Official ATOT Beer Thread

[joesmoke]

wow... i dont think ive ever seen that brand, even at bevmo (maybe i just didnt know to look for it though). ill definitely keep an eye out for it. im always looking for beers that can walk that fine line between not being too expensive and not tasting mass produced.

so far for stouts the old rasputin has been my favorite.

 

[joesmoke]

baltic porter huh? sounds interesting, one more for the list

i had speakeasy's payback porter and found it head an shoulders above every other ive had, even the ones i liked.

it was a tossup last night between the SN porter 6er and two bottles of Sam Smith Oatmeal stout ($7 and 2-for$7 respectively). not sure i made the right choice, but theres always next time!

 

[zinfamous]

wow... i dont think ive ever seen that brand, even at bevmo (maybe i just didnt know to look for it though). ill definitely keep an eye out for it. im always looking for beers that can walk that fine line between not being too expensive and not tasting mass produced.

so far for stouts the old rasputin has been my favorite.

I looove old Rasputin. I think you'll love the Dragonstooth. It's not as expensive, and doesn't floor you as quickly. I'm trying to think...I don't think they carry Elysian at the BevMos in the east bay...

BevMo certainly doesn't carry Utenos, unfortunately. They pretty much suck for Eastern European beers (not that such is widely available over here, anyway). The only "baltic beers" that they carry is Baltica--which is Russian. I think of the "Baltic" region as Northwestern Germany, Poland, and the baltic states. There's a good bit of Russia there, too, but the culture is so vastly different form the other parts of the Baltic region that I generally dismiss such assumptions. But what do I know? besides, I digress...

but if you love Rasputin, I bet you'd love the hell out of Old Viscosity:

I tried that the other week. I actually hated it at first...but halfway through the first glass it turned completely around. Strong on the alcohol at first, but it really mellowed out. Could have been a temperature thing, I don't know.

9.5% ABV, and rather expensive ~$6.50 per bottle, but it's damn fine.

and I love the name!

 

[joesmoke]

joesmoke's birthday haul review, pt 1:

Port Brewing Old Viscosity Ale: First off, gotta be careful pouring this one. The first bit of the bottle i poured filled almost an entire pint glass with head! Once poured, i found it delicious. i was semi-in-the-bag when i had it so i dont exactly remember which flavors jumped out at me but i remember it being very thick and rich, kinda oily, and slightly sweet with boozeyness. The buzz was quite a wallop. expensive but a worthy treat. 8.5/10

Anderson Valley Oatmeal Stout - Delicious, creamy, and pleasing in appearance. another stout to add to my repetoire. dark brown, with a light colored head of fine bubbles that help add to the creamy texture. the oat flavor is easily detectable but it doesnt smack you in the face. goes down easy, but the buzz was sizeable. fairly cheap too. 8/10.


Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter: An interesting beer, but one that i overall did not enjoy, especially for the price. Nothing like other porters ive had. Very citrusy flavor accompanying the chocolate notes. had my gf try it and she immedietly noticed the lemon/orange aftertaste as well. it lingered on the palate long after the other flavors of the beer were gone, and had an almost "fake" taste/mouthfeel to it. i paid $10 for a 4-pack of 12 oz bottles thinking it would be a treat, but found it to be more akin to those flavored beers some more commercial breweries tend to favor. 4.5/10.

Eel River Triple Exultation Old Ale - A "good looking" beer. see-through orange/amber color with a complex off white head. reminded me of Launitas' "brown Shuggah" beer with a sweetness that was half sugary and half bourbon in taste. the buzz was "kick your teeth in" strong, but i expected as much since the alchohol is apparent in the flavor. seems like a high quality example of what it is, but just too sweet/strong for my tastes. 6.5/10

 

[Zargon]

I was gifted a 6 pack of Acme IPA for helping a local moto forum member with a tire change


it was tasty, loved the hops in it, and lack of strong lasting stale aftertaste

 

[zinfamous]

joesmoke's birthday haul review, pt 1:

Port Brewing Old Viscosity Ale: First off, gotta be careful pouring this one. The first bit of the bottle i poured filled almost an entire pint glass with head! Once poured, i found it delicious. i was semi-in-the-bag when i had it so i dont exactly remember which flavors jumped out at me but i remember it being very thick and rich, kinda oily, and slightly sweet with boozeyness. The buzz was quite a wallop. expensive but a worthy treat. 8.5/10

the name is perfect, no?

Now that you mention it, I do remember the aggressive head. I was probably 2.5 sheets in by the time I finished my bottle though, so it slipped my mind.

 

[alfa147x]

Official new favorite beer!

Magic Hat #9
From a microbrewery located in South Burlington, Vermont
TYPE: Not Quite Pale Ale
YEAST: English Ale
HOPS: Cascade, Apollo
MALTS: Pale, Crystal
ABV: 5.1
GRAVITY: 11.20 Plato
BITTERNESS: 20
SRM: 9.0

Now this is the beer that I have been looking for!
Things I loved: High citrus flavor, right amount of bitterness, and awesome dry feeling
Things that I didn't: Gets super bitter near the bottom

Overall 8.5 / 10

 

[Platypus]

Another genius beer from 3 Floyds...

