What beer are you drinking?

[wildbil52]

The big selection beer store that sells singles is 45 minutes away and I had to drive right by it on my way to work so I grabbed a nice little variety.

[img width=700 height=525]http://i.imgur.com/Qt9fCU5.jpg[/img]

Captain Lawrence is a local brewery, just a few minutes from where I work.  I'm going to visit the brewery one of these days.  I don't think they are known for their Christmas Ale but it was cheap and it's local so I'll give it a shot.

I've recently discovered Belgian Tripels and I've heard that La Fin Du Monde is one of the best (even though it's brewed in Canada).

I've heard good things about Abita and, again, sucker for Christmas Ales.

Finally going to give Arrogant Bastard a try.  I kind of wanted to try the regular version first but all they had in small bottles was oaked so oaked it is.

Learned about Anchor Steam from the San Francisco episode of Brew Dogs.  Should be an interesting experience.

Among the other beers I'm a sucker for, it's Belgian Whites, especially when they are experimented with.

[The Metamorphosing Leon]

I wasn't crazy about La Fin Du Monde. I did get rather drunk off it though, because the retarded bartender gave me a full 16oz glass instead of the snifter they usually do, THEN I accidentally spilled the last eighth or so, and they gave me a free refill, AND THEN I drank another one. I was buzzzzzzzed

Drinking some Stockyard Oatmeal Stout tonight. It's, you know, stout.

[wildbil52]

I wasn't crazy about La Fin Du Monde.

For as much praise as is gets, I do know lots of people who aren't crazy about it.  Can I ask which aspect of it wasn't right for you?

Also, that reminds me, I need a few sniffers...

[BadEnoughDude]

I wasn't crazy about La Fin Du Monde.

For as much praise as is gets, I do know lots of people who aren't crazy about it.  Can I ask which aspect of it wasn't right for you?

Also, that reminds me, I need a few sniffers...

I'm not crazy about it, but I don't particularly like Tripels.

---

Been drinking a lot of Green Flash beers lately, specifically the West Coast IPA and the Triple IPA. The latter really packs a punch - over 10% ABV.

[The Metamorphosing Leon]

I wasn't crazy about La Fin Du Monde.

For as much praise as is gets, I do know lots of people who aren't crazy about it.  Can I ask which aspect of it wasn't right for you?

Also, that reminds me, I need a few sniffers...

I've lately gotten into good simple pils and lighter lagers. Fin Du Mond is just a one way ticket to heavy flavorland and that just doesn't do it for me anymore.

I used to be all about IPAs and I can barely stand them now, much less tripels. I've just started hankering for a good clean, refreshing beer when I want a beer, all these gimmicky heavy seasonal blends drive me (and my stomach) nuts. That said,  Fin Du Monde is by no means bad.

[wildbil52]

Got the 3 in the middle from a few friends for my birthday.  Bought New World and Seduction at a local market on my first trip there.  Fantastic selection.  Been looking for New World. 

[img width=700 height=525]http://i.imgur.com/7WrfjYO.jpg[/img]

[BadEnoughDude]

Found a lot of good, rare (and stupid expensive) stuff this past Friday. I'm not much of a Bourbon County fan, but I picked up a few anyway. Any the very least I can use it as trade bait for something down the road.

[img width=700 height=525]http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/12/09/zuma9e2a.jpg[/img]

[wildbil52]

Is all online beer trading illegal?  I'd love to find a bottle of Ommegang Iron Throne Ale but I don't know how the online trading thing works.

I drank 3 beers from the batch I brought home on the 2nd.  One was great (Anchor Steam), one was good but unbalanced (Sam Adams Imperial White), and one was really bad (Captain Lawrence Winter Ale).

Picked up 2 bottles this week.  One of my favorite Belgian strong ales, Gouden Carolus Cuvee Van De Kaizer Blauw.  I buy one to drink now and one to drink in three years.

I've heard a lot of good things about Founders, especially their breakfast stout.  Heard about this special barley wine they make that is aged in bourbon maple syrup barrels for 16 months.  Sounded interesting so I picked one up.  Might wait til March so Sarah can try it too.

[img width=700 height=933]http://i.imgur.com/bxgXmwy.jpg[/img]

[wildbil52]

Found a lot of good, rare (and stupid expensive) stuff this past Friday. I'm not much of a Bourbon County fan, but I picked up a few anyway. Any the very least I can use it as trade bait for something down the road.

[img width=700 height=525]http://img.tapatalk.com/d/13/12/09/zuma9e2a.jpg[/img]

I also wish I could find Deschutes around here

[BadEnoughDude]

I'd imagine we could do trading right here on the site. As long as it was packaged well, I'd feel safe mailing it.

