Having some North Coast Old no 38. Its a deep rich stout but i kinda went into it thinking about Old Rasputin(one of my fav north coast brews), and rasputin it is not.....but a damn good brew none the less!. I'm stoked Bevmo finally started carrying Oskar Blues Ten Fiddy RIS. 14 bucks a 4 pack.....but damn well worth it every now and then.
I had some many beers Saturday. Starting off with a Stone Ruination, Brew Dog Rip Tide, Brew Dog Punk IPA, Stone IPA, and then Racer 5 IPA. What a great day.
Epic Beer Alert!! Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary. Unreal! Quantities are limited and usually sells out fast but you can find it online still. A dark ale, almost like an imperial stout. Rich thick creamy head with a huge malty caramel nose. Palate entry is a tad sweet changing to a hoppy bitterness across the palate. Massive malt flavors compete with profound hoppiness on the battlefield of your palate. Slightly viscous with a very long pleasing finish. Amazing brew.
The 30th Anniversary is great, I've been meaning to buy more since I first had one a month or so ago. Did you pick up a fishy smell at all? The head of mine had a distinctly seafood smell, but as soon as the head dissipated, it went away. It came thru nowhere in the flavor at all, very strange.
Even if that wasn't a fluke in my bottle, the beer is so good I wouldn't hesitate to drink it again. Tomorrow sounds good.
I'll have to sniff again, maybe it was fish, the nose had something kinda "off" about it but I couldn't put my finger on it, I was enjoying the massive malt smell. A good reason to crack open another bottle tomorrow!
I know some beers use Isinglass as a clarifier, but I have no idea if the 30th Anniversary uses it and if they do, if it would lend any smell to the brew.
Either way, I'm on my way out and am gonna pick up a bottle to compare. I remember drinking a Tröegs variety that had a really strong pink bubblegum smell. Beer!
If North Coast distributes up there try Old Rasputin Imperial Stout. It's always in my fridge. He'll of an RIS, Stone makes a good one but I think it's all sold out now, spring limited release. Other IS's I love are Ten Fidy, Ravens Eye and Ryan Sullivans. Sam Adams has one but I found it to be way too salty. No dea how that happened unless they burned the malt.
I've seen Rasputin around here, I'll grab some the next time I see it. Never seen any of the others though.
Great Divide makes a great RIS called Yeti, and a local brewery, Middle Ages has one called Dragonslayer, which I'm partial to because I can get it by the growler.
I haven't had it in a while, and it's not a RIS, but there's a Strong Ale called Old Viscosity that I love. It's name isn't hyperbole either, I've drained 10k mile 40 weight that's thinner.
Port Brewing is in Cali, maybe you'd have better luck getting your hands on it if you haven't already. There's a liquor store near the in-laws that usually carries it, so the trips there aren't a total bust.
right now i am enjoying anything by flying dog brewery - especially their double pale ale. If you can spare the $10 for a four pack it is worth picking up if you like imperial and/or DIPA
Avery "The Reverend" A belgian quadruppel....wow....little sweeter than i expected but a big beer, especially at 11%! Picked up some Allagash Black, Brother Thelonious and Sierra Nevada 30th anniversary for the weekend!
I didn't really care for Old Rasputin but I think I had high expectations for it since the beer clerk had told me it won a slew of awards... this was a few years ago mind you.
So I really dig Belgian style ales, dubbels and the like. But brother thelonious just didn't do it for me. Tasted dry and watered down, not really the fashion of other Belgians I've had. Still buying as much Sierra Nevada 30th as I can though!
So I made q quick trip to bevmo for more Sierra Nevada 30th. I grab a bottle and only when I get home do I realize there is more than one kind.... And they all look the same. I have been loving the epicness that is the dark barleywine ale, but accidentally picked up a imperial helles bock. Who knows it may be good. Apparently there are 4 or 5 varities of the 30th anniversary out there. Need to go back and pick ip the dark ale and am praying it is still there. I would do bad things to get my hands on some more!
hah what a twist!
I've only had(I think, at least) the Fritz and Ken's Pioneers Stout, but I just checked and the one in the fridge is the Bock. I was thinking about turning in early, but I can't resist trying this. I've been thinking about the Gurkha Empire IV seeing them on the DD yesterday, so that's my smoke.
So I made q quick trip to bevmo for more Sierra Nevada 30th. I grab a bottle and only when I get home do I realize there is more than one kind.... And they all look the same. I have been loving the epicness that is the dark barleywine ale, but accidentally picked up a imperial helles bock. Who knows it may be good. Apparently there are 4 or 5 varities of the 30th anniversary out there. Need to go back and pick ip the dark ale and am praying it is still there. I would do bad things to get my hands on some more!
There will be a total of four when all the dust has settled. The first was Fritz and Ken's Stout, the second was Charlie, Ed and Ken's Bock, the third and current is the Black Barleywine. You should still be able to track it down pretty easily. The distributor in my area still has a ton of it. The have been coming out in roughly 2 1/2 to 3 month intervals.
The forth I can not wait for. It is going to be an oak aged blend of Bigfoot, Celebration and Pale Ale. All that considered, it should be amazing as long as they don't overdo the oak. It's Ken Grossman, so I have pretty high expectations.
So I made q quick trip to bevmo for more Sierra Nevada 30th. I grab a bottle and only when I get home do I realize there is more than one kind.... And they all look the same. I have been loving the epicness that is the dark barleywine ale, but accidentally picked up a imperial helles bock. Who knows it may be good. Apparently there are 4 or 5 varities of the 30th anniversary out there. Need to go back and pick ip the dark ale and am praying it is still there. I would do bad things to get my hands on some more!
