It's rather vile stuff, yeah. A lot of toffee and skunked hops.

lol, "premium non-export sports lager". You cant even get it here, it was strictly a short run joke beer. That video is a parody of a (I think) Speight's ad that used to be on TV.

if you look down the side bar on this supermarket page, I'm sure you'll see a few familiar names.
http://shop.countdown.co.nz/#url=/Shop/ ... cider/beer

Just plopped out 26$ on one dang pint and a salad. I need to start frequenting crappier bars.

fuck .. that's an expensive both of those. What the hell? I can't imagine paying more than $11 bucks for a salad that's basically a whole meal, and that still leaves a whole crap load for the pint. What did you order?

I was gifted a bottle of Three Philosophers recently. I had heard potent praise of this brew in the past and was most chuffed. Lo and behold, I was left significantly meh. Anyone else have thoughts on this beer? I generally tend to really enjoy Ommegang's stuff, and considering the rep of this, I expected better.

Hype is the enemy of fun.

I really like Three Philosophers thought it tasty as hell.

Maxlreiner Leo Weisse
"Weißbier" wheat beer



probably the best beer south of munich, and with that probably the best in the world

castle maxlrein


brewed in the castle brewery

It's true that mainstream Swedish beer like Falcon, Norrlands Guld and Pripps are disgusting, but Sweden has some amazing breweries just like MacMoney mentioned. Since I have been living in Slovakia for the last 4 years and been enjoying Polish, Slovak and Czech beer at about 1 euro per beer, going to a cheap pub in Stockholm and paying 50kr for a "stor stark" feels like a dagger through the chest. For non-Swedish people, this is like paying 5 bucks for a pint of piss water.

However, Slovakia lacks the possibility to buy some more complex beer in the supermarkets, but thankfully I have found some websites that sell nice microbrewery beer online for a decent price. They opened up a great beer place close to me as well, so the country is starting to learn more about this magnificent drink.

Any one have a beer called Moosbacher? One of the best Bavarian bees I've ever had but my local liquor store stopped carrying it. I'm currently trying to figure out how I can obtain one as they are delicious

Just took my first foray into American beer, outside of Samuel Adams and Budweiser, with Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Was nice, but not mind blowing. I don't know why, but I got the idea somewhere that this must be the vanguard of quality American beer. That, and I don't usually pay $5 for a single 330ml bottle...

It used to be, for sure. But like Sam Adams's Boston Lager and a number of other staples and big names that are making the rounds, the recipe has gotten old. It doesn't quite cut the mustard as far as modern craft beer goes.

A Newcastle and a chicken caesar salad. Yeah, I'm better off buying a four-pack and making a salad at home.

jesus, was that at like an airport? wtf.

also, Three Philosophers is super. Not the greatest, but certainly very good!

I've only been drinking VA/MD/DC locals lately, with some of my favorites being Flying Dog's Snake Dog, Monocacy's Riot Rye (sooo good), and Hellbender's Red Line Ale. The scene is picking up here!

Hey Frog, if I'm at the Renaissance hotel what are some good places to get beer at? Also what's the best local brew you'd recommend?

I'll be in DC the 1st thru the 4th next month. So like two weeks from now.

Anybody here ever heard of Hop Drop and Roll Ipa? NoDA Brewing in Charlotte, NC I heard lately the canned recipe's been fucked up but if you get it on tap i tell you what.

Any one ever tried some special 'Metal Beer'?
There's beer from Amon Amarth, Iron Maiden, Mötorhead, GWAR and more..

http://loudwire.com/signature-rock-metal-beers-rankings/

or simply "Metalhead".

I've tried a few now and with the exception of the Maiden ale, they're invariably store-brand German pilsners with a fancy logo.
Not that your average German store-brand pils is bad at all, but they're more marketing gimmick than anything.

I've been drinking Atomic Pale Ale a bit - they're on special this month for $10 per 6pack (Aussies will understand what a deal this is) and I've had about .... at least a couple of 6packs, I guess. haha. Getting pretty sick of it now, but as far as low-range, super-hoppy craft beers go, it's pretty good. A bit watery behind the hop taste, but that's alright.

