NoJ Posted May 1, 2015 Share Posted May 1, 2015 Not entirely. Cleaned up my act on other fronts though. You can call me Mr. Clean now. If you want. Or not. Or NoJ is fine. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
calvino Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 I brought up Scratch Brewing up a bit ago - just read that they will be up north here participating in Chicago Craft Beer Week. Amazingly my local pub (Flossmoor Station) isn't partaking in any of the events -- we really need a new brew-master.... Below is a video for the event -- nice bit about Scratch. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9YLyH2lqoo&feature=youtu.be Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Lammycat Posted May 7, 2015 Share Posted May 7, 2015 Bought big bottle of Ninkasi Vanilla Oatis Stout the other day that was fantastic. I normally don't buy single bottled beer but this was worth it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hixter Posted May 14, 2015 Share Posted May 14, 2015 You know that your neighborhood gas station is a good one when they have this on the shelf: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted May 15, 2015 Share Posted May 15, 2015 Scratch is a very cool place to go; out in the middle of nowhere in SoIL. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Moss Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 Great day yesterday. Volunteered to help can some beer at ODD 13 brewing in Lafayette, CO and now have 2 cases of Papa Silenus Imperial IPA (8.5%) in my fridge. Plus about 14 free pint coupons to use at the tasting room. That should keep me for a little while. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
knotgreen Posted May 20, 2015 Share Posted May 20, 2015 http://www.iberkshires.com/story/49232/Microbrewery-to-Open-at-Mass-MoCA-Next-Year.html Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The Inside of Outside Posted May 21, 2015 Share Posted May 21, 2015 I have been drinking Bissell Brothers Substance Ale. http://www.bissellbrothers.com/beers/ Remarkable. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
calvino Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 As I stated earlier it's Craft Beer Week in Chicago -- my local establishment did decide to participate and is offering tours of there Barrel Room and tasting beer straight from the barrel this Sunday - their barrel-aged Shadow of the Moon won gold this year - so it might be nice sample that straight from the barrel. Last time I will mention Scratch - this is what they are offering up at Wells Park - wish I could make up there this weekend. Scratch Brewing Company·these are the beers going to Chicago for the wells park event tomorrow • Sycamore alebright golden-colored ale brewed with toasted sycamore bark. caramel and toasted marshmallow flavors complement a dry, malt-forward beer with hints of toffee and toast.• Wild Cherry Bark Biere De Garderich amber hued french farmhouse ale, brewed with wild cherry bark. woody, dry slightly tannic with old -time cherry and almond flavor reminiscent of amaretto.• Basil alebronze-colored ale brewed with basil from our garden. spicy, pineapple, and herb like with toasty malt character• Wild trippelbright golden-colored ale brewed with a wild yeast strain from the air around our garden. Pale malt grain bill allows the yeast esters and phenols to dominate. Peppery, tropical, wonderful Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wilconut Posted June 5, 2015 Author Share Posted June 5, 2015 New episode of One Guy, One Beer, featuring P2 from Penrose Brewing in Geneva. Cheers! https://oneguyonebeer.wordpress.com/2015/06/05/penrose-brewing-p2/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wilconut Posted June 15, 2015 Author Share Posted June 15, 2015 Hey guys! New episode is posted and features a Chicago brewery, the venerable Half Acre Beer Company. Take a look. Thanks! http://oneguyonebeer.com/ Quote Link to post Share on other sites
PopTodd Posted June 15, 2015 Share Posted June 15, 2015 Hey guys! New episode is posted and features a Chicago brewery, the venerable Half Acre Beer Company. Take a look. Thanks! http://oneguyonebeer.com/Just had some of their beer at the West Loop Craft Beer Fest over the weekend. Good stuff. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wilconut Posted June 16, 2015 Author Share Posted June 16, 2015 Nice, man. How was that fest? Heard good things about it. Make sure you give Half Acre's entire lineup a try. They don't make a bad one. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BobDylan'sBeard Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Do they have good craft beers at Solid Sound? I assume they may since it's, y'know, kind of artsy and appreciative of these things (well the festival goers) - though they may just have the usual big brand "craft beers" you see at venues. I saw Beck at Mass MoCa last summer, can't for the life of me remember the beer selection though I drank some. Probably was Blue Moon or something. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Winston Legthigh Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Nice, man. How was that fest? Heard good things about it. Make sure you give Half Acre's entire lineup a try. They don't make a bad one. Hoping someone can explain this to me... At the Half Acre store (I used to live nearby), you can get a 4-pack of 16 oz cans for $8 or $9. 64oz total. To get the same beer in a growler refill (which is also 64 oz, and now you are providing the container), it's $12. Why is it 50% more expensive to purchase the same amount of beer when the consumer is providing the container? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hixter Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 It doesn't make much sense, does it? Maybe they're reflecting to cost of having an employee filling a growler by hand (and often dumping a lot of foamy beer down the drain) as opposed to a canning line that is essentially automated and running at high speed? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