AAHHHH. I've been looking for Sweet Repute like crazy. I've called 20+ stores and nobody has it. I've all but given up any hope of finding even one bottle. :/ Any chance you could find another bottle near you?

Deschutes is everywhere here now, but the Abyss is a pain in the butt to track down. It's also $20 a bottle. I could have picked up 1 or 2 more, but just couldn't justify the cost.

[nupoile]

Wow Bad Enough Dude and Bil, you guys are getting some pretty fancy stuff, I need to step up my game.

I have never sent beer in the mail but did look into it a little bit some time ago. Mailing alcohol through USPS is illegal. For the most part people that trade beers do not ship USPS.

Mailing out of the country is iffy because you have to state on the package what is inside. Different countries have different rules, USPS is sometimes tempting because of the price but, again, it is not legal to ship that way.

FedEx and UPS are what most traders use. They might frown on it but there is no law. Try to ship in a manner where you don't have to tell them, "oh yeah, its some beer," you can tell them it is some collectable bottles if you have to. In reality, breakage is your biggest problem. If shippers notice your box is leaking you might get some flack. Pack things really well and put each bottle in a sealed plastic bag and maybe line the box with another bag. That way, if something breaks, at least it won't leak out of the box. Pack it so bottles don't clink against each other too. People do trade beer this way, there is a good demand for it actually, but like I said, it was a while ago I looked into it, you might want to check out some dedicated forums if you want to know more than what I do.




I don't think I've had The Abyss, you would think I would remember....Haven't seen it lately, forget what the price is around here, didn't think it was $20 though. I live 2.5 hours from the brewery so there stuff is pretty easy to get but The Abyss is a special release. Actually I do drive right by Deschutes brewery every week. I will be within a few feet of their parking lot tomorrow. I've never stopped while working, but I could easy enough. My wife and I did tour the place once several years ago, it was pretty neat.

[img width=700 height=525]http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5548/11316090066_da6cb9e9e0_o.jpg[/img]
This is one of their main brew kettles, they have expanded the place a lot in the last couple years so some of this might have changed. The neat thing about this kettle is that the body is one piece. No seams, no welds, all stainless steal. It was made in Europe, so it went through the Panama canal and came into San Francisco (or what it LA? I think SF) They drove it up the freeway then onto another highway, since it is something like 23 feet across, they had to shut down the highway for three consecutive nights. I don't remember exactly how wide across it is but the vertical sidewalls where about 3 feet tall.


[img width=700 height=525]http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2806/11316034385_da48dbf2a2_o.jpg[/img]


[img width=700 height=525]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7446/11316088966_58e2e92d32_o.jpg[/img]


[img width=700 height=525]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7431/11316157013_a3e80785f4_o.jpg[/img]


[img width=700 height=525]http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7318/11316118824_abbab2cd34_o.jpg[/img]

[Fleach]

Is all online beer trading illegal?  I'd love to find a bottle of Ommegang Iron Throne Ale but I don't know how the online trading thing works.

I drank 3 beers from the batch I brought home on the 2nd.  One was great (Anchor Steam), one was good but unbalanced (Sam Adams Imperial White), and one was really bad (Captain Lawrence Winter Ale).

Picked up 2 bottles this week.  One of my favorite Belgian strong ales, Gouden Carolus Cuvee Van De Kaizer Blauw.  I buy one to drink now and one to drink in three years.

I've heard a lot of good things about Founders, especially their breakfast stout.  Heard about this special barley wine they make that is aged in bourbon maple syrup barrels for 16 months.  Sounded interesting so I picked one up.  Might wait til March so Sarah can try it too.

[img width=700 height=933]http://i.imgur.com/bxgXmwy.jpg[/img]

If you still have that bottle could you soak the label off and stick it in an envelope? I think it looks so awesome!

[wildbil52]

We'll see I love the look of the label, I may hang onto it for a while.  I love the style too.

[BadEnoughDude]

Did a little shopping again today. Here's what I brought home:

Hanssens Artisinaal Oude Gueuze - 375 mL (2)
Hanssens Oude Kriek - 750 mL
North Coast Barrel Aged Old Rasputin XV
Epic Big Bad Baptist Imperial Stout - 22 oz
Goose Island Lolita Wild Ale - 765 mL

Lots of fun stuff. Managed to spend over $100 (again) when I hadn't really planned on buying much (again). My beer closet is looking great because of it, though.

[Fleach]

Nice to see milliliters in the US!

I haven't been in the mood for beer lately so I bought a half-bottle of Glenlivet. Rich, earthy, and smooth... Yummm...