The New Prog Beer Snob Thread

[moecurlythanu]

^ One of many strong offerings from New Holland Brewing. Very nice Brewpub there too.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

If I drink an IPA from Founders I stick to the Centennial. All Day or Mosaic are a little too mild for me.

I'm not into grapefruit beer myself, so All Day is just the right amount of hops for me

[notallwhowander]

grapefruit beer

Can. Not. Abide.

I've tried, people.

[Zeuhlmate]

Fruit beers with plenty of hops can be fantastic !

There are few breweries in Denmark that combines, grape, mango, etc. and tons of hops - its an explosion in your mouth.
Here is one of them
https://dk.locale.online/alefarm-brewing-720747246.html

[SteveSly]

If I drink an IPA from Founders I stick to the Centennial. All Day or Mosaic are a little too mild for me.

I prefer Centennial too, but if I am session drinking over a long period of time, and want a lower alcohol beer, All Day IPA is the perfect solution.

[SteveSly]

^ One of many strong offerings from New Holland Brewing. Very nice Brewpub there too.

They have also built a 2nd one in Grand Rapids MI. Both are very cool places.

[SteveSly]

I'm not into grapefruit beer myself, so All Day is just the right amount of hops for me

I have never heard Centennial or Mosaic referred to as Grapefruit beers before. There are quite a few Grapefruit IPA's around, but neither of them seem Grapefuity to me.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

any overhopped beer tastes just like fizzy grapefruit juice to me

I'm not a fan of grapefruit juice, so the greatest IPA on the planet to these buds is Two Hearted Ale by Bells. Not just a punch-in-the-mouth of grapefruit flavor, but complex, rich and deep

[NogbadTheBad]

Two Hearted Ale is certainly an excellent choice. Personally I love New England IPA's with loads of citrus. So it's lucky I live in Boston in close proximity to Trillium & Tree House.

[moecurlythanu]

Yeah, I prefer the citrus-y IPAs too. However, the ones where they add fruit juice to the IPA doesn't work for me at all.

[NogbadTheBad]

Yeah, I prefer the citrus-y IPAs too. However, the ones where they add fruit juice to the IPA doesn't work for me at all.

Oh I 100% agree with you there.

[Jerjo]

There is a taste note in IPAs that some note as grapefruit. It's not really grapefruit in it, just an element named such. Same as citrus.

Adding fruit to beer is a crime against God and man.

[SteveSly]

any overhopped beer tastes just like fizzy grapefruit juice to me

I'm not a fan of grapefruit juice, so the greatest IPA on the planet to these buds is Two Hearted Ale by Bells. Not just a punch-in-the-mouth of grapefruit flavor, but complex, rich and deep

Being from Kalamazoo, Two Hearted is certainly a favorite for me as well (it flows like Budweiser here), but Centennial IPA is basically Founders version of Two Hearted. It is not as good, but I still don't detect much, if any, Grapefruit in it.

[notallwhowander]

There is a taste note in IPAs that some note as grapefruit. It's not really grapefruit in it, just an element named such. Same as citrus.

Adding fruit to beer is a crime against God and man.

I've a a few tasty Lambics. I remember Pyramid's Apricot Ale with some fondness. I even enjoyed a Sierra Nevada Sidecar last summer. So I guess I'm thoroughly in the heretic zone. However, these are excursions, usually in the summer, not the mainstream.

So while my taste-buds might be thoroughly whack, some hops strike me as citrus-y and some others seem pine-y. Personally a like a quick, crisp bite a the end of a pilsner or kolsh. But when the hops over-stay their welcome, and inexorably layer bitter on bitter with each sip, forget it.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

There is a taste note in IPAs that some note as grapefruit. It's not really grapefruit in it, just an element named such. Same as citrus.

Adding fruit to beer is a crime against God and man.

I concur

and yes, when I said "grapefruit beer" I did not mean beer with grapefruit juice added. I meant beer that is so overhopped it tastes like fizzy grapefruit juice

[Lopez]

Adding fruit to beer is a crime against God and man.

I agree with you there. I don't like fruit-flavored beers (not counting citrus/grapefruit "tasting" IPAs, which I love). I had Sam Adams Cranberry Lambic once. Oh, lordy, was that one of the worst things ever. If I want fruit, I'll eat an apple; I won't drink a beer.

