What are you drinking?

[pkt77242]

I may be biased on this, but I like many chocolate stouts; same with oatmeal stouts -- Terrapin Coffee Oatmeal Stout is one of my favorites (though maybe I just like coffee stouts). From what I read, this one -- the one you're getting -- has a hoppy element that you may well like. Sounds interesting. Hope it's good.

My favorite coffee beer is Ballast Point Victory at Sea. I could drink gallons of that (and then die of liver failure). I am looking forward to both of the beers (Americano Stout and Bitter chocolate Oatmeal Stout), and hopefully I can post some notes next weekend.

 

[palinurus]

Thank you for the notes, and sorry that you didn't like it more. Is Green Flash available by you?

Yes, I think we get Green Flash. What do I want to look for Hop Head Red Ale?

I don't want to leave the impression I disliked it. It was just unusual. Took me a about a third of it to get a sense of it, to sort of buzz through the initial impression, if that makes any sense. I liked it, but I'll need one or two more before I see if it's one I'd want more of.

 

[JD Irish]

First Coast IPA by Elevation Beer Co. in Poncha Springs, Colorado. Pretty good. Green Flash West Coast IPA is the best IPA I have had. I wish I could get it here.

 

[BeauBenken]

I've got a growler full of Demetris Robertson.

Your move, Beau

So that's how it'll be, eh?

Moving this talk of Demetris Robertson to the appropriate thread!

 

[bkess8]

Rogue Yellow Snow IPA

 

[pkt77242]

Smuttynose Rocky Road (An indulgent blend of marshmallow Fluff™ and chocolately cacao nibs in a full bodied, sweet stout beer that has been aged on amaretto soaked oak chips). Their description not mine.
N: Cocoa, graham cracker, coffee, and caramel, and some nuttiness (almonds, pecans?). If you really stick your nose in it (ok not quite in it but damn close) you get a whiff of marshmallow.
P: Big cocoa and coffee. Some caramel, and roasted nuts (Almonds? Brazil nuts?). If you swish it around your mouth you get some of the marshmallow but otherwise it is absent.
F: Mostly the cocoa and coffee but there is some nicely roasted nuts and maybe a hint of sweeter nuts (pecans and almonds in brown sugar?), with just the barest hint of marshmallow and oak. Oak and nuttiness grows as it lingers on the tongue.

Overall a sold but not spectacular beer. At $6.50 for a bomber it has pretty good QPR and is something that I would consider buying again but not something I need to rush out and buy again. Think 85-87 for a score.

 

[pkt77242]

Rogue Yellow Snow IPA

What did you think of it?

 

[pkt77242]

Yes, I think we get Green Flash. What do I want to look for Hop Head Red Ale?

I don't want to leave the impression I disliked it. It was just unusual. Took me a about a third of it to get a sense of it, to sort of buzz through the initial impression, if that makes any sense. I liked it, but I'll need one or two more before I see if it's one I'd want more of.

Not a problem.
I like Hop Head Red but to me it is the 2nd tier of the Hoppy Reds (but I think that it is a good barometer of people liking hoppy reds). I think that my favorite Hoppy Red is Alesmith Yulesmith Winter. Other solid second tier Hoppy Reds include Oskar Blues G'Knight Red IPA, Alesmith Evil Dead Red, Bear Republic Red Racer (which you have had), Lagunitas Lucky 13 and one local one for me SanTan Count Hopula. Sadly it seems to be difficult for breweries to make top notch Hoppy Reds.

 

[NDinMich]

Thank you, that is an absolutely fair assessment. I guess I compare it to Stone Enjoy By which I prefer and is a 6 pack for $16. Now I can understand that not everyone prefers Stone Enjoy By but it is very similar in ratings to Bell's Hopslam and is pretty limited (though not as limited as Hopslam).

I really try (not always successfully) to judge a beer in a vacuum. For me, comparing Enjoy By to Hopslam is so hard because they're just different, both great but different.

Finished off the Hopslam mini keg, really loses a lot on day two.

Victory at Sea.

 

[pkt77242]

I really try (not always successfully) to judge a beer in a vacuum. For me, comparing Enjoy By to Hopslam is so hard because they're just different, both great but different.

Finished off the Hopslam mini keg, really loses a lot on day two.

Victory at Sea.

By yourself? If so damn, my liver feels bad for yours (and that is saying something).

