re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=Mattyk;786415]For anyone into Belgian styles this is a good one

[url=http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/180/1385]Delirium Tremens - Brouwerij Huyghe - Melle, Belgium - BeerAdvocate[/url]

Smooth and drinkable but it will sneak up on you pretty quick if you're not careful.[/quote]

There is a bar next to the Verizon Center that serves on tap. There have been many Caps game I don't remember because of that beer.They also serve Chimay.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=Mattyk;786415]For anyone into Belgian styles this is a good one

[url=http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/180/1385]Delirium Tremens - Brouwerij Huyghe - Melle, Belgium - BeerAdvocate[/url]

Smooth and drinkable but it will sneak up on you pretty quick if you're not careful.[/quote]

that was one of the first micros that I bought

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

Got some Pliney the Elder and have to say it is great, also scored a bottle of Trappist Westvleteren 12, which beeradvocate has rated at #1

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=RedskinMike;787008]Got some Pliney the Elder and have to say it is great, also scored a bottle of Trappist Westvleteren 12, which beeradvocate has rated at #1[/quote]

how did you score Pliney?

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

I dont follow this thread at all, but i came across this - it may already be posted:

[url=http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/2011/03/obamas-make-history-with-homebrewed.html]Obama Foodorama: The Obamas Make History With Homebrewed White House Honey Ale[/url]

Pretty cool in my opinion, makes him a more down to earth guy to me.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=Chico23231;787009]how did you score Pliney?[/quote]

A buddy got it for me through the mail< traded some homebrew for them

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=over the mountain;786547]i havent found fat tire in MD. It has really blown up in the west coast, colorado area 5-6 years ago. Im surprised dale pale ale is Md before fat tire.

had a black IPA this weekend, i tasted a hint of coffee but it wasnt a java type beer. real real nice, 8 abv., i forget the microbrew name thoo.[/quote]

they are selling those in md? i had some when i was in colorado a few weeks ago and it was the best beer out of a can i have ever had. i haven't ever noticed any in va before, where in md... please don't say baltimore

and btw just had my first glissade it's pretty money these will be great for the beach this year, spring is so close!!

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2011/03/08/ST2011030804430.html]Beer Madness 2011: Celebrating US craft brews[/url]

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

I just finished my 2nd homebrew, and it's unreal. It's a Belgian blond that blew out any expectations I could have had. Soooo good.

Anyways, has anyone had Dogfish head Squall IPA?

It's money.

For my next homebrew, I'm going to be doing an IPA, but I'm going to harvest the yeast from the Squall, and use that as my yeast for my beer. Since it's a bottle conditioned beer, there's plenty of yeast to harvest...and yeast is one of the most important factors to the taste of a beer.

New beers I've really gotten into.

Victory Golden Monkey. It's a Tripel. Nice Belgian flavor, high ABV. Delicious.

Star Point IPA- Northern Lights: This is one of the beers that I actually prefer the bottled version over the draft. It's good, but the bottles for some reason taste alot better.

The Bruery's Autumn Maple: Another bottle conditioned beer. Very nice. Flavored with yams. [URL="http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16866/44932"]Autumn Maple - The Bruery - Placentia, CA - BeerAdvocate[/URL]

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

I just had Fireman's #4, a local Texas brew. Here is the description:

Firemans #4 Blonde Ale (year-round) bottles,draught
This refreshing blonde ale strikes a perfect balance between the smoothness of the malt, the subtle fruitiness of our house ale yeast, and zesty citrus notes from Crystal hops. Firemans #4 is a great way to beat the heat - enjoy it on a Texas summer day, or pair it with spicy foods to help put out the fire. ABV: 5.1%, IBU: 21, OG(plato): 12

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=RobH4413;788293]I just finished my 2nd homebrew, and it's unreal. It's a Belgian blond that blew out any expectations I could have had. Soooo good.

Anyways, has anyone had Dogfish head Squall IPA?

It's money.

For my next homebrew, I'm going to be doing an IPA, but I'm going to harvest the yeast from the Squall, and use that as my yeast for my beer. Since it's a bottle conditioned beer, there's plenty of yeast to harvest...and yeast is one of the most important factors to the taste of a beer.

New beers I've really gotten into.

Victory Golden Monkey. It's a Tripel. Nice Belgian flavor, high ABV. Delicious.