Name: Apocalypse Cow
Brewery: Three Floyds
Type of Beer: Double IPA
Score 9.5/10
ABV: ~11%
Review: Wow.. that's all I can say. 3F have combined two totally different taste combinations yet again with this epic beer. It's a double IPA that pours a rich, cloudy and slightly amber color with a small thick head. 3F take it one step further by brewing it with lactose milk sugar, giving their traditional complex hoppy blast a nice sweet and smooth finish. It has the finish of a milk stout but the flavors of an in your face IPA. The finish rounds off any lasting bitterness. I tried 2 and ordered an entire case based on the strength of those. It's a limited release too so I grabbed a bunch while I could. If you can get 3F in your area, buy this shit immediately.

 

[scott916]

Another genius beer from 3 Floyds...

Name: Apocalypse Cow
Brewery: Three Floyds
Type of Beer: Double IPA
Score 9.5/10
ABV: ~11%
Review: Wow.. that's all I can say. 3F have combined two totally different taste combinations yet again with this epic beer. It's a double IPA that pours a rich, cloudy and slightly amber color with a small thick head. 3F take it one step further by brewing it with lactose milk sugar, giving their traditional complex hoppy blast a nice sweet and smooth finish. It has the finish of a milk stout but the flavors of an in your face IPA. The finish rounds off any lasting bitterness. I tried 2 and ordered an entire case based on the strength of those. It's a limited release too so I grabbed a bunch while I could. If you can get 3F in your area, buy this shit immediately.

I had a milk stout for the first time on a beer trip with joesmoke in February. I was very pleasantly surprised, but if you asked me then, I'd never think to mix it with an IPA. I've fuckin' GOT to make it out to Chicago and peruse your local TF retailer.

 

[SaDiZTiKStyLeZ]

Hirter Private Pils - 3/5

 

[joesmoke]

maredsous 8 - a wonderful dubbel. strong, with fruity notes but no sweetness. not as complex in the afteraste as it was on tap. 8.5/10

ommegang abbey dubbel - actually very similar to the maredsous, though less effervescent and more sweetness. though the price was right, id rather spend the extra buck or so on other dubbels which ive found to be superior. 7/10

bear republic hop rod rye ale - tried this after seeing it praised in a craft beer thread. delicious, balanced, easy to drink. not sure what id compare it to, but id recommend it. 8.8/10

a note: after various sampling and scrutinizing ive found that "big bottles" of Anderson Valley Oatmeal stout are have superior taste/texture over the 6ers.

 

[SaDiZTiKStyLeZ]

DFH: Punkin' Ale 2010 - 3.5/5
Tyranena: Painted Ladies Pumpkin Spice Ale - 3.5/5 (She called this bitter woman spice ale? Must have gotten them confused, I'd hope. I'll forgive her though, cause she was cute.)
Bridgeport: IPA - 3/5
New Holland: Ichabod - 3.5/5
Bell's: Oktoberfest - 4/5 This one was most fruitiest and flavorful of them all so far. All other seasonals are more spicy than pumpkin-ey.

I was going to try this years Pumpking on tap, but they were all out at my first stop. Then they announced they are tapping a fresh keg today. Meh, not cool. Haven't had pumpking on tap since this places old location 2 years ago.

When I went to pick up my degree yesterday I hit up my 2 favorite bars in the area near my school, that serve craft beers. Would have drank more at my last stop, but my favorite bartender wasn't working so I cut it short.

 

[TheVrolok]

It's a good day; got the Total Wine near me to put a special order in for 2 cases of Southern Tier's Pumking for me, picked them up today. Hopefully it'll last me a bit. My favorite pumpkin year in and year out.

 

[SaDiZTiKStyLeZ]

Reissdorf: Kolsch - 3/5
Three Floyds: Robert The Bruce Scottish Ale - 3/5 (How have I not rated this one already??? I know I've had it!)
Original Sin: Apple Cider - 3/5 (I'm not one for fruity beers, but it's worth a try, if not for anything else other than +1 rating.)

 

[xanis]

It's a good day; got the Total Wine near me to put a special order in for 2 cases of Southern Tier's Pumking for me, picked them up today. Hopefully it'll last me a bit. My favorite pumpkin year in and year out.

Just went to Total Wine last week for the first time. Amazing store. I wish there could be stores like that in PA...

 

[xanis]

Local 1 - Brooklyn [10/10]
Belgian Strong Ale

Got this bad boy at Total Wine in Delaware. I had the Local 2 last year and it was awesome, so I figured that the Local 1 would be at least as good. I was wrong actually, because it was better... a lot better. Bubbly, forms a big, creamy head when poured. Fantastic mix of flavors, not very hoppy. Goes down very smooth.ABV is 9% IIRC, but you don't really notice. Overall, an excellent beer... definitely going to need to get a lot more the next time I find it for cheap.

 

[TallBill]

Woot woot, just raided my local beer shop and got 4 bottles of 2008 Worldwide Stout and 8 bottles of 2009 Bourbon County stout putting me at 6 and 17 respectively.

