What beer are we drinking this week ?

Seaneh

Ravelleman wrote: »

It wasn't just Caledonia Smooth, was it?!

No, far closer to something like Murphy's Red...

ciaran76

Odell Isolation Ale is an autumn ale.

Pours a dark amber colour and smelled quite sweet like caramel.
Hint of hops but mainly sweet malty followed by spices.

Wouldn't be drinking many of these to be honest.

adamski8

F&F now in ATG. Beoir discount makes this a sweet deal. Heading to sweetmans later for their batch party lauching their new seasonal sorachi zuki, sounds interesting.

BeerNut

Re Big Hand, there is no connection at all to Barrelhead, AFAIK.

Revolution is brewed by Big Hand themselves. They use the Trouble brewery but I understand it's entirely their own work with no input from Trouble. I think it's the same arrangement with the new lager.

BaZmO*

The 8 Degrees Back to Black series wasn't a great success imo. The Aztec (Chilli) was the best of the bunch, apart from having little to no carbonation. It was actually really really nice.

The other two were pretty bad though.

Imperial had little to no carbonation. Bit banana-y on the nose that's all almost turpentiney and it carries through to the taste. There's a dark ale plummy fruit sweetness that clunks along with the banana (almost tropical hops) flavour. Got a slight bit nicer as it warmed.

Zeus (Black IPA) was a bit all over the shop. The finishing hops seemed to clash badly with the dry dark malts. Not unpleasant, just doesn't work. Pretty meh.

ciaran76

Had the Zeus also was a bit mixed as BaZmO said.

stuchyg

Had the founders pale earlier, I really do like me an American Pale. I head to the states on Saturday and plan to over indulge to a serious degree

Lovely Bloke

Was having wine with dinner tonight, and didn't get any beer in - the mrs is 24 weeks so wanted to stay fairly sober for midnight and that.

Anyway, sat down to watch a bit of Jools Holland after 12, and decided to see if I had any stash left.

Found 3 McGargles, 2 reds and 1 pale ale.

Christ almighty, they are abominable.

BaZmO*

Sober for 24 weeks?! Wimp! You've got another 16 weeks to go man!

You're right about the McGargles though. Terrible name, terrible beer.

Seaneh

Tonight I started with a Modus Hoperandi in draught and finished with a Founders Backwoods Bastard and Breakfast Stout with an Of Foam and Fury somewhere in the middle.

Hoppy New year, you shower of Malty bastards.

xoxox.

Lovely Bloke

BaZmO* wrote: »

Sober for 24 weeks?! Wimp! You've got another 16 weeks to go man!

lol, no. I just wanted to be relatively sober last night at 12.

Already trying to arrange pints for this evening (I'm off til Monday), but most of my mates are hanging.

Grayditch

I was working last night, so I've a few bottles to enjoy from the Christmas selection, which is almost depleted. Then it's down to 1-2 beers a week for a few months, so I'm going to go out on a FW Jameson Stout, Black Ball and W12.

Herb Powell

Finally tried Mi Daza stout. It's me ****in daza alright

Creamy Goodness

Meantime London porter, tasty

Grayditch

Odell's Lupulin's Extra Pale Ale is such a great beer. Lovely smooth and flavoursome.

Ruben Remus

BaZmO* wrote: »

The 8 Degrees Back to Black series wasn't a great success imo. The Aztec (Chilli) was the best of the bunch, apart from having little to no carbonation. It was actually really really nice.

The other two were pretty bad though.

Imperial had little to no carbonation. Bit banana-y on the nose that's all almost turpentiney and it carries through to the taste. There's a dark ale plummy fruit sweetness that clunks along with the banana (almost tropical hops) flavour. Got a slight bit nicer as it warmed.

Zeus (Black IPA) was a bit all over the shop. The finishing hops seemed to clash badly with the dry dark malts. Not unpleasant, just doesn't work. Pretty meh.

I haven't had those, but I tried 8 Degrees Kindred Spirit over the Christmas and thought it was awful. Had a sour aftertaste that made finishing the bottle a struggle.

Amber Ella, on the other hand, was great and Howling Gale is generally excellent on draught.

irish_goat

Ruben Remus wrote: »

I haven't had those, but I tried 8 Degrees Kindred Spirit over the Christmas and thought it was awful. Had a sour aftertaste that made finishing the bottle a struggle.

