ZoomSlowik

Just got back from a tasting. Of course I liked a few IPA'S (Founders Centennial and Firestone Walker Easy Jack), but also liked the FW Pivo Pils and Founders Dirty Bastard. There are so many breweries out there I hadn't tried those before even though they're major ones.

QUOTE (farmteam @ May 15, 2015 -> 07:59 PM) I just mixed up a couple six packs. I'm in a wheat-y mood (which is my favorite anyway). I grabbed: 4 Fin du Monde 1 White Rascal (Avery Brewing) 1 Boulevard Unfiltered Wheat 1 Alaskan White 1 Bell's Oberon 1 Bell's Oarsman Ale 1 Hell or High Watermelon (21st Amendment) 1 Clemmentine White Ale (Clown Shoes) 1 Trappistes Rochefort It'll be a fun Friday. Love me some Fin du Monde. I really need to try more stuff from Avery (The Reverend is really all I've tried and it's quite good) and Boulevard.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ May 15, 2015 -> 07:59 PM) Hey, she asked to see it. Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight. Mostly I just wanted to reference probably my favorite discussion in Soxtalk history.

QUOTE (Heads22 @ May 15, 2015 -> 07:38 PM) I'll come over if you buy Shiner. I'd rather not risk any "ferociously cute" incidents. This is a family party.

QUOTE (South Sider @ May 15, 2015 -> 03:28 PM) If I'm you, I have a case of Bud, Miller or Coors (probably the light version) product around, unless you're certain they won't get touched. Some people just like that stuff primarily. Then, get some IPAs and wheat ales for the craft drinkers. If I'm a guest at your party, doesn't matter to me if it's one of Anti Hero or 2 Hearted, or one of Bottom Up or Oberon. Bottomline is I'm happy you have something other then the Bud/Miller/Coors beers. It's a much larger scale, but I used to do some wedding bartending, and this one time the groom went all craft beers, and a big portion of the guests wouldn't touch the stuff. They actually ended up supplying us a case of Miller Lite on their own, but it wasn't nearly enough and we had to make a run to get more. Yeah, I already assumed I have to buy a case of some light crap for recent college grads/people with bad taste. My main concern was "inoffensive" craft beers. I figure people are more likely to choose/enjoy something like the ones I posted than some imperial IPA with 100+ IBU's (I guess Anti-Hero is 70 according to their website, but you can get it everywhere now, so people must like it). Short of driving up to Wisconsin for some Spotted Cow, I'm struggling to come up with other good options.

I've put way too much thought into this, so I'll ask for opinions. I have to buy beer for a party we're hosting. At least 30 guests with variable drinking levels depending on who shows up. There will likely not be other beer snobs there, but I want stuff I will drink in case I buy too much. I guess another way to word it is I want good beer that will appeal to average drinkers as well as me without going crazy on price. I'm thinking... Bell's Oberon and Two Hearted Ale (probably 12 and 6) Revolution, probably a 6 each of Anti-Hero and Bottom Up (Fist City?) Sierra Nevada Pale Ale maybe? Anyway, I would appreciate suggestions. Unfortunately, I will probably have to buy some light beer even though it goes against my pinciples.

Boo Bulls! Hooray Zombie Dust!

QUOTE (RockRaines @ May 12, 2015 -> 01:52 PM) I'm thinking ill ride my bike over there this weekend to check it back out. I want to try the food. If its good it may take some of my business from FatDuck. Sunday will probably be better than Saturday. There's a tasting at Famous and I believe Exit Strategy is doing a bunch of stuff for it.

QUOTE (SnB @ May 12, 2015 -> 01:23 PM) Exit Strategy. Ah, that makes more sense. I heard they had to temporarily suspend their mug club because they ran out of mugs.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ May 12, 2015 -> 09:39 AM) Jeez what are the odds we all end up there at the same time, we'll know who each other are by the collective whining during a Sox game. If you ever see ZoomSlowik on their video board for Untappd checkins, just wave.

QUOTE (SnB @ May 12, 2015 -> 09:24 AM) I went there last Saturday, give it a few more weeks. They didn't have quite a few beers on their menu ready yet. This was for Beer Shop, right? They change their taps a ton, like at least two each time I've been there. You might have caught them just after they tapped a new one.

