Beer Thread

[red]

Had my first ever Kronenbourgh tonight -- absolutely loved it.  

[mjkoehler]

Had my first ever Kronenbourgh tonight -- absolutely loved it.  

Lucky. Not sold around here so I will have to resort to an online purchase or 2. Once the fridge is bare of what's in there now.

[Jaimoe]

Had my first ever Kronenbourgh tonight -- absolutely loved it.  

I'm assuming you had a Kronebourg 1664... ya drunken Saskatechewan hick  ;)

[red]

Had my first ever Kronenbourgh tonight -- absolutely loved it.  

I'm assuming you had a Kronebourg 1664... ya drunken Saskatechewan hick  ;)

;D ;D ;D

[TEO]

Finally found the Hopslam. Thought the opening bouquet belied the dreaded over barley sweetness, but upon tasting could not believe how evenly balanced it was. Then I checked the label, the honey does it all better than the malt. Very nice! The 10% is going to make my first venture into grilling this season even more enjoyable...

[aMillionDreams]

Finally found the Hopslam. Thought the opening bouquet belied the dreaded over barley sweetness, but upon tasting could not believe how evenly balanced it was. Then I checked the label, the honey does it all better than the malt. Very nice! The 10% is going to make my first venture into grilling this season even more enjoyable...

Grilling in February?  That's dedication.

I love Hopslam!  I couldn't believe it when I found out it was brewed from honey.

[mjkoehler]

Finally found the Hopslam. Thought the opening bouquet belied the dreaded over barley sweetness, but upon tasting could not believe how evenly balanced it was. Then I checked the label, the honey does it all better than the malt. Very nice! The 10% is going to make my first venture into grilling this season even more enjoyable...

Grilling in February?  That's dedication.

I love Hopslam!  I couldn't believe it when I found out it was brewed from honey.

I grill year round. It's that Nebraksa upbringing I guess. Nothing like grilled, smoky meat in mid winter.

[TEO]

crazy ended up searing then freezing the meat for 1/2 an hour then putting it in the oven and the fire dept. nearly got called but it was awesome, crusty, tasty fillet meat...

[wharf rat]

Finally found the Hopslam. Thought the opening bouquet belied the dreaded over barley sweetness, but upon tasting could not believe how evenly balanced it was. Then I checked the label, the honey does it all better than the malt. Very nice! The 10% is going to make my first venture into grilling this season even more enjoyable...

Grilling in February?  That's dedication.

I love Hopslam!  I couldn't believe it when I found out it was brewed from honey.

I grill year round. It's that Nebraksa upbringing I guess. Nothing like grilled, smoky meat in mid winter.

Me too, mj.  There's not too many things better in life than meat on a grill and beer in hand hanging out with friends/family!  I grilled up some tasty local, naturally raised flank steak this past weekend.

Back on topic, ALady, please let us know how your Dogfish and chocolate tasting went.  I really hope you enjoy the brews.

[ALady]

Thanks wharf, it's tonight!  So excited.  I'll have to remember to take notes.

[tomEisenbraun]

Delirium Tremens on tap at my favorite local brewhouse! Guess who's getting schnockered on ridiculously good beer this weekend?!

[aMillionDreams]

My buddy KimbosBread (Alan) bass player for Your Evening Windbreaker is moving to Korea in a week and his birthday is Friday so we're getting a keg of BBC ESB.  Should be a good time.  Should have some forum peeps there and maybe a surprise performance by Your Evening Windbreaker!  ;)

[TEO]

Besides my usual suspects picked up some Victory Hop Wallop... :D

[ALady]

Beer Pairing Review:

Funny you should mention Dogfish, wharf rat (love your name, btw!).  I've never tried any of the Dogfish brews before, but got tickets like, literally minutes ago for a beer and chocolate pairing featuring the Dogfish brews.  Here's the menu:

60 Minute India Pale Ale - tasty!  Nice and dry and hoppy.

Midas Touch Golden Elixir paired with fig-ginger chutney, puff pastry, chocolate dukka - The Elixir was fantastic; apparently it's made from Muscat grapes?  Really sweet and almost wine-like, and a nice bite in the finish.