Star Point IPA- Northern Lights: This is one of the beers that I actually prefer the bottled version over the draft. It's good, but the bottles for some reason taste alot better.

The Bruery's Autumn Maple: Another bottle conditioned beer. Very nice. Flavored with yams. [URL="http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16866/44932"]Autumn Maple - The Bruery - Placentia, CA - BeerAdvocate[/URL][/quote]
Congrats on the homebrew, most people don't realize how good of a beer they can make on their own. I've been brewing for a while now and just converted 2 kegs to brewpots so I can do 10 gallon batches. After you get a few batches in consider the switch to all grain.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=RedskinMike;788494]Congrats on the homebrew, most people don't realize how good of a beer they can make on their own. I've been brewing for a while now and just converted 2 kegs to brewpots so I can do 10 gallon batches. After you get a few batches in consider the switch to all grain.[/quote]

Thanks, Glad I started brewing...I'm absolutely hooked.

Have you noticed a significant difference between all-grain and extract method? Just curious... I'd like to go to all-grain, but I need a bigger set up.

Also, Where did you get your supplies / how did you convert the kegs to brewpots?

To stay on topic:

Another delicious beer. Weyerbacher's Merry Monks Ale. Go for it.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=RobH4413;788498]Thanks, Glad I started brewing...I'm absolutely hooked.

Have you noticed a significant difference between all-grain and extract method? Just curious... I'd like to go to all-grain, but I need a bigger set up.

Also, Where did you get your supplies / how did you convert the kegs to brewpots?

To stay on topic:

Another delicious beer. Weyerbacher's Merry Monks Ale. Go for it.[/quote]

All grain makes a huge difference. Got my supplies at weldlessfittings.com and had someone cut the tops off the kegs and drill the holes needed. Also keeping in the spirit of the thread had a founders breakfast stout last night and it was awesome.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

When getting my Guinness cans for Thursday (with 2 kids and 2 jobs, St. Patty's Day will consist of a dinner at home), saw the shop I was at had [URL="http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/68/65384"]Flying Dog Coffee Stout (Batch 2)[/URL] singles so I grabbed one. I was underwhelmed by it overall. Just not my cup of coffee so to speak. I don't think I would drink more than 1 in a sitting, and after a while, the coffee flavor kinda overpowered the whole thing. Glad I only bought a single and not a 6er...

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=BringBackJoeT;775453]For DC area folks:

[url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/03/AR2011010304382.html]Beer: Six microbreweries race to open[/url][/quote]

Update:

[url=http://dcist.com/2011/03/dc_beer_the_invasion_has_begun.php]D.C. Beer: The Invasion Has Begun: DCist[/url]

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=RedskinMike;788531]All grain makes a huge difference. Got my supplies at weldlessfittings.com and had someone cut the tops off the kegs and drill the holes needed. Also keeping in the spirit of the thread had a founders breakfast stout last night and it was awesome.[/quote]

Yea buddy....Founders is out here by me and we go to their brewpub every now and then. The Breakfast Stout is excellent!

[img]http://legalbeer.com/images/founders%20breakfast%20stout.jpg[/img]

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[url=http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/04/08/for-lent-can-man-live-by-brew-alone-2/?hpt=Sbin]Man hits 31st day of beer-only Lenten fast – CNN Belief Blog - CNN.com Blogs[/url]

can I get an amen?

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

Amen.

Last weekend at my favorite watering hole down at the beach, I had a pint of Ommegang Hennepin and a snifter of Rogue Double Dead Guy Ale. The Hennepin I've had before, a great spring/summer time beer, close to a Belgian Wit. I like it much better though.

The Double Dead Guy Ale was money. Almost porter-like, it had a big chocolaty-citrus undertone that was awesome. I could drink that over and over again.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

I've had the Dead Guy but not the double Dead Guy. I'll have to watch for that.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

Had 21st Amendments Hop Crisis last night and that was one good beer. Not much of a fan of their other stuff, but this one was great.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

Terrapin Rye Pale Ale

Never heard of Terrapin beer till our trip to South carolina last month.
Stopped at a grocery store and came across it.
Nicely balanced beer with an intersting rye taste.
Yummy.....

