TLDR Beer Club - Page 30

milesdyson · #**291** 12-11-2006, 02:47 AM

OMG wookie those prices are terrible [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img]

this must be due to distance from the brewery, but i pay $3.49 for AB and $4.99 for the double AB. at one store the normal is $2.99 i believe. fwiw i haven't tried the oaked version yet.

MrWookie · #**292** 12-11-2006, 11:10 AM

$4.99 for a 22 ouncer of the double? Dayum, dude. Part of it is that the place where I do my shopping is just plain overpriced to begin with, but they're the only horse in town with this kind of variety. They'll sell by the case, though, and that usually brings the price down to somewhat reasonable.

RunDownHouse · #**293** 12-11-2006, 05:26 PM

miles,

Definitely due to the distance, although the curve flattens out. Prices here are pretty similar to Wookie's.

Wookie,

I guess buy a case, go through it, and post the TR?

MrWookie · #**294** 12-11-2006, 06:49 PM

RDH,

Sounds good, but no guarantees on my spelling in the TR. I was feeling pretty good after just 2.5 of these.

All,

I'm back with another winter ale review. Up this time is Rogue's Santa's Private Reserve. Based on the description on the bottle, it figures to be another red, hoppy ale. I paid $2.25 for a 12 oz bottle.

The beer pours nicely red with a good head. It smells hoppy, mostly of the flowery variety instead of the citrus. Taking a sip, I'm mildly disappointed. It's not as hoppy as I was expecting. The malt is tasty, but not as bold or lingering as I would have hoped. There is a little bit of woodiness in it that I like. It's a pretty decent beer, but I prefer the SN Celebration and the Arrogant Bastard. I'm awarding it [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and a half [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].

milesdyson · #**295** 12-11-2006, 08:30 PM

i'd go for a 2[img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] for that beer. i was not really impressed.

for fun, i believe i paid 4.99 for a 22oz of it (similar to your 2.25/12oz), and rogue is based in oregon. maybe it's just the demand in socal.

MrWookie · #**296** 12-11-2006, 10:47 PM

I wavered between 2 and 2.5. I liked it more than the Brooklyn, though, so I gave it the extra half a point.

MrWookie · #**297** 12-12-2006, 02:09 AM

I had a horrible night at the tables, so the only logical thing to do is drink beer, and beer that doesn't kid around. It's imperial stout time. Beer that is black like my soul. Maybe I should have picked red like my win rate, but I digress. No pics because I really don't care right now.

First up is Great Divide's Yeti. I've already reviewed the oaked version in this thread. This is the regular. I paid $13.99 for a four pack of beer that clocks in at 9.5% ABV. This beer has the courtesy of giving me its IBU measure, too: 75 IBUs, so it's pretty strongly hopped. It smells of caramel, coffee, dark chocolate, a little bit of hops, and a sweet dark malt. Sipping, it is pretty sweet. The coffee, caramel, and malt come through nicely. The hops aren't all that dominant in the initial flavor, but they linger nicely in the finish. The alcohol doesn't really come through at all. I'm going to award this beer [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. It's a rich, balanced imperial stout that suits my mood nicely.

Second will be North Coast's Old Rasputin. I paid just $8.95 for a four pack that has 9% ABV. It pours with a little more head than the Yeti, but the head is somewhat lighter in color. It's smell reminds me distinctly of tiramisu: coffee, chocolate, vanilla and alcohol. On sipping, it's pretty clear that this is the better beer. The flavor is deeper. It's not quite as sweet, and it's not quite as syrupy, and it's not as hoppy. Instead, it has some nice woodiness along with the coffee, chocolate, and vanilla. Surprisingly, the alcohol doesn't come through all that much. I can feel the increased carbonation. It's likely that this beer was fermented longer but from somewhat less grain compared to the Yeti. I thought about giving this beer a 5, but I'm going to give it [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and a half [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. I miss some of the sweetness, hops, and caramel of the Yeti, but there's no denying that this is a first class beer. It's also a clear value pick over the Yeti, costing $1.25 less per beer.

RunDownHouse · #**298** 12-12-2006, 02:18 AM

North Coast is out of Ft. Bragg, right? I haven't had it in a while, but I remember liking their PranQster (Belgian). Their Red Seal Ale is also good, if uninspired.

MrWookie · #**299** 12-12-2006, 02:29 AM

Yep, Fort Bragg. I gave their Pranqster [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and a half [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] earlier in this thread. I haven't tried the red seal, or any other beers from this brewery. They're pretty solid, though, so I'll like complete the tour de North Coast.

MrWookie · #**300** 12-13-2006, 08:02 PM

OK, I'm back for more reviews. Tonight, I drink porter.

First up is Stone's Smoked Porter. It carries a respectable 5.9% ABV at a cost of $4.95 for a 22 oz.

The beer pours dark brown with quite a bit of carbonation, although the head doesn't get out of control. It smells, as expected, like smoke, along with a little bit of nuttiness. Taking a sip, I'm impressed. It tastes of smoke, chocolate, and walnuts. It's not all that hoppy, and it's not all that sweet, either. The flavor lingers nicely, but perhaps not quite as long as I would like. I'm going to award this beer a solid [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. This is another great offering from Stone.

Up second is Rogue's Mocha Porter. I paid $2.25 for a 12 oz bottle of undetermined ABV. Had I bought a 22 oz, it would have been $5.69, more than the Stone.

It pours an almost identical color to the Stone, albeit with less carbonation and less head. It smells, unsurprisingly, of chocolate with a little bit of coffee. I think there's more hops in there too. Sipping, the coffee comes through strongly, and the chocolate and hops are not far behind. It's not a strongly hopped beer, but they're there. More than the Stone. All in all, though, this beer isn't as deep or as rich as the Stone. The hop flavor lingers, but not much else. I give this beer [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] and a half [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. With the Stone being a little cheaper for me, it's the clear buy.

I must confess, I've been avoiding Stone somewhat at Beers of the World. I've been afraid that the hype and their growth has driven up the price and driven down the quality. However, they seem to be faring quite well. I've heard more good things about their IPAs and such, so I'd expect more good reviews of their beer this spring when I move into the hop bombs.