TLDR Beer Club

[MrWookie]

RDH,

The bottle said to age for at least 6 months. I wasn't sure how long it'd been since you first noticed this beers existence and when I tried it, and I'm not sure how big a difference it would make. If I'm feeling saucy, I might pick up a bottle of this, and Stone's Vertical Epic, which they also say should be aged, and hide them away for a while to see if I notice a difference.

kc,

You may have reviewed the Hop Rod, but if you did, I missed it when I made the index of this thread. I'll have to look again. That 11th anniversary ale sound awesome, though. I'll definitely pick up a bottle next time I see it. How much did it cost you, esp. relative to other Stone 22's you can get?

[RunDownHouse]

Wookie,

Tons of info on cellaring beers around, but what's always made the most sense to me is to buy multiple bottles of one beer at different times and drink them all on the same day. ie buy a beer on Jan 1, cellar it, buy the same beer on June 1, cellar it, buy the same bottle on the next Jan 1, and drink all three on Jan 2. You really have to know both the brewery and your beer store to nail that down, though.

I see a lot of changes in my homebrew depending on how long it sits, so I think its really a neat thing to try.

[Badger]

Last week I was back in Madison, Wisconsin and decided to pick up some beer that I can't get around here (Austin, TX). I had limited suitcase space, so here's what I chose.


From left to right:
New Glarus Belgian Red At $9/bottle this is probably overpriced, but it's a big crowd pleaser. With over a pound of Door County cherries and Wisconsin farmed wheat this is a good choice for a piece of Wisconsin to bring home.
New Glarus Spotted Cow This farmhouse ale is a huge Wisconsin favorite that I couldn't resist bringing home with me.
Bell's Two Hearted Ale I'm thinking I could find this in Austin, but I don't recall seeing it off hand, so I picked one up as it's one of my favorite IPAs (Along with Racer 5 and Maharaja)
Lake Louie Tommy's Porter Lake Louie is not an actual lake, but a pond at the Arena, WI brewery. I have loved everything that I've tried from these guys and this traditional Porter is no exception.
Bell's Oberon Ale With Summer fleeting I decided to snag another of Bell's great beers.
Capital Brewery Wisconsin Amber Another local favorite and the number one seller from an excellent brewery. Read Why they still claim the title of America's #1 Brewery
Ale Asylum Hopalicious I have high expectations for this American Pale Ale. The word on the street is that this is a new brewery created by brewer's from Madison's own Angelic Brew Pub. After hearing this new brewery mentioned a couple times I decided it's time I try some.
Lake Louie Coon Rock Cream Ale I don't recall trying this particular brew, so hopefully it lives up to the Lake Louie name. An interesting antic from the brewery- Lake Louie (it's a pond remember) hosts hockey games held by the brewers and friends. After every goal the game stops for a drink. Scores are reported to be in the 30's and above.
Capital Brewery Autumnal Fire I can't remeber anything about this seasonal other than people like it. I hope it's a winner because I got two of them.
Avery Maharaja Imperial India Pale Ale Widely available, but it's been out of season for a couple months now. I found a couple bottles tucked away in the bottom shelf of the fridges collecting mold. So I bought one for my host and one to bring back. At $7/bottle it must not be a popular choice on the UW campus.

So what'd I miss out on? I'm pretty happy with my selection. Chime in on what you do or don't like about these beers/breweries.

[MrWookie]

I've only had 3 of the beers on the list. All the rest, I'm not even familiar w/ the breweries. I don't think they've ever been reviewed in here. Generally, I wasn't a big fan of Avery's brews, but the Maharaja was one of their better ones. I [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] the Two Hearted ale, although the Oberon didn't live up to the standard IMHO, but it's mostly just the style. I don't go for American wheat beers, although I love the German ones.

[MaxxDaddy]

In general I like your selection, particularly Belgian Red (definitely worth $9 IMO) and Two Hearted...both are awesome. Personally, I'm a bigger fan of New Glarus Raspberry Tart than Belgian Red, thought they're both spectacular fruit beers. Wisconsin is in a pretty sweet area for beer, not only for the breweries in state, but also what's around them, particularly the entire state of Michigan. One brewery from Wisconsin that I don't think many people know about is Tyranena. I've only had beers from their "Brewers Gone Wild" series, but the ones I've had have all been very good. Can't say I've had or even heard of some of those beers, so I can't really chime in on those. Nothing wrong with doing some experimenting...let us know how they are.

