What're you drinking right now?

Inkling · Post by **Inkling** » Sat Nov 05, 2011 10:49 pm

Shipyard IPA....do not like very much.

Grand River Pugnacious....very nice, though I miss Curmudgeon.

Cale · Post by **Cale** » Sat Nov 05, 2011 10:55 pm

Inkling wrote: Grand River Pugnacious....very nice, though I miss Curmudgeon.

I've heard they're going to use the Plowman's Anniversary recipe, or at least something similar, for next years Curmudgeon. Can't wait.

Had a St Ambroise IPA at The Judge earlier. Now drinking Peche Mortel.

cfrancis · Post by **cfrancis** » Sun Nov 06, 2011 12:43 am

Firestone Walker Double Jack. All night.

andrewrg · Post by **andrewrg** » Sun Nov 06, 2011 8:30 am

Black Oak Nut Brown
Homebrew IPA

Then at The Rhino:

Indie Alehouse Breakfast Porter: awesome beer, so looking forward to this brewery opening up to the public.
Black Oak Summer Saison: completely, utterly skunked. So bad we couldn't drink it, returned them and got some Dieu du Ciel beer that was on tap, though not sure what it was. A red or amber of some kind, I think.

In sum: The Rhino is the least beer-focused beer bar ever.

markaberrant · Post by **markaberrant** » Sun Nov 06, 2011 9:28 am

Derek wrote:Old Viscosity. What a phenomenal brew. I think it's more of an old ale than an Imperial Stout... reminds me of Grand Rivers Russian Gun... but bigger.

I am not crazy about Old Viscosity, seems a little boring. On the other hand, OLDER Viscosity is one of the best beers I have ever tried, well worth the price tag if you come across it.

markaberrant · Post by **markaberrant** » Sun Nov 06, 2011 9:44 am

Tasting last night with a few friends:

Orval vertical
3 month - fresh hops, very tasty
8 month - phenol spice and bitterness
22 month - yummy brett bomb
34 month - yummy brett bomb, not much change from the 22

8 month was the weak sister of the bunch, hop character gone, but brett has not developed enough. Also threw in an 11 month Matilda - strong brett character already there, sweeter, yet lighter bodied than Orval. Pretty damn good too, though I still prefer Orval.

Then we went through the La Trappe lineup:

Witte - light, refreshing, spicy
PUUR - fresh grassy hops, clean lager-like, good crisp bitterness
Blond, Dubbel, Trippel, Isid'or, Quadrupel - these all kinda taste and look the same, not a whole lot differentiates them, I prefer the Blond
Bockbier - very impressed with this one, malty, sweet and toasty, but still a dry finish
Oak Aged Quad - batch #7, they used scotch barrels for the first time. I HATE peat beers, but this was by far the best I have ever come across. BrewDog could learn a few lessons from these guys.

Capped it off with:
Blaugies Darbyste - saison with dates. First tried this 2 years ago, friend kept another bottle around. Aged sherry notes, a little flabby, not a beer meant for aging.

2 year old St Bernardus Abt 12 - I don't like to drink belgian dark strongs until they hit the 2-year mark. Creamy, rich dark fruits and incredibly smooth alcohol. WELL WORTH THE WAIT. I actually do remember having to open one of these for a BJCP class 18 months ago and it was a hot alcoholic mess.

TheSevenDuffs · Post by **TheSevenDuffs** » Sun Nov 06, 2011 9:58 am

markaberrant wrote:
Derek wrote:Old Viscosity. What a phenomenal brew. I think it's more of an old ale than an Imperial Stout... reminds me of Grand Rivers Russian Gun... but bigger.
I am not crazy about Old Viscosity, seems a little boring. On the other hand, OLDER Viscosity is one of the best beers I have ever tried, well worth the price tag if you come across it.

+1 to that. Tried some Older at the brewery back in July and took home 3 bottles with me. Still have 2 left to try with some age on them...

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Sun Nov 06, 2011 11:46 am

Baltique Porter 2011, a plush, elegant beer, slightly smoky, which despite the lager-brewing is very similar to the best top-fermented Impys I`ve had. (I`d make a Porter Forte de Londre next, using ale fermentation).

Another beer tried with friends was an 8% biere de garde I got in Quebec, Gavroche. Well made, and a year in bottle hardly changed it. Excellent regional character from the Franco-Belgian frontier.

That Marston`s 7.2% Very Special Pale Ale was just tops, even better than I recall from a month ago. Although not bottle-conditioned the time in the fridge had made it better seemingly. Classy stuff.

Finally, 1845 from Fuller, with a raisin-like top-note I recall in this beer since its inception. This one would age well I`m sure with the hops probably toning down and melding with the malt but it is great now.

Gary

matt7215 · Post by **matt7215** » Sun Nov 06, 2011 12:39 pm

homebrewed belgian dark single
on deck
homebrewed phunk'd-ubble

robinvboyer · Post by **robinvboyer** » Sun Nov 06, 2011 1:16 pm

The 3 Augustijn beers in the new belgian lcbo pack. The grand cru and brune are new to me. The brune is pretty awesome!

NRman · Post by **NRman** » Sun Nov 06, 2011 5:39 pm

Sierra Nevada Stout and Sierra Nevada Porter.
Prefer the stout but both are good.

Belgian · Post by **Belgian** » Sun Nov 06, 2011 6:38 pm

Wellington Imperial Stout at Smokeless Joe, very tasty and presumably unpasteurized on tap.

Also Indie Ale House porter at Rhino, surprising depth of flavor.

cannondale · Post by **cannondale** » Sun Nov 06, 2011 6:50 pm

Had Augustijn Grand Cru with Sunday roast earlier.

single hop Galaxy DIPA now.

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Sun Nov 06, 2011 7:12 pm

My last Russian Gun, bottled Apr 24, 2009. After 2.5 yrs, it still pours with a nice tan head and leaves some good lace.

I've often said this is more like an Old Ale than an Imperial... and it's even truer at 2.5 yrs. It's good, but I like it fresh.

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Sun Nov 06, 2011 7:14 pm

3:2 in a flute, Baltique Porter and Domaine Carneros sparkling wine from CA. The porter gives the wine a touch of roasty sweetness which is just perfect. Normally the mix is 50/50 but due to the extra everything of the porter I eased up on it a bit. A better Black Velvet would be hard to conceive.

George Saintsbury, the English critic and scholar, wrote "Notes on a Cellar-Book", a book mainly about wine and spirits but with a good chapter on beer. He opined that the Black Velvet was not of interest because the stout didn't change the Champagne enough. He was wrong.

Gary