Beer

[Dove]

That North Haven area is great for brews. You've got 12%, No Worries, Counterweight, and NEBCO within 10 minutes of each other and some other breweries I haven't tried.

I call the area between CW, 12% and No Worries The Beer-Muda Triangle. Cars enter. Restraint disappears.

 

[Husky25]

Am I the only one who prefers a lighter Ol'Factory Pilsner? Particularly on a warm summer's...pre-nightfall?

 

[8893]

So did you like these things from the get go or was it an acquired taste? I'll drink a Ballast Point Sculpin or two maybe once a summer but that super piney bitterness doesn't do it for me in more than small doses, and I feel like I've eaten a loaf of bread afterward.

They've come a loooong way from Ballast Point Sculpin.

 

[Hoophound]

Right on the water, yeah, I have. Great spot. That reminds me that I have not set foot in a bar in forever.

I just left the office early and sat down in my favorite bar. Had a local IPA and chased it with two Jack and diets. My palate is shameless when it comes to alcohol. I love it all.

 

[Hoophound]

They've come a loooong way from Ballast Point Sculpin.

IPA’s really are an acquired taste. I eased into them by drinking local micro brew lagers etc. From there I asked for lighter IPA’s when I went out and bought various local lagers and pilsners at the store. One summer day, I believe it was July 4, 2013 or so, I went to the local beach club my buddy is a member of and they had Cigar City Jai Alai on tap. I downed a good 8-9 of those, fell asleep under an umbrella until the evening cookout started, and I’ve been an IPA guy ever since. No headache or anything.

 

[HooperScooper]

So did you like these things from the get go or was it an acquired taste? I'll drink a Ballast Point Sculpin or two maybe once a summer but that super piney bitterness doesn't do it for me in more than small doses, and I feel like I've eaten a loaf of bread afterward.

Definitely an acquired taste. I started drinking beers with more flavor in the mid to late 1980s when Sam Adams and Harpoon debuted. Then there was the microbrewery revolution in the early 1990s to the late 1990s and then things kind of settled down until the new craft beer revolution last decade. I was still drinking more malty beers (ambers, reds, porters and stouts) that were prevalent in the 1990s until one of my friends turned me on to IPAs, especially New England IPAs. Not as much of a fan of the bitter IPAs out west. If you want to try some New England IPAs out your way try Monkish Brewing Co. beers. They're in Torrance and make some great stuff.

 

[superjohn]

So did you like these things from the get go or was it an acquired taste? I'll drink a Ballast Point Sculpin or two maybe once a summer but that super piney bitterness doesn't do it for me in more than small doses, and I feel like I've eaten a loaf of bread afterward.

I drank Sierra Nevada when I was a teenager/early 20's but when the IPA craze started I wasn't really into it, I found them overly bitter and grassy tasting. I've always loved Stouts and Porters but in more recent years I've also grown to love IPAs. There's just so many different styles from super piney bitter hop head West Coast IPAs to the less bitter hazy NEIPAs and everything in between. I went to a German brewery the other night and I find myself bored with lagers, though on a hot day I still like an ice cold lager. Imperial Stouts will always be my favorite though.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

They've come a loooong way from Ballast Point Sculpin.

I'm sure. I'm just not into IPAs enough to pursue it. Trust me, I've got enough bad habits. I don't need to actively seek out new ones.

I like a cold, thirst-quenching beer (or 9) on a hot day or a nice stout on a cold day. Beyond that, I'm mostly a wine and booze guy.

 

[8893]

I'm sure. I'm just not into IPAs enough to pursue it. Trust me, I've got enough bad habits. I don't need to actively seek out new ones.

I like a cold, thirst-quenching beer (or 9) on a hot day or a nice stout on a cold day. Beyond that, I'm mostly a wine and booze guy.

I'm not selling, especially since I can't stomach hardly any beer any more, but my guess is that you would like pretty much everything made by Hill Farmstead, including their IPAs. Very smooth, soft and flavorful. They also make great stouts, imperial stouts, porters and a ton of farmstead ales. Definitely something in the water there.

I'm mostly wine, cider and booze these days.

 

[imno1]

I'm sure. I'm just not into IPAs enough to pursue it. Trust me, I've got enough bad habits. I don't need to actively seek out new ones.

