Beer!

[Jason Marconnet (Pint sized mod)]

I can't believe we've gone this long without starting a beer thread. I enjoyed the one on the old board and actually tried some of the beverages that were liked by others.

I've discovered that I really like Sam Adams Oktoberfest. I've never enjoyed the Boston Lager but this Oktoberfest is good stuff. I also finally tried Yeungling Black & Tan. Also very good.

[Jason Marconnet (Pint sized mod)]

Beer in a can is nice to have on the golf course or at the beach or camping. A few of the craft breweries are using cans now. There are benefits to using can, one the light can penetrate the can and cause the beer to get a funky taste. Oskar Blues puts all of their beers in cans. Their flagship is Dale's Pale Ale. It's popular but I can't say it's my favorite. It's a bit hoppier than your average pale ale but I think it sort of has a weird taste with the can but a lot of people like it. Another beer in a can I don't care for is Yeungling, I just don't think it works in the format. I tend to like lighter, crisper beers in a can. The Summer Solstice beer I mentioned above works well in a can.

Jeff of Earth-J said:

I am a beer snob but I still enjoy drinking a beer out of a can.

I'll make an exception for Foster's Lager or Boddington's, but few others.

[Jason Marconnet (Pint sized mod)]

My sister-in-law loves Ace. I dont think this is the case with all women but with her and alcohol, the sweeter the better.

Travis Herrick said:

I'm familiar with Ace, and I like their cider but they are pretty sweet.  If I see it I will drink Strongbow which isn't as sweet as like Ace or Woodchuck cider.

[Travis Herrick (Modular Mod)]

I'll drink beer out a can sometimes. Mainly at pool parties though, get something like Tecate.

[Jason Marconnet (Pint sized mod)]

Oh yeah, I love Tecate in a can.

Travis Herrick said:

I'll drink beer out a can sometimes. Mainly at pool parties though, get something like Tecate.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Sierra Nevada 2011 Summerfest: We’ve mentioned Sierra Nevada before but I’ve never tried (or even seen) their Summerfest before. Here’s how it’s described on the label: “Crisp Summer Lager — Summerfest is a Pilsner-style lager brewed for enjoyment on warm summer days — featuring a slight malt sweetness, delicate spicy and floral hop flavor, and a crisp, refreshing finish.” The beer itself tastes exactly as it’s described, and it’s just what I am currently in the mood for, something that’s not too hoppy and not too malty, but a good mixture of both. This beer would go well with anything off the grill.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

I bought three beers today, and currently I’m enjoying the first.

MIDAS TOUCH brewed by Dogfish Head Craft Brewery: This beer has a story.

“Deep inside this tumulus at Gordion in central Turkey, University of Pennsylvania Museum of archaeologists excavated what is quite possibly the tomb of the real King Midas, who inspired the legend. The secrets of the 2700-year-old beverage were unlocked by a Molecular Archaeologist at the Penn Museum, who analyzed residues from the largest Iron age drinking set ever found.”

That’s from the carton (which I didn’t read until after I got home), but it’s not why I bought the beer. I bought it because of the label, which read: “Handcrafted Ancient Ale with barley, honey, white muscat grapes & saffron.” If that doesn’t sound to you much like my regular brew, you’re right. It wasn’t so much the “barley, honey, white muscat grapes & saffron” part that appealed to me as it was the “Handcrafted Ancient Ale” part. That, and this pricey (normally 13 bucks per four-pack) brew was marked down for Craft Brew Week.

Midas Touch is a good brew, but it’s not necessarily a good beer. Very high in alcoholic contentment (9%), it’s the kind of brew to sit and contemplate (which is what I’m doing now); either that, or have with a meal. But not just any meal. It wouldn’t go well with steak, let’s say, but it would go very well with grilled tilapia. Don’t necessarily rush out to try this one, but keep it in the back of your mind.

COMING SOON: Two more beers!