QUOTE (bigruss22 @ May 11, 2015 -> 10:16 PM) Half Acre would be a very solid choice, Big Hugz is an amazing Imperial Stout and Daisy Cutter is a quality IPA. I'd probably go Greenbush, their selection is pretty good and haven't been disappointed yet. Three Floyds would be up there as well. To me, it's tricky because it's not necessarily your favorite brewery. Zombie Dust is probably my favorite beer and I also enjoy some of their other products, but I'm not as thrilled with their options if I'm not in the mood for heavy hops. Of course the big wildcard there is Dark Lord. I've never had it and I'm sure some people would pick them just for that.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ May 11, 2015 -> 08:52 PM) I'm thinking more of Half Acre, their seasonals are limited in size and distribution but probably the best in the city; Double Daisy Cutter, Galactic Double Daisy Cutter, Navaja, Big Hugs all amazing and varied. Plus the main lineup: Daisy Cutter, Senita (RIP Heyoka), Akari Shogun, Pony Pilsner, distributed in pint cans, the finest way to mass distribute a beer, can't go wrong with any of them. As for Bell's, the 3 you mentioned are all top shelf beers in their respective territories, had the pleasure of taking home a case of hopslam just after release and it was pure joy. They're known for thier lighter beers but Expedition Stout is great for the heavier side and of course the Black Note Stout is one of the finest in the country. The best thing about Bell's is pretty much all of their beer is great, they make a bunch of styles and their core beers and arguably the best in their class given their distribution. I've really only had Daisy Cutter, which is solid. They're one of the breweries I need to visit some time in the near future. I could definitely see myself as a big fan of anything with a "double" in front of Daisy Cutter.

QUOTE (Kalapse @ May 11, 2015 -> 07:28 PM) Bell's, Founders or even Half Acre if I have access to ALL beer. Any beer in particular you're thinking of with the "ALL" part? I surprisingly haven't sampled a ton from them. I could see Hopslam/Oberon/Two-Hearted Ale being a nice combo, but could use another strong option or two.

Random beer topic: If you could only drink products from one brewery for the rest of your life, which one would it be? Assume that you have unlimited access to any/all of their beers that are still being produced and that you can acquire any beer for macro-brew prices. I think mine would be Pipeworks. It may not be my favorite brewery (it's one I buy often but not as much as Three Floyds, Revolution or Ommegang), but they create an insane variety of stuff. Granted I probably won't be drinking their weird s*** like Pastrami on Rye or The Walrus and the Carpenter, but I enjoy their IPA's and their Belgian-style beers (probably my favorite styles). Access is also one of my main issues with them, as I can't always get some of my favorites from them like Citra Imperial, End Boss or North & Western. Right now, it takes me 5 minutes to pick one of their beers and I feel like I'm playing Russian Roulette.

QUOTE (witesoxfan @ May 11, 2015 -> 02:47 PM) this sounds like the worst mixture in history Not possible because it doesn't include a flavored vodka/rum. Those things are a hangover in a bottle.

QUOTE (bmags @ May 11, 2015 -> 04:48 PM) Eh, it does kind of look like it. Coaches should be t'd up for stepping onto court anyway. Happens all the time, but it's really annoying. How hard it is it? What's worse is some coaches play better closeout defense than (Insert bad defender here. I think the current league whipping boy is Damian Lillard?). Del Negro and Spoelstra are the most notorious for it. They'll take a step or two out on the floor and stamp their feet or clap when a guy's shooting. f***ing ridiculous and should be a T every time.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ May 8, 2015 -> 01:26 PM) Yeah did they open up yet? I live within walking distance. They opened Friday two weeks ago but didn't really announce it. Pretty solid place. As an added plus, Carnivore (and a few other places) deliver food.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ May 8, 2015 -> 10:48 AM) They just opened up a new brewery in forest park, awesome. I still love going to Founders in Grand Rapids, food and beer and then take a little tour over to hopcat to continue. I have heard of Exit Strategy but didn't realize they're in Forest Park. I'll have to check it out. I know Cahoots claims to be an Oak Park brewery, but they don't have a facility. You should check out Beer Shop on North Blvd. They have 12 taps with smaller, mostly local breweries plus some retail. You might even see me in there, the owner already remembers my name.

QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ May 8, 2015 -> 06:11 AM) All the talk of pale ales reminded me of a couple of my favorites. Two American Pale Ales from Three Floyds top my list: Alpha King and the seasonal Zombie Dust. Speaking of Three Floyds, Gumballhead is one of my all time favorites. Going back to the Blue Moon conversation, I remember drinking it in the mid-90s, and not many people had tried it. It, along with berrs such as Sam Adams and Pete's Wicked Ale really got the microbrew trend going. I'm still a Blue Moon fan, especially on tap, but there are better Belgian whites out there. You can get Zombie Dust year-round, it's just really hard to find. A lot of smaller places don't get it every week, and even the larger Binny's sell out quickly (the guy at the Downers Grove one said it's usually gone by noon on delivery day). I found it a few times due to helpful beer guys that hid it in the back. Luckily I was near the brewery recently when they had it and bought two cases.