And how about shandy? Half beer and half lemonade. What an abomination!

[Zeuhlmate]

The beers I was referring to have not added fruit, its much worse they taste like heavily hopped juice + alcohol.
Its a new trend that I wouldn't have thought was good. But it is, but is it beer ?

Belgian beers may taste of vinegar, bananas, rasberry etc. its still beer, in England you can get beers with oyster taste added...
And then there are all the industrial almost tasteless lagers...

[Plasmatopia]

I thought some of the fruit flavored gose style beers I've tried were decent (not sure how they go about flavoring them....I assume they aren't just added later).

A couple of weeks ago I was at the 1718 Brewery in Ocracoke, NC (I recommend checking this out if you're down there) and they had a beer that wasn't at all dark like a stout but tasted very strongly of coffee. I quit coffee over a year ago now and this was the first thing that (nearly) made me go back to drinking coffee, lol.

[NogbadTheBad]

I've a a few tasty Lambics. I remember Pyramid's Apricot Ale with some fondness. I even enjoyed a Sierra Nevada Sidecar last summer. So I guess I'm thoroughly in the heretic zone. However, these are excursions, usually in the summer, not the mainstream.

So while my taste-buds might be thoroughly whack, some hops strike me as citrus-y and some others seem pine-y. Personally a like a quick, crisp bite a the end of a pilsner or kolsh. But when the hops over-stay their welcome, and inexorably layer bitter on bitter with each sip, forget it.

I do like Sours, Farmhouse Ales, Saisons & Gose, for me Lambics are one step too far, I just can't handle the acerbic nature of them. Have to say I love the new wave of New England IPA's with their orange popsicle color, heavy juicy flavor and smoothness, you'll get citrus, pine, grapefruit flavors naturally from the brewing process. I also like the West Coast IPA's that are typically clearer, darker, have a lot more hop bite and are resiny or piney. There's loads of great variety out there.

[NogbadTheBad]

The beers I was referring to have not added fruit, its much worse they taste like heavily hopped juice + alcohol.
Its a new trend that I wouldn't have thought was good. But it is, but is it beer ?

Yes it is! very popular in the USA at the moment, gets some of the highest ratings amongst craft beer fans and are a major draw at the festivals. The small brewers who do this style well have people cued up at the brewery door the buy it.

[Zeuhlmate]

Yes it is! very popular in the USA at the moment, gets some of the highest ratings amongst craft beer fans and are a major draw at the festivals. The small brewers who do this style well have people cued up at the brewery door the buy it.

Unfortunately, but logically, they are quite expensive due to all the ingredients, processing, small batches (and lousy distribution). Especially hops are expensive in Europe. The IPA hop-types used for dry hopping the beer are almost always imported from the US.
I can theoreticly get it on bottle/can i Denmark, but I have not found a retailer where it wasnt sold out before I arrived.

[NogbadTheBad]

Unfortunately, but logically, they are quite expensive due to all the ingredients, processing, small batches (and lousy distribution). Especially hops are expensive in Europe. The IPA hop-types used for dry hopping the beer are almost always imported from the US.
I can theoreticly get it on bottle/can i Denmark, but I have not found a retailer where it wasnt sold out before I arrived.

They are expensive here too, I'm typically paying $15 to $20 for a 4 pack of 16oz cans of NEIPA and that's directly from the brewery (1 mile from my house) so no distribution costs. But they hardly sell outside of direct from brewery, a few local pubs and pubs across New England & New York.

[Dave (in MA)]

Adding fruit to beer is a crime against God and man.

And a crime against beer.
Any other geezers remember this crap?

[Zeuhlmate]

^^^
Not at all the same kind of beer we discussed above.

In Germany thay have a beer type called Radler, which might be called 'a refreshing summer drink', and tastes like lemon soda and lager mixed.
I dont like that.

[NogbadTheBad]

^^^
Not at all the same kind of beer we discussed above.

In Germany thay have a beer type called Radler, which might be called 'a refreshing summer drink', and tastes like lemon soda and lager mixed.
I dont like that.

That would be a shandy, only to be drunk if you are the designate driver.