knotgreen Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 A lot of beer talk on Via Chicago lately, which is pretty awesome. My two most frequented forums are VC and BeerAdvocate, so it's fun to see the cross over! For whatever reason I can't seem to utilize the quote function, but I'll have to agree with the above that Tank 7 is one of the best widely distributed saisons available! That and Ommegang's Hennepin are pretty amazing. I'm very spoiled in that I take somewhat regular trips to Vermont for Hill Farmstead. IMHO, Hill Farmstead is producing some of the best beer in the country. Vermont really is THE beer mecca. Between HF, Fiddlehead, The Alchemist, Lawson's, you can't go wrong... My favorite beers, as of lately, have been oak aged saisons, wilds, and sours. I've been lucky to get some Side Project out of St. Louis, MO, and De Garde from Tillamook, OR. Both are producing some funky, delicious beers. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wilconut Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 A lot of beer talk on Via Chicago lately, which is pretty awesome. My two most frequented forums are VC and BeerAdvocate, so it's fun to see the cross over! For whatever reason I can't seem to utilize the quote function, but I'll have to agree with the above that Tank 7 is one of the best widely distributed saisons available! That and Ommegang's Hennepin are pretty amazing. I'm very spoiled in that I take somewhat regular trips to Vermont for Hill Farmstead. IMHO, Hill Farmstead is producing some of the best beer in the country. Vermont really is THE beer mecca. Between HF, Fiddlehead, The Alchemist, Lawson's, you can't go wrong... My favorite beers, as of lately, have been oak aged saisons, wilds, and sours. I've been lucky to get some Side Project out of St. Louis, MO, and De Garde from Tillamook, OR. Both are producing some funky, delicious beers. Right? Craft beer and Wilco? How do you go wrong? I have been dying to try Hill Farmstead - same goes for Side Project. Both breweries have such a great rep when it comes to funky, farmhouse, terrior-based beers, you know? Definitely bucket-list beers... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
knotgreen Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 I never imagined I'd be one to get into beer trading... It's a slippery slope! It is the only way to get to try the best craft beer in the country. Unless you have the freedom to travel the country and wait in line for beers with a 1 or 2 bottle per person limit! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wilconut Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 Don't have that luxury of traveling around, following delivery trucks, etc. But, hey, sharing/trading/generosity is really what craft beer is all about. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Moss Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 i finally got to try Pliny the Elder (btw is it pronounced like Plinny? or Pliney?) when i was in SF two weeks ago. Coit Liquors had some but you had to ask, they didn't have it in the display case. on my third trip there (limit of 2 per person per day), there were two women from Boston in front of me, buying some for friends back home. woman - "I'd like to buy six Plinys, please." store clerk - "Sorry, I can only sell you one or two bottles." woman - "Is it that good?" store clerk - "It's that popular" Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Moss Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 I though Pliny the elder was pretty easy to get? I know Pliny the younger shows up in Colorado once a year and you have to go down to wherever its tapping as soon as they open and get on the list or whatever. Seems Like hype to me (kind of like the Pappy Van Winkle whiskey releases) but maybe its that good? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wilconut Posted March 30, 2015 Author Share Posted March 30, 2015 I though Pliny the elder was pretty easy to get? I know Pliny the younger shows up in Colorado once a year and you have to go down to wherever its tapping as soon as they open and get on the list or whatever. Seems Like hype to me (kind of like the Pappy Van Winkle whiskey releases) but maybe its that good? I was under the impression Pliny can be somewhat tricky to get. Not impossible, just something of a small trick, more based on timing than anything else - right store, right time, etc. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bleedorange Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Fortunately, Jester King is just a 3-hour drive away, so I can usually get down there frequently enough to grab whatever they happen to put out. Excellent beer! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wilconut Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 Another bucket list brewery: Jester King. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lost highway Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 I love Crooked Stave.The sour beer place! Not for the faint of heart. My wife loves sour beers. I enjoy one from time to time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bleedorange Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Another bucket list brewery: Jester King. It's an amazing place. On a beautiful ranch in the hill country. There's a farmhouse pizza place right next to it on the property. You can get different-sized pours of whatever beers they have on tap that day. Plus tons of bottles from breweries all over the world. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hixter Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Real Ale Brewery are having their 19th anniversary party on April 11th. Five bucks for 4 pints, and bands, food trucks and a great family and dog-friendly event. The town of Blanco (just outside of Austin) doubles its population that day. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bleedorange Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Real Ale Brewery are having their 19th anniversary party on April 11th. Five bucks for 4 pints, and bands, food trucks and a great family and dog-friendly event. The town of Blanco (just outside of Austin) doubles its population that day. That would be great to go to. Real Ale is great and is probably the best overall brewery in Texas. I love the redesign of their labels. