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SOXTALK NOV/DEC '10 LIST


knightni
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QUOTE (The Gooch @ Dec 31, 2010 -> 08:32 PM)
I went to Kenwood liquors to get the Gumballhead and the Bell's IPA. They were out of the Bell's and didn't have the Gumballhead. Instead I picked up a Flossmoor Station Pullmans Brown which was fantastic, and a Founders Centennial IPA that one of the workers recommended to me (haven't tried it yet). Also found a Spaten Oktoberfest in the back of the fridge which was a treat as well.

There are a few options:

 

http://www.google.com/search?q=orland+park...ved=0CDoQtQMwAA

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QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Dec 31, 2010 -> 07:20 PM)
I see a lot of my list on the honorable mention list, including some of my top choices. Founders Breakfast Stout is a beer that blew me away. The 8.3% ABV made me a bit nervous, as sometimes the alcohol overpowers the taste of the beer. But this beer is so smooth and easy to drink that it could quickly become dangerous. Imagine walking into an upscale coffee shop and the barista is grinding coffee beans and whipping up a mocha. That's what this beer smells like. And the taste is top notch. Smooth as a glass of milk, and starts sweet like an iced mocha. Finishes appropriately bitter like a shot of espresso. There's just a slight alcohol warming, too. The weighted average on Rate Beer is 4.15/5 based on over 1500 reviews, which is about as high as you'll see. If you like stouts or even dark beers for that matter, find this beer and drink it.

 

I think Peche Mortel from Dieu du Ciel is as good and easier to find. Tons of coffee and rounded with chocolate. Yum. Of course it isn't as smooth, but a bit more coffee which I love. Both are great.

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QUOTE (The Gooch @ Dec 31, 2010 -> 10:31 PM)
Yeah I am moving on Sunday and will be within a mile of a Binnys. Just drinking some good beers and packing my s*** up tonight :)

According to Three Floyds' web site, you should have gotten their beer at the store that you went to.

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QUOTE (knightni @ Dec 31, 2010 -> 09:38 PM)
According to Three Floyds' web site, you should have gotten their beer at the store that you went to.

 

Yeah they carried other Three Floyd's beers, but the Gumballhead was not there. They carried a bunch of the other Bell's beers as well, but were out of the two hearted ale. Bad luck I guess.

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QUOTE (pittshoganerkoff @ Dec 31, 2010 -> 07:20 PM)
I see a lot of my list on the honorable mention list, including some of my top choices. Founders Breakfast Stout is a beer that blew me away. The 8.3% ABV made me a bit nervous, as sometimes the alcohol overpowers the taste of the beer. But this beer is so smooth and easy to drink that it could quickly become dangerous. Imagine walking into an upscale coffee shop and the barista is grinding coffee beans and whipping up a mocha. That's what this beer smells like. And the taste is top notch. Smooth as a glass of milk, and starts sweet like an iced mocha. Finishes appropriately bitter like a shot of espresso. There's just a slight alcohol warming, too. The weighted average on Rate Beer is 4.15/5 based on over 1500 reviews, which is about as high as you'll see. If you like stouts or even dark beers for that matter, find this beer and drink it.

Ive had it on a few occasions, but not in a few months. That beer is very delicious but also quite heavy. And you're right, the smell of it is incredible. I live about 15 minutes from the Founders brewery. It's a treat when they have 2 dollar pints of all their home brews. So much to try.

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QUOTE (The Gooch @ Dec 31, 2010 -> 11:05 PM)
Yeah they carried other Three Floyd's beers, but the Gumballhead was not there. They carried a bunch of the other Bell's beers as well, but were out of the two hearted ale. Bad luck I guess.

 

I think I relayed this story in the Finer Things thread, but we drove home for Christmas and I promised a friend that I'd grabbed some beers from Chicago. I planned to load up on 3F and Founders. Got to Binnys and all were sold out along with everything from Dogfishhead. I asked the clerked and he said they got one shipment a week and it sells out in an hour. Sure enough, as I wandered the aisles, 4 people asked about 3F beers. I had no clue this stuff was so popular. My father in law tracked a bunch down around Gurnee.

I was really pissed about the Founders. I absolutely love Founders.

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QUOTE (G&T @ Jan 1, 2011 -> 07:43 AM)
I think I relayed this story in the Finer Things thread, but we drove home for Christmas and I promised a friend that I'd grabbed some beers from Chicago. I planned to load up on 3F and Founders. Got to Binnys and all were sold out along with everything from Dogfishhead. I asked the clerked and he said they got one shipment a week and it sells out in an hour. Sure enough, as I wandered the aisles, 4 people asked about 3F beers. I had no clue this stuff was so popular. My father in law tracked a bunch down around Gurnee.

I was really pissed about the Founders. I absolutely love Founders.

 

I just tried their IPA. Two thumbs up! 7% abv as well.

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Alright, I want to add a little color to four of the Honorable mentions, that were on my list. Hopefully this will cause some of you folks to give them a try.

 

By the way, to reveal a bit of bias here, I tend to like scottish ales and most beers that are in the reddish to coppery range in color (and taste)...

 

My four to highlight:

 

90 Shilling by O'Dell's: Unfortunately this, probably my favorite beer of all time, is only readily available in Colorado and some surrounding states. It can be order from their website and delivered anywhere in the US though. Its a strong amber ale with nice heft, and a difficult to find combination of body and crispness. Flavor is just red enough to make it interesting, but not so powerful that its too sweet. Its a beer in contradiction - cloudy and heavy in appearence, but clean in feel. I highly recommend it, especially when outside on a summer evening.

