The New Prog Beer Snob Thread

[Jerjo]

I have a bottle of Thomas Hardy that I've had for quite a long time. Just never had the special occasion to open it up. I've been fairly careful in storing it so I'm guessing it's in good shape but who knows. I have had a few "aged" beers that were just spectacular. Even a few that weren't meant to be aged.

A friend forgot two bottles of Anchor Christmas Ale in his parents' fridge and they stayed there for a good five years. The lid got loosened on one and his mother threw it out. But when we had that second it had to have been five years old and sweet mercy, the complexity and nuance of the flavors was outstanding. That said, most micros aren't meant to go beyond half a year and some even less.

[NogbadTheBad]

^ That's some pricey stuff, isn't it?

Well I bought it when they still brewed the stuff 10 years ago so it wasn't bad then, last time I saw a full bottle on ebay it was going for $85. There are empty bottles going for $25!!

[philsunset]

Attachment 10473

Opened this rather excellent Thomas Hardy Ale barleywine 11.7% that I've been aging for 10 years, wonderfully complex.

That sounds wonderful indeed! In Pennsylvania?

[Plasmatopia]

Well I bought it when they still brewed the stuff 10 years ago so it wasn't bad then, last time I saw a full bottle on ebay it was going for $85. There are empty bottles going for $25!!

Crazy! I guess if you have an empty bottle you can tell everyone you drank one.

[NogbadTheBad]

That sounds wonderful indeed! In Pennsylvania?

Yes, I was in Pennsylvania.

[moecurlythanu]

One site's opinion, but it makes for some interesting reading:

http://uproxx.com/life/best-beer-in-...e-visual-tour/

[NogbadTheBad]

One site's opinion, but it makes for some interesting reading:

http://uproxx.com/life/best-beer-in-...e-visual-tour/

New England selections are pretty good, no complaints here.

[wideopenears]

Meh. West Coast.....CA lacking. At least they didn't pick Pliny. But Fieldwork Brewing blows most bigger CA breweries out of the water. Father of the Wolf Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels FTW. Or the Mexican Chocolate, a delicious stout on nitro. Or any of the ton of West Coast and East Coast style IPA's, as well as sours, etc.

[philsunset]

Saw on FB that Eccentric Cafe just tapped BBA 30th Anniversary. Holy moly!

[SteveSly]

Saw on FB that Eccentric Cafe just tapped BBA 30th Anniversary. Holy moly!

On top of that Burdicks (a downtown beer bar a couple of blocks from Bell's) tapped Black Note tonight. I was at work so missed out on it.

[SteveSly]

On top of that Burdicks (a downtown beer bar a couple of blocks from Bell's) tapped Black Note tonight. I was at work so missed out on it.

Burdick's is also tapping KBS today at 11AM.

[philsunset]

Sounds like a good place to be!

[SteveSly]

Sounds like a good place to be!

A local place about 2 minutes from our house had Founders Doom on tap this afternoon. I did not get any when it came out, so I found it to be very tasty.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

No sours, goses, altbiers, no session. One farmhouse. A bit boring.

It's like a best of Prog list full of nothing but Yes and Genesis albums.

that's a good one...

but for me, styles of beer are like styles of music
Lagers are the Pop; Madonnas and Britneys
Pales are the Rock; Aerosmiths and Foreigners
IPAs are the trendy acts; *insert flavor of the month act here*
Browns are the Funk; Parliament and EWF
Reds/Ambers are the Alt-Rock; Husker Du and Green Day
Porters are the popular Prog; Genesis and Yes
Stouts are the deeper Prog; Mahavishnu and Magma


you don't want the musical equivalents of sours, goses, altbiers and farmhouse

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

anyway...

I just got back from a 6 week roadtrip to Alsaka and picked up some rarities on the way

this is tonight's imbibing

Attachment 10507

[polmico]

that's a good one...


you don't want the musical equivalents of sours, goses, altbiers and farmhouse

Ha! I guess overlap in musical tastes doesn't equal overlap in oat soda tastes.

Just to show how normal my beer tastes can be, down at my local gastropub, they had Bell's stout with brewer's licorice on the beer engine (or "cask," depending on your preferred nomenclature) yesterday. I drank two. They were delicious and flat and warm.

[polmico]

Oh and if you were curious, Yes, you can totally buy some of your very own brewer's licorice (though I don't think you're supposed to eat it):
https://www.bellsbeer.com/store/prod...2d-0.7-oz.html

[NogbadTheBad]

Off to England tomorrow for my annual 'boys weekend', will be sampling lots of English Craft Ales.

[adap2it]

Not sure if I've mentioned this before but I have a bottle of Hardy Ale, bottled July 1 1981. Claims to be the strongest in the UK and good for at least 25 years, if stored at around 55F. Not sure about that but it has been in my basement 30 years.WP_20170710_002.jpg

[NogbadTheBad]

Not sure if I've mentioned this before but I have a bottle of Hardy Ale, bottled July 1 1981. Claims to be the strongest in the UK and good for at least 25 years, if stored at around 55F. Not sure about that but it has been in my basement 30 years....

WP_20170710_001.jpg

Nice!! You could probably get good money for that. As I stated earlier I finally opened the one I had from 2003 a couple of weeks ago. It was superb and complex.

Attachment 10473

Opened this rather excellent Thomas Hardy Ale barleywine 11.7% that I've been aging for 10 years, wonderfully complex.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

anyway...

I just got back from a 6 week roadtrip to Alsaka and picked up some rarities on the way

this is tonight's imbibing

Attachment 10507

ok... the Peanut Butter Porter was not all that.
When I bought it, I was highly suspicious and rightly so.
Thankfully, I didn't buy any of the other 3 or 4 breweries' Peanut Butter Porter/Stouts which I saw in Idaho after buying that one in Oregon.
What the heck is with the NW US fascination with Peanut Butter and beer?!?!

[moecurlythanu]

Willoughby Brewing Peanut Butter Cup Coffee Porter and Duclaw Sweet Baby Jesus Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter are wonderful. I've had other good ones too. But I like peanut butter, so I'd probably like most of them.

[Lopez]

What the heck is with the NW US fascination with Peanut Butter and beer?!?!

Maybe I'm more of a beer snob than I thought. I've had it with flavored beers. I want my beer to taste like beer. Give me good old water, barley malt, hops, and yeast. If I want peanut butter, I'll make a sandwich.

I went to a rum tasting once. The distillery rep was pushing a rum aged in bourbon casks. "Doesn't it taste just like bourbon?" he asks. I'm sorry, if I want to taste bourbon, I'll drink bourbon. If I want taste rum, I'll drink rum.

[NogbadTheBad]

I don't like peanuts so I'm going nowhere near that one, I'm not a big fan of all the fruity beers, there are occasional examples that are good but mostly they detract from the beer.

[SteveSly]

ok... the Peanut Butter Porter was not all that.
When I bought it, I was highly suspicious and rightly so.
Thankfully, I didn't buy any of the other 3 or 4 breweries' Peanut Butter Porter/Stouts which I saw in Idaho after buying that one in Oregon.
What the heck is with the NW US fascination with Peanut Butter and beer?!?!

We have two breweries here in town that makes Peanut Butter beers both of which are quite good.

Rupert’s Brewing makes a Peanut Butter Porter which I really like. Not something you want to drink a ton of, but I usually have one when I am there.

One Well Brewing makes Professor Nutbutters House Of Treats. It is lighter than a Porter, but very very good.

I have also had some pretty lousy Peanut Butter beers too unfortunately.