BEER Thread!

Jonman wrote:

That's *gallons* of beer. Not surprised that the PNW lags - there's only so many > 7% IPAs you can suck down.

That, right there, is loser talk.

Pretty sure that in addition to beer consumption per capita, Wisconsin is up there for beer consumption in volume, alcohol consumption per capita, and alcohol consumption in volume. Not sure if I am boasting or complaining.

#both?

bhchrist wrote:

#both?

IMAGE(https://image.ibb.co/eeMFYy/1.jpg)

Well, my 5 gallon keg of 5% NEIPA just kicked over the weekend. While I shared ~a gallon of it with others, I can safely say that I am on pace to hold up my end of the donkey for my state's average. A 4.7% ABV Kolsch is headed into that keg to make sure I stay on track.

bhchrist wrote:
Jonman wrote:

That's *gallons* of beer. Not surprised that the PNW lags - there's only so many > 7% IPAs you can suck down.

That, right there, is loser talk.

Sorry, can't hear you over the noise of the wind on this mountain-top while I'm wiping hoppy froth off my hipster mustache with my plaid sleeve.

Lugging 3.2% beer up mountains is for chumps. Maybe the lack of mountains is why all the flat-landers like weak-ass beer?

T-Prime wrote:

As a Michigander I'm seriously surprised how low we are on that scale.

Came here to post this exact thing. Although when you look at the next image in the article for toral amount of beer consumed:

IMAGE(https://static.vinepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/gallons-beer-by-state-2018.png)

We're in the top 10, so...There's that at least

Jonman wrote:
bhchrist wrote:
Jonman wrote:

That's *gallons* of beer. Not surprised that the PNW lags - there's only so many > 7% IPAs you can suck down.

That, right there, is loser talk.

Sorry, can't hear you over the noise of the wind on this mountain-top while I'm wiping hoppy froth off my hipster mustache with my plaid sleeve.

Lugging 3.2% beer up mountains is for chumps. Maybe the lack of mountains is why all the flat-landers like weak-ass beer? :)

Sounds like middle-of-the-road to me!

Checks mental beer log from past ten days (including Madison Craft Beer Week):

A dozen beers between 10% and 18% ABV
IIPA
Trippel
Barleywine
Doppelbock
Multiple Stouts

When Winter decides to intrude upon spring multiple times, us hearty cheese eating, cow tipping, pseudo-hipsters need something more than your puny god 7%ers to keep warm, despite all our built in natural midsection insulation.

Stick that in your hash pipe and smoke it!

The husband and I were in Vancouver the first weekend of May, ostensibly to run the half marathon, but also to check out some breweries while we were in there. Van has tons of craft breweries right now, so there was no way we could see everything, but we did get to 6!

We took the SkyTrain out to Port Moody for an afternoon trip on Monday. Port Moody has four breweries, all on the same street and all within 2 blocks of each other! Yellow Dog was great, Twin Sails had some astounding sours and hazies, Parkside was alright, and Moody Ales had a delicious and boozy Russian Imperial Stout. I lucked out at Twin Sails: They host another brewery at their space, Coalesce Beer, who specialize in mixed fermentation and wood aged beer and they'd just released their final 3 styles. I managed to bring two bottles of their To the Wind home with me. It's a mixed fermentation beer aged in oak barrels with Pinot Noir grapes. It was mind blowing.*

Our final day in Vancouver had us heading to two breweries in the Mount Pleasant area where our condo was: 33 Acres and Faculty Brewing. 33 Acres was really great. Clean white interior with lots of plants, excellent beer and pizza. The original plan was to spend our last few hours there, but we started to feel guilty. It stayed consistently busy the who time we were there, and our luggage was taking up space. So we headed up to Faculty, a brewery we didn't even know existed until we went for breakfast that morning.

On top of all this, a friend used to be the bar manager for Craft Beer Market, a restaurant only 5 minutes from our condo, and gave me a list of beer homework to work through at dinner one night. My liver needed a break by the time we got to the airport

According to untappd, I drank 17 different beers in the time we were there, but I know for a fact I forgot to log all of them. Next time I'll bring another piece of luggage so I can bring more home with me. If you're curious, I made a photo album of the breweries we visited.