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ May 7, 2015 -> 01:40 PM) It must have been before the hype built up so much, but back in 2009 I found a 4-pack of Goose Island Bourbon County just sitting on the shelf at Binny's. I hadn't heard of it before, but I gave it a try. I drank one bottle the first night and knew it was something special. I let the other three age 2-3 years before drinking them. Awesome stuff, but no way am I going to wait in a line of 300 people the day after thanksgiving at 6 am. That stuff is pretty awesome. I happened to be at Binny's this year when they had it on draft in their tasting room (think it was South Loop). I agree on the crowds on Black Friday, but didn't Binny's make a big deal this past year about how every location would get SOME of it?

QUOTE (RockRaines @ May 7, 2015 -> 11:02 AM) Yeah Im not a big IPA fan myself, I like German Pilsners mostly. What's your pils of choice? I leaned towards Spaten when I drank pilseners more often. Recently I like Victory Prima Pils and Jinx Proof (I swear I don't like EVERY Three Floyds product ). Edit-whoops, missed your last post. Don't think i've had either one.

QUOTE (Jake @ May 7, 2015 -> 10:29 AM) I've never been a huge fan of IPAs, I only use sparingly. Just not the sort of taste profile I tend to like, though I say this after having a giant Columbus Brewing Co. IPA at the Clippers-Knights game yesterday. IPAs are intellectually challenging so I have to have my head in the game to appreciate all they have to offer. If I want to just casually have a beer while watching a game or when I get home from work, my go-to for those situations is Dale's Pale. One of my favorite beer styles is the scotch ale, even though there aren't a ton of my breweries making them (too busy making the almighty IPA!). Founders Dirty Bastard, OB Old Chub are good example of this style. The style that made me interested in beer is the hefeweizen. The first I had was from Destihl in Bloomington but there are several great German ones distributed in the USA I haven't had a ton of scotch ales, but I thought Robert the Bruce was a good one. That was actually my first Three Floyds beer.

QUOTE (iamshack @ May 7, 2015 -> 08:30 AM) Going to a tasting at a local restaurant of beers by this brewery on Monday. Ommegang has a lot of good choices. My favorites from them are the Abbey ale, Glimmerglass and Gnomegang. I've had quite a bit of Hennepin as well.

QUOTE (South Sider @ May 7, 2015 -> 12:35 AM) Already so many awesome brews/breweries mentioned. rabbit is on point, Trader Joe's doesn't upcharge you for a make your own 6 pack. It's not the best selection since it's such a small store, but they work hard to bring in solid offerings. Scored a couple 6 packs of Deschutes Fresh Squeezed IPA from there (YUM). I made the trip into the city on the rainout Saturday. Since there was no game, I figured it would be a good idea to visit Revolution brewpub for the first time. Obviously, a great idea. Their food was awesome. I had fish and chips, and the bacon fat popcorn was awesome. Their fries....godly. Anyways I was with a buddy who had never had a drop of alcohol in his life, and he just turned 21 a few months ago. He agreed to try a few sips of various samplers that I ordered. I was originally drinking a Fist City, he didn't like it so I ordered a Cross of Gold golden ale, Bottom Up wit and Thee Destroyer double IPA. I knew he would hate the IPA, but to my surprise he also didn't care for the other two. Oh well, he's new to this. What was really sweet, is that our server pretended that it was his birthday and brought him a sample size of Absinthe Minded, an imperial porter aged in absinthe barrels. Obviously, he hated it, but found it interesting because of the heavy black licorice flavors. Porters aren't really for me, either, but it was up to me to finish it so I let my predispositions go. An interesting beer, for sure! ZoomSlowik, quick story for you, about a year or so ago a buddy and myself were going to the casino and he said "If I win I'm buying that Dogfish 120" (a 4 pack was $40). While I'm at the poker table, he seats himself a slot within view so he can see if I leave the table. I notice he's playing and then he starts to do a little dance. I'm like "cool, must have won a hundred or so!". The slot machine kept piling credits onto his winnings apparently because he went from doing a dance to a "holy s***" look. I immediately leave the table, wasn't playing well anyway, and go see that he won $1000! Bought that Dogfish 120, each had 1 and agreed to age the other two until further notice. Revolution makes some great stuff, your buddy just has poor taste. I actually really like some of their barrel-aged beers even though I'm generally not a stout guy. Deth Star and Really Mad Cow are quite tasty. I bought a 4-pack of 120 before I realized how much that s*** cost. It's really good, but I have a hard time justifying that on a regular basis. I still have two of them sitting in the back of the fridge.