 

Lia Fail by Inveralmond: This one is also a bit obscure, but not SO obscure, as I found it in a beer store in Chicago (West Lakeview Liquors). Also a cloudy amber color, but a bit darker than 90 Shilling. Its considered a Bitter/ESB on RateBeer, but I'd consider it a Scottish Ale. Its a rich tasting beer, but not as cakey as a stout often is. Excellent flavor, its a perfect sitting by the fireplace and sip it kind of beer, and a great winter brew too.

 

Chimay Red Label, by Chimay: Chimay used to hard to come by, but you can find the red or blue all over the place now, and the white is coming into vogue. All three are excellent, but I prefer the red - again, my bias towards coppery ales (or in this case, a Trappist Ale - made by monks). This is a neer you pour into a glass that gets lots of air, and you sip it slowly. Its kind of a beer for people who wish they liked dessert wines but just don't.

 

Dynamo Copper Lager, by Metropolitan: This is my best local area entry. I know of no beer from any Chicago area brewer, including Goose Island, that I'd rather have. Its a copper ale with real flavor but enough satisfaction and understatement to be able to have a few, and still have it taste like a real beer. Metropolitan is in Chicago.

 

 

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The last week, I tried:

 

Sam Adams Winter Lager

Smithwick's

Rogue Dead Guy Ale

Hoegaarden

 

Just cracked open my 1st Hoegaarden and I'm not a big fan thus far. Just seems really bland. But I'll have another before I make a final judgement. The other 3 I really enjoyed, especially the Dead Guy Ale.

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QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Jan 9, 2011 -> 08:02 PM)
The last week, I tried:

 

Sam Adams Winter Lager

Smithwick's

Rogue Dead Guy Ale

Hoegaarden

 

Just cracked open my 1st Hoegaarden and I'm not a big fan thus far. Just seems really bland. But I'll have another before I make a final judgement. The other 3 I really enjoyed, especially the Dead Guy Ale.

 

Did you follow the instructions to swirl out the yeast?

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QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Jan 9, 2011 -> 08:12 PM)
......................nope.

 

Let's try that again.

Tries it. Didn't make a huge difference. Still just seems really, really bland and flavorless. Closer to mineral water than anything else I can describe. I've got for 4 more bottles, so I'll give it a shot tomorrow. Could be a bad batch.

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QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Jan 9, 2011 -> 08:31 PM)
Tries it. Didn't make a huge difference. Still just seems really, really bland and flavorless. Closer to mineral water than anything else I can describe. I've got for 4 more bottles, so I'll give it a shot tomorrow. Could be a bad batch.

 

It's not a bad batch. They are far too consistent for that. Make sure to get enough yeast out that the beer is opaque in the glass.

 

It's very possible that you don't care for white ales. There's nothing wrong with that. Then, years from now, you can't get enough of them. Beer is wonderful.

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QUOTE (G&T @ Jan 9, 2011 -> 08:36 PM)
It's not a bad batch. They are far too consistent for that. Make sure to get enough yeast out that the beer is opaque in the glass.

 

It's very possible that you don't care for white ales. There's nothing wrong with that. Then, years from now, you can't get enough of them. Beer is wonderful.

Could be very possible that I'm just not a fan. Kind of a shame, because I really want to be. I had big expectations.

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QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Jan 9, 2011 -> 08:46 PM)
Could be very possible that I'm just not a fan. Kind of a shame, because I really want to be. I had big expectations.

 

Well give it another shot since you have them anyway. Try some hoppier beers which will be far more assertive. That might be your fancy.

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QUOTE (G&T @ Jan 9, 2011 -> 09:00 PM)
Well give it another shot since you have them anyway. Try some hoppier beers which will be far more assertive. That might be your fancy.

Again, I'm so glad we did this list. Gumballhead and Dead Guy Ale are so delicious. Definitely going to be going out and getting those more often.

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QUOTE (G&T @ Jan 9, 2011 -> 08:36 PM)
It's not a bad batch. They are far too consistent for that. Make sure to get enough yeast out that the beer is opaque in the glass.

 

It's very possible that you don't care for white ales. There's nothing wrong with that. Then, years from now, you can't get enough of them. Beer is wonderful.

 

It's also very possible that the beer was manhandled and mistreated somewhere along the way, or it is past its prime. I agree Hoegarden doesn't release bad batches of beer, but there is no guarantee the beer won't be treated poorly in between the brewer and the drinker.

 

That said, witbier flavors are subtle and sublime. I don't know the order SoxFan1 tried his beers but it would be almost pointless to drink the Hoegarden after something like Dead Guy.

 

Next time, let the beer warm just a bit, and take small sips that you can swish to all parts of your tongue. breathe in through your mouth with some of the beer in your mouth to fully engage the olfactory aspects of taste and come back and tell us what you think. The soft wheat, coriander and other seeds, the orange peel flavors, and they very mild lactic tingle are all much more subtle flavors than the hop bitterness and aromas in something like an American pale ale.

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QUOTE (FlaSoxxJim @ Jan 10, 2011 -> 10:40 AM)
It's also very possible that the beer was manhandled and mistreated somewhere along the way, or it is past its prime. I agree Hoegarden doesn't release bad batches of beer, but there is no guarantee the beer won't be treated poorly in between the brewer and the drinker.

 

That said, witbier flavors are subtle and sublime. I don't know the order SoxFan1 tried his beers but it would be almost pointless to drink the Hoegarden after something like Dead Guy.

 

Next time, let the beer warm just a bit, and take small sips that you can swish to all parts of your tongue. breathe in through your mouth with some of the beer in your mouth to fully engage the olfactory aspects of taste and come back and tell us what you think. The soft wheat, coriander and other seeds, the orange peel flavors, and they very mild lactic tingle are all much more subtle flavors than the hop bitterness and aromas in something like an American pale ale.

Definitely going to give it a 2nd try with a fresh palette tonight.

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