I bought some Burton Baton thus weekend and drank half of it, now I want to age the other half. What's the best way to go about aging beer?

Could be wrong here, but I thought one was really only supposed to age dark beers or sweeter ales. Wouldn't aging a double IPA just take out the hoppiness?

It says right on the box "great for aging". I think it's cause it's oak aged already, I dunno. That's why I'm asking here.

Ah yeah, forgot about the oak-aged part.

Visited some Michigan friends this weekend and picked up Nicie Spicie by Shorts and Too Cream Stout by Dark Horse. As always, Shorts is a goddamn amazing brewery and hunting down their releases during my rare trips to Michigan is always a treat - plus I'll be back in the area two weeks from now to stock up again. Too Cream was also great; had a rich dark chocolate flavor and thick head that might even top Founders' Imperial Stout.

If you have a basement, just put the bottles in a box or a cabinet away from air vents and you're good to go. Bonus points if you have an unfinished basement, just put the box right on the cement floor. Otherwise, keep it in a box in a dark closet, also away from any air vents. Aging beer is not an exact science because no two beers, beer bottles, closets, basements, or professional cellars are identical, but I've beer age deliciously for up to 5 years in a basement. In a closet I wouldn't really push it past two years unless it's a particularly cold room.



Burton Baton is, if I'm not mistaken, a blend of double IPA and oak-aged barleywine. The barleywine portion would be the main thing holding it together for cellaring, assuming that beer cellars well in the first place. I've not had any aging experience with Burton Baton.

There's a lot more beers that can be aged besides dark and/or sweet beers. Anything with brett or bugs will continue to develop for years, for example. Some of your stronger light-colored beers, like Belgian triples and strong pale/golden ales, can age nicely. I've had a blonde/helles doppelbock that aged spectacularly (Samichlaus Helles), and some people age wheatwines. Really, really strong DIPA's like Double Crooked Tree and Devil Dancer are not uncommonly aged, as those are stronger than most barleywines.

That being said, I don't normally age IPA's of any sort regardless of strength.

Ok cool, thanks Earth^3. I'll give it a go.

For this weekend's selection:



Founders Dirty Bastard, Moon Dog splice of heaven lime IPA (not sure about this one...), Moa sour blanc, and a Rochefort 10



Avery Brewing Co Hog Heaven (barleywine styled ale), North Coast Grand Cru, 8 Wired Hippy Berliner sour and a oatmeal vanilla stout by Southern Bay Brew Co.

Some of these sound like they will be great. This is also what $90 will get you down here when you want imported/craft beer.

Ouch. It's probably not much different here though.

I've tried the Moa Sour Blanc you have there. I remember not thinking too much of it, but I probably just wasnt ready for a sour beer to be honest. Moa are quickly becoming one of my favourite brewers.

That sour blanc was quite good really, with a nice sour, dry finish. Quite tasty, as was the Hippy Berliner by 8 Wired, though it was much, much sweeter. The 8 Wired would be awesome on a hot summer's day - you could drink gallons of it. I would like to try more from Moa, especially their single batch stuff, as they can be rather good.

As for the prices... well that North Coast Grand Cru was $24 for one bottle and that was on sale. There was loads of other, large bottle high-end stuff there too - a lot of Belgians and American beer that I want to grab, but always am I gonna balk at a $40 to $80 price for a single bottle of beer.

No kidding, that's way too much. It had better be almost disgustingly delicious for that price.

Fuckin' hell that's steep. I remember looking at some bottles of Ola Dubh and wondering if I'd ever get to try the stuff.

That's, for my taste, excellent!

Ok, I just bought those:



-Trappistes Rochefort 8:
http://www.trappist.be/en/pages/trappist-beers-rochefort.html
-Abbaye D'Aulne Brune 6°:
http://abbayedaulne.com/#beers
-Floreffe Prima Melior:
http://www.brasserielefebvre.be/en/product/12/floreffe-prima-melior#/product/resized/12_floreffeprimameliorweb.jpg

Today's beer finds at the local grocery store:

Weihenstephaner Korbinian doppelbock - I do really like doppelbocks and it's not at all common to find the style here since Korea is seemingly infatuated with strictly wheat beers from Germany and mass market Eurolagers from elsewhere on the continent, so this was a nice find. Somewhat pricey at $9/500ml bottle but I've never had this one so it's worth a shot.