Red & White paired with butter lettuce, golden & candy striped beet salad with goat cheese and chocolate-orange vinaigrette - apparently this is aged in Pinot Noir barrels and contains a little juice from Pinot Noir grapes.  Had a nice sourness to it.

Indian Brown Ale paired with toasted chocolate pan d'spice, Pumpkin Ale butternut squash puree, bacon - the pan d'spice was almost like a slice of fruitcake; worked nicely with the Brown Ale, which has some fruity and nutty notes.

120 Minute IPA paired with braised beef brisket, red onion, cilantro, orange, coriander, cocoa nibs - well, this brisket was just to die for, but the 120 didn't do much for it.  The 120 itself is fantastic - up to 22% (yipes  :D) quite sweet, almost like a brandy.  It was just a little overwhelming for the brisket, which had a lot of strong flavors going on too.

Palo Santo Marron (Holy Tree Brown) paired with chile ice cream with chocolate shavings - Okay.  When the Dogfish rep called this dish a "beer float" (...like a root beer float, sort of....I guess...), I must admit my initial reaction was less than favorable.  But I have to say this was a stunning capper to the evening.  The Palo Santo Marron is creamy and sweet and vanilla-y to begin with, and the chocolate chile ice cream was a surprisingly well-suited counterpart. The chile brought a nice warmth and spice, and the chocolate ice cream melted right in and complemented the creaminess of the beer perfectly. I'm seriously thinking about stealing this idea for a party next week.

 

[wharf rat]

Awesome, ALady!  Man that sounds like such an awesome event.  I'm glad you enjoyed the brews.  Just curious, was this something that was advertised in your area, or a "you've gotta know somebody" type of deal?  

Ohio Brew Week is held each summer here in Athens, and while it is an awesome week with many of Ohio's best microbrews on hand, they don't do anything quite like your event.  The tastings that I've been to just have the ol' standard finger foods to nibble on.  I would love to see it evolve to something like what you attended, with the forethought into coming up with some exquisite pairings.  

[Soulshine]

There is an International Beer Fest in Peoria Illinois April 17 & 18. I've gone every year since I turned 21 and it is a glorious event.  :D

[ALady]

Awesome, ALady!  Man that sounds like such an awesome event.  I'm glad you enjoyed the brews.  Just curious, was this something that was advertised in your area, or a "you've gotta know somebody" type of deal?  
 

This one was kind of random...I got an email from the restaurant that hosted the event.  Not even sure how I got on their mailing list, as I'd never eaten there before last night!

[wharf rat]

Awesome, ALady!  Man that sounds like such an awesome event.  I'm glad you enjoyed the brews.  Just curious, was this something that was advertised in your area, or a "you've gotta know somebody" type of deal?  
 

This one was kind of random...I got an email from the restaurant that hosted the event.  Not even sure how I got on their mailing list, as I'd never eaten there before last night!

Lucky you!

[aMillionDreams]

I'm going to experience this tonight:

http://www.dogfish.com/tangents/endeavours.htm?newsID=34

It's a three-foot dryhopper that attaches directly to a tap.  They're going to be dry-hopping Shafly APA with Cascade whole leaf hops!  My mouth is already watering!

[wharf rat]

I'm going to experience this tonight:

http://www.dogfish.com/tangents/endeavours.htm?newsID=34

It's a three-foot dryhopper that attaches directly to a tap.  They're going to be dry-hopping Shafly APA with Cascade whole leaf hops!  My mouth is already watering!

Oh, man, this is one time where being in a small, midwest, college town doesn't pay off.  If I were an hour's drive from any of those places, I would be there in a heartbeat!  Enjoy!