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March 29, 2024, 09:09:01 AM

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BEERS #2 - Beyond the Pale

Started by Shoulders?-Stomach!, March 30, 2020, 03:56:03 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

Blue Jam

The big branch of Tesco's near us does Duvel Citra. I am averse to very hoppy beers though so I have never been tempted.

Want a Chimay.

Pingers

Quote from: Blue Jam on November 27, 2020, 10:01:03 PM
My local Saino's has stopped selling Leffe. Got some Duvel instead.

Cor, Duvel is not very nice, is it?

Lidl do Leffe, blonde et brune, at least in England

Norton Canes

Quote from: Pingers on November 27, 2020, 10:34:23 PM
Lidl do Leffe, blonde et brune

I feel like there's got to be a 'considers rewrite...' joke in there somewhere

Blue Jam

My local Tesco's also does Leffe. It's bloody everywhere here but I was being a lazy bastard tonight.

Shoulders?-Stomach!

Duvel's still very well thought of, even in craft circles.

Ferris

Never been massively impressed by Duvel, but been a long time since I had one so I might just be wrong.

Got a mega bourbon-barrel aged 11% imperial stout to celebrate THIS FUCKIN HOUSE I JUST BOUGHT LADS.

It's alright like.

hummingofevil

Shoulders!

I'm not really a fan of smoked beers so not sure if this is recommedation not but accidentally picked up a bamberg spezial kauchbier (i think that is what it called). Very smooth with just right amount of smoke.

Urinal Cake

Quote from: Cuellar on November 27, 2020, 10:10:37 PM
I've always found Duvel to be a solid everyday choice. Unremarkable but serviceable. Not the Citra stuff though because it's shite.
I thought that was the point of Duvel it was a good/great Belgian pale ale that hid it's alcohol well- something that's technically very difficult to do.

Ferris

Quote from: Urinal Cake on November 29, 2020, 12:58:08 AM
I thought that was the point of Duvel it was a good/great Belgian pale ale that hid it's alcohol well- something that's technically very difficult to do.

[ferris posts some fucking tedious explanation about how strong ABV flavours can be overcome but it (probably) isn't commercially viable]

Dex Sawash

Quote from: FerriswheelBueller on November 29, 2020, 01:01:17 AM
[ferris posts some fucking tedious explanation about how strong ABV flavours can be overcome but it (probably) isn't commercially viable]

Do we get to read it on your onlyfans[nb]I'm tired and am certain I've left an obvious onlyxxxs joke on the table here[/nb]?

Dex Sawash


Ferris

Quote from: Dex Sawash on November 29, 2020, 01:46:51 AM
Onlycans ffs

Ah that would have been a decent gag. Fuckin autocorrect ruined it

Shoulders?-Stomach!

Quote from: hummingofevil on November 29, 2020, 12:45:25 AM
Shoulders!

I'm not really a fan of smoked beers so not sure if this is recommedation not but accidentally picked up a bamberg spezial kauchbier (i think that is what it called). Very smooth with just right amount of smoke.

Ah yeah, Spezial Rauchbier is one of my faves of that style. A pint at their brewery tap is non-negotiable when visiting Bamberg.

spaghetamine

Anyone fuck with Arbor Ales? Just bought a crate of four different ones from them, currently sipping on a Rocketman and rating it


king_tubby

Yeah, like 'em a lot, pricey though.

Shoulders?-Stomach!

We get their Blue Sky Drinking (a hoppy bitter) in Leeds, pretty decent.

I often mix them up with Moor Beers for some reason. (Their owners have been cancelled on Twitter but I forget why)

Chedney Honks



BA Cherry Tonkoko 2020 - Brew York


I don't generally drink anything besides German and Belgian now but I really enjoyed the original Tonkoko back around lockdown one, and so I decided to take a punt on these burgundy barrel aged Cherry Tonkokos and this is one hell of a beer. Got all that heady coconut, dark chocolate bitterness and tonka sweet richness, but with a lovely fragrant cherry tang. Delightful stuff if that's all it was. The burgundy barrel gives it something else, though. Real pucker to the finish, lip-smacking mouth-watering dry tannin pucker.

