Beer!

I think I might have to pick some up tomorrow......

Drinking a couple more tonight.  This is how I remember it tasting several years ago.

Would like to try a good Pumpkin beer but there just isn't much available around here and the ones that were have been either too weak or too... bleech.

OK, here is a pumpkin beer that is available in my area. Might try it out just to see:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/337/74106/

Also, check out this beer I found. Didn't get it but I was tempted just for the novelty of it:



  

That Holy Grail Ale is OK.  I got some just for the hell of it.  I like the line that says "tempered over burning witches"

And I'd say go for that Pumpkin beer.  Never heard of it but the reviews on BA are really good.

I would totally buy that Monty Python Ale!

I first saw Holy Grail Ale at World Market.

tohostudios wrote:

"It's the most... wonderful time....of the year!"



I can't believe this is out already.  Just picked up a 6 pack at the grocery store.  It gets released earlier every year.  I used to hope it would be out for my birthday (8/27).  Now it's out the first week of August.

ooooooohhhhhh!! I need to see if it is available yet here in Maryland.

Word is, because it's so popular, Schlafly's Pumpkin Ale will be coming out the first week of August from now on.

tohostudios wrote:

Word is, because it's so popular, Schlafly's Pumpkin Ale will be coming out the first week of August from now on.  

works for me. It and the Christmas Ale are two of my favorites.

exact33 wrote:

tohostudios wrote:

Word is, because it's so popular, Schlafly's Pumpkin Ale will be coming out the first week of August from now on.  

works for me. It and the Christmas Ale are two of my favorites.

   Same here!

tohostudios wrote:

DallasBlack wrote:

OK, I am in love:



This is freakin' awesome! It's like a mocha with alcohol. This is the most flavorful (and tolerable) stout I have had. Since I knew I liked Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout, I figured there would be no harm in trying this one. I was right and this is an awesome beer.

No argument here!  That's good stuff!

And their oatmeal stout is my favorite of that style.   Great brewery!

I did something really stupid. With my birthday coming Tuesday and having a four day weekend, I was going to have a family gathering today (Saturday). For this occasion I picked up one of these after work on Wednesday. I realized before going over to my sisters for this get together, that I left that beer in my truck. This is August in Texas. Three days in a truck with rolled up windows & highs in the low 100s I don't imagine is good for a beer. However, I paid $5 for this so I was going to have it on my birthday celebration. I should have gone with my first instinct as this was very sour tasting and not at all like my first time with it. I tried to get through it but after a quarter into it, I had to pour the damn thing out. Live and learn.

Best states for beer:

https://www.yahoo.com/food/every-state-in-the-usa-ranked-by-its-beer-95770823031.html

Missouri is #11.

I guess Texas has better beer drinkers than beer makers.

BTW Toho, I had that pumpkin beer a while back. It was pretty good, but I wasn't prepared for how "pumpkin pie" it really was. I thought it would be OK with my dinner but this is not a beer for BBQ (particularly bourbon flavored). I really should have waited til after I ate because it was just too much sweetness in one setting. Not only that I became highly inebriated. While I am not a heavyweight drinker this one really effected me (it was also a large bottle and I hadn't eaten much before that). I got home and took a nap, waking up with one of the worst migraines of my life. It was agony. So despite how good that beer was, not sure if the experience will have me grabbing it again anytime soon .

You have to watch most of these pumpkin beers if you're not used to higher ABV beers; most weigh in at at least 9%. And most do have that pumpkin pie taste; that's what I'm after. But you're right; they are more of a dessert beer than a beer you drink with food.

Try Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin. It's not too sweet and fairly lightweight (around5.5% ABV). It's not bad at all.

ANd there's nothing worse than a beer hangover so I feel your pain. Ugh.

tohostudios wrote:

You have to watch most of these pumpkin beers if you're not used to higher ABV beers; most weigh in at at least 9%.  And most do have that pumpkin pie taste; that's what I'm after.  But you're right; they are more of a dessert beer than a beer you drink with food.

Try Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin.  It's not too sweet and fairly lightweight (around5.5% ABV).  It's not bad at all.

ANd there's nothing worse than a beer hangover so I feel your pain.  Ugh.

Well, I almost tried the Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin but decided to go for this one (it was on sale):



A bit stronger than the SA but quite a bit less than the one I had (which was 10%). It seems like I made a good decision according to Beer Advocate:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/786/52279/

It was sold warm so I have to wait for it to get cold before I give it a try.

Well, that pumpkin ale turned out pretty good. The pumpkin and spice is very noticable but this one is nowhere near the sweetness of the last one. This is more of a beer and less of a pumpkin pie in liquid form. A bit of a tart aftertaste but not enough to ruin the beer for me. This was a good buy.

That BA link throws an error. What is that pumpkin ale again? I can't quite read the label.

tohostudios wrote:

That BA link throws an error.  What is that pumpkin ale again?  I can't quite read the label.

Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale

Having a good ol' reliable Maudite.

DallasBlack wrote:

Having a good ol' reliable Maudite.

If you ever see Unibroue's "Grand Reserve 17" pick up a bottle. It usually runs about $14 for the same size bottle as Maudite which is a little pricey but I'm pretty sure you'd love it. This beer won numerous awards at beerfests.

A couple things to note here:

1. BevMo's selection here has been awful lately; they've really decreased their supply. They even eliminate their popular Czech supply (WTF!). And we only have two pumpkin ales to choose from. CA is getting pretty scarce for craft beers, although we do have some decent breweries. Like Tioga Sequoia. Which brings me to this...

2. My final beer, for reasons I can't disclose quite yet, was a TS Cherrywood-Smoked Barleywine. I've never had a Barleywine before--it was delicious. High malt disclosure, tender hop finish, gin-like middle, and berries throughout. It was a really great end to one of my favorite pastimes.

Had a couple of Maudites and a Samuel Smith Organic Chocolate Stout. The latter is so much better when it hasn't been in a hot vehicle for several days .

Well, I just learned today is a holiday.

http://kfor.com/2014/09/28/september-28-is-national-drink-beer-day/

Time to celebrate!

Going a bit beyond my budget and experimenting with beer. Almost got something that was called Hard Root Beer but passed it for some others. First one was a bit of a bomb:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/430/115467/

First taste was awful while 2nd-3rd-4th taste were not bad, after that it went back toward bad. Second beer was one I wasn't expecting to get but had to at least have the bottle in my collection:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/23394/96511/

Actually, not bat at all. A slight hint of bitterness but so faint as not to ruin the beer for me. Color me surprised by Bruce Bruce's brew.