The Beer Thread

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Heavy Seas Small Craft Warning (Imperial Pilsner)

A radiant, golden color, about 80% clear. Small, but soapy white head...a lot of bubbles flying up from the bottom of the lager glass. On the nose the malts come off as sugary: Caramel, biscuits and wheat. Hops are extremely toned down in the aroma, only a touch of flowers. I really enjoy the flavor of this beer. Getting a lot of darker malt than expected, it's sa-weet! Biscuits with butter, caramel, very sugary flavor. You can even interpret this as being chocolaty, as unexpected as that is. Especially on the aftertaste. The hops that merely accent the beer are citrusy and flowery, and there's a sneaky wheat undertone to all this. The body on this beer is shockingly big, it's almost milky! Did not expect that at all. Quite impressed. I have to give this an A for (A)ss-kickery and malt complexity. Good job, Heavy Seas. (93/100)

Edited May 24, 2011 by d0ublestr0ker0ll

[grego]

Heavy Seas Loose Cannon Hop3 IPA

had 2 tonight. one of my favorite beers. a must for hop heads. and the small craft warning is my favorite pilsner.

[Hdf561]

Anyone ever had any of these? http://www.firemansbrew.com/off-duty-drinks I think its only available in California, would love to get my hands on some. I typically like to support beers, food and resturants that promote my profession like these places

http://www.hookandladderbeer.com/Public/Default.aspx

http://www.thehalliganbar.com/

[JMURedskins]

Anyone ever had any of these? http://www.firemansbrew.com/off-duty-drinks I think its only available in California, would love to get my hands on some. I typically like to support beers, food and resturants that promote my profession like these places

http://www.hookandladderbeer.com/Public/Default.aspx

http://www.thehalliganbar.com/

Heroes in Annapolis has 40-50 beers on tap and is a firemen/policemen supporting bar.

Edited May 24, 2011 by JMURedskins

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

I've had the Hook & Ladder Backdraft Brown. Toned down brown ale. I believe their brewery is in Silver Spring, MD, although I've never actually seen it.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Had 3 Guinness Foreign Extra Stouts last night...followed up by the Small Craft Warning and Loose Cannon from Heavy Seas.

The head on this thing is damn big, and it stays true for a very long time. Tons of lacing when it finally subsides. Smell is mostly dark fruit, with smokey roast right behind it. Getting quite a bit of that alcohol on the nose, a little chocolate and coffee to boot. Same pretty much goes for the flavor: Dark fruit and roast mostly, chocolate in there with a small touch of hops and coffee. Alcohol is more well hidden in the flavor. Body on this thing is satisfactory, high carbonation feels fluffy in the mouth...nice stuff.

Between the 3 beers I'd have to give the Loose Cannon the highest scores, with the Small Craft not far behind at all...the Guinness is an A- beer, barely. 90/100.

Edited May 31, 2011 by d0ublestr0ker0ll

[grego]

had one of these last night http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/130/35246

boulder beer, double IPA.

lots of beers claim to be hoppy (even miller lite- TRIPLE HOP BREWED!!! ****ing piss water). this one delivers. for lovers of sierra nevada torpedo and loose cannon, you will like this. i give it an A.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Shattered my Duvel glass while drinking last week. I was thrilled, because that meant I had to buy another Duvel gift box. 4 Duvels and the tulip glass. I've had the Duvel before, it's basically a very sweet and incredibly carbonated yeast bomb. A-

Heavy Seas Mutiny Fleet Hang Ten (Weizen Dopplebock)

Dark copper, murky. Head is pretty bright tan, nice lacing - only after swirling it around in the glass. Aroma is rich and pungent, amazingly powerfu --: Caramel, yeast, toast, wheat, almonds and bread.

Taste: Massive flavor. Tons of malts. The caramel, brown sugar, wheat and chocolate flavors are all very strong. Carbonation is low and the body is like motor oil. It has some yeast and hops to accent, but it's mostly a massive malt bomb. Just a thick, sweet, oily brew with a huge flavor. The carbonation is turned way low, but it nonetheless kicks ass, get this one if you love big beers. My favorite beer by Heavy Seas so far.

