Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

Hi Guys,

New to the forum...uNL player... I am actually a brewer by occupation and training..
Anyone want to ask any techno questions etc I would be happy to try and answer. If irrelevant please ignore... enjoy the beer!

Kind Regards

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

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I'll be reviewing tons more as I live near a great store that has like 500 different beers sold as singles. I do need to get a digi cam also. For the record - my current fav micro in a bottle is Dogfish 60 IPA. My fav cheapo beer is Yuengling Lord Chesterfield Ale.

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siggy, just curious what store you are referring to? I typically head down to Total Wine in Claymont, DE or State Line Liquors in Elkton, MD (when I'm passing by). Just curious if you had a different 'hot spot'

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

Haven't checked the thread for a while, so apologies if this one's been reviewed before. Picked up a 4 pack of Corsendonk Pater Abbey Ale last night ($11.50 US at my local booze merchant). What a great strong ale!

Poured into a crystal goblet, it displayed a dark reddish brown color with a frothy caramel head that wafts essence of chocolate, plum, and a bite of alcohol at the finish. Very bubbly (the carbonation had me blowing the sheets off the bed) but I managed to polish off two of the bottles and had a warm headfull. At 7.5% ABV this packs a whallop, but the palate is rich and the hint of alcohol at the finish is understated.

I'm partial to Belgian ales, and this time of year the strong ales warm the soul. I daresay I give Corsendonk Pater Abbey Ale [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

Nice review, and there's no shame in reviewing something that someone else has done. I like to see multiple takes on the same brew or how much other people enjoyed a beer I liked. This goes for everyone, not just KT [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img].

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

With that encouragement, I'll proceed.

Last night I broke into a 6 pack of Rodenbach Flemish Sour Ale ($8.99 US for six 8.5 oz bottles). I was skeptical to say the least, as "sour" is not a flavor I equate with good beer.

This ale is certainly not for everyone. The label says that this is a blended ale, with 75% "fresh" and 25% aged ale top fermented with a "proprietary" microflora that gives its sourness. The pour is mellow into a tankard with barely any head. The nose is sweet apple cider-ish, sort of like a snake bite (cider and ale). The sourness overpowers at the back of the palate, but a patient sipper will find the sweetness of fruit preserves and an earthy malt.

I admit that I didn't particularly enjoy the first sip, but I pressed on in the interest of science. More hops would help balance the sourness and the sweetness, but would render the brew less remarkable. By the second bottle my palate (or my expectations) had adjusted and I enjoyed it. At 5.1% ABV it's on the lighter side, but this is more of a novelty sipper than a football game gulper.

I reiterate, Rodenbach Flemish Sour Ale is not for everyone, but it is worth checking out simply because of the uniqueness of the style. [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] 1/2

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

This is one of the few beer styles I haven't tried yet. I remember MaxxDaddy loved it, but yeah, it sounds like a style that might not appeal to everyone. I'll keep my eye out for it, and even if it ends up not being my thing, I'll be glad to have tried it.

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

[ QUOTE ]
Hi Guys,

New to the forum...uNL player... I am actually a brewer by occupation and training..
Anyone want to ask any techno questions etc I would be happy to try and answer. If irrelevant please ignore... enjoy the beer!

Kind Regards

[/ QUOTE ]

Perfect timing as I just bottled a home brew last night and had a question. I've only done 5 brews up to this point, so I'm sure not everything is perfect. However, on every beer I have made, the opening and final gravity has been different from what was advertised by the recipe. Am I wrong in assuming the OG is affected basically by the amount of sugars the yeast eats? If so, is there any reason why all of mine have been significantly lower?

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

If you're doing extract and getting a lower OG than you expect, either your shorting how much extract you're putting in, or you're not hitting the correct volume of water. If you're doing AG, there are a bunch of things that could be off.

OG is taken before fermentation starts, so it's not the yeast throwing things off, it's either your extract/efficiency/volumes. fyi, different brands of extract have different amounts of fermentables, so if you've only been using one brand, switch it up.

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

Wookie,

The Rodenbach I sampled is different from the Grand Cru. I tried their base brew. Grand Cru, according to the web site is a more robust brew in the style of a red sour ale whereas the beer I tried is a lower end sour. Haven't tried the Grand Cru yet and doubt that I will.

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

Ah, I see. Good to know.

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

KT, way to go off the beaten path. I must admit I was skeptical my first go-around, but I'm a big fan of sour things in general, so maybe that's why I like sour beer so much. One of the major differences between regular Rodenbach and the Grand Cru is that the latter is aged in French Oak I believe, so you end up getting a much dryer finish and you can smell/taste the barrel's influence in the beer. The Grand Cru is the superior beer, IMO, as it should be. As far as sour ales go, both Rodenbachs are probably the cheapest you'll find and they're damn good for the price.

For those who may not want to jump into the deep end, but maybe want put their foot in the water, I suggest trying beers that have been partially fermented with Brettanomyces. This particular yeast gives beers a very funky aroma and slightly sour taste, but it's not balls-to-the-wall or anything. Some examples include Ommegang Ommegeddon, any of the Jolly Pumpkin brews, and Orval.

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I'll be reviewing tons more as I live near a great store that has like 500 different beers sold as singles. I do need to get a digi cam also. For the record - my current fav micro in a bottle is Dogfish 60 IPA. My fav cheapo beer is Yuengling Lord Chesterfield Ale.

