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StrangeGator · 03-12-2012, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iceman44

I love great beer and drink plenty of it.

But how you people drink those double and triple IPAs is beyond me. It's swill IMHO building on a national craze around IPAs. Just hideous beer with no redeeming qualities that I can find.

Unless you like pure hops and "bitter beer face."

There's a reason they call them "extreme" beers. If you work your way through some good ones, starting with the 7.5%-8% ABV and around 90 IBUs, you get used to it and you start to learn the difference between good IIPAs and bad ones. Move up to 11%-12% and you start to appreciate the warming qualities. The best brewmasters have learned to blend different varieties of hops and the overall hop content with the alcohol content to make some nicely balanced strong ales. The bad ones are really bad because they're so intense. The good ones are great sipping beverages, like cognac or single malt. Better still are IIPAs or Barley Wines that have been aged a year or more.

Barley Wines and Belgian tripels are much more natural tasting strong ales. They've made them that way for centuries. Imperial/Double IPAs are a purely late 20th century American phenomena.

**scbeerman** · 03-12-2012, 12:42 PM

Strange,

You are in about the same place that I am as a craft beer consumer. Although I make my living selling the mainstream domestic beers, I now prefer the crafts. It is an acquired taste, and I tell anyone that drinks the mainstream beers not to change (if it is my brands).

I aged a Dogfishead Miles Davis Bitches Brew, around 10% ABV, for a year in a cool closet and it was great. I have another bottle and will age it at least an additional year.

StrangeGator · 03-12-2012, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scbeerman

Strange,

You are in about the same place that I am as a craft beer consumer. Although I make my living selling the mainstream domestic beers, I now prefer the crafts. It is an acquired taste, and I tell anyone that drinks the mainstream beers not to change (if it is my brands).

I aged a Dogfishead Miles Davis Bitches Brew, around 10% ABV, for a year in a cool closet and it was great. I have another bottle and will age it at least an additional year.

Just starting to cellar beers myself. All the aged beers I've tasted to this point have been compliments of friends, or in one case, the owner and brewmaster at a craft brewery. I have a single 12 oz bottle of Dogfish Head 120 that's been aging for about two months. I hope to add a Founders Devil Dancer and a Goose Island King Henry Barley Wine when those are released this year. Wish I'd grabbed one of those Bitches Brew bottles I saw at Binny's a couple of years ago. Haven't seen it since.

I would welcome your recommendations of other beers to check out, especially those that would be ideal for cellaring. Will be traveling a little next month, taking my daughter to visit some college campuses. That's always a good opportunity to get beers not available in the immediate area.

**iceman44** · 03-12-2012, 04:02 PM

See, I love a great craft beer as well, along with excellent Belgian and German imports. But I'm just not an IPA fan. For whatever reason, "craft" has come to mean IPA. And to me, honestly, that is lazy on the craft brewers part.

StrangeGator · 03-12-2012, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iceman44

See, I love a great craft beer as well, along with excellent Belgian and German imports. But I'm just not an IPA fan. For whatever reason, "craft" has come to mean IPA. And to me, honestly, that is lazy on the craft brewers part.

IPA has become one of the most popular craft brew styles. APAs (American Pale Ales)or English bitters are the gateway drug to craft beer consumption. The problem with them is that they have the lowest alcohol content of most any craft beer style. The easiest step up from there is to IPA, which is essentially the same beer but with a higher alcohol and hop content. Once they get used to a traditional English style IPA, the move up to a milder double/imperial and then to the stronger imperial/tripel IPAs. Those things will burn up your palette if that's all you drink. It's like curry. The more you eat, the stronger it has to be every time. I love really strong IPAs, but I like a lot of other craft beers too, and I don't want to get palette fatigue. I have a preference for strong beers, but IIPAs aren't the only ones. Belgian Tripels/Quadrupels, Barley Wines and Stouts are all good and don't depend on such an overwhelming hop punch.

**scbeerman** · 03-12-2012, 07:05 PM

Ice,

Other than seasonals (which vary), IPAs are the trendy style in craft beer. Give it a few months and something else will come along. The styles are endless in craft beer, and even as someone in the industry, impossible to keep up with.

StrangeGator · 03-12-2012, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scbeerman

Ice,

Other than seasonals (which vary), IPAs are the trendy style in craft beer. Give it a few months and something else will come along. The styles are endless in craft beer, and even as someone in the industry, impossible to keep up with.

In a few months it will be summer. Craft beers move in trends, but also with the seasons. Try some imperial blondes. If you don't want to go with trends, try a bottle of Orval. Trappist monks have been brewing that beer with the same wild yeast strain for 1000 years. Saisons are also good for summer drinking.

northgagator · 03-12-2012, 11:25 PM

Strange,
You and a few other posters ought to put your heads together and release a beer review thread every month. You can list what is trending and should or will be trending. You can even include a review of microbrew pubs or good beer pubs in general. You guys really know your stuff and you do a goo job in your posts. I love beer, especially crafted beer. My knowledge is limited but I have learned a lot on this thread. You guys have me looking at more beer at my local package store (which has a great selection of beer).
Thanks guys!!

fbgator27 · 03-13-2012, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scbeerman

Ice,

Other than seasonals (which vary), IPAs are the trendy style in craft beer. Give it a few months and something else will come along. The styles are endless in craft beer, and even as someone in the industry, impossible to keep up with.