Hoegaarden De Verboden Vrucht Belgian strong dark ale - I've never seen this before in my life. Kind of strange that the bottle doesn't even have any Hoegaarden banner-waving; I guess they're possibly trying to put some distance between the mass appeal of their flagship and this more fancy-seeming brew? Anyway this stuff is quite potent at 8.5% and from what I've read it's like a more complex Leffe Brun, which has been a staple for me. The best part is that it's only $2/bottle, so if this is tasty I'm gonna go back and clean out their whole shelf of the stuff.

The others don't even begin to compare to Rochefort.


batman: The Korbinian is very good though not sure if worth that price. I guess it's all supply and demand... Verboden Vrucht is a pretty good Belgian. I mean, the country produces a lot of stuff that's a lot better, but at two bucks a bottle and knowing where you are, it's an excellent deal. I suppose the lack of the Hoegaarden branding is they want to keep it for their flagship product or something or don't want people to go in expecting something like the famous wit.

Dan Murphy's is running a $10 6-pack special on a rotating basis each month, and now it's Monteith's Pointers Pale Ale and Southern Pale Ale.



Both of them are fairly "crisp" pilsner-esque pale ales in the usual south island fashion. Not much else beyond a very slight citrus taste and what i'm guessing are czech/german hops. The pic above of the southern pale ale is misleading, too - it's crystal clear in the glass. That being said they're both good session beers, and for $10 per 6-pack I'll probably have a few more this month.

I haven't had the Monteiths southern pale ale, but I'm pretty sure its just a rebranding of a previous pale ale they used to do, so probably nothing too special. Pointers pale ale I've never heard of, which is odd seeing as I'm in the country of origin. Maybe export only? However, Monteith's now do their brewers series IPA and APA in six packs, which are well worth the value.

Just had the Moa Festive IPA (Belgian Edition). Holy hell this is good. Try it if you can get it.

This Weihenstephaner Korbinian is great. Really rich, roasty stuff. This'll be nice to have around come winter but it's also doing the trick on a cool, rainy late summer night.

Weihenstephaner Korbinian is hands-down my favorite doppelbock*, has been for years. Weihenstephaner also brews what is hands-down my favorite doppelweizen ("weizenbock"), Weihenstephaner Vitus. I've had their regular weissbier and their dunkelweizen as well, all great. I honestly don't think that brewery could make a bad beer if they tried.

North Coast Grand Cru in the US should run somewhere between $15 and $25. I've seen it on sale for less; I don't think it sells very well. The one really expensive North Coast beer that's really worth splurging for once in your life is the brandy-barrel-aged Old Stock Cellar Reserve. They age it for two damn years in those barrels. They've only released it twice so far, the last time was in 2013 (Old Stock Cellar Reserve 2011). The one on the shelf now, Cellar Reserve 2013, was aged in bourbon barrels; I haven't had it but it's supposed to be good. http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/112/37114/


*not counting bottles of Samichlaus Classic or Samichlaus Helles aged 5+ years

Hmm, I haven't seen the Korbinian anywhere around here but I'll definitely pick it up if I do. The Vitus and a few of the other standard Weihenstephaner offerings are fairly common around here (the Vitus is my favorite of the ones I've tried), but the selection is usually pretty limited.

Huh. How bout that. Thought it would have been slightly cheaper in the States, but not almost comparable to what I got it for. Maybe it was $24 because it doesn't sell well? Dunno... either way, still looking forward to tasting. That Old Stock Cellar Reserve sounds amazing though.