94/100 (A)

Edited June 15, 2011 by d0ublestr0ker0ll

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

The past two weeks I've had some Guinness Extra Stout, Anchor Porter and Natty Bo. The Natty Bo is a great beer to swig the hell out of, and the Guinness is so underrated. It's right up there with its brother, the Extra Foreign Stout. Really like it. The Anchor (from what I remember) is very dark brown and mostly tasted of dark fruits and roasted chocolate. Mild hopping, 5% alcohol, but absolutely a creamy body. She's very, very easy to drink for such a heavily bodied beer. I'll give it a 90/100.

Edited June 15, 2011 by d0ublestr0ker0ll

[China]

uNQa5HCUYCQ

[Enforcer_FFX]

FYI - if you are in the Northern VA/DC Area - there's a brewfest this weekend:

http://novabrewfest.com/summer/

I've gone before and it's a good way to try some craft brews that you may not have sampled before.

[MattFancy]

Has anyone had the Dogfish Head Peach Beer? I had it the other day and it was really good. That's a good beer for a warm summer day. Didn't think peach would taste good in beer, but it was actually really good.

[#98QBKiller]

Has anyone had the Dogfish Head Peach Beer? I had it the other day and it was really good. That's a good beer for a warm summer day. Didn't think peach would taste good in beer, but it was actually really good.

I wasn't a big fan of it, but I do enjoy their apricot beer which I think is their spring seasonal. Seadog also makes some good fruity summer beers:

http://www.seadogbrewing.com/

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Has anyone had the Dogfish Head Peach Beer? I had it the other day and it was really good. That's a good beer for a warm summer day. Didn't think peach would taste good in beer, but it was actually really good.

Is that the Festina Peche? It's weird, I like it though. Real tart spice to it from what I remember. Only had a 4oz sampler. If you like peach you might like the Aprihop. Malt-less IPA with a touch of apricots, strong hop bitterness. Not as good as the 60, 90 or 120, but cheaper (around here at least) and still darn good.

For the first time, this Thursday, I'm having a beer that I've aged in my cellar. A Dogfish Head Midas Touch 4-pack turns two years old (bottled on 6/23/09). Will be getting a fresh pack of Midas Touch to compare flavors. Will only be drinking one of the aged Midas Touches, though. The other three will have to wait their turn every year.

Right now in my cellar I have:

Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale

Flying Dog Raging *****

Flying Dog Double Dog

Unibroue Trois Pistoles

(2) Heavy Seas Loose Cannons

Heavy Seas Small Craft Warning

Heavy Seas Peg Leg

Anchor Porter

Samuel Adams Wee Heavy

Guinness Foreign Extra

There are other beers in there like the Sam Adams Summer Ale and Boston Lager, but just as a "buffer" in case I'm out of beer. Will keep me from drinking something I want to age when I have a craving.

Edited June 24, 2011 by d0ublestr0ker0ll

[SuperSkinette]

Can any of you help me out with a beer selection? I don't know much about the different kinds of beers, but I'd like to send my boyfriend something nice just because. As a reference point, his favorite is Sam Adams.

Any suggestions?

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Can any of you help me out with a beer selection? I don't know much about the different kinds of beers, but I'd like to send my boyfriend something nice just because. As a reference point, his favorite is Sam Adams.

Any suggestions?

Sam Adams has a lot of different "flavors" (or styles) of beer. Their most popular stuff is the Sam Adams Boston Lager. Go to the beer store and look for it, around the Boston Lager should be several different other styles of Sam Adams beer. There might even be a variety pack, perhaps that would be a good idea.

Unfortunately I can't read his mind, so it's a shot in the dark to guess which beer he'd enjoy. The Sam Adams Cream Stout is my favorite popular beer by them, you can usually find that stuff anywhere.

[SuperSkinette]

Thanks for the suggestions! Do you have any recommendations for anything else besides Sam Adams? I'd like to send him something he's never tried before. He also likes dark beers in general and he's really not too picky, so anything you think is good will probably suit just fine.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Dogfish Head Midas Touch (Bottle Aged 2 Years)

I had a fresh bottle of Midas Touch to compare with the aged one.

Aged: Much darker color than the fresh brew, deep bronze instead of a bright honey color. The head leaves a chunkier lacing and is a darker tan. Both beers have a subdued aroma, but their appearances are quite different.

