The Official INGO Beer Snob Thread

[Blind Squirrel]

If this has already been posted in this thread I apologize but I wanted all the Ingo Beer Snobs that haven't discovered this site to have a look.

Absolutely great info on our Indiana based Micro Brews. Also has info on Winterfest 2013, Jan 26th at the fairgrounds. Great event to sample all kinds of great beers.

Brewers of Indiana Guild - Information about Indiana breweries, beers, events and more.

 

[JettaKnight]

negative. There are plenty of other equal or higher quality beers out there on the market more deserving of my money.

This is why we call this the beer snob thread! I don't consider myself a snob at all - I'll drink a can of Rolling Rock you hand me - but be ready to drink the Cuvée René I hand you! Sam Adams produces some good stuff and some trash.


Full disclosure - I own shares of NYSE:SAM and I have judged beer for Samuel Adams - in exchange they gave me money and Utopias!

 

[AmericanBob]

This is why we call this the beer snob thread! I don't consider myself a snob at all - I'll drink a can of Rolling Rock you hand me - but be ready to drink the Cuvée René I hand you! Sam Adams produces some good stuff and some trash.


Full disclosure - I own shares of NYSE:SAM and I have judged beer for Samuel Adams - in exchange they gave me money and Utopias!

Now, I never said I wouldn't drink Sam Adams. I just said I wouldn't buy it. They do make some wonderful beers, I've had many at my friends houses. As for the Rolling Ass. That's something I'm proud to say I've never had more than one of. I gleefully knock that nasty swill out of peoples hands and replace it with better beer.

Congrats on getting money and free beer for judging it. That'd be like a dream come true!

Oh yeah, I don't have any idea what this Cuvee Rene that you speak of is, but I'm more than willing to try it! (hint, hint)

 

[rockhopper46038]

Boston Beer company brought some Utopias to FOBAB up in Chicago last year that I got a taste of - no such luck this year, although there were some hella nice beers to be had up there. Indiana did pretty well for ourselves this year.

 

[Mark-of-Scotland]

Tennents Lager and Stella Artois for me

 

[SHCdvldg]

This is why we call this the beer snob thread! I don't consider myself a snob at all - I'll drink a can of Rolling Rock you hand me - but be ready to drink the Cuvée René I hand you! Sam Adams produces some good stuff and some trash.


Full disclosure - I own shares of NYSE:SAM and I have judged beer for Samuel Adams - in exchange they gave me money and Utopias!

I'm fully on your side, I'm a bartender in a beer bar (33 different draft selections) People sometimes ask me, "Whats your style?". My answer is always "Beer". I'll drink anything, I'll judge it on a case by case basis. I dont judge a brewery by just one beer of theirs. I will however judge a brewery after I have had multiple examples of their different offerings and i have formed some controversial opinions about some quite popular craft breweries. To each their own though, Folks ask for my recommendation and then get mad when they dont like it. Thats not my fault, learning what you like is an active process. You have to go out and try LOTS of different stuff. Ok, I'm done... sorry for stepping on a soapbox there for a minute.

 

[Greenedog]

I just looked through this entire thread and must say it has to be one of the best EVER!

I've tried quite a few of these beers, but there's also a bunch on here I've never heard of and look forward to trying. Pumpkin Ale? I'm in!

 

[snowrs]

I got a brick of Westy 12 yesterday, I will be opening one soon.

 

[rockhopper46038]

I got a brick of Westy 12 yesterday, I will be opening one soon.

That sir, is OUTSTANDING.

 

[JettaKnight]

I just looked through this entire thread and must say it has to be one of the best EVER!

I've tried quite a few of these beers, but there's also a bunch on here I've never heard of and look forward to trying. Pumpkin Ale? I'm in!

There's a whole lot of bad pumpkin ales out there. My vote for a great one is for Southern Tier's PumKing. It's definately worth seeking out (in the fall). It's a full body beer with some good maltiness and not just a beer that's got a can of pumpkin pie spice dropped in.

Their beers are usually quite sweet due to the addition of lactose. Their crème brûlée stout will put anyone into a diabetic coma.

 

[SHCdvldg]

I got a brick of Westy 12 yesterday, I will be opening one soon.

Any chance of aquiring a single bottle from you???

 

[JettaKnight]

I got a brick of Westy 12 yesterday, I will be opening one soon.

Any chance of acquiring a single bottle from you???

My friend went to Belgium in June and brought us back a couple of bottles. We did savor it....