*Just found out this morning that Coalesce is no longer making beers. Which makes me sad, because they were so amazing. But I also found out that a local brewer knows them quite well and is thinking of bringing them out here to collaborate, which makes me very very happy.

Trachalio wrote:

According to untappd, I drank 17 different beers in the time we were there, but I know for a fact I forgot to log all of them. Next time I'll bring another piece of luggage so I can bring more home with me. If you're curious, I made a photo album of the breweries we visited.

You are one of my favorite untapped follows, based on the wonderful places you get to. Give me a heads up if you ever do a Wisconsin/Midwest trip!

This is a must read for beer lovers. I will certainly be picking up the book.

https://www.pastemagazine.com/articl...

A small tid bit:

To whit, AB InBev divided their whole beer portfolio into “occasions.” These occasions had titles such as “everyday food occasions,” “hanging out occasions,” “indulging occasions,” “partying occasions,” “relaxing occasions” and “savoring occasions.” Ask yourself now: In which of those occasions do you turn to craft beer?

If you’re like me, or like just about anyone else who primarily consumes more flavorful beer styles, your response would be “all of them.” After all, what is even the difference between “indulging” and “savoring,” anyway? Who doesn’t enjoy craft beer styles paired with various foodstuffs? Or a craft beer while relaxing? Or while “hanging out”?

AB InBev, on the other hand, denoted exactly ONE of those occasions as appropriate for Goose Island, and that was “savoring,” right alongside Stella Artois and Shock Top. All the other occasions were meant to be the realm of Budweiser. Seriously. Here’s the full breakdown.

Everyday food occasions: Budweiser, Bud Light, Busch, Busch Light

Hanging out occasions: Bud Light, Budweiser, Natural Light, Rolling Rock

Indulging occasions: Bud Light Lime, Rita beers, Shock Top, Stella Artois

Partying occasions: Bud Light Platinum, Budweiser Black Crown, Beck’s, Rita beers

Relaxing occasions: Budweiser, Bud Light, Busch, Busch Light

Savoring occasions: Stella Artois, Shock Top, Goose Island, Leffe

I mean YEAH, who wants to pair a crisp, spicy saison with their nice piece of fish when they could have a Busch Light, right? I don’t know about you, but I certainly prefer to “indulge” with “Rita beers” than with a rich, vinous Belgian dark strong ale.

tl;dr f*ck AB-InBev (and MillerCoors, Constellation, etc.) and all of their acquisitions. That's the mantra that I live by. These days, I keep an up-to-date Google doc titled "beer sh*t list" that lists all breweries that are totally owned by macro-beer companies, because, sadly, there are so many now that trying to remember them all is damn near impossible.

Time to start brewing your own, MeatMan!

bhchrist wrote:

Time to start brewing your own, MeatMan!

I'll second that! I have a bunch of beers right now from the latest Tavour crate, but I'm leaving them in the box for now since my current favorite and go-to is a New England IPA I made myself and kegged last week

bhchrist wrote:

Time to start brewing your own, MeatMan!

A few years ago, I attempted to brew a handful of beers using the Mr. Beer system, which seems like the equivalent of Fisher Price's Baby's First Beer, because so much of the work is done for you. A couple of the beers were actually decent, particulary the pilsner, which turned out quite good. I stopped buying their stuff a couple years ago, deciding to go to BIAB whenever I felt like brewing again, but I never got around to it. I partially blame the great craft beer bar that opened very near me last July. These days, I'm there every Tuesday and Thursday, and sometimes Friday or Saturday, and have made new friends with the other regulars. Some of us occasionally bring in bottles and bombers to share with regulars and the owners. It's kind of my home-away-from-home at this point.

bhchrist wrote:
Trachalio wrote:

According to untappd, I drank 17 different beers in the time we were there, but I know for a fact I forgot to log all of them. Next time I'll bring another piece of luggage so I can bring more home with me. If you're curious, I made a photo album of the breweries we visited.

You are one of my favorite untapped follows, based on the wonderful places you get to. Give me a heads up if you ever do a Wisconsin/Midwest trip!

Thanks man! I've really been enjoying this new hobby of mine and I don't see it ending any time soon I'll definitely let you know if we're down your way!

