What are you drinking?

[NDinMich]

Stone Old Guardian dry hopped with Pekko hops.

How is it? Compare to the original?

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Had 30+ people over for a party last night. My beverage spread included:

A handle of barrel-aged Old Fashioned;
Maker's 46;
Bulleit 95 Rye;
Grangestone 12;
Ropiteau Pinot Noir;
Gotin del Risc Bierzo Godello;
Risata Moscato d'Asti;
Wyder's Pear Cider;
Unibrou Maudite;
Unibrou La Fin du Monde;
Ommegang Three Philosophers;
Ommegang Abbey;
North Coast Old Stock Ale 2015;
North Coast Old Rasputin;
Lagunitas Lil Sumpin Sumpin;
Sierra Nevada Torpedo;
New Belgium Slow Ride;
Big Sky Moose Drool; and
Papago Brewing Orange Blossom.

It was a good night.

 

[pkt77242]

How is it? Compare to the original?

Here are my thoughts from the first time that I tried it.

Stone Old Guardian Dry Hopped with Pekko Hops. This is delicious. Like someone mixed a Barleywine and an IIPA.

N: Apricots, peaches, toffee, caramel malt, and some light walnut. Maybe a hint of tangerine as well.
P: Malt is more assertive here. Toffee, caramel malt, pecan praline, some orange marmalade, brown sugar and just a little of the peach and apricot.
F: Bitterness (orange rind?) starts to show up but still plenty of malt with flavors of slightly burned caramel, brown sugar, slight orange and peach sweetness. Bitterness grows stronger as it lingers on the tongue.

Not very true to style as far as barleywines go but it is very good, 91-94 rating. Definitely going to buy at least one more (if not 2 or 3 more). Almost reminds me of a triple IPA.

 

[pkt77242]

Founders Imperial Stout. I really enjoy this, IMHO it is much better than Breakfast Stout.

 

[bkess8]

Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA

One of my new favorites!

 

[ozzman]

Pineapple sculpin. Drool

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[pkt77242]

Since zelezo vlk gave up alcohol for Lent, I will have some Italian wine for him.

Saladini Pilastri Rosso Piceno Superiore Montetinello 2010.

 

[zelezo vlk]

Since zelezo vlk gave up alcohol for Lent, I will have some Italian wine for him.

Saladini Pilastri Rosso Piceno Superiore Montetinello 2010.

Funny enough I'm about to splurge a little this weekend. The local chains are having their biannual sale this weekend and I may as well try to find good single malt for cheap now.

Also, nice.

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[pkt77242]

Funny enough I'm about to splurge a little this weekend. The local chains are having their biannual sale this weekend and I may as well try to find good single malt for cheap now.

Also, nice.

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Which single malts are you considering? Have you had any scotch before? If so which ones did you like or dislike?

 

[BobbyMac]

A 12 of Rolling Rock. Oh how I've missed the skunk.

I scored some Deschutes today!

2 - Dissident
2 - Abyss
1 - Jubelale
6 - Chainbreaker

for $50 and 2 - Burn'Em Brewing - Deez Nutz


If you guys get a chance, try/trade/ Burn'Em Brewing. They have some crazy stuff. And they were doing Deez Nutz long before it went viral. They're basically a more exploratory 3 Floyd's... and basically right in between 3 Floyds and ND.

Burn 'Em Brewing

 

[zelezo vlk]

Which single malts are you considering? Have you had any scotch before? If so which ones did you like or dislike?

No idea, I don't know what's on sale.

I've had Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and a few others I can't remember.

I recall not liking Laphroaig at all. I'm not sure if that was the peat or what. Other than that, I've enjoyed all of the other scotch whiskeys I've had before, minus Red Label (shudders).

 

[Black Irish]

No idea, I don't know what's on sale.

I've had Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, Laphroaig, Lagavulin, and a few others I can't remember.

I recall not liking Laphroaig at all. I'm not sure if that was the peat or what. Other than that, I've enjoyed all of the other scotch whiskeys I've had before, minus Red Label (shudders).

Iodine is an acquired taste.

 

[NDinMich]

Bowmore 12 yo

 

[bkess8]

Ballast Point Grapefruit Sculpin

And another Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA

 

[pkt77242]

Stone Patasalka Red X IPA. I had it from the bottle today and I actually enjoyed it much more than I have the previous couple of times.

