Craft Beer Thread

Blue Moon is indeed fascist mass-produced swill.

Red Betty IPA.  Hoppy and delicious.  A strong, predominantly piney hop flavor and finish.

Sno you going full time troll on me?

If Sno mentions MC does he have to drink?  

Coach Z wrote

Blue moon does not belong on that shelf with real beer

Thank you Coach, I used this info to buy beer for the mtb jam at HQ: Long Hammer.  Seemed ok to me.

Harvey wrote

Sno you going full time troll on me?

If Sno mentions MC does he have to drink?  

Coach Z wrote

Blue moon does not belong on that shelf with real beer

Thank you Coach, I used this info to buy beer for the mtb jam at HQ: Long Hammer.  Seemed ok to me.

LongHammer was on tap at Platty last year.

   woo goo been saving em up all day. Saranac autumn pils is pretty tasty!

Marcski wrote

Harvey wrote

Sno you going full time troll on me?

If Sno mentions MC does he have to drink?  

Coach Z wrote

Blue moon does not belong on that shelf with real beer

Thank you Coach, I used this info to buy beer for the mtb jam at HQ: Long Hammer.  Seemed ok to me.

LongHammer was on tap at Platty last year.

CONTENTS DELETED

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The Heady Topper

Based on the hype... I hear people wait in line for this stuff... It's a bit disappointing.  Just another IPA in my opinion.

http://wgna.com/events-albany/glens-falls-on-tap/06-december-2014-glens-falls-civic-center/

Drinking this, it was a Secret Santa gift from my wife's cousin:



Heady Topper, from The Alchemist.  An American Imperial IPA.  8.0% ABV.  Tough to find, generally sells out throughout Vermont the same day it hits the shelves.

Supposed to drink it from the can, so I can't attest to its appearance.  A whiff from the mouth of the can reveals a clean, citrusy aroma.  Taking a sip, there is a burst of fresh grapefruit and clean malt flavor.  Not very bitter at all.  Taste of fresh moss, grassiness.  Pleasantly carbonated.  Hoppiness comes on the finish.

A+ beer.  Not sure it's worth the hype, though.

Petronio

I agree about the hype for the first sip or two... then my taste  buds do a little happy dance and say yea it does (live up to the hype)

The draft Ubu I'm enjoying right now up in Placid ain't half bad either

gorgonzola wrote

I agree about the hype for the first sip or two... then my taste  buds do a little happy dance and say yea it does (live up to the hype)

It's very drinkable.  If you are used to very bitter IPAs, this throws you off.  (For a while when I lived in Seattle I loved my Ballard Bitters.)  I get more citrus than pine when I drink Heady Topper.  The hops are not in your face, for me they come through on the finish.  If you like a real in-your-face hops bomb, this is not going to wow you at first.  

Petronio

Adk Jeff wrote

The draft Ubu I'm enjoying right now up in Placid ain't half bad either

On New Year's Day we took a day trip up to Lake Placid and had lunch at Smoke Signals.  I tried a pint of the coffee stout.  (I  think it was LPBC Bean-to-Coffee Stout? on tap?).  Very tasty.  A little heavy but nice with a meal.  (I had the Flatliner burger -- burger pile with pulled pork, mac and cheese, fried onions and bacon.  Yummy.)

Petronio

BTW four of these pint glasses were also part of the Secret Santa gift . . . pretty cool.



Apparently there is an entire website of Ski the East products; did not know until I got these.  Some cool stuff.

http://store.skitheeast.net/collections/all

Petronio

Those are nice.  Just don't tell SkiRay you're supporting those guys.... ;).  

I am definitely a beer snob and not apologetic about it. Anemic, American piss-water lager is not worth wasting my time on. And Bud's sins go far beyond the corn sweeteners - they also use rice.

Flavor is the key. It first has to have some, then it's got to be good. And we are fortunate to live (trust me, I am especially fortunate) during this era of extremely rich and varied beer production.

I am also a bit of a hophead, but do not exclusively drink IPAs. Brown's Brewing in Troy, NY makes a fantastic Imperial Stout and I really enjoy a nicely balanced porter.

Right now Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale is still available and it's always been a seasonal favorite. And soon their Ruthless Rye will come out; love the spiciness of the rye that cuts through the hoppiness.

One trend I like is the creation of "session" beers with all the flavor and (a little) less kick. For those times when you would like to have 2-3 beers instead of just one. On the other hand, my favorite high ABV choice is Flying Dog Double Dog Double Pale Ale. At 11% ABV each bottle packs quite a wallop and it's so well balanced and smooth that it is dangerously quaffable.

My most recent favorite though is being made at a cidery just north of Albany, NY by Nine Pin. I've always like cider as a change of pace from beer but they have moved the entire class of beverage into another realm. So much so that I'm not able to fully enjoy what had previously seemed acceptable offerings from Woodchuck or Angry Orchard.

GetAmped wrote

Flavor is the key. It first has to have some, then it's got to be good. And we are fortunate to live (trust me, I am especially fortunate) during this era of extremely rich and varied beer production.

One trend I like is the creation of "session" beers with all the flavor and (a little) less kick. For those times when you would like to have 2-3 beers instead of just one. On the other hand, my favorite high ABV choice is Flying Dog Double Dog Double Pale Ale. At 11% ABV each bottle packs quite a wallop and it's so well balanced and smooth that it is dangerously quaffable.

or 12 instead of 3.   Founder's All Day IPA is a solid choice.

Check out Common Roots brewery in South Glens Falls 53 Saratoga Blvd if you are in to Belgian style ales.  Stopped on the way back from Gore on Thursday and was pleasantly surprised.  Tried the Farmhouse Ale, a saison style and brought home the Dark Ale in the growler.  They do have an IPA style beer.  Next time!

gebbyfish wrote

Check out Common Roots brewery in South Glens Falls 53 Saratoga Blvd if you are in to Belgian style ales.  Stopped on the way back from Gore on Thursday and was pleasantly surprised.  Tried the Farmhouse Ale, a saison style and brought home the Dark Ale in the growler.  They do have an IPA style beer.  Next time!

How much are they getting for a growler over there? Also, can you get a growler any time now? When they first started out, I heard they were only sometimes filling growlers because of supply.