Went to one of the two local craft beer stores last Friday, scored these:

Põhjala Topeltnelson (Doubla IPA) http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/pohjala-to ... on/310941/
This was the main reason to hit the store, as they were selling 3 for the price of 2 due to the best before date expiry drawing close. Loved it since the first time I had it in February, but hadn't had it since April. Nice meeting of an old friend, this time it seems that the bitterness has gotten more pronounced, leaving the fruity notes of Nelson Sauvin hops in background, compared to when it was fresh. Still great though. 4/5

Pühaste - Mr. Tangerine Man (American Wheat Ale) http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/puhaste-mr ... an/328209/
I'd rank this brewer as Nr.2 in Estonia just behind Põhjala, but this is the first of their beers I've tried that left me unimpressed. Not exactly bad, but quite watery, a slight touch of hops and orange/tangerine zest, and that's all. 2/5

Edge Brewing Chance Encounter (Saison) http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/edge-brewi ... er/277561/
Standard saison - light, a little refreshing acidity. Without any noticeable impurities, still somewhat boring. 2.5/5

Edge Brewing Hoptimista (American IPA) http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/edge-brewi ... pa/252849/
Very strong and pleasant aroma, with all the piney and citrusy notes typical for this style. Taste is very nicely balanced without the hops obliterating everything else, still not being too malty. Great IPA. 4/5

Nebraska India Pale Ale (American IPA) http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/nebraska-i ... --/137136/
West coast style IPA, certainly more brutal than the previous one: slight maltiness gets knocked down by a powerful hop punch. Pronounced dry bitterness, somewhere inbetween grassy and citrusy. More bitter than Hoptimista, despite having less IBU - apparently the malts in the body are weaker. 3.5/5

Buxton Axe Rocks (Black IPA) http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/buxton-axe-rocks/211653/
Blend of their own Axe Edge (IPA) and Black Rocks (Black IPA). I thought those both on their own to be better than this blend; it's nice, sitting somewhere between IPA and Black IPA, as one would expect, but nothing spectacular. 3/5

P.S. marks are given as follows:

1/5 - non drinkable/barely drinkable dreck
2/5 - drinkable but not much more; wouldn't pick it if there are any options
3/5 - good, pleasant taste, but barely above average
4/5 - great stuff, would have this at almost any given time
5/5 - excellent, as good as it gets

I know this isn't exactly beer per se, but is anyone a big fan of hard ciders? For the most part I'm not; I've had Angry Orchard, Wood Chuck, Redds, and though they're good for one or two casual drinks, I get sick of them very quickly. However, very recently, I discovered this very cool place near where I live called Millstone Cellars. They make artisanal ciders and meads, and for the most part, they're fairly experimental. I am mentioning them on here because, to me, they seem halfway between a craft brewery and a winery. They have a pretty interesting setup too; though I believe most of their production takes place about 20 minutes down the road at some warehouse, their HQ (which has the tasting room, among other interesting stuff) takes place in a restored 18th century grist mill.

I haven no clue what their distribution is like, but their ciders appear to have a healthy number of ratings on Untappd. This is what my father and I purchased when we went there a few weeks back. It's called Hopvine:



For you hopheads out there, here's a description: "Cask cider aged with Maryland dry hops and blended with a touch of raw honey. Wrap your taste buds around a cascade of lemony and spicy hop flavors."

It is easily the best cider I've ever tasted (though, to be honest, I haven't tasted THAT many different kinds).

Last week I had an absolutely foul beer; Muskoka Mad Tom IPA that I whipped out for a bunch of friends to try. I was at Waterton park for a day and thought "hey! I should try some obscure beer from some random brewery, what could possibly go wrong?" and it all proceeded to go very, very wrong, it was a skunky, grapefruity(?) mess of a beer. Bleh.

XcKyle93, that sounds cool. I'll have to check that place out next time I'm back home. Definitely digging the cloudy farmer cider look of that stuff, too; I'm keen on trying some "real" cider after years of drinking super filtered alcoholic carbonated apple juice.

TadakatsuH0nda...so, it was skunked? If it's got that telltale skunked taste it's kinda no fair judging the beer off that, eh? I mean, it is super annoying when particular breweries seem to have tons of issues with skunking (basically anything in clear or green bottles that gets shipped across oceans is prime stuff for being real skunky), but if you just had a bit of bad luck I'd say it's probably worth another look.