uncool2pillow Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 And the cans will keep so much better. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
KevinG Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 can we talk about hops for a moment? I am of the opinion that a nicely hopped beer is great, as long as the bitterness balances out sweetness of malty flavors. However I getting really tired of the hop forward beers. The ones that shove the hops flavor down your gullet. Super bitter beers just aren't good IMHO. Hops are used in craft brewing to hide a poor product. When used right they are great, but can we just stop with "Hop-tastic" beers. And I hate the hop puns for names. Hopalicous, Hopdinger, Hopalong, Hopwhothefuckcares. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
uncool2pillow Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Hops are used in craft brewing to hide a poor product. I get what you're saying, but would disagree especially with the quoted sentence above. Hops are the most important ingredient in a lot of beers. They are the flavor, they don't disguise the flavor. I think the reason we see beers getting hoppier and hoppier is a lot of us develop tolerance to it and want to push the next level. My father-in-law is nuts for spicy food the way some of us are for beer and he's done the same thing. A few years ago, I thought the hops craze may adversely affect the craft beer market, but today I think there is more diversity than ever. More and more sours, stouts, and new crazier styles. My current favorite (after IPA) is Farmhouse Ale. Bells and Surly both brew great ones. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hixter Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Bitterness and hop flavor and aroma aren't necessarily linked, but they should be in a balanced beer. It's easy to brew a super-bitter beer with no hop aroma or flavor by just throwing all the hops in at the start of the boil. It's also easy to brew a beer with no bitterness but tons of flavor and aroma by adding the hops at the end of the boil, after the boil, or while dry hopping. We seem to have developed a liking for big, bold, juicy, fruity, piney, citrusy hops, so there needs to be quite a bit of bitterness to balance out the flavors. To be honest, I seldom even notice a beer's bitterness and tend to focus on the flavor and smell. I think we've reached Peak Hop and I've noticed a big increase in session IPAs and pale ales: lots of hop goodness, but with reduced ABV now that the beer doesn't have to balance out all the bitterness and body. Some amazingly flavorful hops have been developed during the hop craze of the last 10 years, so even IPA haters should be thankful for the surge in highly hopped beers. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
uncool2pillow Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Good points. I also really love a good pilsner with lots of flowery hops. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Hixter Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Good points. I also really love a good pilsner with lots of flowery hops.Same here. It's one of my favorite styles of beer, but I don't have the patience to brew and ferment lagers. I've made a few ales with Pilsner malt and German/Czech hops and yeast and they've turned out pretty good. I'm also a big fan of British beers; they've done a great job of packing a lot of flavor into Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tinnitus photography Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 Hoping someone can explain this to me... At the Half Acre store (I used to live nearby), you can get a 4-pack of 16 oz cans for $8 or $9. 64oz total. To get the same beer in a growler refill (which is also 64 oz, and now you are providing the container), it's $12. Why is it 50% more expensive to purchase the same amount of beer when the consumer is providing the container?go right to the source:https://twitter.com/HalfAcreBeer Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Winston Legthigh Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 go right to the source:https://twitter.com/HalfAcreBeerI emailed them once. Never got a response.I also emailed Summit to ask them why their Extra Pale Ale is so hard to find in the Chicago area. They said they were switching distributors, and that the problem should be rectified soon. That was a year ago, the problem still exists. Nuts. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
uncool2pillow Posted June 16, 2015 Share Posted June 16, 2015 I emailed them once. Never got a response. I also emailed Summit to ask them why their Extra Pale Ale is so hard to find in the Chicago area. They said they were switching distributors, and that the problem should be rectified soon. That was a year ago, the problem still exists. Nuts. EPA is their flagship. That's nuts. It was the most important beer in introducing me to craft beer. Saga IPA is quickly becoming my go to IPA. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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