What're you drinking right now?

Kish84 · Post by **Kish84** » Sun Mar 08, 2015 2:19 pm

Last night with J343MY, and JB84:

Cigar City Invasion Pale Ale
Barncat Cat's Cradle
Cigar City Jai Alai
Against the Grain Kentuck Ryed Chiquen
Upland Dantalion
Barncat Maple Porter
Cigar City/DuClaw Impey Barbicane's Moon Gun
Hoppin Frog Cafe BORIS
Dunham Saison Rustique
Trois Mousquetaires Oud Bruin

cratez · Post by **cratez** » Mon Mar 09, 2015 5:41 pm

Over the weekend at The Ravenous Pig, Cask & Larder, Oblivion Taproom, and Redlight Redlight in Winter Park and Orlando, FL:
Mönchshof Kellerbier (sample)
Funky Buddha OP Porter (draft)
Sixpoint Bengali Tiger IPA (draft)
Cask & Larder Olde Southern Wit (draft)
Cask & Larder Five Points IPA (draft)
Cask & Larder Mild Ale (draft)
Funky Buddha Crusher Session IPA (draft)
Boulevard Collaboration No. 4 Saison (draft)
Funky Buddha Hop Gun IPA (bottle)
New Belgium Portage Porter (bottle)
Terrapin Mosaic Single Hopped Red Rye Ale (can)

Right now:
Founders Black Rye

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Wed Mar 11, 2015 8:02 pm

Right now I have a blend of Nicklebrook Bolshevik Bastard and Batch:1904 Cider. This is a version of the Black Velvet, which originally was the stout and Champagne. Later a cider-and-stout version became popular.

The great writer on alcoholic drinks, George Saintsbury (late 1800's-early 1900's), deprecated the Black Velvet. His reason was, it tastes like Champagne still, so why bother?

He's actually right - it's true if not even more so of the cider as well. However, old George didn't seem to consider varying the traditional 50/50 blend. (And it isn't as if he was down on blending, he advised for example to blend single malts at home, he gives an example of 5 in particular which work well in his view). Perhaps life was just too busy for him: so many drinks to try, so little time. Plus, he had to write all those scholarly books on European literature, his main gig.

Not feeling similarly constrained, I added a good splash of the inky Bolshevik to the 50/50 blend and lo, the drink comes into its own. The extra hit gives it that roasty dextrinous undertone to make it happen yet with the "slow-fermented 100% Ontario apples" (per the can) singing a bright tone on top.

Perhaps 60/40 is the ideal mix then, at least with these components.

George, you were one of ours and ahead of your time, but you didn't know it all.

Gary

S. St. Jeb · Post by **S. St. Jeb** » Wed Mar 11, 2015 8:10 pm

G.M. Gillman wrote:so many drinks to try, so little time.

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Wed Mar 11, 2015 8:28 pm

https://books.google.ca/books?id=4vDQRP ... es&f=false

This is Saintsbury on the Black Velvet, called in his time "Bismarck". "No possible liaison", he says...

Gary

Bobsy · Post by **Bobsy** » Wed Mar 11, 2015 9:36 pm

G.M. Gillman wrote:https://books.google.ca/books?id=4vDQRP ... es&f=false

This is Saintsbury on the Black Velvet, called in his time "Bismarck". "No possible liaison", he says...

Gary

Looks like being one of those oddball amazing reads. I love how his recipe on p. 160 calls for one lump of ice as big as a baby's head, or how he casually mentions drinking something called a bishop with a friend who eventually did become a bishop.

kevinlater · Post by **kevinlater** » Wed Mar 11, 2015 9:38 pm

GLB robohop from the bottle. super dank pine & pineapple. good stuff

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Wed Mar 11, 2015 9:43 pm

Yes, it is a very interesting book and it has a full chapter on beer (not sure if that part is full-view on google books). He had an ornate style, typical of the Victorian era, but he knew a lot and it's fun to read once you get the way he uses the language - part of it is for humour too I think.

Sometimes you need to interpret it a bit. When he says to add soda water to "strong Bass", he clearly means Bass No. 1 (still made), i.e., barley wine not pale ale. I guess it would lighten it a bit and probably add some sparkle to what may have been a fairly still beer.

In the beer chapter, I recall most of what he said making a lot of sense, e.g., that all beer, even strong beer, is better on draught, bottle-conditioned is better than filtered, etc. Some things have changed though since then. He didn't think much of Scotch Ale (too sweet) or the lighter kinds available, and I'm sure would be very pleased with choice in modern Scotland.

Gary

P.S. I checked after penning the above and the beer chapter starts at pg. 148. It appears to be full view. He deals with cider in the same section.

midlife crisis · Post by **midlife crisis** » Thu Mar 12, 2015 11:48 am

It is brilliant. Thanks for the link. On cider and perry:

"Perry seems to me to be an abuse of that excellent creature the pear, whereas cider-apples furnish one of the most cogent arguments to prove that Providence had the production of alcoholic liquors directly in its eye".

G.M. Gillman · Post by **G.M. Gillman** » Thu Mar 12, 2015 2:54 pm

midlife crisis wrote:It is brilliant. Thanks for the link. On cider and perry:

"Perry seems to me to be an abuse of that excellent creature the pear, whereas cider-apples furnish one of the most cogent arguments to prove that Providence had the production of alcoholic liquors directly in its eye".

Well, he had the gift of the gab, to use an expression he probably would have termed inexpressibly vulgar. (Kind of a motor-mouth, too).

But he's one of us, for sure.

Gary

cratez · Post by **cratez** » Thu Mar 12, 2015 6:06 pm

Over the last few days at random places in Florida:
Fat Heads Sunshine Daydream Session IPA
Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Hoppy Lager
Victory Anniversary 19 Ale Session IPA
Sixpoint Beast Mode
Goose Island Ten Hills
Founders Dark Penance Imperial Black IPA
Anderson Valley Spring Hornin' India Pale Ale
Smuttynose Durty Mud Season Hoppy Brown Ale
Bell's HopSlam Ale

Kish84 wrote: Cigar City/DuClaw Impey Barbicane's Moon Gun

How was this Kishan? I'm gonna be at the brewery tomorrow and I see it's on tap.

Kish84 · Post by **Kish84** » Fri Mar 13, 2015 8:29 pm

cratez wrote:
Kish84 wrote: Cigar City/DuClaw Impey Barbicane's Moon Gun
How was this Kishan? I'm gonna be at the brewery tomorrow and I see it's on tap.

Honestly, I'm drawing a blank. I remember enjoying the stuff before and after having this, but this one was not memorable.

Maybe J343MY can recall it??

Soods · Post by **Soods** » Fri Mar 13, 2015 10:44 pm

In no particular order:

Sierra Nevada Hop Hunter IPA
Bells Two Hearted
Odd Side Ales Mayan Mocha Stout
Founders Blushing Monk
Canadian Breakfast Stout
Founders Big Lushious

Derek · Post by **Derek** » Sat Mar 14, 2015 1:23 am

How was the hop hunter? Did it taste green/wet?

El Pinguino · Post by **El Pinguino** » Sat Mar 14, 2015 5:35 pm

Had the hop hunter last week in the states...found it had a sweet grassy bit to it along with the hops, so I guess that means it was "green/wet"?