[Jason Marconnet (Pint sized mod)]

Thursday I went back to the beer store and was able to get the Sierra Nevada beer camp pack. They were also having a sale so I got a bunch of other stuff. I went out of town Thursday night and didn't take any of it with me. So I'm trying it now. I started with the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp. Included in this pack is:

California Common

Weizenbock

Double IPA

Black Juniper Ale

 

I tried the California Common first. It was good. Not sure how to describe it other than it's a typical ale, possible a lager. There's not much of a description on the bottle but the box they came in might have some detail. It was refreshing and a good summer beer. Possibly a good go to beer but since this is a special release, that makes the "go to" part difficult. I'm now working on the Weizenbock. It's not bad. It's a wheat beer with some fruit flavor, I think banana and cloves. It's well made and refreshing. I'm just not fond of this style. But it's better than most.

 

My brother tried the Black Juniper Ale and the Double IPA. I took a sip of both. I'll post more when I try a whole one for myself. But on initial tasting, I'd say they were the best of the bunch.

[Wandering Sensei: Moderator Man]

Right now I'm enjoying an Alexander Keith's Nova Scotia style pale ale. I like it, but not as much as my two recent beer trials. The first one is Widmer Brothers Hefeweizen, and the second is a local Indiana brew, Sun King's Cream Ale. Sun King is one of few smaller breweries to put their beer in cans, and I first had their Cream Ale at a local bar. Me and my buddy both loved it, so I went out and bought two four-packs right away. I'd never had a cream ale before, but this is really good (admittedly better out of the tap, but canned is nothing to sneeze at).

[Jason Marconnet (Pint sized mod)]

This weekend I was in Jacksonville. Sunday night I went to Kickback's Gastropub for dinner. This establishment boasts 84 beers on tap and over 400 beers in the bottle. The idea was exciting but when it came time to choose a beer, it was a bit overwhelming. I went with the tap board. They had the usual suspects like Bud Light, Yeungling, Miller light, etc. But that only filled up maybe 5 or 6 spaces on the board. Then they had some of the typical go-to craft beers like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Dale's Pale Ale. After that it was a free for all. I tried a cream ale that I believe was from a local Jackonsville brewery. Sadly it was kinda flat, so I can't give you a good description of it. Same goes for the beer my brother order and his wife's cider. For our next round we order beers we knew like the Sierra Nevada and Pale to see if everything was flat. Those were better but our guess is they get changed out on tap frequently. They also had an extensive food menu but for the most part the food was just alright. I'm going to get snobby here for a moment, bear with me. If a place is going to boast having nearly 500 beers, mostly craft beers then the food needs to be a higher quality than TGI Fridays. That's just my opinion. If I'm ever in Jacksonville I might go again, it had a cool atmosphere and I'm sure I could find a non-flat beer. But I'd rather go to a place with a limited craft beer selection and good food.

[Travis Herrick (Modular Mod)]

This weekend I was in Jacksonville. Sunday night I went to Kickback's Gastropub for dinner. This establishment boasts 84 beers on tap and over 400 beers in the bottle. The idea was exciting but when it came time to choose a beer, it was a bit overwhelming.

 

Yeah we have a place like that around here called the Flying Saucer. Probably not as many beers though, but similar. When I used to go there quite a bit we would just make our own drinking nights. Like try all of the beers with animals in the name. It made for some interesting times.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Boulevard Pale Ale: Now that I’ve learned A-B no longer makes their American Ale, I’m looking for a new “fall back” beer. Among the contenders is Boulevard Pale Ale (brewed in Kansas City), an old favorite from my St. Louis days. It’s perfectly acceptable when I’m in a bit of a “hoppy” mood. Bonus: each six-pack comes in a box that’s the perfect size for storing comic books! I’ll often keep new purchases in Boulevard boxes until I have time to sort them properly. Remember when you were a kid and couldn’t wait to get the prize out of the box of cereal? With Boulevard, the prize is the box! (That may sound as if I don’t think mucj of their beers, but really I do.)

James Boag Tasmanian Lager: This one had two strikes against it from the get-go, neither of which I noticed until after I got home. First, it’s in a green bottle. (One of my three cardinal rules is never to drink beer that comes in green bottles.) Second, it’s expiration date was back in January. It tasted green; stale and green.

[Jason Marconnet (Pint sized mod)]

I just tried the Juniper Black Ale from the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp series. It was quite tasty. As the name suggests it's a dark beer. There's a hop flavor with a hint of juniper that gives it a nice touch. Easy to drink and kind of crip. Not exactly a summer beer but would be a good fall beer.