The Finer Things In Life

[FlaSoxxJim]

Does anyone else reviews beers at ratebeer.com?

 

I never did the Beer Advocate or Rate Beer submission thing, and I really don't know why. When I was a more active homebrewer I'd contribute a lot more to the BeerToools site, but nothing for the last few years. Maybe it's because I'm already wasting so much time on SoxTalk.

[G&T]

Does anyone else reviews beers at ratebeer.com?

 

I do as a matter of fact.

[G&T]

In the past few months I was finally able to partake in the food and beverage at Flossmoor Station and Gordon Biersch. I tried the samplers at both (Flossmoor had a 12 beer sampler!) and found both places to have very good brews. The Milky Way Stout at Flossmoor and the Hefeweizen at Gordon Biersch were standouts.

 

Sweet stouts are an awesome thing. I recommend the Left Hand Milk Stout.

[hogan873]

Sweet stouts are an awesome thing. I recommend the Left Hand Milk Stout.

 

This is one of my favorites. Samuel Smiths Oatmeal Stout is a fine brew also.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Add Mackeson's to your list of beers to seek out. It was the original milk stout. Watney's (the one they used to call "Stingo" is also well worth looking for).

 

Then there is a nifty little number from Jamaica called Dragon Stout. Brewed with milk sugar in the recipe, it also has flavor elements that straddle the entire stout continuum from foreign extra to imperial. Not quite high enough in alcohol to be a true imperial (but still plenty high at 7.5% abv), it most definitely tickles those same taste buds.

 

It had been about 15 years since I'd had this one since our local distributor stopped carrying it. But I can get it about an hour inland at the same store i have to go and get my 95.5 proof Pusser's navy Rum.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Since there seems to be a shared fondness for stout here, what do y'all think of the multitude of different stouts coming out of Bell's now? I think they are making at least 5 or six different ones now, and I know there's at least 1 or 2 I haven't gotten around to yet.

[hogan873]

Bells Special Double Cream Stout - Pitch black body with a lasting brown head. Baker’s chocolate, coffee, and roasted malt make up the wonderful aroma. Smooth, full mouthfeel. Absolutely delicious with the chocolate and roasted malt sweetness up front fading to a great coffee and cream finish. A beautiful, tasty, and easy drinking beer. Bravo.

 

Bells Cherry Stout - Pitch black body with a very thin brown head. Nice aroma of chocolate, cherries, and tobacco. Full, smooth mouthfeel, appropriate for a stout. The flavor is quite unique. There’s just a touch of the chocolate goodness up front, but it is quickly overpowered by the tart cherries. Aftertaste is a bit cloying. Okay stout, but I think the tartness of the cherries is a bit too much.

 

Bells Kalamazoo Stout - Not a hint of light escapes this brew. Pitch black with a tan head that leaves nice lacing. Chocolate, caramel, coffee, and licorice make up the fine aroma. Medium-full bodies with decent carbonation. The beer starts sweet with chocolate and caramel notes. Finishes with dark coffee/espresso bitterness. Absolutely delicious.

 

These are the only three I've tried. There are at least two or three more.

[FlaSoxxJim]

That's three out of the four I know I've had (and I think your descriptions are spot on, other than I didn't find a cloying finish after the tart cherry attack on the cherry stout). The other one is their Expedition Stout that is their 10%+ imperial.

 

The Java Stout is one I know I haven't had yet, and I can't remember if I ever had the porter.

[hogan873]

I've had the porter: Nearly opaque dark brown body with a lasting tan head. Aroma of chicolate,coffee and cream, and a touch of smoke. Medium palate with a surprising amount of carbonation. Big malty flavor with the chocolate and coffee evident right away. Smooth finish with a slightly bitter coffee aftertaste. A delicious porter.

 

They also have a Trumpeters Stout, which is a winter brew.

[G&T]

Anyone getting Bells is quite fortunate. Can't get it up here. But last time I was in Chicago I had the Expedition. Good stuff as I recall. I think some age would have been great for it. Definitely one brewery that I miss dearly, along with Founders.

[hogan873]

Bells has made a resurrgence in Illinois lately. I suppose it was about a year ago I started seeing it around. I try just about everyone I can get my hands on.