The argument for drinking your Guinness... out of a martini glass?

Listen, I'm all for science and all, and for getting my beer quicker. But that glass looks incredibly unwieldy. I'm happy to wait the extra few minutes for a "proper" pour instead of a faster one

CptDomano wrote:
T-Prime wrote:

As a Michigander I'm seriously surprised how low we are on that scale.

Came here to post this exact thing. Although when you look at the next image in the article for toral amount of beer consumed:

IMAGE(https://static.vinepair.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/gallons-beer-by-state-2018.png)

We're in the top 10, so...There's that at least :lol:

So Michigan has less spirited beer drinkers, but the ones we do have are voracious. Sounds about right.

Hey fellow beer drinkers, the wife and I are off to Ohio next week for vacation, visiting Cleveland and Cincinnati. We've never been, and we just wanted to check it out and see what's out there.

There's a web page for Ohio craft breweries, and it's both massive and I have never heard of any of them, so it's hard to tell where to stop. So my question to you is: what breweries are worth stopping for and visiting?

Trachalio wrote:

The argument for drinking your Guinness... out of a martini glass?

Listen, I'm all for science and all, and for getting my beer quicker. But that glass looks incredibly unwieldy. I'm happy to wait the extra few minutes for a "proper" pour instead of a faster one ;)

As a fan of a ludicrously outsized martini, those glasses are not as unwieldy as you think.

d4m0 wrote:

Hey fellow beer drinkers, the wife and I are off to Ohio next week for vacation, visiting Cleveland and Cincinnati. We've never been, and we just wanted to check it out and see what's out there.

There's a web page for Ohio craft breweries, and it's both massive and I have never heard of any of them, so it's hard to tell where to stop. So my question to you is: what breweries are worth stopping for and visiting?

Great Lakes in Cleveland. I think there are 4 or 5 breweries right around there (in some cases an block or two away, including Hansa, which I have heard good things about but never been). I have had outstanding beers from Hoppin' Frog, but that is further south. No clue as to Cinci. Best bet? Go to Great Lakes and try to chat up a couple locals who seem to know beer (heck, even one of the bartenders), say you plan to stop a few other places and ask which ones they recommend. Worked great for me when I was in Knoxville, TN a couple years ago.

Definitely ask the bar tenders at Great Lakes.

Awesome, thanks guys! I will do exactly that. Can't wait to check it out.

boogle wrote:

Definitely ask the bar tenders at Great Lakes.

boogle, I am very proud of you. I would have expected a reply along the lines of "drive up to Michigan for some real beer."

bhchrist wrote:
boogle wrote:

Definitely ask the bar tenders at Great Lakes.

boogle, I am very proud of you. I would have expected a reply along the lines of "drive up to Michigan for some real beer."

Fun fact: I recently did that! (the bolded part)

So three friends and I have been going to Indianapolis every spring to eat good food, drink good beer, and generally have a good time. This year one of those friends and I decided to go on a road trip within our road trip. On the Saturday of the vacation, we first arrived at 3 Floyds just before they opened. As a lifelong metalhead, I loved hanging out in their taproom. Not only are their beers great, but they have a rack behind the bar that houses a turntable along with what looked like at least 100 vinyl albums, all of which are metal. And the metal was being pumped through the taproom's speakers. \m/

From there we went to Burn 'Em brewing, a tiny place in Michigan City. The only reason we stopped there is because, last year at Tappers (beer arcade) in Indy, they had a beer on tap from them called Red Dead Revelvet, and it was delicious. Sadly, it wasn't in production this year.

Then, we went to Michigan. We had originally wanted to go to three breweries in the state, but due to time contraints, we had to skip Bell's. Our first stop in Michigan was New Holland's taproom, where I had a flight including Turbo Neon Eagle, Tangerine Space Machine, Hoptronix, and Dragon's Milk Cherry Chocolate. While sitting at the bar, we had a great server who talked to us about good beer places in the area. One of the bottle shops he told us about was D. Schuler's, which was on the way to our next taproom. Combined, we spent over $250 there. So many good breweries that I knew of but are not available where I live, plus a lot of beers I'd never heard of that looked interesting.

