TLDR Beer Club

[RunDownHouse]

So I went to the grocery store the other day to pick something up for breakfast. I wasn't planning on buying any beer, but of course I wandered by the beer aisle. Much to my dismay, I saw only one Mich sampler pack left! So of course I bought it. It has four each of AmberBock (wish they'd had another specialty instead of this), Pale Ale, Hefeweizen, Marzen, and Porter. Tonight I tried out the pale ale.



It pours a crystal-clear copper with a small, thin head that dissipated pretty quickly. Not a whole lot of aroma at all. First sip picks up some hops, but nothing like I'm used to, having been on a Flying Dog/homebrew IPA kick lately. There's not a whole lot of bitterness at the back end, either. I think the malt profile is pretty good, though. It definitely works with the hop profile, and I love to get my hands on it and see if it could stand up to some stronger hopping. Mouthfeel is like the head: thin and doesn't stick around. Looking at the bottle, it says it has practically all noble hops, the only exception being Pacific Northwests. For the none-brewers, imagine the hop taste you'd get from a Czech Pils or a German Lager. APA's use a lot of American hops, so maybe their absence is what's throwing me off a bit with this beer.

Overall, the best thing you can say about this beer is that its both drinkable and more flavorful than typical BMC fare. If they served this up at sporting events, I'd be pretty happy - close to thrilled, really - but I wouldn't reach for it over most other APAs out there in stores.

[milesdyson]

Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye Ale.

this is like good.

pours a fairly dark, but clear red-"ish." i bought a 22 oz of it and poured the first glass into a frosted mug. the head was pretty aggressive even in the frosted mug. the mug warmed up, and when i poured the second glass, the head just shot up like it wanted to kill me. it doesn't really move either, so the head and head retention is killer on this beer.

the smell is incredible. i can't smell rye but the hops are very strong and clear.

the taste is very good as well. just imagine a fairly bitter beer combined with a solid malt profile. the first glass, i could really taste the hops more - i would say that the hops were more defined in the first glass. now, drinking the second glass, it is really very well balanced. i am actually getting a hint of the rye after i swallow as well.

i recommend this for sure. i'm not sure how available it will be for all of you guys not on the west coast, but if you can pick it up and you enjoy hops w/ a little twist, try it out.

i'm giving 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]

[Kneel B4 Zod]

Not a beer review per se, but a trip report:

Beer Advocate Belgian Beer Fest

This event was held last weekend at the Cyclorama (small convention room) in Boston. Hosted by Beer Advocate, this is basically an event were 30-40 brewers come to show off their best Belgian style beers.

Tickets were $30, which gets you entrance, a 2 oz. tasting glass, and all you can drink. The event was limited to 1,000 people, and was a sell-out (I had to scalp tickets).

Suffice to say, I had plenty to drink, so my memory is as hazy as a Hefeweizien. Still, I'll run down some of these brewers and beers that were there (some of this cobbled together):

Allagash Brewing Co.
Brasserie Du Bocq
Brewery Ommegang
Brooklyn Brewery
Brouwerij De Block
Brouwerij St. Bernardus
Brouwerij Van den Bossche
Cambridge Brewing Co.
Dogfish Head Craft Brewers
Harpoon Brewery
John Harvard's Brew House
Nashoba Valley Winery
North Coast Brewing Co.
Russian River Brewing Co.
SixPoint Craft Ales
Southampton Publick House
The Lost Abbey

plus big guys like Duvel, Chimay, etc

a typical selection for each brewer looked something like this (but varied a good deal, of course)

Southampton Publick House

Abbot 12
Belgian-style Quadruple. 10.5%

Grand Cru
Belgian-style ale with subtle flavors of orange and coriander. 9.8%

Saison Deluxe
A ramped up version of their original Saison. 7.4%

Double White
A big, big Belgian-style Wit. 7.2%

Trappist Triple
Triple hopped Belgian classic. 8.5%

Cuvee des Fleurs '05
Saison style, made with edible flowers. 7.7%

Plus they has some awesome waffles! if anyone has been to Stowe, VT, they are the same waffles they have at the top of the gondola. Yumm.

Anyways, some beer highlites included the Trappist Triple and Abbot 12 from the Southampton guys. I highly recommend these guys from Long Island - everything they had was great. The Ommegang guys had all their beers there, which are also great examples of Belgian beers made stateside. Ommegang had brewed up a special beer for this fest, something really really hopped up. Yum.

Stone brewing company had a great vertical ale, and Harpoon actually made a very good triple. My absolute favorite was the the Delirium Tremors:



from Belgium.

All in all, a fantastic event. The next Beer Advocate event is the 4th Annual Extreme Beer Fest on February 9 & 10, 2007 at the same location as above. If you are anywhere near Boston, come check it out!

[ethan]

A heads-up for those of you in the LA/SD area:

The 10th Annual Strong Ale Festival, December 1-2 in Carlsbad (at the Pizza Port). 65 beers, all 16+ proof. I'll be down with a bunch of people from LA; I can't recommend this highly enough.

[cardsharkk04]

I've been trying some of the beers in this thread and enjoy almost all of them, but last week I decided to pick up Rodenbach Grand CRU. It is labeled as a flemish sour ale. First beer that I have tried and absolutely hated it. Just wondering if you guys have any opinions on this beer.

[absoludicrous]

Tonights Beer: Smithwick's Irish Ale (pronoucned Smitticks)

I've been told by numerous authorities on beer that this is better than almost any ale from Europe. Better than Newcastle, better then them all.

Has anyone here tried this? I think it's phenomenal. Definitely better than New Castle, and one of the best ales I've tasted.

[MaxxDaddy]

Just made a run to Shoreline Beverage on Long Island. It was my first trip there and WOW! They had almost anything I could imagine. Definitely somewhere I have to go again. Expect to see reviews for the following brews: Stone Smoked Porter, Southampton Double White Ale, Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout, and two offerings from Hair of the Dog: Adam and Fred. Color me excited!

[MrWookie]

Abs,

Tonight, I tried Smithwick's for the first time. Color me unimpressed. Better than Newcastle? Sure. Best ale I've tasted? Not even close. It's a decent ale. The malt is darker in flavor, but it doesn't linger very long, and there's not much depth. I'd be happy drinking this at a bar with a limited beer selection in lieu of something that ends in "lite," but I won't be buying it for myself. I award this beer [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img][img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]. If you like this beer, I'd look into Alaskan Amber, Ithaca Cascazilla, or Brooklyn Brown instead. These aren't the same types of beer (none of them are even all that similar to one another), but they each exemplify different aspects of what Smithwick's is trying to have.

[pryor15]

Wookie,

i agree. i have several friends who swear by Smithwicks. i suspect they may be crazy.

[Hoya]

I LOVE Rodenbach, and other beers in the style. However, it is probably the most unique beer style out there, and will be hit or miss for most people.

One note - I've had good luck with Rodenbach at bars, but the one time I bought it at a store (Whole Foods) it was skunked and nearly undrinkable. I'd give it another shot.