 

One brewery I wish sold beer in Illinois is New Glarus. Spotted Cow is one of my favorites.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Bell's pushed into a lot of new markets over the last two years. In never made it into Florida before, and now most good beer bars have Oberon and or Two Hearted on draft. I used to dream about Third Coast Old Ale and now I actually stand a chance of getting here every once in a while. Can't wait for the next Hopslam release either – now that is an extreme beer!

 

Never had anything from Founders or HopCat, but it seems like there are several Michigan brewers doing teh state proud now.

 

The best beer I ever had from New Glarus is their Zwickel. Unbelievable fresh, unfiltered lager taste, makes you wonder why other lager brewers don't bottle an unfiltered variety like this. If you never had this one, be sure to try it. I looked for it every time I'm in the Midwest and get skunked every damn time, but now I understand the brewery has pulled back to a Wisconsin-only distribution.

 

[knightni]

What's the story/rules involving sending alcoholic beverages through the mail/UPS/FedEx?

 

Are there dos/don'ts?

[G&T]

What's the story/rules involving sending alcoholic beverages through the mail/UPS/FedEx?

 

Are there dos/don'ts?

 

Read this article from RateBeer. Pack well.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Avery Brabant. It has been poured and savored. It is a very nice beer.

 

Unlike G&T, I haven't yet opened my Avery 15, so I didn't have first-hand knowledge as to whether they could work any magic with the Brettanomyces in the post-primary fermentations. Happily, I can now report that they did a remarkable job here.

 

For those not familiar, Brett is a wild yeast and is considered an enemy combatant by 99% of the brewing world. It is an acidogen which means that when it metabolizes fermentable sugars it produces acetic acid. It was first isolated in the early part of the 20th century by brewing chemists studying the sources of spoilage in beer. It's the wild yeast that lives on grape skins and makes wine wine, but it is a beer-destroying microbial infection as far as most brewers are concerned.

 

Enter the enigmatic Belgian brewers who managed to tame the wild yeast, and now the craft brewers at Avery and elsewhere who are deftly managing to do the same. The trick in all cases is to make sure the Brett works quietly in the background and doesn't have too much sugar to chew on. That's why Avery introduces its Brettanomyces cultures only after primary fermentation has has turned most of the fermentable sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide and an array cemical byproducts that yield our typical beer flavors. Then in secondary (cask) and tertiary (bottle) fermentation, the Brett strains are given a short leash and allowed to add their unique acidic flavors to the finished beer. If the same wild yeasts were allowed to run amok in the primary fermentation they would compete with the docile, domesticated Saccharomyces brewers yeast and turn the brewer's wort into vinegar rather than beer.

 

Avery certainly didn't let that happen in the Brabant. The beer is opaque — very dark, with an alcohol above 8% abv. Flavors are decidedly Belgian, including good earthy notes, currant and other fruits in the nose and flavor. Good beginning carbonation and small, tight head that actually didn't last quite long enough. Then again, I let this one warm up as I enjoyed it for well over an hour so it's bound to lose some fizz. Long finishing flavors that have enough going on to compete with the acidity which is pleasingly apparent. I really wish this beer came in bottles bigger than 12 oz, because that's not nearly enough to allow full exploration of the beer's depth. Then again, since production is limited to 675 cases as it is, bottling in bombers would have cut the unit production in half.

 

I'm used to most tart Belgian ales being considerably lighter in color, but Flemish browns are an obvious exception to that rule, and the Brabant strikes a similarly balance. This is a vintage dated beer that would be expected to lay down well, but I really don't know if age could improve the balance of the young beer by much.

 

I can't wait to go back and try the Avery 13 now for comparison.

[hogan873]

I like brewers who are a bit daring in their creations. I've had some beers, however, that had no business being brewed. A very good Midwest brewer that isn't afraid to experiment is Three Floyds. I've never been to their brewpub, but I've tried quite a few in bottle form. The Gumballhead Wheat is wonderful.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Three Floyd's Robert the Bruce is well-made. Now that Bert Grant's Scottish Ale is a practically nonexistent beer consigned to contract beer limbo, I wish we got that one down here. Alpha Kings was a good decade ahead of the Dogfish Head curve to mainstreaing high-alpha, moderate-strength Amarican pale ales. I don't count the West Coast godfather breweries in that timeline because they were already so far ahead of the rest of the country. Those were the two that were regularly available at Clark Street Ale House and the Map Room back when I got back to Chicago more frequently.

 

I tend to agree with you that some breweries that shoot for something quite daring often fall short and they need to walk before they run. But I also know so much of that is subjective, as with some of the off-center Dogfish varieties that don't curl my toes but are well-regarded by many others.