[url=http://terrapinbeer.com/]Terrapin Beer Company | Athens GA Microbrewry Craft Beer[/url]

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

Had this outta a keg a couple times a couple years ago and recently found it bottled at my beer spot. IPA enthusiats rejoice with 95 IBUs and good hop blend. Green Flash Brewery's West Coast IPA...not a light IPA, heavy or full body

[url=http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2743/22505]Green Flash West Coast I.P.A. - Green Flash Brewing Co. - San Diego, CA - BeerAdvocate[/url]

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[url=http://blog.seattlepi.com/thepourfool/2011/09/14/why-i-dont-drink-budweiser-and-why-im-not-alone/]Why I Don’t Drink Budweiser…and Why I’m Not Alone | The Pour Fool: What to Drink from the World and the Northwest - seattlepi.com[/url]

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=Mattyk;837768][url=http://blog.seattlepi.com/thepourfool/2011/09/14/why-i-dont-drink-budweiser-and-why-im-not-alone/]Why I Don’t Drink Budweiser…and Why I’m Not Alone | The Pour Fool: What to Drink from the World and the Northwest - seattlepi.com[/url][/quote]

Really good article. Its amazing when i go into my beer stores how pack they are these days. Especially eye opening is young drinkers in there. I drank my first dark beer in 1995, by my sophmore year in college I was hooked. I was brought up by older frat brothers who went to breweries and brewed there own beer. Sam, Serria Nevada, Spanish Peaks, Oregon, Red Hook, Abita, Dominion, Foggy Bottom, Brooklyn, Breckenridge is what I cut my teeth on. I never really thought good beers would catch on, but to see marketshare numbers like that is encouraging that one day the primary beer will be micro crafted

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=Chico23231;837786]Really good article. Its amazing when i go into my beer stores how pack they are these days. Especially eye opening is young drinkers in there. I drank my first dark beer in 1995, by my sophmore year in college I was hooked. I was brought up by older frat brothers who went to breweries and brewed there own beer. Sam, Serria Nevada, Spanish Peaks, Oregon, Red Hook, Abita, Dominion, Foggy Bottom, Brooklyn, Breckenridge is what I cut my teeth on. I never really thought good beers would catch on, but to see marketshare numbers like that is encouraging that one day the primary beer will be micro crafted[/quote]

It's funny when you go to a good beer store now and all the crappy domestics are hidden away in a back corner. Proof that the cream rises to the top, eventually.

I've even noticed at supermarkets the past few years the # of micros they carry has noticeably increased. The first time I saw some celebration ale at the grocery store I was like wow, get the hell outta here.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

Budweiser = The Evil Empire

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=Mattyk;837813]It's funny when you go to a good beer store now and all the crappy domestics are hidden away in a back corner. Proof that the cream rises to the top, eventually.

I've even noticed at supermarkets the past few years the # of micros they carry has noticeably increased. The first time I saw some celebration ale at the grocery store I was like wow, get the hell outta here.[/quote]

I remeber going to a Total Wine and Beer Store just built in Springfield Va in NOVA in 1998 on a weekend. Its like a chain warehouse-like (box store) and literally being one of like 2 people in the entire store. I remember thinking this is great, then thinking how the hell can this survive? Place was empty

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

I saw that same list posted in the article on the beers that are taking a radical downward turn in sales. However, I wondered whether it was partly misleading. If you look at the list, it's beer-specific, not brand. For example, Milwaukee's Best and Milwaukee's Best Light are both on the list. I think that is relevant because, while Budweiser is down, it doesn't mean, for example, that Bud Light is down. In fact, it seems to me that at any sports event I'm at, it's Bud Light and Miller Lite that are being exclusively sold under those brands (Bud Light seems, unfortunately, everywhere). So, I really wonder whether the light beers of Miller, Bud and Coors are really hurting. Plus, the other beers on the list--Old Milwaukee, Milwaukee's Best, Michelob--don't strike me as ones whose downward turns can be considered surprising under any circumstances. The Milwaukee beers were ones I drank in high school 20+ years ago from places where we knew we wouldn't get carded. Even then, years before I began to love the microbrews, I considered them to be crap.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

The light beers are the most heavily marketed. I wonder how much of their sales are artificially propped up by stadium/event sales where choices are limited.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=Chico23231;837822]I remeber going to a Total Wine and Beer Store just built in Springfield Va in NOVA in 1998 on a weekend. Its like a chain warehouse-like (box store) and literally being one of like 2 people in the entire store. I remember thinking this is great, then thinking how the hell can this survive? Place was empty[/quote]

