Beer! Glorious Beer Thread!

[Pirian]

Hopslam is my beer-geek roommate's favorite beer, so yeah, it's definitely good

$17 for a 6 pack of beer of this quality is nothing short of fantastic. That's under $3 a bottle, while most of the beer I drink lately is $4-$10+ for a 22oz bottle. Damn importation fees

[Zoolander]

Plus its 10% abv lol. A 6pack of Sam Adams or whatever around here is $8.50-8.99 and its half as strong abv% and nowhere near as good.

[Auspice]

I cannot physically drink Hopslam. I've had hundreds of beers and lots and lots of IPAs but I cannot imbibe Hopslam for some reason, I think it's fucking disgusting. Maybe I should give it another whirl though since I'm sure my palate has matured immensely in the past few years.

I saw someone post Shipyard Pumpkin a few pages back. I'm a huge fan of pumpkin pie and went on a huge search last fall and the year before to find the best pumpkin beer and after sampling dozens I feel that Southern Tier Pumking is the best. Shipyard tastes like Taco Bell Cinna Twists to me and is way too watery.

I actually got tired of waiting for ST to release Pumking so I made my own pumpkin beer and I'm going to be submitting it to some homebrew competitions this year since I've been getting a lot of praise from it.

Goddamn, beer is great isn't it? If anyone loves craft beer I really recommend homebrewing. It allows you to make anything you want and it's really cheap to start up. My initial setup was about $150 including pots and everything. I make 5 gallons batches for $20-$40 depending on the beer style.

[Konohamaru]

Southern tier is amazing. Dogfish still have my favorite pumpkin beer, though. It's just a solid pumpkin and nothing too over the top as far as spiced bears go like many seasonal pumpkins go.

[pahnphoenix]

I cannot physically drink Hopslam. I've had hundreds of beers and lots and lots of IPAs but I cannot imbibe Hopslam for some reason, I think it's fucking disgusting. Maybe I should give it another whirl though since I'm sure my palate has matured immensely in the past few years.

I saw someone post Shipyard Pumpkin a few pages back. I'm a huge fan of pumpkin pie and went on a huge search last fall and the year before to find the best pumpkin beer and after sampling dozens I feel that Southern Tier Pumking is the best. Shipyard tastes like Taco Bell Cinna Twists to me and is way too watery.

I actually got tired of waiting for ST to release Pumking so I made my own pumpkin beer and I'm going to be submitting it to some homebrew competitions this year since I've been getting a lot of praise from it.

Goddamn, beer is great isn't it? If anyone loves craft beer I really recommend homebrewing. It allows you to make anything you want and it's really cheap to start up. My initial setup was about $150 including pots and everything. I make 5 gallons batches for $20-$40 depending on the beer style.

second the homebrewing recommendation. it really isn't very expensive (especially once you're a few batches in, since the main expense is just pots, buckets, carboys, and pieces of equipment you'll need forever but only buy once), and it's a lot easier than you probably expect it to be. stripping bottles and sanitizing everything can be a pain, but i find the actual boil to be pretty fun and it's not too difficult to come out with a good beer. i'm a novice at best and the things i've made/helped make have all been good (well, the bourbon-soaked oak cube aged barleywine we made tastes like shit at the moment, but it needs time to develop... tasted like wood and sugar when we bottled).

[Shiroikage]

Got a bottle of Dieu Du Ciel's Rescousse (an altbier), and a 4-pack of their seasonal barley wine, Solstice d'hiver.
http://micro.dieuduciel.com/upload/Rescousse.jpg

Not my pic:
http://legalbeer.com/images/dieu%20d...0d%27hiver.jpg

[haifa]

Thanks...................

[Auspice]

second the homebrewing recommendation. it really isn't very expensive (especially once you're a few batches in, since the main expense is just pots, buckets, carboys, and pieces of equipment you'll need forever but only buy once), and it's a lot easier than you probably expect it to be. stripping bottles and sanitizing everything can be a pain, but i find the actual boil to be pretty fun and it's not too difficult to come out with a good beer. i'm a novice at best and the things i've made/helped make have all been good (well, the bourbon-soaked oak cube aged barleywine we made tastes like shit at the moment, but it needs time to develop... tasted like wood and sugar when we bottled).

