True... but there will probably be a couple hour gap in between em so I should be ok.

Get anything new and exciting lately?

Nah. Been focusing mostly on my own beer for the last week or so. I do have this year's Stone Russian Imperial Stout, and Stone's 12th Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout, but I'm saving those to let them age a bit. They're both strong, and do well with a year on 'em.

Sounds good... the new beer store in Joplin has a bunch of ales on a wine rack in 750 ml bottles that I'd like to try. $8 each or so. I'll get names next time I'm there.

For my b-day, I got ahold of a Stella Artois--and was disappointed because it skunked. From now on I avoid green bottles--too many that I've had in the green bottles taste skunky. It was their milder lager, so that was probably the reason. Not to worry--I washed the taste out with a 1pt. bottle of St. Bernardus Tripel--frothy and kick-ass! It is worth the wait for the head to settle.

St. Bernardus rocks!

If you like hops, Pete, try combining the tripel with an IPA but getting La'Chouffe Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel. It'll blow you away.

This is a great thread and a nice departure from the every day crap

I really wish there was another herb connoisseur on the board! Albeit I have jotted down some beers throughout this thread I am gonna give a go!

Thanks!

Ok--pretend for a second that I am not a beer expert. What is an IPA, and do I have to combine it with the tripel, or do the monks do that for me?

By the way--it is VERY cool to pull a cork out of a beer bottle like it is a fine wine. And the St. Bernardus had it's way with me, but didn't leave me hungover or woozy the next day, which is no doubt partly due to the time it requires to drink--each pour takes a good while for the froth to subside.

Heh! That's why Pete started this, Niandra, to get away from the usual back and forth here. Plus, I simply love to talk about beer. I can talk someone's ear off about brews, man. I'm a bit of an aficionado.

Pete, the Belgians so the combining for you. IPA is "India Pale Ale". It's typically going to be a stronger beer, and in the US at least, is going to be heavily hopped, with a big, bracing bitterness up front and a lot of the citrusy and spicy hop flavors in place of a malty sweetness. While there's a small debate as to the accuracy of the story, legend has it that when England was sending beer to the troops in India, it was spoiling on its trip around Africa. As ale was part of their daily rations, this wasn't going to stand. So what they did was make the beer stronger (high alcoholic strength leaves fewer residual sugars for bacteria to have a go at), and hop the beer very highly (hops have an antiseptic property, although they probably only knew that through observation at the time, not scientifically). The idea was that the beer would survive the trip to India, then the troops could water it down to its normal strength and bitterness.

Problem is, no one told the troops the "water it down" part. Lo and behold, when they drank it "as is" they loved it. Bitter, bracing, not heavy or cloying, and of course, stronger... what's not to love?

Today in England, the term IPA has lost some of that meaning. You're likely to see a beer called an IPA that is 3.5% alcohol and hopped just slightly more than your average Budweiser. In the US, though, craft brewers have taken the old meaning and run with it. IPAs are very bitter, and full of fantastic (in my opinion) hop flavors, really showcasing the variety and quality of American hops. In the usual "bigger is better" mentality, we now have what are called "double" or "imperial" IPAs, which are stronger and more bitter yet still, pushing up to barley wine strength in alcohol, and sometimes even surpassing them in bitterness.

So that's an IPA... a truly bitter beer with great hop flavors. With the Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel by La'Chouffe (technically the Brasserie d' Achouffe in Achouffe, Belgium), the Belgians (not monks, in this case, though) are honoring American styles, instead of the usual other way around. They took their tripel, a style which you already know you love, and hopped the snot out of it with American hop varieties. The result is freakin' outstanding. It's almost like a liquid fruit salad, with beer on the side. You still get the slight hint of banana and pear from the yeast esters, and the citrus aromas and flavors of the American hops. Beware the foam, however, as it can contain a good deal of hop oils and can be exceedingly bitter. Let it fall to normal levels before drinking, and you'll love the taste.

If you store a beer with a cork, don't lay it on its side like a wine. It shouldn't contact the cork. Let it stand straight up. If the corks dries out over time and the beer oxidizes a bit, that just adds to the aged character.

Yeah I like the IPAs I've tried. Picked up a few beers today... nothing really notable so far. Having a Denver Pale Ale right now and it's not bad. Got some of boulevard's 'oktoberfest' Gay Bob's 47 or something... we'll see how that goes later.