[Badger]

Well, I just got back from my friend's house where I cracked open the Belgian Red. It's hard to characterize because it's so fruity. I'm not one who is much into fruit beers, but this is one I will purchase from time to time.

It's light read in color and fairly opaque. I have a hard time pickiung up aromas, but this is one beer which stands out. It smells just like a bowl of sweet, fresh cherries. It's got a very thin head, which makes for a very smooth beer when combined with the sweet cherry flavor. It's a little tangy on the front end and finishes almost being sharp because it's so sweet, but not in a bad way. It's mouthfeel is a little syrupy/sugary, but very clean. It leaves a very pleasant cherry aftertaste. Although this is a far cry from the bitter beers I usually drink it is one I enjoy, and it's definitely something the kids will love. Four out of five cherries.

[kidcolin]

[ QUOTE ]
How much did it cost you, esp. relative to other Stone 22's you can get?

[/ QUOTE ]

Can't remember, but I'm swinging by BevMo tonight to pick up beer for Office viewing and I plan on grabbing a couple more of those. I thoroughly enjoy that beer. Oh.. I had my second bottle with less food and booze in me for a more accurate assessment. I'm sticking by my 4.5 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]s ranking. The drinkability is a little lacking.

Also, PSA for any of those in Boston or happen to be in the area at the time: BeerAdvocate is hosting a Belgian Beer festival Oct 26th-27th in Boston. I might be in town visiting family that weekend so there's a chance I'll go, but it'll likely be sold out by the time I finalize my travel.

[MaxxDaddy]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
How much did it cost you, esp. relative to other Stone 22's you can get?

[/ QUOTE ]

Can't remember, but I'm swinging by BevMo tonight to pick up beer for Office viewing and I plan on grabbing a couple more of those. I thoroughly enjoy that beer. Oh.. I had my second bottle with less food and booze in me for a more accurate assessment. I'm sticking by my 4.5 [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]s ranking. The drinkability is a little lacking.

Also, PSA for any of those in Boston or happen to be in the area at the time: BeerAdvocate is hosting a Belgian Beer festival Oct 26th-27th in Boston. I might be in town visiting family that weekend so there's a chance I'll go, but it'll likely be sold out by the time I finalize my travel.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll be there both days, though I'm waiting on my cousin to buy the tickets...hopefully they don't sell out soon.

[Badger]

[ QUOTE ]
I've only had 3 of the beers on the list. All the rest, I'm not even familiar w/ the breweries. I don't think they've ever been reviewed in here. Generally, I wasn't a big fan of Avery's brews, but the Maharaja was one of their better ones. I [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] the Two Hearted ale, although the Oberon didn't live up to the standard IMHO, but it's mostly just the style. I don't go for American wheat beers, although I love the German ones.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think I'm going to run a blind taste test between Avery's Maharaja, Bell's Two Hearted, Bear Republic's Racer 5, and the IPA I am currently brewing. Unfortunately that means I have to wait 3.5 weeks to dig into the IPA's I bought. Not sure if I can make it.

Check out these other breweries if you get a chance. I can't speak for Ale Asylum yet.

[Badger]

So I got to two of these tonight after having a Widmer Broken Halo IPA, which was alright. I split them with my girlfriend so I only had a half a 12 oz bottle of each.

Capital Brewery: Autumnal Fire
Pours reddish amber with a light head (although my gf poured it a minute before I walked into the room)
Very malty aroma with a little bit of hoppiness.
Very mild front end with a sweet finish with a little bit of spice. Has a warm feel and almost a little bite.

I don't fall for spicy beers, but this was pretty damn good. [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] +1/2 / [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img].
I think this would easily be a 4 if I liked spicy beers.

Lake Louie's Tommy's Porter
This beer pours dark black with a medium tan head.
Has a dark roasted coffee aroma, almost burnt.
Very smooth mouthfeel with low carbonation. Left a something to be desired for mouthfeel.
Light and malty/chocolatey with good coffee flavors. Somewhat of a dry finish.

Well, needless to say I was a little disappointed by this beer as I had very high expectations. I had it on tap last week and thought it was a lot better than this. It falls pretty short of Fuller's London Porter, which is sort of my gold standard for porters. [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]/ [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/heart.gif[/img]