[/ QUOTE ]

siggy, just curious what store you are referring to? I typically head down to Total Wine in Claymont, DE or State Line Liquors in Elkton, MD (when I'm passing by). Just curious if you had a different 'hot spot'

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Foodery - 10 and Pine in Philadelphia - Unfortunately - it's a bit pricey - I do actually wing on down to Total Wine in De occasionally.

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

Currently sipping on Unibroue's Trois Pistoles, and had to come write about it. Not sure if it's been reviewed before, this thread's getting so long. Anyway...

Belgian Strong Dark Ale, 9% ABV
Pours a deep brown with amber accents, and a decent tan head that fades a little too quickly. Smells of dried cherry/raisin, as well as alcohol. The taste is incredibly balanced: a perfect amount of sweet yeast, dried fruit, alcohol, and malt that come together in perfect harmony. Very drinkable, and not just for a 9% brew. I absolutely love it, and highly recommend it.

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

Yep, that's one of my favorites [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]. Nice pick, and nice review.

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

KT,

The Rodenbach grand cru is much much better than the classic. I don't care for the classic, but the grand cru is a very nice example of using sourness well outside of lambic styles.

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

so im drinking some new belgium La Follie. It is supposedly highly sought after and one of the best so I decided to see what all of the hype was about it. This is the most interesting beer I've ever had. It pours a brownish red w great tan head. The smell is overwhelming of sour fruits. This beer tastes just like it smells. Sour fruits at first and then a hint of a brown ale. This beer is phenomenal if you like sour things, if not I would prob still taste it for the experience of it. This stuff goes fast so if you run into a bottle of it I'd pick it up

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

What did it run you?

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

13.99

Edit: 750ml obviously

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

That's still pretty steep. I'll have to see how it compares in price w/ the Rodenbach Grand Cru.

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

hey y'all,

I was recently back east visiting folks and family and tried some more beer. Sorry I got no detailed reviews, just a couple of quick notes.

I don't get dogfish head in Cali, so I headed to the store for some. I picked up a six of the Indian Brown, a 750mL of Black and Blue, and a 12 oz bottle of the 120.

Indian Brown is very solid with a little extra bite than your standard brown ale. I'd probably usually opt for the cheaper versions out there though.

Black and blue was good, but wasn't all that memorable either.

The 120. Two words. Hated it. Poured out half the bottle. Not sure what it was. Just didn't appeal to me at all, and I love hoppy beers. Hate this crap. Never again.

Quick note for any Boston folks who read this: while visiting friends I checked out a bar in Allston called Deep Ellum. It's at Brighton/Cambridge/N. Beacon intersection. The only knock on the place is its in Allston. This place was awesome. I'm assuming its on the new side, as I know it wasn't there when I lived there. Besides the great food, the beer list is incredible. They got everything. Some of the Belgians are pretty expensive and are only available in the 750mL bottle. I must've gone through the Unibroue list (La Fin Du Monde, Maudite, Trois Pistoles, Don de Dieu). Actually, they had Blanche De Chamblay too but I didn't order that. Trois Pistoles was on tap, rest in 12 oz'ers. The waitress was really cool and made fun of pretentious hipsters who order "end of the worlds).

I probably should've ordered more stuff on tap. They had a ton of stuff. I was pretty bombed by the time I found the on tap list anyway, so I just settled for a Racer 5 IPA (incredible). But the list was very long.

Worth checking out. Probably a hipster madhouse on weekends, but we went on a Sunday and it had a decent crowd but nothing overwhelming.

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

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That's still pretty steep. I'll have to see how it compares in price w/ the Rodenbach Grand Cru.

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If you ever get a chance to purchase it, I wholeheartedly recommend it. La Folie is spectacular; the best sour ale I've had yet.

Are there any folks from Wisconsin out there? If so, there's been an interesting development with our friends at Leinenkugels (AKA Miller). They just bottled their Big Eddy imperial stout and thus far it's been getting rave reviews. I'm curious if anyone has access to it and could give it the ol' yea or nay. What do people think about Miller's (and other macros) dip into the craft brew scene?

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

Oh, I didn't know Leine was a Miller subsidiary. Huh. If their imperial stout is good, they may usurp Coors's Blue Moon line as having the best offering of macro craft brews.

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

Ok, today was not a good beer day for me. I tried two new beers:

Oat - Southern Tier and Black Chocolate Stout - Brooklyn Brewery.

I didn't finish the Brooklyn and probably won't finish the Oat either. I won't give a review. I'm thinking that I'm just not an 'Imperial Stout' person. Only one more stout to try in my fridge on the positive side.

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

Yeah, if you don't like the Brooklyn BCS, I don't know what to tell you. It's not the best imperial stout out there, but it's solid, and one of the best values. Probably just not your style. Since you seem to be enjoying an IPA, if you want to give strong, dark beer another shot, you might try Flying Dog's Gonzo imperial porter. It's a cousin of the imperial stouts, but it has a strong hop character that you might enjoy.

Re: TLDR Beer Club
 

[ QUOTE ]
Yeah, if you don't like the Brooklyn BCS, I don't know what to tell you. It's not the best imperial stout out there, but it's solid, and one of the best values. Probably just not your style. Since you seem to be enjoying an IPA, if you want to give strong, dark beer another shot, you might try Flying Dog's Gonzo imperial porter. It's a cousin of the imperial stouts, but it has a strong hop character that you might enjoy.

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On a similar track, see if you can get your hands on Great Divide Yeti, a very hoppy imperial stout.