Hey, Bob's 47 is not gay. It's their Oktoberfest beer--not bad, but I think the porter and the pale ale are their best.
Was at a Longhorn Steakhouse that just opened tonight, and they had Guinness, Fosters and Sam Adams on tap--only their taps weren't working yet! Had to settle for a bottle of Amber bock--which I used to think was pretty good, but after the St. Bernardus, my beer taster is permanently reset and harder to please..

OK OK it wasn't gay. It was a little weak though. Having a Thunderhead IPA now. Not so bad either. Fairly good and bitter for an "american style" IPA. Also had Denver Pale Ale earlier which was better than I expected. Shiner 97 Bohemian Black Lager too but it was kinda watery for my tastes. Also managed to fit in a New Belgian Trippel which was a welcome change from the bitter IPAs but it's no Maredsous 10

Usually if I wind up somewhere with a poor selection, Amber Bock is the way to go. Guinness would be preferable though... depending on mood and what's for dinner.

OK so boulevard bob's 47 might not be anything to write home about... but it sure can get you drunk if you drink enough!

Just keepin' the beer thread alive!

The Spaten Oktoberfest tasted like ribeye steak, bacon, roquefort cheese and three different kinds of mushrooms, btw.

I ate at a glorified hamburger joint that likes to charge more because they have big-screen TV's on every wall showing sports. Food was bleah--pretty standard Chilis/Applebee's/TGIFriday's/crapola with onion ring towers and the like. Menu said "ask your server about our domestic and imported beers." So I did, and Bambi or Barbie or whatever had no clue--but she said "we have all SORTS of beers--just lots and lots. I'll bet if you name it we have it." After her fourth trip to ask the bartender, she said I might just want to go over and take a look. Their extensive list of "imports and domestics" consisted of Corona, Heiniken, Red Stripe, Boulevard Wheat, Coors, Bud, Miller lite, Michelob, and Dos XXis. Seriously--that was it. They had Sam Adams on tap, so I settled for that. Didn't make the undercooked fries taste any better. And at $7.50 for a 22-ounce glass, I should at least have gotten a serious buzz. Not even a tingle.

Sounds shıtty, Pete. I been suckin dowwn Bob's 47 beers all nite. Got a pretty good buzz goin but nothing good to comment on I know what you mean on the TGI Friday's clones. I kinda judge those places on the hotness of the waitresses I guess I'd have to pick the boulevard wheat out of the ones listed. After I ran out of Bob's I switched over to the leftover konig-ludwig weissbeir I bought a few weeks ago. I tend to take months off of drinking. I think it might be time for a break but I'm enjoying the buzz right now Just read about the new Budweiser ale. Needless to say I don't have my hopes up I'll probably try it though.

Samuel Adams is the good ole standby. Not so bad you can't stand it but nothing great either. You'd probably need a 6 pack for a buzz At restaurant prices you might as well have a glass of scotch.

How did we let the beer thread slip so far down the board? Come on guys--drink up!

Am looking forward to Octoberfest. There's a couple of small towns around here that put on a fest, and I may be swinging through Herrman, MO on my way to St. Louis.

My girl and I got an invite to a downtown restaurant/blues bar from the owner, who said "you can drink on my tab--don't worry." Ohhh, I don't think that I should worry...man oh man, somebody would've regretted that offer back in my Navy days. Cuz I would've snuck in my degenerate boozer shipmates and we would've drained the place.

Speaking of which, I'm reminded of a famous drink that sailors made legendary in the Philippines. We called it "Mojo" though it is not related to the African word for voodoo. This drink is deceptive, and we said the letters stood for "Man Overboard, Juiced Out." The reason was that you could sit and drink glass after glass of this fruity stuff, and it didn't hit you until you stood up--and usually put you right down on your keister. I thought I had a pretty good tolerance for alcohol, and had done drinking games and funnel shots, etc. But this stuff made me stagger around like a rhino that was just shot with a tranquilizer dart. Of course, that was after six of us downed eight pitchers of the stuff. Here's the recipe:

Mojo:
6 oz. Gin
6 oz. Bacardi 151
6 oz. Vodka
4 oz. Whiskey
16 oz. Cherry Liqueur
2 bottle San Miguel Beer
16 oz. Pineapple Juice
16 oz. Orange Juice
12 oz. 7-Up
Serve chilled or over crushed ice.
Mop and puke-bucket optional.