Top 100 Beers Found at GABF 2008
Monday, October 13th, 2008 by steveb | Trip Reports | No Comments
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New Beer Blog
Thursday, October 9th, 2008 by chucks | Announcements | No Comments
Welcome to our new beer blog. It has many improvements over the previous site, including a much easier to remember URL.
Todd and Steve are on their way to GABF, and they’ve promised to post new information/trip reviews as soon as they can.
- Anybody can post new content to our site or comment to an existing post. Just let Chuck know if you want this functionality and I can give you an ID
- Post can be filtered by categeory. Not interested in reading about the latest beer tasting but looking for info on what’s new in stores? Just use the Categeory widget on the right to filter what content you are looking for.
- You can post and/or comment from any computer in the world
- Search engine to search archives
- Archive entries categorized by date
- Much more functionality and fun to come!
New at Dorothy Lane Market, Springboro
Thursday, October 9th, 2008 by chucks | What's in Stores | 1 Comment
I had a nice beer run at DLM yesterday where I found the following seasonals/limited releases on sale.
- Founders Breakfast Stout: One of my favorites, Coffee, Chocolate and Oatmeal!
- Founders Cumudgeon Old Ale: (9.3% ABV, Barleywine style Old Ale)
- Dogfish Head Theobroma: Based on an analysis of pottery fragments that revealed the earliest known alcoholic drink and brewed with Aztec cocoa powder, cocoa nibs, honey, chilies and annatto (fragrant tree seeds).
- Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron: This is the second release of this fine beer aged in Paraguayan Palo Santo Wood. Apparently Dogfish Head will release this beer throughout the year in limited quantities.
- Bell’s Hell Hath No Fury … Ale: Only available through November
- Bell’s Cherry Stout: Don’t knock this unless you’ve tried it, One of my favorites, but this should be available through March.
- Southern Tier Hoppe Imperial Extra Pale Ale
- Southern Tier Oat Imperial Oatmeal Stout (limited release and availability)
- Delirium Noel — 2008 Belgium Christmas Beers on shelves already
Beer Food Article
Thursday, October 9th, 2008 by chucks | Beer Articles | No Comments
Interesting article in Dayton Daily News on Food/Beer Pairings….
GABF / Falling Rock Tap House Special Events
Tuesday, October 7th, 2008 by steveb | Events | No Comments
from westword.com
Tuesday October 6
5 p.m. Falling Rock hosts a GABF Kickoff Tapping Party by tapping ten to twelve unusual or special kegs that it’s been saving.
Wednesday, October 8
4 p.m. Oskar Blues unleashes some of its beers aged in Stranahan’s Colorado Whiskey barrels.
9 p.m. Boulder’s Avery Brewing stops by with some of its “unusual experiments,” including:
Hog Heaven (dry hopped in the keg),
Bad Sally #2 (aged in an oak barrel),
Reverend Rare (aged in an Eagle Rare Barrel) and
Deviation (fermented with Belgian yeast).
Thursday, October 9
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Falling Rock will offer some of the San Francisco Bay Area’s best beers.
10 p.m. Importer Dan Shelton offers samples of unusual fare, such as Cantillon Rose de Gambrinus & Iris on draught.
11 p.m. Legendary California brewer Stone Brewing Company offers some of its vaunted beers, including:
2007 Russian Imperial Stout,
Alesmith/Mikkeler/Stone Collaboration,
Stone’s 10th Anniversary Ale and
Vertical Epic 08.08.08.
Friday, October 10
12 p.m. Kill a keg of Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale in under fifteen minutes and 42 seconds (last year’s time).
12:15 p.m. Sierra Nevada will offer its Chico Estate Harvest Ale (the hops for this beer were harvested at Sierra Nevada’s own California hop farm on the brewery grounds).
10 p.m. Delaware’s Dogfish Head brewery will present “Around the World in 6 Beers,” a $10 tasting of “flavors collected from all over the planet,” as represented by some of Dogfish Head’s special beers.
11 p.m. Sample Alaskan Brewing’s 2006 Barleywine and this year’s Alaskan Smoked Porter.
Saturday, October 11
5 p.m. Russian River Brewing’s Consecration, made with currants and aged for nine months in wooden Cabernet barrels.
10 p.m. There will be a pouring of Fort Collins-based New Belgium Brewing Company’s Love Fest, as well as other beers.
Beer Reviewers on YouTube
Tuesday, September 30th, 2008 by steveb | Funny | No Comments
Chuck, this is what you can only strive to achieve…
Falling Rock Tap House - Denver, CO
Monday, September 22nd, 2008 by todds | Tasting Reviews, Trip Reports | No Comments
The afternoon of Friday, September 19th included a couple of hours sitting at the Falling Rock Tap House in Denver and drinking the selection of Russian River beers on tap, as well as splitting a bottle of the 10 Commandements from The Lost Abbey Brewing Company.
I started with the the Russian River Temptation on tap (7.0 ABV). This Belgian strong golden ale, served in a snifter the way any fine Belgian should be, offered a very balanced taste with a crisp golden color. This was a nice way to start the day.
