap on the top and bottom, then lined the box with a plastic trash bag. I used the bottle divider, put each bottle in a ziploc bag, then rolled it up in bubble wrap. The unused slots in the divider were packed with newspaper. I tied the trash bag at the top, so there shouldn't be any way for liquid to excape should a bottle actually break I think.

I used "Olive Oil" as what I was shipping. I went to a Staples figuring the employee there probably cared a lot less than the UPS store. I went through 30 feet of bubble wrap in not a huge box. I also found some of the popcorn styrofoam stuff so that's in there as well. I wrapped each in a plastic bag, then bubble wrap, then taped it up. I even got her to write "Fragile" on the box but not sure how much the delivery guy cares.

Shipping shows that Evil will have a nice care package on Thursday.

Mine is heading to Oily on Monday morning, packed into a Wine shipping case and double boxed even. Should be there in a week!

woo! I have all you stuff bought save 1. Why I can't find this IPA bewilders me.

I just came home to an awesome package outside my door from Conejote.

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From L to R

Schiafly 2011 Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout
Boulevard Stingo English Style Ale
Boulevard Reverb Imperial Pilsner
Boulevard Saison Brett

He also included a letter with tasting notes. I feel insignificant having just sent out my package today with no such note included. Lesson learned. Most importantly, though, he included an enchantment!

Spoiler:

Dragon Age: Origins for PC

Glad they made it intact! Looking forward to hearing your impressions.

This was tweeted out by one of my favorite beer spots, too. Crazy timing. Boulevard is new to NC and I can brag I got the good stuff, because most small batch beer doesn't make it to NC.

Beers away! Here are your tasting notes, Oily.

These beers are delicious.

Spoiler:

Sorry, babies/kids made it tough to sample all those:) I can tell you that the Humulo Nimbus is divine.

jonnypolite wrote:

Beers away! Here are your tasting notes, Oily.

These beers are delicious.

Spoiler:

Sorry, babies/kids made it tough to sample all those:) I can tell you that the Humulo Nimbus is divine.

Noted -)

I should pack yours up tonight and get it in the mail tomorrow. I was looking for a local IPA and couldn't find it so there was a slight roster change where I substituted another local cider. I think you'll be pleased.

Well, Norfair's ridiculously generous gift came today safe and sound! He even through some personal notes about the different beers which I appreciate.

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Imgur seems to be having issues right now, so hopefully that works well enough. Click through for a big version.

Just got my package out to DeThroned. I apologize for the tardiness. I do, however, have images.

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Wisconsin Beers
L-R: Baraboo Bonfire is a traditional marzen style October. Made by Point Brewery for Hy-Vee food stores. I did not have high hopes for the Baraboo line as I never had a Point beer that I really liked. I was pleasantly surprised by the line. It is, for the most part, excellent. This particular one is a good example of the style.

Hinterland Octoberfest: First time trying this or any beer from Hinterland. Good caramel taste and malt. 16 ounces. A very smooth beer.

Potosi Snake Hollow: Excellent IPA. Nice hoppy flavor and aroma. Notes of citrus.

New Glarus Staghorn: Another October. I'd put this on par with the Hinterland. Sadly, the only New Glarus in the bunch.

Tyranena Bitter Woman: The last of my bitter woman. Not available in Iowa so I will have to make a trip to Wisconsin the next time I visit my in-laws. The drive for this beer alone is worth it.

Capitol Brewing Octoberfest: The best October in the group.

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Missouri Beers

Boulevard Single Wide: Another excellent IPA. Boulevard is one of the bigger breweries in the area and for good reason.

Tallgrass IPA: Tallgrass is new to the area (a few months). I put this IPA very close to the bitter woman. 2 cans because it's so good I know DeThroned will be disappointed if he can't have a second.

Tallgrass Oasis: (from the Tallgrass web site) Oasis is a Double ESB/IPAish beer that came about from playing around with one of Jeff’s favorite homebrew recipes. Here at Tallgrass we love malt and we love hops, and this beer has both of them in record quantities; well, at least records for our baby brewery.

At a hefty 7.2% ABV and 93 IBU, Oasis is a big beer that has to be priced a bit higher than our regular line of beers. We think that once you taste the over-the-top hops and surprisingly sturdy malt backbone you will realize why it’s worth it.

This is my current favorite beer.

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Iowa Beers

Olde Main Clone Ale: American Pale Ale. It is decent but not my favorite. Some of my friends love it.

Millstream Great Pumpkin Imperial Stout: I am not a stout lover. Most of them I can drink but struggle with the last half. I had it on tap at Octoberfest a few weeks ago and was absolutely shocked. It is fantastic. If I could only send one beer it would be this one. I think it is easily the best beer ever made by Millstream (again, I don't generally care for stouts). I still would not drink a bunch of these but I'd gladly drink one any time. To be honest I'm shocked at the ratings this beer got at Beer Advocate. Maybe I'm just a terrible judge of stouts, though.

Peace Tree Brewing Hop Sutra: Peace Tree is kind of odd for me. Their regular beers are just okay. Their specialty beers are excellent. Hop Sutra is one of their specialty beers and it is very good. This years version is their best so far (the first time I had it I thought it was just okay).

Millstream Octoberfest: To be honest, I was disappointed in this years batch. It is good but not great. It has a earthy smell and taste. I think it lacks in caramel and malt. It's still good but not great.

Madhouse Hopburst: Good hop smell and flavor. Has some notes of citrus and grapefruit. I love the smell of it. Very good IPA.

Angry Cedar Amber Ale: I haven't tried this one, yet but have been told it is good. I have another bottle to try when I get time to commit to the whole thing.