 

[pkt77242]

Kilkerran WIP 5 Bourbon Cask.

N: Wet hay, vanilla, oats, nuts (brazil nuts?), and gentle smoke.
P: Wet hay is there with some lemon, vanilla and nuts. Gentle smoke. Like you are smelling a fire that has mostly burned out from far away (except tasting it).
F: Relatively short. Lemon and vanilla and a touch of floralness is there. just when you think that it is over a touch of grains comes back.

Not a bad whisky, just not great either. A little young.

 

[pkt77242]

Kilkerran WIP 5 Sherry Wood

N: Nuts (pecans? Walnuts? Cashews?), some hay, somewhat closed. Hints of smoke and orange.
P: Nuts, light sherry notes, hay, hint of floralness, spices, a little orange and smoke.
F: Medium in length, nuts, and hay. Spiced orange?

I like this whisky but it struggles following the bourbon version which is a little more forward.

 

[pkt77242]

Elijah Craig Small Batch, it is no longer 12 years old and the price is still the same.

N: Oak, pencil shavings, vanilla, corn, and polished oak.
P: Caramel corn, vanilla, pencil shavings, butterscotch and polished oak.
F: Caramel corn, vanilla and polished oak.

Not a bad bourbon but not as good as the 12yo version. I am a sad panda. I use to recommend this to people but now I would not (well unless you can find the old 12yo version, then buy it).

 

[pkt77242]

Last one for the night. Laphroaig 10yo.

N: Iodine, sweaty socks, a sweetness (bread soaked in sugar cane juice?), wood smoke, peat, saltiness.
P: Iodine (lots of it), wood smoke (or what I think it would taste like), sweet peat, brine, and a little tar.
F: medium-short, brine, peat, and iodine. A touch of sweetness as well (peach?).

 

[Jackalope1977]

Victory Storm King. Very good during a blizzard. Damn winter.

 

[palinurus]

Stone definitely makes some good ones that are readily available this time of year. Same for Lagunitas. Founders Breakfast Stout and Ten Fidy by Oskar Blues are two of my go to Stouts. Like IPAs, the stouts vary in taste but winter is a great time for stouts!

Some of the harder ones to find Goose Island Bourbon County and The Abyss by Deschutes.

Strongly agree. I also like Old Rasputin Imperial Stout. To a slightly lesser extent, Great Lakes Blackout Stout. Then there's the oatmeal stouts (Rogue's Shakespeare) and coffee stouts and milk stouts (Left Hand Nitro)! And then the oatmeal/coffee stouts (Terrapin Wake n Bake I like a lot) and coffee/milk stouts (Stone is pretty good). And the chocolate stouts -- Rogue, Brooklyn Black, and YOung's Double Chocolate are all good to me). I feel like Cookie Monster sometimes.

 

[palinurus]

I had Cigar City Jai Alai IPA and Ballast Point Commodore stout the other night. Both were pretty good. Jai Alai is my kind of IPA, as in, it's not like sucking on a sudsy lemon. And the Commodore is my kind of stout; not too light and creamy like traditional stouts. It had a nice roasted coffee flavor to give it some backbone.

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Agree that this is a nice beer.

 

[palinurus]

Two of my favorite styles are IPAs and Stouts. While IPAs are hop forward, Stouts are Roasted malt forward. NDinMichigan already covered some really good stouts but I will add a few (and 1 imperial porter). I think I remember where you live, so I will try to recommend beers generally available there (though some are seasonal).
Oskar Blues Ten Fidy (one of the best stouts out there)
Sierra Nevada Narwhal (seasonal but you still might find some on the shelf)
Clown Shoes Undead Party Crasher
North Coast Old Rasputin
Firestone Velvet Merlin
Bear Republic Big Bear Black Stout
If you can find Bell's Expedition Stout, Goose Island Bourbon County Stout, Stone Russian Imperial Stout and most of Founders Stouts (Imperial and Breakfast).

There are plenty of other good stouts as well. One Porter that I recommend if you like coffee is Ballast Point Victory at Sea (a vanilla coffee Imperial porter).

So in summary if you want to try big dark beers I suggest Oskar Blues Ten Fidy and Ballast Point Victory at Sea and then use that as a jumping off point based on what flavors you like or dislike from them.

