Looking for the original Bar Towel blog? You can find it at www.thebartowel.com.

We have a trivia question in order to register to prevent bots. If you have any issues with answering, contact us at cass@bartowel.com for help.

Introducing Light Mode! If you would like a Bar Towel social experience that isn't the traditional blue, you can now select Light Mode. Go to the User Control Panel and then Board Preferences, and select "Day Drinking" (Light Mode) from the My Board Style drop-down menu. You can always switch back to "Night Drinking" (Dark Mode). Enjoy!

What're you drinking right now?

Discuss beer or anything else that comes to mind in here.

Moderators: Craig, Cass

sprague11
Seasoned Drinker
Posts: 1907
Joined: Fri Sep 19, 2008 1:37 pm
Location: Newmarket, ON

Post by sprague11 »

Revisited a few older favourties (and not so favourites) over the past couple days with a friend who came back from Ohio who's new to this whole "weird beer thing", roughly in order of how much I enjoyed them (or not):

DDC Aphrodite
Great Lakes Eliot Ness
Amsterdam Cruiser
DDC Equinoxe Printemps
Great Lakes Burning River
DDC Rose d'Hibiscus
Amsterdam Downtown Brown
Amsterdam 416
Amsterdam Big Wheel

I like Amsterdam and all, but geez do they make some pedestrian beer. The DDC Rose was worse than I remember it being. Dunno if the Burning River was old (I kinda suspect it wasn't) but I remember this being better too - either that or I've just had far better IPA in the last 5 years ;)
"A good light beer is one that doesn't taste like piss!" - Frank d'Angelo

Malcolm
Posts: 319
Joined: Wed Jan 30, 2008 6:44 pm
Location: Parkdale

Post by Malcolm »

sprague11 wrote:Revisited a few older favourties (and not so favourites) over the past couple days with a friend who came back from Ohio who's new to this whole "weird beer thing", roughly in order of how much I enjoyed them (or not):

DDC Aphrodite
Great Lakes Eliot Ness
Amsterdam Cruiser
DDC Equinoxe Printemps
Great Lakes Burning River
DDC Rose d'Hibiscus
Amsterdam Downtown Brown
Amsterdam 416
Amsterdam Big Wheel

I like Amsterdam and all, but geez do they make some pedestrian beer. The DDC Rose was worse than I remember it being. Dunno if the Burning River was old (I kinda suspect it wasn't) but I remember this being better too - either that or I've just had far better IPA in the last 5 years ;)
Just wondering but were the last 3 ( "pedestrian" is being nice) for the benefit of your friend? I haven't touched those beers in years, 'though I had a Boneshaker last night which was quite good.

User avatar
Belgian
Bar Towel Legend
Posts: 10033
Joined: Sun Jul 04, 2004 7:15 pm
Location: Earth

Post by Belgian »

Great Lakes Burning River is a GREAT pale, last time I got a six-pack from Buffalo.

Now having a Stone Depth-Charged Double Bastard, close a black IPA in all but name owing to the roasty coffee character that subs in for the normal addition of chocolate and black malts.
In Beerum Veritas

sofakingdrunk
Bar Fly
Posts: 925
Joined: Sun Jan 26, 2014 7:55 am
Location: Guelph

Post by sofakingdrunk »

Sawdust city little Norway lager-God, is this bad. Mad at myself for buying this.... I could barely finish it.
Jolly pumpkin bam biere- I think this is excellent, funky,dry,earthy and so refreshing. I'll be picking up more for the cellar
Collingwood saison- tasted like an average wheat beer to me. I'll give it another go sometime and see if my opinion changes.
Brew dog punk- I always like this, although this can was beginning to taste a bit old

sprague11
Seasoned Drinker
Posts: 1907
Joined: Fri Sep 19, 2008 1:37 pm
Location: Newmarket, ON

Post by sprague11 »

Malcolm wrote:
Just wondering but were the last 3 ( "pedestrian" is being nice) for the benefit of your friend? I haven't touched those beers in years, 'though I had a Boneshaker last night which was quite good.
Really I could have used a number of adjectives but Pedestrian seemed the most PC ;) The Great Lakes surprised me both in how indifferent I was to the Burning River (I'm starting to lean toward staler bottles) and how much I take the Eliot Ness for granted.

In retrospect I would have grabbed some Collective Arts stuff and an Old Flame can, but when at a (much) smaller LCBO you gotta make due with the selection you have. Also serves as a reminder as to why I stick with Boneshaker or the seasonals when I'm downtown.
"A good light beer is one that doesn't taste like piss!" - Frank d'Angelo

User avatar
cratez
Beer Superstar
Posts: 2284
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2010 8:29 pm
Location: Brantford, Ontario
Contact:

Post by cratez »

At Bar Hop Brewco:
Sierra Nevada Nooner Pilsner (draft)
Muddy York Ward 3: Chinook (draft)
Dieu du Ciel! Le P’tit Blanc (draft)

At home:
Jolly Pumpkin Bam Biere
Ayinger Celebrator Doppelbock

Right now:
St. Louis Gueuze Fond Tradition
"Bar people do not live as long as vegan joggers. However, they have more fun." - Bruce Elliott

Provost Drunk
Posts: 346
Joined: Sat Aug 01, 2015 11:36 am
Location: Toronto

Post by Provost Drunk »

sofakingdrunk wrote: Collingwood saison- tasted like an average wheat beer to me. I'll give it another go sometime and see if my opinion changes.
I've had this one on tap and in can and both times it seemed very wheat-y; a bit off balance for a saison.

