A New Beer Thread

Yep.

Good for him.

On a related note, I put five gallons of my Belgian Dark Strong into bottles tonight so they can take an eight month nap. I'll try the first around August and one per months until it's ready. I'm a little disappointed. It came in around 10.7%, which is almost exactly what I was looking for, but it's awful hot. I began the fermentation on the low end of the temp range and brought it up, slowly, to give it some darker fruit flavors and avoid the gas. Hopefully, it will mellow out over the next few months.

 

Just pulled out my first bottle of my 3rd batch of tripel. Man, I love that style. I think the OG was in the mid .080s. First time I did a cold crash to a beer and it's golden and clear, some protein, but great taste and mouthfeel. I have some local contests to enter...looking forward to seeing how it's taken.

 

Spike, re our microdistilling discussion. Absinthe is what I was trying to remember.

 

Ahhh, yeah! I drank that before getting on a ride at Cedar Point.
Never.
Again!

 

Kane is actually in Ocean, very close to Asbury. In NJ, it's Kane and Carton that are a notch above the rest. Few weeks ago Kane released
Sea Change.

Sea Change (2015) - Kane Brewing Company - Untappd

My buddy is like 10 minutes from Kane. On Friday, says he will be able to stop by and get me two bottles (the limit). Saturday afternoon, I'm at work, he texts 'lot of work, can I stop by there on Monday.' Umm, they're only open Thurs-Sun and they sold all 800 bottles in about 3 hours. Oh well.

 

Carton I'm hit-or-miss with their beers. Some are very good. Others miss the mark. Kane is very solid. And don't sleep on Cape May Brewing. They are putting out great beer and just bought a bigger facility. They're going to be a major player going forward in NJ and surrounding states at least.

 

You have the CM watermelon wheat? My buddy, one of a very few who would say CM is the best in NJ, said this year's wasn't as good. Carton 077xx is very good. Boat Beer also good. Haven't had that many others from them. Kane is very good, would think they try to expand their distribution but I really don't have a clue about the rules and regs and the reasons why some beers go some places but not other places. Have you seen Stickee Monkey anywhere? Not really a craft beer afficianado, but try to get what a few beer snob buddies rave about. The last two were KBS and Mexican Cake and both were great. Gonna save one Mex Cake for next year. That is good stuff. Love habanero.

 

Not Your Father's Root Beer. Is this not just soda that apparently has alcohol in it? Tastes good, but not sure how it is considered beer.

I've asked a few times, but still hoping for a response (if someone has i missed it, did read this whole thread once) about Stickee Monkee
1) How is it? 2) Has anyone seen it in stores in NY, NJ, CT or PA? seen it in a few bars on beer menus but seems that stores in the northeast
do not have it.

 

I have not tried it, nor have I seen it this year. Was more prevalent last year in NJ/PA, it seems. Love Firestone Walker, so it's probably pretty good, but I can't say from experience with Stickee Monkee.

 

Not a big wheat beer fan, except on rare occasions. So haven't tired the CM Watermelon Wheat. Their IPA, though, is fantastic. The Honey Porter is excellent. And the seasonal Mop Water is awesome.

Carton, yeah, the 077xx is really good. And I'm a sucker for the Regular Coffee. Really neat beer. Very different.

 

It's malt liquor, kind of like a Mike's Hard Lemonade, but it's Hard Root Beer

 

Got the Citra/MO smash into the keg. Took For.Ev.Er. for old Conan to settle out. Lacks a bit of aroma, so I'm going to carb it quickly and hit it with an ounce of Citra in the keg, then bottle some up for my club's comp.

Got the saison going in the chamber, letting it pretty much rise on its own from pitch at 68 early Tuesday morning. It's at 74 now.

I tell you what. I am now a firm believer in hitting it with O2 before pitching. My last three beers have taken off like crazy when I give them about 30 seconds.

Next on the skills list is water chemistry.