Also, can't go wrong with Victory at Sea.

I think that you bring up a good point about judging beers in a vacuum but for me once I judge it, I have a tendency to look at QPR and that is what messes me up. I really like Hopslam but not at that price.

 

[bkess8]

What did you think of it?

Not a fan. Don't really know what it was that I didn't like but I won't be buying it again.

Have you had it before?

 

[IrishLax]

Troeg's Nugget Nectar -- 7.5 % Alchol/ 93 IBU:

Caveat up front: I haven't had a lot of Amber Ales; Bell's Amber and Bear Republic Red Rocket Ale are the two, I recall having had.

Highly carbonated, foam sticks to the glass -- used a snifter.

On the nose, floral, pine, citrus/grapefruit, almost woody.

Taste -- Kind of odd: at first, slightly malt forward, almost a tinny taste, not completely unpleasant. I'm thinking, "what the heck is this?" But then I liked it more as it went along. Malt, then pine, grass, citrus, hoppy and quite bitter. By the end, I'm thinking, "pretty good." Dry finish; aftertaste -- both malt and bitterness.

Bottom line: I liked it well enough, but not as much as Red Rocket or Bell's. Need to drink another.

Funny, I had Nugget Nectar last night at the Whole Foods bar... would not order again. I'm a pretty big fan of Troegs, too.

I may be biased on this, but I like many chocolate stouts; same with oatmeal stouts -- Terrapin Coffee Oatmeal Stout is one of my favorites (though maybe I just like coffee stouts). From what I read, this one -- the one you're getting -- has a hoppy element that you may well like. Sounds interesting. Hope it's good.

You talking about the Wake 'N Bake? While we're talking about Terrapin AND chocolate beers, their Liquid Bliss is pretty darn good as far the chocolate-peanut-butter-porter archetype goes. I also think DuClaw does a pretty good job with their Sweet Baby Jesus. My fiancee is a fan of both.

Also, I'd strongly recommend Midnight Monk to anyone who likes Belgian style ales and pale ales... it's a really unique beer that sorta straddles the line between the two.

 

[greyhammer90]

Before I go looking for the beer trading thread, is there anything that a guy on the Tennessee/North Carolina border can offer anyone with access to Ballast Point beers? Anyone want any Terrapin beer? I'm jonesing hard for grapefruit sculpin/victory at sea. I really miss victory at sea.

 

[IrishLax]

Before I go looking for the beer trading thread, is there anything that a guy on the Tennessee/North Carolina border can offer anyone with access to Ballast Point beers? Anyone want any Terrapin beer? I'm jonesing hard for grapefruit sculpin/victory at sea. I really miss victory at sea.

Sup?

 

[NDinMich]

By yourself? If so damn, my liver feels bad for yours (and that is saying something).

Also, can't go wrong with Victory at Sea.

I think that you bring up a good point about judging beers in a vacuum but for me once I judge it, I have a tendency to look at QPR and that is what messes me up. I really like Hopslam but not at that price.

We put a big dent in it last night!

I hear ya, $20 for a 6 pk is a price I wouldn't pay for almost any other 6 pk. Hopslam is one of the few exceptions for me.

 

[NDinMich]

Before I go looking for the beer trading thread, is there anything that a guy on the Tennessee/North Carolina border can offer anyone with access to Ballast Point beers? Anyone want any Terrapin beer? I'm jonesing hard for grapefruit sculpin/victory at sea. I really miss victory at sea.

Does Allagash make its way to TN? How about Cigar City?

 

[greyhammer90]

Does Allagash make its way to TN? How about Cigar City?

No Cigar City unfortunately. I'm not sure about Allagash, I haven't looked specifically for it since I moved here. I know it's in GA.

 

[greyhammer90]

Sup?

You have anything you'd specifically want?

 

[bkess8]

I have access to all Ballast Point beers if anyone has any special requests!

 

[palinurus]

Smuttynose Rocky Road (An indulgent blend of marshmallow Fluff™ and chocolately cacao nibs in a full bodied, sweet stout beer that has been aged on amaretto soaked oak chips). Their description not mine.
N: Cocoa, graham cracker, coffee, and caramel, and some nuttiness (almonds, pecans?). If you really stick your nose in it (ok not quite in it but damn close) you get a whiff of marshmallow.
P: Big cocoa and coffee. Some caramel, and roasted nuts (Almonds? Brazil nuts?). If you swish it around your mouth you get some of the marshmallow but otherwise it is absent.
F: Mostly the cocoa and coffee but there is some nicely roasted nuts and maybe a hint of sweeter nuts (pecans and almonds in brown sugar?), with just the barest hint of marshmallow and oak. Oak and nuttiness grows as it lingers on the tongue.