The flavor of the aged Midas Touch is radiant. Barley, honey, and juicy grapes (not nearly as sour as the fresh Midas Touch). It's also not as sharp of an initial flavor as the fresh version, rather more of a streamlined and elongated tasting experience.

The biggest difference, besides maybe the appearance of the brew, is the body. So much more mellow, so silky, especially on the finish. It's one of those "silky sheet" finishes that just fits perfectly. I poured all the beer in there, and the amount of sediment floating around is ridiculous.

As far as grading it on a level playing field, with all the other craft beers, this puppy gets high marks. Better than the fresh Midas Touch by a bit. Until next year, when the other three Midas Touches turn 3 years old.

96/100 (A)

Edited July 15, 2011 by d0ublestr0ker0ll

[IONTOP]

Can any of you help me out with a beer selection? I don't know much about the different kinds of beers, but I'd like to send my boyfriend something nice just because. As a reference point, his favorite is Sam Adams.

Any suggestions?

As Double said, I can't give you a beer for that description... Give us 2 others that you've seen him enjoy and we'll do you right...

[GoSkins561]

Thanks for the suggestions! Do you have any recommendations for anything else besides Sam Adams? I'd like to send him something he's never tried before. He also likes dark beers in general and he's really not too picky, so anything you think is good will probably suit just fine.

Anchor Steam is a solid beer that isn't over powering.

[Warpath11]

Thanks for the suggestions! Do you have any recommendations for anything else besides Sam Adams? I'd like to send him something he's never tried before. He also likes dark beers in general and he's really not too picky, so anything you think is good will probably suit just fine.

First off good move on sending your man some brew. As far as the beer goes there are alot of choices but to help we need a bit more of a narrowed focus. I presonally like dark brews myself but on a hot summer day some of those big dark brews go down like syrup. I would suggest getting him a mix pack with several IPAs (not huge ones), lagers/pilsners, and even a wheat beer. There are many too choose from, you can start by looking at this thread and some of the reviews people have done on many of the beers your boyfriend may enjoy.

[L7Panda]

Cold .. Draft .. Smithwick's.

or

Cold .. Bottle .. BEER.

[allannis]

Thanks for the suggestions! Do you have any recommendations for anything else besides Sam Adams? I'd like to send him something he's never tried before. He also likes dark beers in general and he's really not too picky, so anything you think is good will probably suit just fine.

Go to a place that sells beer by the bottle, and buy him several different kinds, and let him figure out what he likes best. Remember there is only good beer and better beer.

[drtdrums]

Gulden Draak.

*sigh* I love this stuff.

[d0ublestr0ker0ll]

Dogfish Head 120 is hitting shelves across the land today. Great news, I friggen' love the stuff. Been craving it more than any beer out there.

http://www.dogfish.com/community/blogfish/members/mariah/share-and-share-alike.htm

Thanks for the suggestions! Do you have any recommendations for anything else besides Sam Adams? I'd like to send him something he's never tried before. He also likes dark beers in general and he's really not too picky, so anything you think is good will probably suit just fine.

Just a suggestion, not all beers come in cans or 12oz bottles. If you can find a store that focuses a little more on "craft beer", they'll in all likelihood have large single bottles of beer. Then you can really start choosing on a whim, since the majority of single bottles are high quality. The catch is that on average, the price for a single bottle of really good stuff can cost around $8. You might even see single bottles that cost $20, and even higher. There are some sacred beers out there that will cost you a pretty penny if love your man enough.

Another suggestion, a lot of liquor stores (in Maryland at least) have craft beer shelves, it'd probably be a good idea to check liquor stores.

In any case, the darker styles of beer you'll most commonly come across are (write these down): "Stouts" (or Imperial Stouts), "Brown Ales", "Porters", and "Dopplebocks".

If you're set on buying a pack of beer for him, I'll suggest some of the most common dark beers you'll see (All these beers are very good): Sierra Nevada Stout, Dogfish Head Indian Brown Ale, Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron, Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter, Heavy Seas Peg Leg Imperial Stout, Samuel Adams Imperial Dopplebock, Samuel Adams Cream Stout and Samuel Adams Imperial Stout.

The Guinness Extra Stout is worth a mention, but it's SO common that it's not very unique of a beer-gift. Hope this helps, any more questions and I'll be happy to help!

Edited July 15, 2011 by d0ublestr0ker0ll