I actually did a Jack and Coke sampling (the weak 5% premixed stuff Jack D came out with) there on the July 4th weekend and the place was packed. They were moving kegs like it was nobody's business. They were 10 times as busy as the Giant in Springfield Plaza a couple blocks away, which I've also done a couple beer samplings at.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

Grabbed a sixer of Starr Hill Northern Lights IPA for the game. Such delicious stuff. Any DC area folks around here ever go to Magruder's on Connecticut Ave just south of Chevy Chase Circle? Spectacular beer (and wine) selection.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=GMScud;839933]Grabbed a sixer of Starr Hill Northern Lights IPA for the game. Such delicious stuff. Any DC area folks around here ever go to Magruder's on Connecticut Ave just south of Chevy Chase Circle? Spectacular beer (and wine) selection.[/quote]

I think I actually told you a couple of years ago that your tip about Magruder's is how I became a beer shopper there. The liquor store just a few doors down also has a good selection and lets you make your own six packs, but Magruder's still has a superior collection. Thanks again.

I grabbed the Founder's Breakfast Stout this past weekend. First time I've had it. Pours out like motor oil and doesn't leave much of a head at all. Quite the hearty beer. I've only recently gotten into stouts, and this was excellent. I've read in multiple places that Rogue's Shakespeare Stout is at the top of the stout class, but I haven't tried it yet, because I've generally been disappointed by other Rogue beers. Also had the Bells Kalamazoo stout recently. Lighter than the Founder's but still very good. Would appreciate suggestions.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

In the spirit of the chance encouters with sports figures thread, I met Dick Leinenkugel when I was at the PX in Quantico on Friday doing a Leiny's beer sampling. He came in with his honchos and talked to servicemen and helped me out with the sampling for about an hour. Really nice guy to talk to and knows his beers. I had one of Leinenkugel's Oktoberfest beers about a month ago (before I went on my diet/workout routine) at a private sampling and it's really good for a traditional Marzen lager.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

I really havent enjoyed a whole lot by New Belgium Brewery, but the Ranger IPA is a solid beer. Nothing outstanding buy solid.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

I'm contemplating going for a 3rd celebration ale, either that or a Guinness. Or I could just go to the liquor cabinet for some bourbon. Decisions.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=Mattyk;866495]I'm contemplating going for a 3rd celebration ale, either that or a Guinness. Or I could just go to the liquor cabinet for some bourbon. Decisions.[/quote]

Went with a Heavy Seas, Loose Cannon IPA. I gave a look to the gentleman Jack, too lazy to mess with ice right now

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=Chico23231;866502]Went with a Heavy Seas, Loose Cannon IPA. I gave a look to the gentleman Jack, too lazy to mess with ice right now[/quote]

Nice, I had some heavy seas in my beer club last year.

I found a lone saranac pumpkin ale hiding in the back of the fridge.

I've never tried gentleman jack, good stuff?

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=Mattyk;866503]Nice, I had some heavy seas in my beer club last year.

I found a lone saranac pumpkin ale hiding in the back of the fridge.

I've never tried gentleman jack, good stuff?[/quote]

Gentleman Jack is just twice mellowed regular Jack Daniels, its really good. My taste on bourbon has changed in the last couple years, I tend now to really enjoy dry as opposed to sweeter bourbon. Gentleman Jack is my fav, always liked Makers as well.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=Chico23231;866511]Gentleman Jack is just twice mellowed regular Jack Daniels, its really good. My taste on bourbon has changed in the last couple years, I tend now to really enjoy dry as opposed to sweeter bourbon. Gentleman Jack is my fav, always liked Makers as well.[/quote]

I'm big on makers and knob creek, I'll have to give GJ a try.

re: Let's talk microbrews good beer
 

[quote=Mattyk;866514]I'm big on makers and [B]knob creek[/B], I'll have to give GJ a try.[/quote]

very high on Knob Creek, 9 year age is good. Makers, Gentleman, Knob Creek all around the same price too, I usually look to see whats on sale and grab it. I gotta good friend who really enjoys Basil Hayden whiskey which has a almost "peppery" finish...its different, i mix that in every now and then