The Beer Thread

Clay_Allison said:

I like the Big Eye IPA by Ballast Point even better than Sculpin, give it a shot.

Click to expand...

Iamtdg said:

"I had a Miller Lite this weekend. It was fantastic."–high school girl talking about her weekend

Click to expand...

EZ22 said:

I've had it in the past and didn't really care for it, but Celebration Ale by Sierra Nevada is the bomb this year. Very, very good.

Click to expand...

junk said:

Anyone ever had Bell's HopSlam?

It's good, but it is like $20 per 6 pack and it is one of those limited release things. I had to go to some event and get a ticket and all sorts of shit to buy a six pack. Then 2 days later I stopped at a local drugstore and just found six packs sitting out.

The whole "Here's a special beer, that is pretty good, that we don't make a lot of and charge the shit out of" is a decent market strategy. I'm just not sure HopSlam is better than Two Hearted that you can buy any time of the year for less than half the price.

Click to expand...

E_D_Guapo said:

I had the Two Hearted when I was in Chicago a couple years ago and it was good but I've never had a Hopslam. I know it's supposed to be all that and maybe it is but I'm not likely to spend time standing in a long line to obtain a ticket that gives me the privilege of buying a $20 six pack. That's how it goes with these limited release beers though. When Goose Island's limited Bourbon County Stout came out this fall people here began lining up at Whole Foods at about 5:00 AM (for a 9:00 AM release). Apparently it was gone before 10:00 AM and lots of people in line didn't get any. I got a bottle at two separate places later that day without getting up early or standing in line.

Click to expand...

junk said:

I didn't really stand in line. I walked in and there were probably 30 people in there. They gave me a ticket and said sales started at 4:30. I just stood by a cash register with beer by it assuming someone would be selling it there. Everyone else lined up to the main cash register. I was maybe there 15 minutes. I don't have patience for much more than that.

Just thought it was odd that I randomly bought it at my local drug store a couple of days later.

Got a Sierra Nevada 4-way IPA 12 pack tonight. Torpedo is one, which I've had. The others were new: Nooner Session IPA, Blindfold Black IPA and Snow Wit IPA

Click to expand...

E_D_Guapo said:

Nice. Where do you live, Junk? The market in Austin, TX where I live is apeshit over any publicized limited batch beer releases. It's annoying as hell because if you don't act IMMEDIATELY you're screwed. There is a local brewery here called Hops & Grain that is doing an IPA series called Greenhouse where they change up the hop combo with each batch and release a new one each month. The second batch hit the shelves this Wednesday (in cans...you can find it on tap if you're at the right place at the right time) and was gone by Thursday afternoon. Ridiculous. I did manage to get a sixer on Thursday at a place where I'm a regular and they held one for me, but it's become like an insane competition around here to get it. I like to get good beer/new releases but it has become such a novelty that it's barely worth trying.

~waiting for KBrown to come and drop some sort of snide Austin "hipster" remark~

Click to expand...

Kbrown said:

I rag on it, but I actually really like Austin. Most of my friends live there. And do home brew, incidentally.

Click to expand...

junk said:

Iowa. Our beer selection is usually pretty lame. We get some OK stuff from Wisconsin and Michigan. Some of the Colorado stuff is starting to make its way out here.

I usually load up when I go to Wisconsin. The New Glarus stuff is solid and Tyranea Bitter Woman IPA is good as well.

There is enough really good beer out there that I'm probably not going to wait in line or go out of my way to get something special in most cases. I'd heard a lot about HopSlam so I wanted to try it. Very good, but not worth the wait or price when I can buy something like Two Hearted, Stone or Green Flash off the shelf for half the price.

Click to expand...

E_D_Guapo said:

Does Three Floyds distribute there? You can get it in Chicago/nearby Indiana and I'd highly recommend it if you're in that area. Zombie Dust is maybe the best beer I've ever had. I was introduced to Founders on a trip to Chicago a couple years ago too. They have a lot of good beers.

Click to expand...

junk said:

I haven't seen Three Floyds around here. My brother lives in Indiana, so I'll look for some next time I am there.

I've had Founders. They are OK, but I'd choose others over them in most cases.

Click to expand...

E_D_Guapo said:

If you like stouts Founders is one of the better breweries, IMO. Their Breakfast Stout is really good and their KBS (Kentucky Breakfast Stout) is outstanding, but isn't always available.

Click to expand...