I would get more if I could find them.

Shoulders?-Stomach!

Been seeing some really strong stouts at Morrisons lately. I usually pick them up feh meh behrd on the rare occasion they don't pointlessly contain lactose

Ferris

Lactose doesn't ferment so if you want a sweet stout you have to add it (as regular sugar would get fermented and turned into alcohol). There are alternatives that do more or less the same thing (I have a bag of xylitol I use occasionally for brewing sweet ciders), but that's the traditional reason anyway.

Feel free to drop that tedious lecture into the next conversation when the topic is raised.

Shoulders?-Stomach!

QuoteLactose doesn't ferment so if you want a sweet stout you have to add it

Sure? I remember several sweet vegan friendly stouts I've had over the years.

Ferris

Quote from: Shoulders?-Stomach! on November 29, 2020, 05:13:40 PM
Sure? I remember several sweet vegan friendly stouts I've had over the years.

They might be on the xylitol tip, I think using yer actual lactose is probably old hat and/or tradition more than anything else. I wonder if not using lactose is an actual decision (ie the default is to add a load of lactose and bollocks to vegans) but I have no idea.

I reckon if you need to add body to stouts/porters then you've got your grain bill all wrong and are on a hiding to nothing already, but take my opinion for what it is worth (very little).

Shoulders?-Stomach!



Lang Brau Festbier (5.5% Christmas/Special Beer)
Langbrau, Wunsiedel-Schonbrunn

It's heading towards that time of year I guess, and in Lagerland that means all kinds of weirdo brews emerge. Like Czechia, there is no real consistent style to winter lagers in Germany. This is unlike Belgium (very strong, dark and fruity) or England (classic winter warmer dark brown ale).

So when pouring this Festbier, I didn't know what to expect other than its amber colour and that it was notch above normal lager strength. Lang Brau's other creations have been hit and miss, so really had no expectations.

The reverse label (nice branding at this brewery by the way across all their range) talks about something like a beer to 'light the fire at a cold time of year', intensive mashing and spring water.

Yes, it's strong, full in the mouth, not much head at all (not sure how the fuck ^^^ they managed that) and it disappears quickly (a problem I had with a previous Lang Brau beer). There is distinct hoppiness that feels fresh and lingering bitterness on the tongue that makes it feel fresh, perhaps even piney, but maybe grassy would a better description. Weihenstephaner's Festbier is not miles away from this, to use it as a baseline.

And that's the way this one goes, a slight battle between the fuller texture and the almost IPA level bitterness that isn't too harmonious, and a head that disappears too quickly leading to slight gloop and disappointment.

I'd say it's semi-successful but don't quite understand why anyone would want to be drinking this 5.5% lager as part of a Christmas celebration over something really rich chocolatey and indulgent. Ze Germans.

Rating: ***

phes

#1042
Quote from: spaghetamine on November 29, 2020, 03:33:39 PM
Anyone fuck with Arbor Ales? Just bought a crate of four different ones from them, currently sipping on a Rocketman and rating it



Haven't had any in a while but Shangri La was a really solid refreshing pale and I've never had anything worse than good from Arbor. I hope it has survived the murkening. Lost count of the number of old beers that I enjoyed that have taken on 'juicy' characteristics in recent years and are no longer the same light bodied and crisp ale.