I like a cold, thirst-quenching beer (or 9) on a hot day or a nice stout on a cold day. Beyond that, I'm mostly a wine and booze guy.

Me too. Tried too many IPAs to remember but I'll take an Allagash over all of them

 

[karstenkibbe]

Am I the only one who prefers a lighter Ol'Factory Pilsner? Particularly on a warm summer's...pre-nightfall?

Nothing better than a quality crispy boi in the Connecticut summer heat. Fox Farm, CW and Kent Falls are producing seriously high quality regular-rotation and one-off pilsners/lagers. Right now, you can’t throw a rock without hitting well made craft beer, from hazies to crispy bois, fruit slop, stouts, wild ales, etc., in our small state.

 

[Hoophound]

I really don’t prefer the grapefruit laced hazy IPA’s. I’ll drink and enjoy them if handed to me but I’m always disappointed when I order something with a cool name and it turns out like that. Not my favorite. I like the more syrupy, darker IPA’s.

 

[Rico444]

@CL82 what was the winner?

 

[CL82]

still at work, I think it will be the Two Juicey, which is where I was leaning before the poll.

 

[temery]

Bump. Was deleted by mistake.

 

[Deepster]

Finally made it up to Great Falls and caught up with IdahoHusky (after many years). Place was super cool. Great attention to the little details in the space and just really comfortable and well done. I don't really like IPA's, but the sours and Blackberry River that I had were really smooth and had just the right tastes you'd want. I was really, really impressed and glad to see it happening for such a great guy like him.

If I recall correctly, he drove to CT from Kentucky? for a Boneyard Classic golf tourney. That's dedication and it shows in his brewery.

 

[Chin Diesel]

With the newly unlocked beer thread and the recently deleted "Why is the Beer Thread Locked" gone, someone had mentioned last week about Kronenbourg 1664. It's a French beer. I had it for the first time at a British pub and was surprised it was French.

Anywho, French beer and a pizza paying homage to the Alsace region of France. I'd kill the sweet onion but the rest of the pie is on point.

France may be known for its wine, but this beer and pizza pairing is fire!

Originally cooked over a flickering wood flame, the rustic Tarte Flambée blends sweet onions and bacon lardoons with oats’ cheese and tangy Gruyere.

www.pnj.com

 

[HuskyHawk]

With the newly unlocked beer thread and the recently deleted "Why is the Beer Thread Locked" gone, someone had mentioned last week about Kronenbourg 1664. It's a French beer. I had it for the first time at a British pub and was surprised it was French.

Anywho, French beer and a pizza paying homage to the Alsace region of France. I'd kill the sweet onion but the rest of the pie is on point.

France may be known for its wine, but this beer and pizza pairing is fire!

Originally cooked over a flickering wood flame, the rustic Tarte Flambée blends sweet onions and bacon lardoons with oats’ cheese and tangy Gruyere.

www.pnj.com

Have you found anything good on your trip so far? Kronenbourg 1664 is a staple on tap, it's basically the European Bud Light.

 

[storrsroars]

Have you found anything good on your trip so far? Kronenbourg 1664 is a staple on tap, it's basically the European Bud Light.

a) It's certainly not Bud Light or trying to be. It is more of a 1960's dad beer, like Schlitz or PBR or 'Gansett ilk. It uses the same recipe and Alsatian hops as it has for 357 years, more or less. Maybe you're using "Bud Light" to simply suggest ubiquitousness, but it's nothing like Bud Light taste-wise.
b) Sometimes a macro is perfectly fine, like when you stop in the countryside and there's no selection of local saisons and you don't want anything heavy. Or you're just on the move, want a beer and don't want to have to think about it or evaluate the damn thing to write a pretentious review (or BY post).

 

[HuskyHawk]

a) It's certainly not Bud Light or trying to be. It is more of a 1960's dad beer, like Schlitz or PBR or 'Gansett ilk. It uses the same recipe and Alsatian hops as it has for 357 years, more or less. Maybe you're using "Bud Light" to simply suggest ubiquitousness, but it's nothing like Bud Light taste-wise.
b) Sometimes a macro is perfectly fine, like when you stop in the countryside and there's no selection of local saisons and you don't want anything heavy. Or you're just on the move, want a beer and don't want to have to think about it or evaluate the damn thing to write a pretentious review (or BY post).