There will be a total of four when all the dust has settled. The first was Fritz and Ken's Stout, the second was Charlie, Ed and Ken's Bock, the third and current is the Black Barleywine. You should still be able to track it down pretty easily. The distributor in my area still has a ton of it. The have been coming out in roughly 2 1/2 to 3 month intervals.
The forth I can not wait for. It is going to be an oak aged blend of Bigfoot, Celebration and Pale Ale. All that considered, it should be amazing as long as they don't overdo the oak. It's Ken Grossman, so I have pretty high expectations.
suhweeeet! I really like the barley wine, got the bock in the fridge for next weekend and am going to try and track down the stout. Wish they went mainstream with this stuff, a real proof of what Sierra Nevada can produce. Had Tumbler yet?
Wow, took my time getting back to you on this one, sorry.
I have rocked some Tumbler. I thought it was solid. Personally, I wouldn't put it with heavyweights of the Brown Ale division, but it is quite good for their first foray into that area of the market. I am really excited when I saw their Porter was coming back. I don't think they have done it for two years it is was always a beer I was really, really impressed with. Hopefully they haven't altered the recipe. That combined with Celebration and the last of the 30th Anniversary ales all coming within the next few weeks add up to a month full of win for Sierra. That is completely failing to mention Northern Hemisphere Harvest which is awesome this year. Haven't even tried Estate this time around
Right now I am all in on the Harvest Ales. Southern Tier's is just as splendid as I remember it. Just got Founder's in, though I haven't bought my 4 pack yet. Waiting very, very patiently for Great Divide's which I always liken to pulling a handful of Centennials off the vine and cramming them in you gullet.
I think O-fests where in and out so quickly this year it was depressing. I am really worried that most of the US market is done fighting on that front and is just conceding the season to Sam Adams. Which is an amazing beer don't get me wrong, but I didn't even get my hands on Victory Festbier or Left Hand O-fest which have always been staples in my lineup, and I run a friggan beer department! Maybe I was just too focused on the Pumpkin Ales. Their releases have typically been staggered in my experience. O-fests in mid-August, Pumpkins start to hit in early September and Harvests sort of chucked in whenever the brewery is ready. This year is seemed like all the O-fest and Pumpkins hit right out of the gate and it was a "get it now or don't get it at all" situation with everybody except the really big dogs. I am currently in a seasonal funk. Nothing is available in VA distribution except Tumbler, SA O-fest and some off the grid pumpkins and Winter seasonals are still a few weeks out. I complete missed the boat on Clipper City Hang Ten, though with there relaunch of the brands I am not even sure what format it is in at this point.
Que Sera. I digress, all will fall into place when Celebration comes in. Oh sweet Odin I cannot wait.
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Its a company called Red Branch. It's a apple/pear base cider with real cherries added in. Amazingly good. Lemme know if you cant find any...
Even if that wasn't a fluke in my bottle, the beer is so good I wouldn't hesitate to drink it again. Tomorrow sounds good.
Either way, I'm on my way out and am gonna pick up a bottle to compare. I remember drinking a Tröegs variety that had a really strong pink bubblegum smell. Beer!
Great Divide makes a great RIS called Yeti, and a local brewery, Middle Ages has one called Dragonslayer, which I'm partial to because I can get it by the growler.
I haven't had it in a while, and it's not a RIS, but there's a Strong Ale called Old Viscosity that I love. It's name isn't hyperbole either, I've drained 10k mile 40 weight that's thinner.
Port Brewing is in Cali, maybe you'd have better luck getting your hands on it if you haven't already. There's a liquor store near the in-laws that usually carries it, so the trips there aren't a total bust.
Also been trying to fit a La Fin Du Monde in the budget here and there. LOVE that stuff.
I've only had(I think, at least) the Fritz and Ken's Pioneers Stout, but I just checked and the one in the fridge is the Bock. I was thinking about turning in early, but I can't resist trying this. I've been thinking about the Gurkha Empire IV seeing them on the DD yesterday, so that's my smoke.
I have rocked some Tumbler. I thought it was solid. Personally, I wouldn't put it with heavyweights of the Brown Ale division, but it is quite good for their first foray into that area of the market. I am really excited when I saw their Porter was coming back. I don't think they have done it for two years it is was always a beer I was really, really impressed with. Hopefully they haven't altered the recipe. That combined with Celebration and the last of the 30th Anniversary ales all coming within the next few weeks add up to a month full of win for Sierra. That is completely failing to mention Northern Hemisphere Harvest which is awesome this year. Haven't even tried Estate this time around
Right now I am all in on the Harvest Ales. Southern Tier's is just as splendid as I remember it. Just got Founder's in, though I haven't bought my 4 pack yet. Waiting very, very patiently for Great Divide's which I always liken to pulling a handful of Centennials off the vine and cramming them in you gullet.
I think O-fests where in and out so quickly this year it was depressing. I am really worried that most of the US market is done fighting on that front and is just conceding the season to Sam Adams. Which is an amazing beer don't get me wrong, but I didn't even get my hands on Victory Festbier or Left Hand O-fest which have always been staples in my lineup, and I run a friggan beer department! Maybe I was just too focused on the Pumpkin Ales. Their releases have typically been staggered in my experience. O-fests in mid-August, Pumpkins start to hit in early September and Harvests sort of chucked in whenever the brewery is ready. This year is seemed like all the O-fest and Pumpkins hit right out of the gate and it was a "get it now or don't get it at all" situation with everybody except the really big dogs. I am currently in a seasonal funk. Nothing is available in VA distribution except Tumbler, SA O-fest and some off the grid pumpkins and Winter seasonals are still a few weeks out. I complete missed the boat on Clipper City Hang Ten, though with there relaunch of the brands I am not even sure what format it is in at this point.
Que Sera. I digress, all will fall into place when Celebration comes in. Oh sweet Odin I cannot wait.