re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=Chico23231;866637]didnt know New Belgium was brewed in Colorado. Colorado is really has top notch breweries.[/quote]

i was out there visiting my buddy in feb, hopefully make it back out there this feb/march. it's crazy how many breweries are out there and the selections you have to chose from at different bars, it's kind of overwhelming. my buddy that lives out there says the brewery tours are awesome too, he took one in the summer and paid $20 for the tour lasted about an hour then they went in a room with a bunch of pitchers of beer. apparently everyone else on the tour had one or two beers and they "had" to clean up the rest. there was also a beer and wine store there that appeared to be an old grocery store that had nothing but beer and wine and liquor through out the store, it was like heaven. and the kicker was, there was a dispesnsary right next door, colorado is pretty sweet.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=mlmdub130;866624]how do you guys do your bourbon? straight on the rocks or do you splash some ginger or coke on it? ever since getting into craft beers my bourbon intake has gone down considerably, but i always prefer mine on the rocks with a splash of ginger. might have to have some tonight since my wifes best friend stayed the night last night and was here when i got home from work today and will be here all day tomorrow and probably sunday too. and the kicker is tomorrow is the first saturday where i don't have anything to do in probably 3 months :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh: :doh:[/quote]

Depends on the night. Sometimes straight up, sometimes with a little ice, sometimes with ginger ale. It's all good. :)

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=mlmdub130;866664]i was out there visiting my buddy in feb, hopefully make it back out there this feb/march. it's crazy how many breweries are out there and the selections you have to chose from at different bars, it's kind of overwhelming. my buddy that lives out there says the brewery tours are awesome too, he took one in the summer and paid $20 for the tour lasted about an hour then they went in a room with a bunch of pitchers of beer. apparently everyone else on the tour had one or two beers and they "had" to clean up the rest. there was also a beer and wine store there that appeared to be an old grocery store that had nothing but beer and wine and liquor through out the store, it was like heaven. and the kicker was, there was a dispesnsary right next door, colorado is pretty sweet.[/quote]

[url=http://coloradobeer.org/brewers]Brewers | Colorado Brewers Guild[/url]

The list is tremendous and we probably only get 20% of those shipped out here.

My favorites: Avery, Brenckenridge, Great Divide, and Oskar Blues. Left Hand and Pikes Peak pretty solid as well. My uncle who has been making homebrew for 20+ years has met and hung out with Dale (founder, brew master) at the Oskar Blues brewery while on vacation.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=Chico23231;866484]I really havent enjoyed a whole lot by New Belgium Brewery, but the Ranger IPA is a solid beer. Nothing outstanding buy solid.[/quote]

I generally agree, but I recently tried their Trippel and was very pleasantly surprised. Liked it so much that I went to the top of the Trippel class and bought a four pack of La Fin De Monde (read that it's one of best of the style). Loved it--highly recommend.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

Sipping on some Bells Hopslam right now. This is one delicious beer.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=RedskinMike;890443]Sipping on some Bells Hopslam right now. This is one delicious beer.[/quote]

It better be for the price.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

been on a red hook kick lately, they have been on sale at the local safeway. also had dig, the spring seasonal from new belgium not too long ago, that was pretty solid.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=Alvin Walton;890447]It better be for the price.[/quote]

I'm sure I paid more for it here in DC than you do in Michigan. It was by far the most I paid for a 6 pack and will never do it again though the beer was great.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=RedskinMike;890803]I'm sure I paid more for it here in DC than you do in Michigan. It was by far the most I paid for a 6 pack and will never do it again though the beer was great.[/quote]

heard it was around here. something like 29.99 a 6?

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=RedskinMike;890803]I'm sure I paid more for it here in DC than you do in Michigan. It was by far the most I paid for a 6 pack and will never do it again though the beer was great.[/quote]

I think its around $13.85 a six out here.
Bells is good stuff but some is crazy expensive.
I've seen some seasonal stuff up at $18.00 a six.

Their double cream stout is awesome.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=Chico23231;890811]heard it was around here. something like 29.99 a 6?[/quote]

we have a winner

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

Thats redonkulous.
I hope you got prime rib with it.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=RedskinMike;890852]we have a winner[/quote]

yeah, damn thats high. A co worker got to sample a couple pints at a local bar. Said it was outstanding.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=RedskinMike;890803]I'm sure I paid more for it here in DC than you do in Michigan. It was by far the most I paid for a 6 pack and will never do it again though the beer was great.[/quote]

The Hopslam is indeed tremendous, but its short-term distribution matched with the hype around it is making it almost too hard to come by, if you're outside of Michigan at least. When it first got to DC about four years ago, it was close to $15 for a six pack, and by last year it was over $20 everywhere you found it. There is a store in Dupont Circle, which has a pretty impressive selection, that was selling it last year for almost $40 a six pack after all of the other area stores had sold out of it. This year, many of the stores that have traditionally carried it were limiting customers to one six pack each. It flew off most shelves. Coincidentally enough, I found it tonight at Magruder's in DC (a store mentioned previously in this thread). There were about a half dozen sixes on the shelf, and I asked one of the guys stocking the beer how they got it, and he said that they got a second delivery of it that they weren't expecting (two cases). I grabbed a six--they are selling it for $22.99, for anyone in the DC area who is searching for it. Lucky for me, my wife is from Michigan, and my in-laws are driving here in three weeks and have already bought a case that they plan to bring.

As I said, it is indeed tremendous, but trying to chase it down once it arrives each year is getting to be a drag.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

Sierra's Ruthless Rye is a solid choice lately. Liken it, nice bite at the end.

Got one of my favorite breweries beers last nite, Breckenridge's Lucky U IPA. tasty