Man, fuck bottling. Once I got kegging equipment I never went back. The ONLY time I bottle is if I'm taking small samples to a friend or something. Kegging makes things loads easier and it allows more control over final carbonation and I've had a lot more success making clear beers.

[Eratosthenes]

Picked up more Hopslam. I think I'm hooked.

[Boyiee]

I love dogfish 60min. I usually get this since it's a 6pack. 90min is good, and I've yet to try 120.

I pretty much only drink Dogfish, Yuengling, and Stella. I did not like hops devil at all. Rogue Deadguy was decent, and can not find Stone around here.

I am a big lager fan, and only like a couple IPA's. Anyone have any suggestions for me?

[Norellicus]

Hmm I didn't see the hopslam bottle before, ale with honey...I'm gonna have to find that.

[Pirian]

Hmm I didn't see the hopslam bottle before, ale with honey...I'm gonna have to find that.

GL, ever place that carries it around here sold out the day they got it. I know one shop around here got in 12 cases and sold out in the first couple hours, lol

[Mad Friar Avelyn]

I picked up a 4-pack of Dogfish Head's 90 Minute thanks to this thread, and I have to say it's quite...unique? I've never quite had anything like it before.

I wasn't able to find any Hopslam in State College, PA though. I'm normally an Otto's Red Mo and Pilsner Urquell drinker. Anybody have any recommendations based on that?

[Auspice]

Anyone wanting beer suggestions here goes: just go buy shit. A lot of beer stores let you make mixed six packs and even ones that don't will sometimes let you buy singles(or make mixed six packs) if you ask. Branch out of your comfort zone and try anything and everything you can get your hands on. Yeah, you're going to get shit you don't like but even that stuff you don't like now you may enjoy or at the very least appreciate when your palate develops. I don't think I'd ever have gotten big into beer if I had only kept drinking shit like Killian's and Amber Bock, I'm glad I jumped in with both feet and started drinking anything I could find.

[Tekki]

bought this only because it had a badass bottle and can.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/7730/54636
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4150/...ec5c8320_z.jpg

[Pirian]

Ahh man it's a single brew, too No chance for me to find it around here, but I'll have to ask around anyways

[Tekki]

they had 2,

I'm saving it for V-day with girlfriend.

[pahnphoenix]

bought this only because it had a badass bottle and can.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/7730/54636
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4150/...ec5c8320_z.jpg

that beer looks gimmicky but sounds awesome. if i saw it and it wasn't too expensive, i'd definitely pick it up.

hmm, since i'm posting, i should give a beer recommendation. vertical jewbelation (which i apparently haven't reviewed yet) is out in its own 22oz bottles (previously was available in 12oz bottles in the jewbelation gift pack). great whiskey barrel aged american strong ale, very thick and malty. if you're in the NY area and there's still any captain lawrence smoke from the oak gift packs available, definitely pick one up. i've only drank 1 from mine so far, but it was excellent and the tulip glass it comes with is very nice.

sierra nevada's recent hoptimum underwhelmed me (lots of regular rotation IPAs and DIPAs are better, no reason to spend the extra money on this one). ommegang zuur really impressed me, surprisingly (i'm usually not so into that brewery).

random, non-recently released or i-recently-just-tried recommendation: goose island sofie. this beer sort of resides in the shadows of GI's premium regular (bourbon county stout) and limited (BCS variations and the recent sours) beers, as well as in the shadow of its everyday beers (honkers, GI IPA, 312), but sofie is excellent stuff. not on the level of like fantôme saison, but a) it's cheaper and more widely available, and b) most beers aren't on that level anyway.

---

edit: re: just try stuff advice, never stop doing that. you'll be rewarded if you keep up with "hype" because (believe it or not) beer geeks really do take seriously what they're doing and can help you find quality, but taste is subjective and it's always a good idea to just randomly try new shit without listening to anyone.

[Skyylya]

A sake glass makes anything better

[Pirian]

Had this glass at a mates house last night
(huge)

Spoiler: show

Was nothing less than what I was expecting.