Edited November 17, 2010 by FlaSoxxJim

[hogan873]

I've had some very good Dogfish Head beers. And I've had a few that were so-so. Their Raison D-Etre is fantastic, and the fall seasonal Punkin Ale is top notch.

[G&T]

I've had some very good Dogfish Head beers. And I've had a few that were so-so. Their Raison D-Etre is fantastic, and the fall seasonal Punkin Ale is top notch.

 

Punkin Ale is really good. As much as I love the summer brews, I'm starting to get excited about the fall seasonals. Pumpkin ales will be tops on my list.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Punkin Ale is really good. As much as I love the summer brews, I'm starting to get excited about the fall seasonals. Pumpkin ales will be tops on my list.

 

I'm actually starting to salivate thinking about this year's crop of Oktoberfest offerings. The party starts this year in München September 19th, so we'll start seeing the new festbiers coming in soon.

 

[G&T]

I'm actually starting to salivate thinking about this year's crop of Oktoberfest offerings. The party starts this year in München September 19th, so we'll start seeing the new festbiers coming in soon.

 

Victory has their Festbier out now (assuming the bottles I saw were fresh). I think I saw the Shipyard Pumpkin out as well.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Victory has their Festbier out now (assuming the bottles I saw were fresh). I think I saw the Shipyard Pumpkin out as well.

 

I'll probably be like Lucy and the snowflakes and I'll wait until September before i go into festbier mode.

 

Weyerbacher makes an outstanding pumpkin ale called Imperial Pumpkin Ale that clocks in at 8%. If you run into one of those definitely give it a spin. They also make a nice festbier called Autumnfest. I think both of those are dropping this week.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Back to rumbullion.

 

I need to make a new batch of grenadine tonight. The home-made grenadine recipe I use is a couldn't-be-simpler, cold-press recipe I found on The Cocktail Chronicles a couple of years ago. Fresh pomegranate juice, sugar, and that's it.

 

The red sugar water that passes for commercial grenadine now bears no resemblance to what the syrup historically was. There is ZERO pomegranate juice in Rose's or most other store-bought brands. Yuck.

 

Armed with a fresh bottle of real grenadine, I'll reward myself with a Jim Dandy Planter's Punch which will be constructed thusly:

 

• 1 oz fresh lemon juice

• 1.5 oz orange juice

• 1.5 oz pineapple juice

• 1.5 oz passionfruit juice

• 1 oz Appleton Reserve rum

• 1 oz Coruba dark rum (or sub Myers or Goslings)

• 0.5 oz homemade grenadine syrup (use the store-bought crud if you must, but reduce to 0.25 oz)

• 0.25 oz Passoa passionfruit liqueur (or sub Alizé)

 

– Shake all ingredients on ice and pour entire contents into glass and serve.

– Repeat above as necessary.

 

This is a darned good planter I've been tweaking for a few months. Somebody get daring and mix one up and let me know what you think.

 

A bit of planter punch trivia. . . Traditional belief is that the planter's punch originated on Jamaican sugarcane plantations, as a tasty thirst-quencher for hot, tired farmhands. But this very plausible origin is disputed, and several authorities cite the Planter's Hotel in St. Louis as the source of the drink — dating back to maybe the 1840s. This famous (long-gone) hotel is also popularly cited as the birthplace of the Bloody Mary, Tom Collins, and Martini. That's a heck of a cocktail legacy if true, but it sure seems improbable that all four drinks were born there. Then again, if the alternative in St. Louis was drinking the Budweiser being made there maybe desperation could have stoked some creativity.

 

[Kid Gleason]

Ideally, you all will chime in and turn me on to some must-try beers and spirits too.

 

Oh, I know!!! There's this beer...it's HIGH alcohol...it's called The Beast! Stop me if you've heard this one before...

 

 

[Kid Gleason]

What's the story/rules involving sending alcoholic beverages through the mail/UPS/FedEx?

 

Are there dos/don'ts?

 

I've only done it once before. I can't remember if there was anything special done. Technically you are not supposed to do it. You do run the risk of the bottle blowing though, as if it is flown you can almost bet that the plane is not pressurized. I know many a person who has brought beer back on trips and they have lost bottles due to this. One of my buddies brings back Stone brews every time he goes out west, but I think he keeps the bag with him on the plane to avoid explosions.