Madhouse Pasttime Pale Ale: A pale ale that they have made more hoppy than is normal for the style. Not quite to IPA levels but still has plenty of hops. Probably why I like it better than most pales.

Millstream Iowa Pale Ale: Some citrus and hops (though not to the level of Pasttime). Very solid beer and one of my favorites from Millstream.

OMG evil, wth? 17 bottles/cans? That's absolutely insane haha. I know we agreed to a slightly higher limit but you've really outdone yourself

You should have your beers today. Last I checked they were out for delivery. Since I suck and forgot to take pics (and the thought came to me after I had everything very securely packed), you will have to post some as well as impressions. Some beers are from CT, the others are from the east coast at least, a little bit of a mix as CT doesn't make very many good beers.

Must remember to mail beer on saturday.

Look what I got from jonfentyler! Lots of lovely fall-weather brews included.

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The lineup is:
Terrapin Pumpkinfest
Duck-Rabbit Marzen
Harvest Time Pumpkin Ale
Red Brick Double IPA
Red Brick 17th Anniversary Ale
Olde Hickory Oktoberfest Lager
Olde Hickory Death by Hops IPA
Foothills Oktoberfest

I'll hold off on posting my impressions until I've tried them all. Which I suspect won't take long

I hope you enjoy them, though nothing could match the generosity of the shipment I received from you. Since you had a NC partner last time I snuck in some GA beers (Terrapin and Red Brick) that I think are quite tasty.

IMAGE(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8469/8078253376_6b4dbb02ac.jpg)

Got the package from DeThroned today. Thank you, good sir. I will begin sampling tonight starting with the Hooker IPA. The Allagash will wait for a day when I don't have to get up early the next day.

Woohoo! Glad everything made it there ok. The Hooker Irish Red is my favorite out of the bunch, the other IPA is nice also.

Hooker, Irish Red, City Steam, Elm City, GW, and Sea Hag are the Connecticut beers. Others are various east coast stuff. Enjoy!

Tried the first brew this evening with the wife.

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It was pretty good. Reminded me of the Two Headed Ale I sent Tuffalo

That's great Norfair, but WHAT ARE YOU EATING?!?

jonfentyler wrote:

That's great Norfair, but WHAT ARE YOU EATING?!?

I know, right?

Does wheat beer go with what appears to be glazed cat sh*t and a meatball sub?

I've never been good with beer pairings.

They were smashed potatoes. You bake them in foil, unrap them, smash them then bake them at high temperatures until they're nice and crispy.

Glazed cat sh*t pairs well with just about anything, really.

Be kind to lego-man, that sandwich looks prime!

Also, is there a difference between smashed and mashed potatos?

Squee9 wrote:

Also, is there a difference between smashed and mashed potatos?

S

Taa-daa! Finished them all!

Thanks again to jonfentyler, who confirmed for me that his part of the country really is home to some great breweries. Although he lives just 15 minutes away from ColdForged, my partner in the last exchange, he came up with an entirely different selection of equally high quality brews. You’re fortunate to have such a selection of local offerings.

On to the tasting notes:

Terrapin Pumpkinfest – Subtle pumpkin flavor, which is definitely my preference in this kind of beer. The label fits it well—it’s a marzen with just a bit extra spiciness.

Duck-Rabbit Marzen – Malty sweet aroma, almost overly so, but the flavor is right on. It’s a rich lager, not a giant beer, just right for cool fall afternoons. Very easy drinking.

Harvest Time Pumpkin Ale – This one takes the opposite approach of Terrapin’s by really emphasizing the spice character, but somehow I still like it. Almost like a Christmas beer, with really evident clove, cinnamon and nutmeg flavors.

Red Brick Double IPA – From the hoppy aroma, hazy appearance, heavy sediment and flavor, this reminded me of a homebrew. I mean that as a compliment—like a rustic stew that you have at a friend’s house that can’t be matched in any restaurant.

Red Brick 17th Anniversary Ale – strong, sweet oak and bourbon in both flavor and aroma. This is a very good beer that packs a serious punch.

Olde Hickory Oktoberfest Lager – sharp, slightly roasted caramel aroma. Maybe very slightly overhopped, but that makes for a nice, clean finish. Excellent balance.

Olde Hickory Death by Hops IPA – This is a very well crafted IPA. Lovely, resinous, citrusy aroma of American hops gives a good indication of the flavor. But all that hoppiness is backed up by a full, malty body. Many IPAs lack this kind of balance; they’re supposed to be assertively hoppy, but many end up tasting like alcoholic hop juice. A great beer, and another one that clearly has its roots in the homebrewing world. According to the label, the recipe was a winner from a pro-am contest.

Foothills Oktoberfest – Solid emphasis on caramel and toasted malt, with just enough hoppiness to keep it from becoming cloying. Tasty, easy to drink.

In the end, I enjoyed every one of them, but to me Olde Hickory stood out as having the best balance in both their subtle (Oktoberfest) and aggressive (Death by Hops) beers.

Got my shipment (well done, johnny).

I will have pictures and notes once I work through them all.

We'll see if tonight is an IPA night or a stout night. Time will tell.

But so far if my day is any indication, it's shaping up to be yet another whiskey night.

oilypenguin wrote:

Got my shipment (well done, johnny).

I will have pictures and notes once I work through them all.

We'll see if tonight is an IPA night or a stout night. Time will tell.

But so far if my day is any indication, it's shaping up to be yet another whiskey night.

My whiskey nights usually end up as no drink nights because I put the whiskey down next to the bed and then fall asleep before I can pick it up.

Came home to an amazingly large box at the doorstep. It took me next to forever to unwrap all of them, they were packaged well Thanks EvilHomer3k!

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