Provost Drunk
Posts: 346
Joined: Sat Aug 01, 2015 11:36 am
Location: Toronto

Post by Provost Drunk »

Capitalizing on Volo's select 1/2 price bottles on Sunday with some friends:

Jester King Mad Meg
Jester King Vulgar Affectation
Jolly Pumpkin Oro de Calabaza

User avatar
Belgian
Bar Towel Legend
Posts: 10033
Joined: Sun Jul 04, 2004 7:15 pm
Location: Earth

Post by Belgian »

Tree Cutthroat, the English Pale Ale from BC with the fish on the can! Nice simple cottage quencher emphasizing roundness and some decent body.
In Beerum Veritas

sofakingdrunk
Bar Fly
Posts: 925
Joined: Sun Jan 26, 2014 7:55 am
Location: Guelph

Post by sofakingdrunk »

@baker street station on the patio; DDC Moralite.....tasting Devine. Any Guelph people out there, get to Baker Street before the keg is gone

sprague11
Seasoned Drinker
Posts: 1907
Joined: Fri Sep 19, 2008 1:37 pm
Location: Newmarket, ON

Post by sprague11 »

IPA tasting with the aforementioned friend. My scores:

1. Ransack the Universe
2. BTP Aromatherapy. This was close.
3 and 4 in no order:. Smashbomb and Immodest.

He didn't score anything but liked Ransack the best as he got Peach (his favourite fruit) in the aroma and taste. He's learning ;)

*Edit* we've come a long long way since 2011.
"A good light beer is one that doesn't taste like piss!" - Frank d'Angelo

User avatar
spinrsx
Beer Superstar
Posts: 2267
Joined: Tue Sep 21, 2010 12:27 pm
Location: Ottawa

Post by spinrsx »

Nicklebrook Half Bastard from their mix pack. A great stout, this should be a regular listing at the lcbo.

User avatar
cratez
Beer Superstar
Posts: 2284
Joined: Mon Mar 15, 2010 8:29 pm
Location: Brantford, Ontario
Contact:

Post by cratez »

At a house party:
Cowbell Absent Landlord
Toboggan Lunatic Fridge IPA

At Milos' Craft Beer Emporium:
BeerLab! Amarillo Saison (draft)
Forked River Mild Mannered Reporter (draft)
Redline Air Ride IPA (draft)
Great Lakes Harry Porter (draft)
Beerlab! Nardo Farmhouse Ale (draft)
Sawdust City Bitter Beauty IIPA (draft)
"Bar people do not live as long as vegan joggers. However, they have more fun." - Bruce Elliott

User avatar
Belgian
Bar Towel Legend
Posts: 10033
Joined: Sun Jul 04, 2004 7:15 pm
Location: Earth

Post by Belgian »

St. Louis Kriek Fond Tradition - really straight lines and no funky stone cellar complexity, but still a very nice unsweetened sour cherry-fruited Lambic.

As this was aged 6 months on Morello cherries with pits, it's quite amazing the LCBO were not falling all over themselves once they detected the trace of Arsenic that must inevitably be present (and which amount may be less than that found in wines.)
In Beerum Veritas

atomeyes
Beer Superstar
Posts: 2153
Joined: Fri Oct 14, 2011 1:39 pm

Post by atomeyes »

sprague11 wrote:Revisited a few older favourties (and not so favourites) over the past couple days with a friend who came back from Ohio who's new to this whole "weird beer thing", roughly in order of how much I enjoyed them (or not):

DDC Aphrodite
Great Lakes Eliot Ness
Amsterdam Cruiser
DDC Equinoxe Printemps
Great Lakes Burning River
DDC Rose d'Hibiscus
Amsterdam Downtown Brown
Amsterdam 416
Amsterdam Big Wheel

I like Amsterdam and all, but geez do they make some pedestrian beer. The DDC Rose was worse than I remember it being. Dunno if the Burning River was old (I kinda suspect it wasn't) but I remember this being better too - either that or I've just had far better IPA in the last 5 years ;)
tried a friend's Rose d'hibiscus that they got on tap. it was not good. no longer tart like in previous years. it's changed.
amsterdam's interesting. you have 2 very talented brewers - iain and cody - but you have a large, multi-provincially-distributed brewery. so i think that amsterdam and great lakes have flipflopped. GLB had the Tank 10 series that made you wonder why they still sold their regular offerings (Red Leaf et al.), but GLB either realized Tank 10 could make them good money or actually developed some pride in their product. look where they are now. Amsterdam still pushes Boneshaker, 416, Blonde and, yes, Starke's been launched in cans, but they've stopped with Tempest (inexcusable unless the sales #s were that bad) and their (real) raspberry sour they once released through the LCBO. think the big foreheads at Amsterdam are running that ship.

Post Reply