Also got put on the list for bourbon county vanilla and bourbon county rare.

 

[SaDiZTiKStyLeZ]

Sierra Nevada: Tumbler Autumn Brown Ale - 3/5
Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale - 3/5
Avery Brewing: White Rascal - 3/5
Christian Moerlein: OTR Ale - 3/5
Left Hand: 400 LB Monkey - 3/5
Bridgeport: Hop Czar - 3.5/5
Czech Rebel Beer - 3/5

 

[TallBill]

And today I get to pick up my Bourbon County Vanilla

 

[vi edit]

Avery Hog Heaven Barleywine: 8/10
I've never had a Barleywine before so I had no expectations on what this would be like. I was very pleasantly surprised. This beer poured a beautiful caramel color with an incredibly thick head. Hops were pretty strong on top, but meshed great with the heavy, malty caramel flavors. This was a beer that could seriously get you into trouble. My Dad and I split the 25oz bottle and it was gone in what felt like a couple minutes. Too bad I only had one At 10.5% alcohol and really no hint of it's potency when drinking this is a sneaky strong brew. Highly recommended, especially at the $4.50 price tag.

Sam Adams Chocolate Bock: 10/10
My wife brought home one of the Sam Adams winter sampler pack and much to my surprise this replaced the Cranberry Lambic of prior years. Usually Sam's is light on flavor is kind of a sterile tasting beer...but this thing blew my mind. The flavor, aroma, and body were just perfect. The chocolate flavor was the most velvety smooth of any chocolate beer I've had and it was an absolute treat to drink. Too bad they only had two in the box

I need to seek out some more of this stuff. It is the almost perfect winter beer to me.

 

[Ninjahedge]

vi, how would you compare it to Brooklyn Chocolate? (there was also a chocolate malt that tasted almost like hot chocolate, but I forgot the brand.... Murphys maybe.... GREAT w/raspberry lambic....)

Barleywines are very sneaky, for the most part. they are usually sweeter and heavier than the regular beers, so they do not chug easily, but they are tasty in many cases and you can drink it just like any other good beverage.

Have one 24 oz in an hour and you may find it hard to stand (just because you are not expecting it)....

 

[scott916]

Avery Hog Heaven Barleywine: 8/10
I've never had a Barleywine before so I had no expectations on what this would be like. I was very pleasantly surprised. This beer poured a beautiful caramel color with an incredibly thick head. Hops were pretty strong on top, but meshed great with the heavy, malty caramel flavors. This was a beer that could seriously get you into trouble. My Dad and I split the 25oz bottle and it was gone in what felt like a couple minutes. Too bad I only had one At 10.5% alcohol and really no hint of it's potency when drinking this is a sneaky strong brew. Highly recommended, especially at the $4.50 price tag.

Sam Adams Chocolate Bock: 10/10
My wife brought home one of the Sam Adams winter sampler pack and much to my surprise this replaced the Cranberry Lambic of prior years. Usually Sam's is light on flavor is kind of a sterile tasting beer...but this thing blew my mind. The flavor, aroma, and body were just perfect. The chocolate flavor was the most velvety smooth of any chocolate beer I've had and it was an absolute treat to drink. Too bad they only had two in the box

I need to seek out some more of this stuff. It is the almost perfect winter beer to me.

Had a Chocolate Bock Saturday and it bowled me over, it was fantastic! Tasted specifically like Ghirardelli chocolate.

 

[SaDiZTiKStyLeZ]

Rock Bottom: Orland Park 2010
Seasonal Wheat - Hefeweizen - 3/5
Specialty Dark - Milk Stout -3/5
Murph's Monster Mash - Pumpkin Ale - 3/5
Drink Me - Belgian Pale Ale - 3/5
Young Buck - 3/5

 

[GaryJohnson]

I'd give the Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel a 10/10. It was the best beer I've ever had (keep in mind that dunkelweizen is my favorite kind of beer). I've only had it once, because it's about $6/bottle, but I liked it so much, I wanted to post a review. Once again, it's hard to describe, but it lacked the hops and bitterness and was very smooth. However, in contrast to the Lunar Ale, it was very flavorful with a lot of depth to it, and it lacked the tang that the Michelob had. This dunkel had so many plusses and no negatives for me. The only thing it lacked was a lot of strength, but if I'm in the mood for something stronger, I'll simply turn elsewhere.

10 for 10 the best beer I've ever had.

 

[Chaotic42]

Well, at 28 I've just drank my first ever entire bottle of beer. It was Old Rasputin Imperial Stout. I can't really rate it since I have little to compare it to, but it wasn't bad. The alcohol taste was really strong, but it actually had a flavor to it, chocolate and coffee for the most part. I guess I'm buzzed now, for the first time ever. I must be a lightweight at 225 lbs.

My previous favorite that I had tried (I've only tried sips of anything else) was Sam Adams Chocolate Boch. Heineken was truly terrible.

So I don't know if I'm officially a beer drinker, but I didn't regret buying the beer as I was drinking it, so that's a start, I guess.