Now I have moved into double ipa myself since about last summer but have never been able to get into any of the seasonals. Seems most try to get too cutsie with their ingredients and I end up giving most away to friends. And its probably sacrilegious to some but one of the reasons I dont like most of the dogfish beers are their over the top ingredients. I guess I dont want someone to add some strange flavor to a beer but let me appreciate the different subtle tastes you can get by changing the standard process and ingredients.

I disagree that craft beer is only ipa. There are some great craft brown ales and stouts to be had. More of a mood or weather/time of year thing for me. Have really enjoyed some of the things people like terrapin have done with hopping up brown ales.

amangator08 · 03-13-2012, 12:55 AM

Whole Foods has started setting up growler stations. You buy a growler from them, then you can re-fill it with whatever 4-5 beers they have on tap. I've really been enjoying that. At the moment, I have Bluegrass Nut Brown Ale. Never tried anything by them before, but it's really delicious.
My fave has to be Lefthand Nitro Milkstout. I still love the regular, but the Nitro is just ridiculous. I hit Lefthand and New Belgium for tours within a few hours last August. Love the beers from that part of the country. We had a Nitro Wake Up Dead while we toured Lefthand, and New Belgium gives away free samplers - 4 beers - every day.
I recently had Terrapin's Moo Hoo at the local taproom, and it was surprisingly good.

chrisleakfan4life · 03-13-2012, 01:26 AM

Ill be getting something for the game on Friday

Sent from my iPhone using GatorCountry

RayGator · 03-13-2012, 02:42 AM

Not drinking any beer. I don't like it at all. I think it taste bitter.

Actually, with one exception, I don't like or drink any alcoholic beverages.

What I do like is the white/fruity wines. Such as champagne and chardonnay etc. And may have that just a couple of times a month. Special occasion, whatever.

northgagator · 03-13-2012, 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RayGator

Not drinking any beer. I don't like it at all. I think it taste bitter.

Actually, with one exception, I don't like or drink any alcoholic beverages.

What I do like is the white/fruity wines. Such as champagne and chardonnay etc. And may have that just a couple of times a month. Special occasion, whatever.

Ray, do you like riesling's ? Especially Mosels?

maxgator · 03-13-2012, 08:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by northgagator

Ray, do you like riesling's ? Especially Mosels?

Yeah, if he likes sweet, fruity wines - a good riesling is the way to go. Typically a decent winemaker will offer auslese and spatelese versions. The auslese is the ripest and sweetest grape.

northgagator · 03-13-2012, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maxgator

Yeah, if he likes sweet, fruity wines - a good riesling is the way to go. Typically a decent winemaker will offer auslese and spatelese versions. The auslese is the ripest and sweetest grape.

Max, I am open to trying all kinds of wines and I have various kinds in my wine rack at home. Speaking of Rielings I like Johannisberg (AKA “Riesling” or “White Riesling") and a certain brand Dennard? I am not sure of the exact name but I really like that wine.

This is one area that I want to visit one day. http://gustibus.cz/en/moselland-rheinland-region.html

Of course I will make a journey into Belgium, Czech Republic and Germany (AKA Beer Heaven) as well as Italy (they have some nice brews too)

**iceman44** · 03-13-2012, 09:30 AM

Obviously, I didn't say that craft breweries only produce IPAs. I just think that is there fall-back beer and what they put the most energy into. While at one point I thought it was simply a trend, it has had remarkable staying power.

Speaking of hop-heavy beer, Stone (they love their hops!) and NOLA Brewery did a collaborative project for Mardi Gras--a Porter a little on the heavy hops side. Still quite good to my taste though, as I am a huge fan of Porter's. They produced a minimal number of kegs and only distributed them through 4 bars, I believe, including my favorite, The Bulldog. In tribute to Mardi Gras, the beer was aptly named, "Pour Me Something Mistah!"

StrangeGator · 03-13-2012, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fbgator27

Now I have moved into double ipa myself since about last summer but have never been able to get into any of the seasonals. Seems most try to get too cutsie with their ingredients and I end up giving most away to friends. And its probably sacrilegious to some but one of the reasons I dont like most of the dogfish beers are their over the top ingredients.

That's just a portion of the Dogfish Head line. I don't like those flavored beers either. Their brewmaster does crazy stuff. Stick to their Pale Ales, IPAs and Barley Wines.

StrangeGator · 03-13-2012, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by northgagator

Strange,
You and a few other posters ought to put your heads together and release a beer review thread every month. You can list what is trending and should or will be trending. You can even include a review of microbrew pubs or good beer pubs in general. You guys really know your stuff and you do a goo job in your posts. I love beer, especially crafted beer. My knowledge is limited but I have learned a lot on this thread. You guys have me looking at more beer at my local package store (which has a great selection of beer).
Thanks guys!!

Interesting idea. Unfortunately, I'm not drinking at the moment, and when I do start back, it will be just a few beers a week. There are certainly plenty of knowledgeable beer drinkers on this board.

This is the best reference I've ever found- http://beeradvocate.com/

RayGator · 03-14-2012, 01:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by northgagator

Ray, do you like riesling's ? Especially Mosels?

You're right. I had forgotten about Riesling's.

Also I just remembered that there is a wine maker near Plant City, heart of strawberry country, that makes wines out of various fruits such as strawberries and blueberries etc. Publix stores in my area sells them and they are very good!

StrangeGator · 03-14-2012, 03:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by maxgator

Yeah, if he likes sweet, fruity wines - a good riesling is the way to go. Typically a decent winemaker will offer auslese and spatelese versions. The auslese is the ripest and sweetest grape.

I like Alsatian wines, especially Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris.

I hope this doesn't become a wine thread.