Overall a sold but not spectacular beer. At $6.50 for a bomber it has pretty good QPR and is something that I would consider buying again but not something I need to rush out and buy again. Think 85-87 for a score.

Thanks for the notes. Yeah, I'd try that at least once, to see how it is, if I come across it. But, as you say, I won't race out for it.

 

[palinurus]

Not a problem.
I like Hop Head Red but to me it is the 2nd tier of the Hoppy Reds (but I think that it is a good barometer of people liking hoppy reds). I think that my favorite Hoppy Red is Alesmith Yulesmith Winter. Other solid second tier Hoppy Reds include Oskar Blues G'Knight Red IPA, Alesmith Evil Dead Red, Bear Republic Red Racer (which you have had), Lagunitas Lucky 13 and one local one for me SanTan Count Hopula. Sadly it seems to be difficult for breweries to make top notch Hoppy Reds.

I'll save this list and look for them. I may have seen OB G'Knight Red IPA around; think I have. Get some Alesmith, but not sure I've seen Y-smithWinter.

 

[palinurus]

Funny, I had Nugget Nectar last night at the Whole Foods bar... would not order again. I'm a pretty big fan of Troegs, too.



You talking about the Wake 'N Bake? While we're talking about Terrapin AND chocolate beers, their Liquid Bliss is pretty darn good as far the chocolate-peanut-butter-porter archetype goes. I also think DuClaw does a pretty good job with their Sweet Baby Jesus. My fiancee is a fan of both.

Also, I'd strongly recommend Midnight Monk to anyone who likes Belgian style ales and pale ales... it's a really unique beer that sorta straddles the line between the two.

Do you agree re Nugget Nectar re the first third of the pint or so being just odd? Like your mouth is trying to make up its mind about it? Or was it just too.....what?

Yes, re the other -- Wake N Bake? You like that? They make a wake n bake in bourbon barrels, too, but I haven't seen that anywhere. That might be too busy, I'm not sure.

I grabbed a Liquid Bliss from the solo bottle rack a couple of weeks ago but haven't had it yet. I also liked Terrapin's Chocolate Moo Hoo (Sweet Milk Stout) pretty much -- not as much as Wake N Bake, though. I think the Midnight Monk is now discontinued, near as I can tell. It was a one-time special. Would have liked to have tried it.

 

[pkt77242]

Trapiche Broquel Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 Mendoza, Argentina.

 

[mango4]

Couple from this weekend.

Founders Nitro Oatmeal Stout and Odell Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout

 

[pkt77242]

Couple from this weekend.

Founders Nitro Oatmeal Stout and Odell Lugene Chocolate Milk Stout

What did you think of them?

 

[pkt77242]

Weihenstephaner is releasing a new beer call 1516 Kellerbier. From what I have read it has already shipped to the US (but who knows when it will actually start showing up on shelves). Since Weihenstephaner is a great brewery it might be worth trying.

 

[IrishLion]

Picked up a bomber of 3 Floyds' Blot Out the Sun over the weekend when I checked the supply at my local establishment.

I'm not a big Stout guy, and this is an Imperial Stout, but I figured I should grab it, not knowing when I would see it again (if ever). I'll either suck it up and try it out one weekend for a special occasion, or I'll gift it to a friend as a wedding/stock-the-bar present.

 

[mango4]

What did you think of them?

Both were good. The Founder's was smooth and creamy, hints of chocolate and coffee.

Lugene was also on nitro. I've had that one before but first time on nitro Chocolaty and sweet, it's one of my favorite milk stouts.

 

[pkt77242]

Both were good. The Founder's was smooth and creamy, hints of chocolate and coffee.

Lugene was also on nitro. I've had that one before but first time on nitro Chocolaty and sweet, it's one of my favorite milk stouts.

Thank you. How do you compare the Founders to the other Founders Stouts?

 

[pkt77242]

Also I am kind of excited for the new Ommegang Game of Thrones beer. It is called Seven Kingdoms Hoppy Wheat Ale.