D. Schuler's is just outside Grand Rapids, which is home to my favorite brewery, Founders. As the person not driving, I was already a little toasty when we arrived, but that didn't stop me from starting with a flight of four heavy hitters: Lizard of Koz, KBS, Doom, and a Black Barleywine. The taproom is gourgeous and huge and has a decent-sized stage for live music. When we finally decided to leave, I browsed the merch room and bought a 6-pack of Sleeper Cell from the Mothership Series. We arrived back at the hotel in Indy at about half past midnight.

When we got back to our hometown, I took a photo of all the beer my friend and I brought back. Sorry for the sh*tty quality; my table was overly backlit by the window, but you may be able to recognize some of the beers. Some highlights: two new beers from 3 Floyds (Inverted Fields Ablaze smoked maibock and Argues for Sport grand cru sour), Dogfish Head Wood-Aged Female Doggoes Brew, Uncle Jacob's Stout by Avery Brewing (15.9%!), Prairie Bomb, Christmas Bomb 2017 and 2016, and a cleverly named rum-barrel-aged stout by Saugatuck Brewing called Beam Me Up Stouty.

Sounds like an amazing trip! I'm super jealous of many of those beers. I know I can vouch for the Wood Aged Female Doggoes Brew - it is fantastic. May have to look out for some Uncle Jacob's Stout, because that looks crazy.

bhchrist wrote:
boogle wrote:

Definitely ask the bar tenders at Great Lakes.

boogle, I am very proud of you. I would have expected a reply along the lines of "drive up to Michigan for some real beer."
:)

Also a good idea, but asking bartenders or people who work at breweries for suggestions should be standard imo.

boogle wrote:
bhchrist wrote:
boogle wrote:

Definitely ask the bar tenders at Great Lakes.

boogle, I am very proud of you. I would have expected a reply along the lines of "drive up to Michigan for some real beer."
:)

Also a good idea, but asking bartenders or people who work at breweries for suggestions should be standard imo.

Totally (but conditionally) agree. There has to be a bit of a vetting process. How they describe and discuss their own beer and personal tastes usually give a pretty good idea if they know their stuff or were a fill-in hire in a tight market that doesn't know beer outside the info provided in training.

MeatMan, sounds like a great trip. The nice thing is there are options almost regardless of location in Michigan. The Kalamazoo area with Bell's, Arcadia, and others; Founders due north on 131 (and New Holland and Saugatuck NW), Dark Horse east of there on 94; Jolly Pumpkin in Dexter; Kuhnhenn and Dragonmead in Warren to the east; and Right Brain and Short's up in Traverse City area.

It has been long enough since I have been that there are likely great smaller places that are just killing it that I have no idea of. That has been happening in Wisconsin. Yes, there is New Glarus and Ale Asylum as the big names, but Working Draft, Untitled Artists, Karben4, Hop House, and Funk Factory in the Madison Area alone producing excellent beer, not to mention 3 Sheeps in Sheboygan and Door County/Hacienda Brewing being well worth the trip up the eastern edge of the state for a beercation.

It is getting harder and harder to plan beer trips (or easier?).

I had the very rare kidless/wifeless weekend last week and used it as an excuse to drive to Madison WI to stock up on Meerts from Funk Factory Geuzeria.

Dang, Nofair, I would have met you there! Was solo most of last weekend as well. Meerts is worth the drive for sure.

One of our local breweries has an excellent library of beer/brewing/mead making books, and I spotted this gem in it:

IMAGE(https://i.imgur.com/QvAHTNQ.jpg)

Went on Amazon, discovered that it's out of print, but still darn cheap used. Almost 20 years old now (published in 2001(?)), but it's got so many very, very pretty pictures:

IMAGE(https://media.giphy.com/media/csRgR8TZrW2S9Jol9D/giphy.gif)

It's been a while since I lived in Cincy, but I'd recommend Listermann. They were my homebrew supply shop, and they added a small bar/tasting room for their own brews slightly before I moved away. They were nice folks and made really good beer.

IMAGE(https://i.redd.it/bc5w3vx8jia11.jpg)

IMAGE(https://media.giphy.com/media/oUih5WOoOEvSg/giphy.gif)