I have one of these strong, lactosed stouts from Morrisons that S?S! mentioned. Northern Monk + Lervig: Norse Star, vanilla, cacao and almond. The supermarket imp stouts offer a bit more range than the DIPAs supermarkets frequently stock now (Brewdog Jackhammer, Vocation Love and Hate, Brewdog/Cloudwater Collab, Northern Monk Transient etc etc) which are borderline an embarrassment to craft beer imo. Zero imagination gakky baby food that's all moreorless the same. Chicken Korma. Similar story with a lot of the pales, with only a few standouts. I bought four different 500ml bottles of Kernel Pale Ale last week and the difference was stark. With supermarkets selling 8x330ml cans of pale for £9 now it probably shouldn't come as any surprise at all that a can selling for just over £1 in the UK has its limitations. It is a little sad that the craft beer revolution has largely manifested in the mainstream as a range of beer with about as much variety as the macro lager range

Edit: probably a bit harsh that. Larger Morissons and M&S stock quite a bit now that has improved the range. Brewdog though, Christ it is everywhere. Weak shit, medium shit, strong shit, strong shit with grapefruit. Strong murky shit. All the same, all tastes of shit

Edit 2: Stout is undrinkably sweet. More baby food.

Has the craft beer revolution managed to produce one truly great beer for mainstream production and consumption yet?

Shoulders?-Stomach!

QuoteHas the craft beer revolution managed to produce one truly great beer for mainstream production and consumption yet?

If we're talking supermarket beer, there weren't that many truly great beers for mainstream production and consumption available in UK supermarkets, anyway. In fact if I listed some people would doubtlessly disagree with one or two.

I had a couple of boxes of Northern Monk New World and Vocation Life & Death leftover after a weekend away. Both are in those 8 for £10 deals. There's just nothing to write home about. One bitter dishwater texture glack, one fruit salady, sickly glack. Both baseline acceptable especially when considering the price.

The craft scene chases fads so it's not a huge surprise that they haven't bestowed keystone top class supermarket options. Every time a brewery makes a great new beer they get bored of it or it more than likely doesn't fit the lager/session ipa template supermarkets want.

Urinal Cake

Quote from: phes on November 29, 2020, 10:44:27 PM
Has the craft beer revolution managed to produce one truly great beer for mainstream production and consumption yet?
If Hoegaarden is considered 'craft' then maybe.

I'd say Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is probably the grandfather beer that made all other pale ales popular and a real competition to lagers/pilsners etc.

Ferris

Is anyone interested if I do Shoulders-style reviews of the tinnies I can get out here? Not sure if that's esoteric and tedious or even slightly worthwhile. I'll try and be funny, promise.

Shoulders?-Stomach!

Quote from: FerriswheelBueller on November 30, 2020, 12:21:54 AM
Is anyone interested if I do Shoulders-style reviews of the tinnies I can get out here? Not sure if that's esoteric and tedious or even slightly worthwhile. I'll try and be funny, promise.

Do it mate, that's exactly what the thread is for.

Ferris

Quote from: Shoulders?-Stomach! on November 30, 2020, 12:28:17 AM
Do it mate, that's exactly what the thread is for.

Just feels very self-involved when I'm the only cunt drinking them.

Next time I get something a bit nice from a local brewery I'll type something up. I have a Garrison "Tall Ship" on the go just now which is fine but far too uninspiring to write about.

phes

Sierra Nevada undoubtedly is the one great beer of the craft scene that has endured and had time to do so. It's just so old that I almost think of it predating the contemporary scene. The closest thing I can think of in the last 10 years is Jaipur, which has quite unique characteristics in the supermarket isle but hasn't had the success of other contemporaries like , urgh, Punk IPA

Ferris

Quote from: FerriswheelBueller on November 30, 2020, 12:30:59 AM
I have a Garrison "Tall Ship" on the go just now which is fine but far too uninspiring to write about.

Just had one in a bottle, and it is actually a cracking little beer (to the point where I felt I should come back in here and correct myself).

I've always thought beer tasting different from cans/bottles was absolute mince, but I might have had that wrong all these years. It was fine in the can, but far more complex and interesting out of a bottle. Might be my go-to common ale/lager for the next little while. Nice one.