Beer!

Had a Bridgeport Kingpin Red today, in honor of their coming closing. They were one of my starts into the world of craft beer so it's sad news.

Dark Horseman wrote:

Had a Bridgeport Kingpin Red today, in honor of their coming closing. They were one of my starts into the world of craft beer so it's sad news.

So that's your version of New Holland's "Dragon's Milk" in my beer world; the "gateway beer".

My friend and fellow beer snob at work were talking about that last week.  We were both at a required "training" session in Clayton, MO and bored out of our minds so at lunch we decided to check out a place around the corner called The Wine And Cheese Shop.  That's where I first found Dragon's Milk and because of the cool label I decided to buy a four-pack.  Once I tasted it later that night I gave him one the next day at the training facility.  He tried it that night and the rest is history (and A LOT of money literally pissed away but still worth it).


Now 8 years later, I don't even want to know how much money I've spent on beer and neither does he (and he's also a scotch fan so he's spent even more on alcohol than I have).  But I actually don't care because A) I can afford it and (more importantly) B) I don't have anyone nagging me to "stop spending so much money on beer"; I can do what I want and I do. 

Wasn't that beer specifically but Bridgeport in general. In the late 80's I found their IPA, which is mild compared to some of today's IPAs, and Grant's Scottish ale and it changed everything.

Maiden has a new beer coming out. Don't know how good it'll be, but sure does have a bitchin' label...


Sun And Steel is the first lager in the Trooper range and is one of the most complex beers that Robinsons Brewery have ever produced; a double fermented lager created with authentic Japanese saké yeast.

The idea for the beer, designed once again by IRON MAIDEN vocalist and beer aficionado Bruce Dickinson along with Robinsons's head brewer Martyn Weeks, was first conceived during the autumn of 2016 following a meeting between Bruce and friend of the band and longtime IRON MAIDEN fan George Yusa, owner of the 300-year-old family-run Okunomatsu Saké Brewery in Fukushima. Bruce became intrigued with the idea of putting the two flavor profiles together and thus Sun And Steel was born.

George was able to deliver a sample of the saké yeast to IRON MAIDEN's 2017 concert at London's O2 Arena, which Bruce took up to Robinsons Brewery. Having obtained permission from the Japanese government to brew with it, Martyn and the team have been carefully cultivating the strain ever since.

Dickinson commented: "This has been such an exciting project. I had a crazy idea to try and make a sake infused lager and over two and a half years later, here we are! I know Martyn and the team at Robinsons have had to become mad scientists to make this work, but the end result is a really unique hybrid beer that tastes fantastic. Trooper fans have been asking for a lager, and here it is. I bet you would never have guessed we would do it like this though!"

Sun And Steel takes its name from the IRON MAIDEN song of the same name that appears on their 1983 "Piece Of Mind" album, which was in turn inspired by the life of Japanese samurai Miyamoto Musashi.

Sun And Steel is a hybrid beer because it’s made with two yeasts. A lager yeast for the initial fermentation followed by a saké yeast for a second fermentation. The result? A delicate, subtle fruit flavor infused into a pilsner style lager.

Sun And Steel, the sixth beer in the Trooper range, will be available in the U.K. from May 6 in celebration of Trooper's sixth birthday, with the beer available worldwide from later in 2019

I picked up a couple of these recently...



They were very good. I enjoyed one with a homemade turkey pastrami Reuben. I'd drink it again. And again. And again.

Sun and Steel sounds interesting, odd mix but I'd try it. I'd also try that Motorhead beer though it's getting just average reviews.

Doing a barleywine comparison tonight.

I'm comparing Firestone Walker's "Sucaba" with Schlafly's Ibex Cellar barleywine.  I love both and they're really close.  I scored 8 bottles of Sucaba a couple weeks ago which was a bonanza given most places put strict limits on buying it but for all the hassle of getting it, I'd say it's only slightly better than Schlafly's barleywine which is much more readily available (at least for now) and a lot cheaper.

Sucuba is great but I've only had it once due to the price. I know, the advantage of not being married and all.

And it's really not worth the price given other barleywines available around here.  Schlafly's, 4 Hand's, Against The Grain...all have barleywines that maybe aren't quite up to Sucuba standards but are certainly tasty.

I've come to the same conclusion about Founder's KBS and CBS brews.  Sure they're great but they're certainly not worth the exorbitant price or the hassle of seeking them out.  My local grocery store got a limited number of the CBS last week so I bought one at $25 for a bomber.  Meh.  Don't get me wrong, it's real good but it's sure not worth that price.  And to think people will wait in line for this stuff; pass.

Even if I had the money, I'd probably be very picky about spending it like that. Probably a couple of the Black Butte and Abyss series is all.

Dark Horseman wrote:

Sun and Steel sounds interesting, odd mix but I'd try it. I'd also try that Motorhead beer though it's getting just average reviews.

I'm not as refined as you guys. I enjoy my beer like my music. I either like it or I don't. And I liked the Motorhead beer. I would have bought it regardless of the label, but it was still good. Maiden's original Trooper beer is still my favorite among all the "band beers" I've tried thus far though.

Haven't seen the Motorhead beer in my area yet but if and when I do... sold!!

Quote :

Sun And Steel, the sixth beer in the Trooper range

I didn't realize there were that many blends in the Trooper 'family' now. I've never seen any of them around here aside from the original -- and now that I think about it, it's been a while since I've even seen that.

Pfft. My local beer stores must be run by pop music fans.

Fat Freddy wrote:

Pfft. My local beer stores must be run by pop music fans.

Try the Justin Bie-Beer. Or perhaps Beer-Yonce is more your taste.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

Pfft. My local beer stores must be run by pop music fans.

Try the Justin Bie-Beer. Or perhaps Beer-Yonce is more your taste.

Is Justin even old enough to drink beer yet?

First time trying it. Pretty good stuff.

Heard of that but have never seen it. Let us know how you like it.

I see that beer everywhere but have never picked it up because it just looked too "lightweight" to me.  But I too am curious of your opinion of it.

It was pretty good. It has a noticeable clove flavor to it, reminding me of a Christmas time beer.

A NW brewery has their Salted Caramel Stout out. I look for this every year as it's one of my favorite sweet stouts and they don't charge a leg for it.

There's one of those floating around here too but I haven't tried it.

Currently drinking a MILF (don't look at me, I didn't name it.  It supposedly stands for Mother's Imperial Liquid Fantasy - at least that's what the packaging says).  It's an imperial stout from Mothers Brewing in Missouri.  It's one of my favorite stouts actually.

Goofy name but it ranks well.

For some odd reason, my local franchise of one of the two big grocery store chains had been stocking "hard to find" craft brews in a very limited space in its beer section.  And for an even odder reason, somehow they've hit the "mother lode" on Founder's KBS.  Holy crap, I use to have to reserve this at the beer store but I've already picked up a case and a half from this grocery store.  I checked with other "beer snobs" at work and they're having an easier time picking it up this year too so maybe Founders is taking KBS the same route they took with "Backwoods Bastard"; moving it from a hard to find seasonal to year round.  I hope so.

I'm enjoying another KBS now.  I think I'll keep picking up another 4 pack of this every time I go to the store for as long as they have it.  Hell, that's what I've already been doing but I thought after today's purchase I was done.  Nope.  It's sooooo good. 

Unlike the Founder's CBS which I think is overrated.

Nice. KBS is still rare around here, and overpriced.