Indeed I am just comparing ubiquitousness. It's on tap everywhere. It is a basic German style light lager, so it isn't that far off from something like Budweiser. But I'm no fan of most light lagers. I did a check in to Pilsner Urquell on Untappd a couple of weeks back and received the comment "what, were they out of water?". And that's one of the better light lagers.

I am interested to see what @Chin Diesel discovers while he's there. I had one of the best Fest beers I've ever had on Saturday, at Medusa Brewing in Hudson, MA. Met the owner/brewer the week before at an event in our town, so went to their Octoberfest. Just spot on for a classic German Octoberfest.

 

[storrsroars]

I am interested to see what @Chin Diesel discovers while he's there. I had one of the best Fest beers I've ever had on Saturday, at Medusa Brewing in Hudson, MA. Met the owner/brewer the week before at an event in our town, so went to their Octoberfest. Just spot on for a classic German Octoberfest.

For reasons I cannot explain, the best Marzens I've had have almost all been brewed and consumed while in California.

We have a Hofbräuhaus here in Pgh that I've never visited. It might be time.

I did a check in to Pilsner Urquell on Untappd a couple of weeks back and received the comment "what, were they out of water?". And that's one of the better light lagers.

Such a Millenial/GenX comment. The kids all need some "<insert overwhelming flavor here> bomb" to be interested.

I have a theory that Northern European cuisine (including France) are out of favor with anyone under 45 because it's too nuanced and you can't drown it with sriracha.

 

[HuskyHawk]

For reasons I cannot explain, the best Marzens I've had have almost all been brewed and consumed while in California.

We have a Hofbräuhaus here in Pgh that I've never visited. It might be time.


Such a Millenial/GenX comment. The kids all need some "<insert overwhelming flavor here> bomb" to be interested.

I have a theory that Northern European cuisine (including France) are out of favor with anyone under 45 because it's too nuanced and you can't drown it with sriracha.

I had some good ones in CA as well. The Marzen at this place was good, but the Fest beer was very impressive. Note that they are now considered different styles. Oktoberfest Beer vs Märzen vs Festbier vs Oktoberfest Style (craftbeering.com).

I think the flavor bomb thing applies to Scotch as well. I'm a little guilty on both counts. I still like a great New England IPA/DIPA over anything else. But they can be too much at times. I have several big imperial stouts with adjuncts and I have no real desire to drink them. Prefer a nice porter or well made brown ale.

 

[August_West]

I have a theory that Northern European cuisine (including France) are out of favor with anyone under 45 because it's too nuanced and you can't drown it with sriracha.

Well a lot of northern European food is just plain bad no nuance needed to determine that. (Im looking at you specifically UK, and also you, Norway)

 

[HuskyHawk]

Well a lot of northern European food is just plain bad no nuance needed to determine that. (Im looking at you specifically UK, and also you, Norway)

You didn't enjoy the Haggis on your recent trip? Hope you landed some good Scotch and are healing up.

 

[storrsroars]

I had some good ones in CA as well. The Marzen at this place was good, but the Fest beer was very impressive. Note that they are now considered different styles. Oktoberfest Beer vs Märzen vs Festbier vs Oktoberfest Style (craftbeering.com).

I think the flavor bomb thing applies to Scotch as well. I'm a little guilty on both counts. I still like a great New England IPA/DIPA over anything else. But they can be too much at times. I have several big imperial stouts with adjuncts and I have no real desire to drink them. Prefer a nice porter or well made brown ale.

Thanks for the link. Obviously I'm old... my getting hammered at Oktoberfests in CT/NY pretty much ended in the early 80s. I do still like Marzens, however, and they traditionally only come out in the Fall. I'm a bit sad in that after reading your last post, I took a look at the Hofbrauhaus site to see what beers they were serving for their Oktoberfest, and Marzen wasn't on the list. Then I took the dog out for a hike, then stopped for gas, saw they had some Sam Adams Oktoberfest for under $9, so I bought a six to scratch the itch. It's not a light lager.