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wilconut Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 Man, I always forget how happenings things are in Texas in terms of craft beer. Real Ale. Jester King. Live Oak. Funny enough, my wife loves sour beer and actually got into craft beer through sours, which always strikes me as strange given how many hardcore craft beer nerds have a hard time with sours. I mean, I love a good sour, but they're not for everyone. Also, if all this beer talk is making you thirsty, make sure to check out the video podcast that started this thread: https://oneguyonebeer.wordpress.com/ Feel free to suggest beers as well, yeah? Thanks! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hixter Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 That would be great to go to. Real Ale is great and is probably the best overall brewery in Texas. I love the redesign of their labels.I had a blast last year, and after a few 9% pours I wound up singing verse of The Stooges' "Search and Destroy" with a band named Party Wizard. I'm rounding up a bunch of friends for this year's bash. Man, I always forget how happenings things are in Texas in terms of craft beer. Real Ale. Jester King. Live Oak. Freetail here in San Antonio are transitioning from a brewpub to a production brewery with the completion of their new facility and tasting room downtown. They make great beers and cans and bottles are appearing on shelves and in beer bars. Not sure if they plan to expand distribution outside of the city, but their owner was instrumental (along with the Jester King folks, I think) in getting Texas' beer laws changed in order to help small breweries and brewpubs. The beer scene is alive and well in Texas. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wilconut Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 If only this 'alive and well' scene would distribute to the northern regions... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hixter Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 The state is bigger than most countries, so distribution is tough. But I suppose it'll happen eventually. I remember seeing a bottle of Jester King on a California shelf a few months back. It surprised me, but I think it was a one-off thing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Winston Legthigh Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Never had Summit's EPA. Will have to keep an eye out.Been my favorite beer for 25 years now. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bleedorange Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 If only this 'alive and well' scene would distribute to the northern regions... Real Ale will not distribute outside the state. It's right there in their slogan. Jester King does some collaborations and will take their beer elsewhere, but they don't make enough to distribute regularly throughout Texas, much less other states. There's very little incentive for a Texas brewery to go outside the state, especially with huge markets here that are hard to completely cover. Saint Arnold tried it briefly (in Colorado of all places) and it failed miserably. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hixter Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 All this beer talk prompted me to head out to the garage and brew. I'm just finishing sparging what will be 10 gallons of an English bitter. Ready to boil. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wilconut Posted March 31, 2015 Author Share Posted March 31, 2015 Ha! Badass, man. Who doesn't love an English bitter? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hixter Posted March 31, 2015 Share Posted March 31, 2015 Brew day complete. 11 gallons of bitter in the fermentation chamber. I'll pitch the yeast when I get it down to 63 degrees in a few hours. On the right is my first attempt at a Heady Topper clone that my neighbor requested. I used yeast harvested from a can of the real thing and it seems to have done the job. Next comes dry hopping. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tinnitus photography Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 What was the difference? One is an imperial and the other is a regular IPA, but they're both good beers. Fresh Squeezed is one of the hundreds of Mosaic-heavy beers that are flooding the market. I make a really tasty Mosaic-hopped pale ale that is popular with the neighbors. Mosaic hops are practically Skittles in plant form. dredging up 3 weeks' of memory, the Pliny was a lot drier whereas the Deschutes seemed to have a much rounder, fuller profile. bah, it's hard to describe what things taste like. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hwllo Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Fresh Squeezed is one of my favorite beers. Easy to find and cheap for craft make it easily overlooked by much of the craft community, but it really is a great beer and in the summer I always have some in the fridge! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sunshine Posted April 1, 2015 Share Posted April 1, 2015 Never had Summit's EPA. Will have to keep an eye out.I love Summit. I'm in the Cleveland area, so of course Great Lakes Brewing is the biggest game in town (and state, really). But nows there's so many others. We've recently enjoyed Portside, which just opened a tasing room in the harbor. Very cool place, pretty good beer, but pretty expensive. They're also a distillery. Their christmas spice rum tasted like battery acid, tho. The Brew Kettle is opening a loaction in Amherst, Oh. It's a brew it yourself place with pretty good food. My favorite Ohio brewers is Catawaba Island Brewing - a must if you're in the Lake Erie Islands area. They have a huge variety, and I think a lot of their beers are better than GLBC.http://catawbaislandbrewing.com/index.html For anyone in Michigan's UP, Blackrocks Brewery in Marquette is the best in the UP -- and that's a bold statement considering all of the really freakin' great breweries up there. AND - one of the best taco trucks ever is there on Friday nites.http://www.blackrocksbrewery.com/ Brickside in Copper Harbor, MI is pretty spectacular for the beers and the location. Happy drinking! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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