Skinsfan1311

The Moretti is like most Italian beers that I've had. Refreshing lagers, but not real memorable. I'm not Double, but I drank a lot of it when we stayed in St. Lucia. It's pretty good, but there's something about the Caribbean that makes most beers taste good. Must be the heat, humidity and the sunshine. BTW, one of my most memorable dives, was at the base of the Pitons. At approximately 110', the base of one of them meets the ocean floor. The visibility is superb and it was teeming with life. I saw the biggest school of barracuda that I've ever seen above us, there were hundreds 'em. It was kind of eerie. I also saw a huge grouper. Truthfully, the grouper made me more nervous. It was huge and very close. Back to the beer. It seems to me that beers that taste great in the Caribbean, aren't so great when you have them stateside. Part of the reason is that vacation mode that seems to make everything good...and the other reason, IMO, is the way that the beer was handled. I'm sure that a lot of it is exposed to heat and light, which is a sure-fire way to ruin it...

I've only ever had it on draft and it was good, but not definitely not "kegworthy" The bitterness is just not enought to warrant even a six-pack purchase. That being said, I will admit that I had a few in Vermont, and the brewery is in New England, so maybe it was really fresh? That's a damn good price on the Loose Cannon. I'm looking forward to your review of the Birra Moretti. I didn't realize that they even brewed a dopplebock. My curiosity is peaked. I lived in Naples, Italy, for 4 years, (albeit it was a while back), and thought I tried every beer that Moretti had to offer. :whoknows:

If you like ice cold Foster's, then you will probably like Peroni, Nastro Azzuro or Birra Moretti. They're all lagers and they're pretty crisp and refreshing. Because of Italy's proximity to the rest of Europe, you'll have access to all kinds of great beer. Go for the German beers, get 'em on draft, when possible. There are numerous beers that we can't get stateside. Enjoy!

I snagged a sixer of the Maximus, when we were in Lake Tahoe, back in February. It was on sale at the local grocery store for around $7.00, so I couldn't resist. Your review is spot on. Truthfully, I couldn't detect even a hint of malt. It was ok, but nothing that I would consider buying again. I prefer the Lagunitas IPA...

Just tapped a keg of this.... My local beer guy let it go for $130.00 tax included. Someone ordered it, and changed his mind. Saved me $28.00!! Now...I'm just waiting for the keg to settle....in the meantime, I'm drinking a Peroni...

Sucks about the tank. The thing that sticks out is the 5/16" line. It should really be 3/16", which is the industry standard. The liquid temp should be 38 degrees. With a calibrated thermomter, do the "chug" test. Pour small amount of beer, chug it, pour another beer and immediately take the temperature of the beer. The thermometer should read 38 degrees. I don't know what the volume of CO2 should be for those styles, but 10psi seems too low. If you don't finish the beer in a reasonable amount of time, it will start to lose carbonation and go flat. If you want more fizz, and assuming a liquid temp of 38 degrees, I would replace the 5/16" with 7' of 3/16" line,(the longer the line, the more it restricts the flow). Bump the pressure up to 12 lbs PSI. If it pours too slow, then trim it in 6" lengths until you get a pour that you're happy with. If the liquid temp is below 38 degrees, lower the pressure around 1lb for every degree below 38. (that's because beer absorbs more CO2at lower temps) If it's above 38 degrees, lower the pressure at least 1lb for every degree above 38. That's because the beer absorbs less CO2 at higher temps. Temperature is the most critical component to having a balanced system. Remember, CO2 breaks out of solution at temps above 38 degrees. If you're dispensing ales, (many of which are meant to be served at warmer temps), simply pour the beer and wait a couple of minutes for it to warm up. You can cheat a little, by lower the temp, and bumping up the pressure, (like I described above), but beer should be stored and served at 38 degrees. Good luck!

Thanks! I installed a Dayton 12CFM blower. It's mounted it in the back corner of the box, below the cold-plate. I spliced an old PC power cord into wires that power the compressor. I connected a vinyl hose to the outlet that goes up into the tower, about 1/3'rd of the way up. You need very little airflow to cool the tower..as long as you're getting a little return airflow, (from the bottom of the tower back into the box), then you're good. If your going to install one, shoot me a PM, and I can give you more detail. With that being said, if your getting good pours, then don't mess with it. (i.e. if it ain't broke, don't fix it) I installed it because older kegerators have 2 1/2" towers which are too small, (IMO), to get decent airflow back into the box and I was getting foamy pours. The tower cooler installation made that go away. I also installed a small circulating fan, which makes the temps in the box consistent from top to bottom, which has eliminated frost build-up on the cooling plate. It also made the temp drop a couple degrees, so I had to dial back the thermostat even more. As far as CO2 storage, I have a 5lb steel tank, that's stored inside the unit. I also have a spare 5lb tank and the good fortune to have a friend who works at AirGas who hooks me up with free refills If I had my druthers, I'd store 'em outside, if I could keep them out of sight, but there is not enough room in the Skins cave to do so. Even if you're friend gives you the tanks, you need to make sure that they've been hydrostatically(sp?) tested. You're best bet may be to just buy a spare 5lb aluminum tank. You should be able to find 'em for $50.00 - $60.00 and keep it on hand, so you never run out of CO2 Good luck! Hope this helps!