If you want more recommendations just let me know.

Forgot all these bolded ones. Yes, yes, and yes. Would love to find the Bear Republic, because I like their stuff. Velvet Merlin is an oatmeal, I think, and I really liked it. I recently bought a six of Bell's Expedition, but haven't tried yet. I'll have one or two and then cellar, I think; I hear it is a really fine beer and gets even better in a year or so. Let me know if you've tried that. But this is a great checklist PKT posted.

 

[palinurus]

Any of you guys on beer advocate?

I find the scores fairly reliable to my own taste, so I will use it to check out beers when I am at the store and see something I haven't otherwise heard about.

 

[palinurus]

Had 30+ people over for a party last night. My beverage spread included:

A handle of barrel-aged Old Fashioned;
Maker's 46;
Bulleit 95 Rye;
Grangestone 12;
Ropiteau Pinot Noir;
Gotin del Risc Bierzo Godello;
Risata Moscato d'Asti;
Wyder's Pear Cider;
Unibrou Maudite;
Unibrou La Fin du Monde;
Ommegang Three Philosophers;
Ommegang Abbey;
North Coast Old Stock Ale 2015;
North Coast Old Rasputin;
Lagunitas Lil Sumpin Sumpin;
Sierra Nevada Torpedo;
New Belgium Slow Ride;
Big Sky Moose Drool; and
Papago Brewing Orange Blossom.

It was a good night.

This is a nice selection. I bet you have lots of friends.

 

[palinurus]

Been offline for a while, but in the interim had:

Old Rasputin Stout
Duck Rabbit Milk Stout
Cigar City Jai Alai
Rogue Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout
Three Notched APA
Smuttynose Finest Kind
Sierra Nevada Harvest
3 Floyds Zombie Dust

Best: Zombie Dust
2nd Best: Tie - Finest Kind, Jai Alai and Old Rasputin
3rd Best: Shakespeare Oatmeal

All were good, though.

 

[pkt77242]

Stone 20th Anniversary Encore Series: Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout

N: Chocolate (mostly dark but maybe some notes of milk choclate as well), roasted malt, slight coffee notes, maybe I am getting oatmeal but that might just be my bias creeping in. A little caramel as well.
P: Nice creamy dark chocolate with a little coffee mixed in. Roasted malt, and a touch of caramel.
F: Medium in length, roasted notes, bitter dark chocolate, and some dark roast coffee.

A very good stout but nothing amazing. 89-91.

 

[pkt77242]

Been offline for a while, but in the interim had:

Old Rasputin Stout
Duck Rabbit Milk Stout
Cigar City Jai Alai
Rogue Shakespeare Oatmeal Stout
Three Notched APA
Smuttynose Finest Kind
Sierra Nevada Harvest
3 Floyds Zombie Dust

Best: Zombie Dust
2nd Best: Tie - Finest Kind, Jai Alai and Old Rasputin
3rd Best: Shakespeare Oatmeal

All were good, though.

Very nice.

 

[pkt77242]

Forgot all these bolded ones. Yes, yes, and yes. Would love to find the Bear Republic, because I like their stuff. Velvet Merlin is an oatmeal, I think, and I really liked it. I recently bought a six of Bell's Expedition, but haven't tried yet. I'll have one or two and then cellar, I think; I hear it is a really fine beer and gets even better in a year or so. Let me know if you've tried that. But this is a great checklist PKT posted.

Talking to me?

If so I have had it and enjoyed it. It is a great stout in the low 90's rating wise in my opinion. Gets better with age, but I think 1 year or so is plenty of time. Maybe drink 2 now, 1 at 3 months, 1 at 6 months, 1 at 9 months and 1 at a year (if you only have one now, then keep the extra one as long as you can before opening).

If you weren't talking to me, oops.

 

[Black Irish]

I was at Jailbreak Brewing in Laurel, Maryland today for a tour. Cool place, good beer. It was interesting how realistic the co-founder was about the state of craft beer given its rapid expansion. He says that they aren't chipping away at the big boys anymore (e.g. Miller, Bud) they are just fighting each other for market share. He compared it to the housing bubble, and it's about to burst, so that's why some of the bigger craft beer names are cashing out to AB for half a billion dollars.