The bottle may have gone off as it certainly wasn't sour on draught.

Grayditch

Thought Kindred Spirit was alright. Bit of a watery stout, well not watery, just not full bodied, or thin or something. Good enough, though.

the beer revolu

Grayditch wrote: »

Thought Kindred Spirit was alright. Bit of a watery stout, well not watery, just not full bodied, or thin or something. Good enough, though.

I really like Zeus. Also had a couple of bottles of Amber Ella last night - I thought it might be getting a bit old by now but it is still drinking lovely.

Knifey Spoony

irish_goat wrote: »

The bottle may have gone off as it certainly wasn't sour on draught.

I have had pints (draught) of it that did have a sour/vinegary after taste to it and I have had pints of it and it was gorgeous. I remember talking to one of the bar men in the Porterhouse Cork about it when they had it on draught, he was saying that every keg they got in of it was different tasting, which I suppose could be to with differences from cask to cask and the different flavours that they can contribute.

I would also say that I don't think it is an infection type taste, just a strong whiskey/oak taste and not much in the way of a stout taste. I got the same taste last week from a bottle of the Barrel Aged Leann Foileann. I do have a couple of bottles of Kindred Spirit still stored away that I plan on having soon. It'll be interesting to see how hold up now.

I also cracked open one of my bottles of the Fran Well Jameson Stout last night and I'll say that it is miles ahead of the other two barrel aged stouts mentioned above.

Ipso

Sierra Nevada Porter, what an amazing beer. I think I'm going to turn to the dark side this year.

BMJD

White Gypsy Russian Imperial Stout

outstanding

bladebrew

BMJD wrote: »

White Gypsy Russian Imperial Stout

outstanding

I went to buy a bottle of this the other day and the shop was feckin closed! I have a shepherd neames double stout instead!

Seaneh

Ipso wrote: »

Sierra Nevada Porter, what an amazing beer. I think I'm going to turn to the dark side this year.

Try Anchor Porter and Black Butte by Deschutes.

Those two and Sierra Nevada are my favourites of the style, with Founders Porter and Odell Cut troat not far behind.

Ipso

Seaneh wrote: »

Try Anchor Porter and Black Butte by Deschutes.

Those two and Sierra Nevada are my favourites of the style, with Founders Porter and Odell Cut troat not far behind.

Had Deschutes which I enjoyed. Can't find Anchor Porter yet.

ciaran76

Hardknott Infra Red had a bottle last night.
Not bad its a dark redish coloured beer which smelled strongly of caramel and kinda peppery.

Tasted quite nice a little hoppy and slightly malty.
This wouldn't be close to 5am Saint but worth as try.

BaZmO*

Had a bottle of the Alaskan Brewing Smoked Porter 2012. Essentially a really nice stout possible made worse with the smoked malt. Long bitter finish (like dark chocolate) along with the smokiness. I'm guessing the style just isn't for me, even if this does seem to be a good example.

Seaneh

BaZmO* wrote: »

Had a bottle of the Alaskan Brewing Smoked Porter 2012. Essentially a really nice stout possible made worse with the smoked malt. Long bitter finish (like dark chocolate) along with the smokiness. I'm guessing the style just isn't for me, even if this does seem to be a good example.

I'm not a fan of smoked beers in general but I thought the Alaskan was amazing myself.

BaZmO*

Just seen this video posted on the Sierra Nevada FB page and thought it was pretty cool.

Basically it's a timelapse video of the 2014 Bigfoot fermenting. Actually surprised to see them using open fermenters, but then again if you're brewing something with such a high ABV maybe it's not a problem.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xClXKMhcFr0

Heroditas

Opened a bottle of Black's Kinsale IPA a few minutes ago and had to pour it down the sink. Took one mouthful and got an overwhelming smell of cat urine from it.
Now some of you may think "ah go on, that's an exaggeration".
Well, I have three cats and clean their bloody litter trays all the time as well as hunting down the bloody tom whenever he decides to spray to mark his patch! I know what it smells like and whatever happened the bottle, it utterly stank of something remarkably similar to cat urine.
Bleugh!