Next I stepped it up to the RR Blind Pig IPA (6.0 ABV, Beer Advocate #51). Although I have tasted the bottled version, the draught version of was a little less hoppy then I recall the bottle being. That being said, it was plenty hoppy and the citrus falvors balance the hoppiness in a was that makes this Top 100 beer well worth pursuing.
The final Russian River on tap was the Pliny the Elder (8.0 ABV, Beer Advocate #9) Double IPA. For a fairly high hopped beer, the taste is nicely balanced and the bouquet is amazing - almost piney. Compares very well with the bottled, at least from what I recall.
My final indulgence was the Ten Commandments Belgian Strong Dark from Lost Abbey Brewing. This was served in a corked 750 ml bottle, and is brewed with raisins, honey and rosemary. The beer allowed almost no light to pass through, and the bouquet is slightly sour. The sourness and the raisin flavors provided a nice balance, but this is definately a beer for sipping with a nice hearty meal (if not afterwards).
The location, on Blake Street a couple of blocks from Coors Field, is a must stop for anyone in Denver. With about 90 beers on tap, and a history of breweriana on the shelves (old bottles, taps, etc.), this is a destination to work into your next trip. I look forward to being back on a few weeks for GABF.
Todd
Ultimate Beer Tasting Road Trip
Monday, September 22nd, 2008 by todds | Events, Trip Reports | No Comments
From Outside Magazine, the Pacific Brewry Binge.
http://outside.away.com/outside/destinations/200807/weekend-road-trip-oregon-california.html
More than 20 breweries along the 800+ mile trip from San Fran to Portland.
Great Lakes Barrel-Aged Blackout Stout - Release 10/15
Wednesday, September 17th, 2008 by steveb | Beer News | No Comments
Great Lakes Barrel-Aged Blackout Stout is being released on Wednesday, Oct. 15 at the brewpub. $14 / bottle. At 85 IBUs, the beer is named after “named after the infamous ‘Blackout of 2003′ that left the northeastern United States in complete darkness”.
Alefest 2008
Saturday, August 23rd, 2008 by chucks | Events, Tasting Reviews | No Comments
Hanging out with the Pub girls
I have to say that the end of Summer is my favorite time of the year. It’s the beginning of the end of the hot & humid dog days of Summer and the weather starts to become a little more cooler and tolerable. It marks the beginning of football season and lots of anxious anticipation as to how my Steelers and Nittany Lions will fair in the upcoming months. For some, it marks the beginning of a new school year and all the excitement that brings. But for me, it signifies another Dayton Alefest — one of my favorite events of the year.
I have to say that this was one of the best AleFest ever’s, and I have to say that I overdid it a bit this year. Although I had plenty of tickets left over, due to the high alcohol percentage of most of the beers I tried, I was feeling a little too happy long before the event was over. I am very thankful and appreciative that my wife was able to accompany me as my designated driver.
The biggest reason I enjoyed this year’s festival even more than in years past is likely due to this year was the first year I actually arrived early. I was happy to see that they were letting people into the festival area in advance of the actual start time. That allowed people to scope out the tables and plan a strategy for getting the most of the festival.
And plan a strategy I did. I decided that I was going to skip or pass on anything that was normally available and concentrate on those beers that were exclusive to this year’s event. I’m sure there’s a lot I didn’t taste, but with that in mind, here are the top 8 beers I tasted at this year’s AleFest…
- Dogfish Head Festina Peche run through Randall the Enamel Animal filled with Blackberry’s — A little sweet, light & very fruity – the perfect summer beer!
- Great Lakes Barleywine — Aged since January, I was told they only have made this one time. I also got a chance to talk to the Great Lakes Rep, who noticed my Ohio Brew Week shirt. She had a lot to do with co-ordinating this event and she asked me what I thought. When I told her that the folks in Athens seemed a bit disorganized she laughed and said this was by far the most organized they’ve ever been
- Stone 10th Anniversary aged in Oak barrel
- Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA run through Randall filled with fresh hops
- Something from Hopping Frog (perhaps the Silk Porter, but I don’t remember). I do remember the table had one of the longest lines at the festival. I’d love to sample more beers from this Ohio brewery
- Dogfish Head Fort — Strong Ale brewed with fresh Raspberrie
- Goose Island Bourbon Stout (2006 Vintage) — This really aged well. Very drinkable despite the heavy bourbon flavors
- Dogfish Head Raison D’extra — Not sure if they make this any more, but at 20% alcohol, this tasted more like a brandy or cognac.
MVP Points Totals
I’m giving 2 points to anyone who came out this event (4 points for volunteering). And 2 additional points, if like me, you brought a designated driver. Let me know if you attended and I didn’t catch you….
Prev Total August Score New Total
- Todd 85 2 87
- Steve B 85 0 85
- Mike 48 2 50
- Steve V. 48 0 48
- Joe 46 0 46
- Andrew S. 45 0 45
- Chuck 41 4 45
- Andrew W 38 4 42
- Luke 34 2 36
- Jay 33 0 33
- Zombie 32 4 36
- Dave S 31 3 34
- Pete 21 0 21
- Dave H 3 0 3