I don't like the Holy Sheet. It's supposed to be a Belgian style ale and, I think it fails. Truth is, I'm not a big fan of Belgian style ales, so maybe it's good, but I don't like it. Too sweet for my taste. Go for the Double Dog or the Loose Cannon or, if they have it, give the Sierra Nevada Torpedo a try. Lot's of delicous hop flavors. The variety of hops that they use gives the Torpedo more of a bite than the Loose Cannon. Dammit....this thread makes me want a beer, and I just happen to have a couple of Torpedo's in the fridge...

Both! Loose Cannon now....and make Peg Leg the last beer of the night...then guzzle some water and call it a night......

LOL! Here's the only one that I have....it only shows the top of the handle, but you get the idea. I'm too lazy to snap any pics and upload 'em right now...

Yes it's mine. It's an old Kenmore, (mfg year is 1987), that was gifted to me a few years ago. It was given up for dead, but I resurrected it. The unit was left out in the weather for a few years, and was pretty nasty, (dirt, bugs, etc.), and it was falling apart. It did, however, get cold when I plugged it in. It was originally brown, with one of those vinyl-covered particle board table-tops that was water damaged beyond repair. Over the course of a couple of weekends I cleaned it up, re-wired it, added insulation, installed a tower cooler, made a new table top and painted it. I used Rustoleum spray paint, and did the best I could to match up the burgundy. I also painted the mug-rail with the Rustoleum. The table top is a piece of butcher block that I cut to size and routed. I used the Home Depot "Glidden NFL colors" paint. I also stuck a Redskins vinyl adhesive decal,(it came with a Fathead) on the table-top, near the front. The color for the table-top is spot on, because the decal is gold, with burgundy letters, and it blends seamlessly. The Redskins *Budweiser sign on the door is metal. It was also gifted to me. I used some type of 3M double-sided adhesive to affix the sign to the door. I added new beer line and a stainless Perlick forward sealing faucet. Recently, I was concerned, because the liquid temp of the beer was only 41 degrees. (CO2 comes out of solution at temps above 38 degrees..i.e. foamy pours) It was an easy fix. All I did was replace the door-liner and door gasket with OEM parts, (which I was surprised to find, given that the unit is so old) Damn thing gets so cold now that I have to dial the thermostat up to keep it from freezing the beer lines. I probably dumped around $300.00 into it. My favorite part, which you can't see in those pics, is the Redskins tap-handle. I got Chris Cooley to autograph it and put "Dallas Sucks!" on it. *no Budweiser product will ever be dispensed from this kegerator

Agreed. Wine gives me a headache. Give me a beer, anytime!

Forget about a "fridge keg" Get one of these.... ......and fill it with this...

Check the dates....the older, the better. If they have the '09, buy a couple of 4-packs. Open one and try it now. It's pretty decent. Open another one in 6 months, and try it...then again 3 months after that, and so on. You'll be amazed at how it evolves.

If you like barleywine style, then try to get you hands on some Heavy Seas Below Decks. It's very malty and ,even for a hop-head like me, it's delicious. It's actually vintage dated and is meant to be aged. I have a few bottles left from '06, '07 & ,'08 and I'm definitely going to get my hands on some of the '09. It's absolutely amazing the way it evolves as it ages. The ABV is around 10% and it's definitely a "winter warmer" type beer. When you drink the barleywines, you definitely need to let it warm up, (i.e. 45-50 degrees), to get all of the flavor profiles. There's a lot going on in that beer and it's all good.

On a sad note, my keg of Loose Cannon ran out last night. Can my beer bretheren please have a moment of silence or, better yet, hoist a pint in memory of the dearly departed keg? Thank you.

Drink whatever you think tastes good, and don't worry about what we "beer snobs" think. Just be careful when you "drink your face off" Some people, (gasp!), don't even like beer.

I just tried a Yuengling Bock beer. I had no idea that they brewed one. The taste is hard to describe, you can tell it's a Yuengling. It's darker and seems a tad maltier. It wasn't anything to write home about, but it wasn't too bad. The Yuengling porter is much better.

I've had the amber....which ain't bad..but I'm telling you, the beer that we had on draft was as dark as diesel oil. Maybe it wasn't Dos Equis?

D+ ?? Why such a high rating? I think Corona is Spanish for "sour":ols: The best Mexican beer that I've ever had was Dos Equis Dark. We drank some on draft in Riviera Maya. What's weird, is that I did a search for Dos Equis Dark,(to post a pic), and I can't find it. In fact, according to the Dos Equis website states that they only brew 2 beers, the lager and the amber lager. It was back in '06 when we tried it and I know for a fact that it was Dos Equis. Our dive guide, (a German), suggested it at the bar, because he said it was the only decent beer in Mexico. Maybe they quit brewing it? :whoknows:

I didn't know that either, until the brewer explained it to me. He did say that the issues with cans affecting the taste of beer is a thing of the past. I guess the best way to find out is find something available in cans and bottles, that is palatable, and try a blind taste test. Yuengling maybe?

Why? As far as packaging is concerned, cans are superior to bottles. Less air in the headspace when filled, no light can penetrate it and it's cheaper to can beer, than to bottle it. The only reason more craft brewers don't can beer, is because the perception that beer is "better" in bottles and bottles look better. I learned that talking to the managing partner of a local craft brewer. That's probably the reason that Brewer's Art is putting it in cans. As far as the Resurrection goes...agreed....it's damn good.

If you're buying bombers, check out the Heavy Seas Big DIPA,(if you're into hops). They're limited edition, but they may still have some. They may also have Heavy Seas Siren Noire, which is an incredible stout...

Agreed. I've had Ruination and it is very good.

If you're going to drop that kind of $$$, and if you like hops, you might as well spend another $5.00 and get a sixer of Oaked Arrogant ****.