So people rant and rave about the the high cost of a few top dollar (or Euro) beers - even NPR had a big to-do on Morning Edition. The thing is, even these beers are still far less than Grand Cru wines. I can give you a beer with a far more intense and manifold flavor profile than any wine and still be a fraction of the cost.

Beer here, my friends.

 

[SHCdvldg]

My friend went to Belgium in June and brought us back a couple of bottles. We did savor it....


So people rant and rave about the the high cost of a few top dollar (or Euro) beers - even NPR had a big to-do on Morning Edition. The thing is, even these beers are still far less than Grand Cru wines. I can give you a beer with a far more intense and manifold flavor profile than any wine and still be a fraction of the cost.

Beer here, my friends.

Bravo my friend! I've been saying that for a long time. Beer has such a broader dynamic of flavor. Its much more diverse!

 

[snowrs]

Yeah if you saw my pics on the last page, I will pay for a good beer. I have paid ALOT including shipping to get some beers. But it is still cheap compared to a bottle of wine.

You can get all of my westys if you can get me Hills Farmstead beers. Preferably Ann or Civil Disobediance. Or 2-3 BCBCS

 

[jetmechG550]

Found a bottle of Stone Brewery Vertical Epic 12.12.12 last in the series. I love Stone's beers and this was another home run from them. Very dark with a light creamy head much resembling a Guinness when poured into a glass. Taste was very similar to harvest ale's that come out this time of year that are made with the fresh harvest of hops but this had some added spices. Cardamom I think was the most present but couldn't put my finger on it.

 

[AmericanBob]

Stopped in my local package store today and they had just received their shipment of Hopslam. Then I managed to score a sixer of Zombie Dust from the back. They said it was their last and none of it ever made it out to the floor.

 

[HollidaySlim]

Stopped in my local package store today and they had just received their shipment of Hopslam. Then I managed to score a sixer of Zombie Dust from the back. They said it was their last and none of it ever made it out to the floor.

Drinking Hopslam atm. #f has zombie dust at the brewpub most regularly if you are ever in the area.

Zombie dust is hands down my favorite brew of the past 3 years.......Barehand Brew in Granger with their dry hopped barley wine runs a close 2nd.

 

[JettaKnight]

JW Lee's Harvest Ale, vintage 1999

(not my picture - can't find cable for camera)

I've been saving this in the cellar and now seems about the right time. I'd like to keep it just for posterity and bragging rights, but it's only going to go downhill so if I waited this long I should enjoy it at it's peak.

I'm typing this while it warms up (in front of the heater - it's cold in our house!) and I've got a starter beer - Progress hopped best bitter (homebrew). I've got a nice fat slice of fruitcake* ready to pair with the beer.

So here we go! I'll score it the same way I do in competitions (except I know who brewed it!)
Serving Temperature: 58 F

Aroma 15/15
Strong aroma of dark cherries soaked in brandy. Intense toffy like sweetness. Alcoholic. Faint chocolate. Candy sugar. Some musty stale qualities. No hops. Dates. Figs. Very sherry or port like in aroma. Almost no malt aromas
Appearance 3/3
No head, just soft bubbles. Moderately clear, rich tawny brown, caramel color. Darker than a brandy, much like a tawny port
Flavor 20/20
Enters mouth thick, viscous. very low carbonation that adds to the sweetness making it cloying. Warming, but surprisingly smooth. Faint nutty like character. No roast, graininess or yeast character. Intense caramel rum like flavors. Dark fruits - cherries, prunes. Mild bitterness perceptible. Long lasting aftertaste that coats the mouth.
Mouthfeel 5/5
Low carbonation, very full body, warming, but not hot. no astringency.
Overall Impression 10/10
Massively impressive beer! Intense fruit and body with no off flavors or imperfections. I couldn't drink a lot of this - But what I do leaves me with a big smile!

It's a fifty point beer, I don't see how any English barleywine could be better. There's no getting around it this beer is really, really, good. And really, really, gone.

Tune in next year when I crack open my 2000, (and then the 2001's, 2002's....)



* Alton Brown's recipe with real dried fruit, not that glow in the dark stuff found it supermarkets.

 

[Gniks18]

Sixpoint Sweet Action. Had some last night. Really, really enjoy it.

Sweeter than most, but not cloyingly sweet.

I'll be posting here quite a bit I am thinking as I love my craft brew.

 

[Gniks18]