the "post your thoughts/review on the alcohol you have been drinking" /thread

[manasecret]

Originally Posted by The Germanator

Drinking Maker's Mark tonight, but I actually devote a blog to this kind of thing...

http://thisiswhatidrink.blogspot.com/

I haven't updated in over a month which is a damn shame, so I don't have the recent stuff, but maybe this will inspire me to do more.

I see from your blog that there actually are other pumpkin beers that actually taste like pumpkin. I will have to look for some of those next season.

[KillerGremlin]

Originally Posted by Professor S

Probably the best scotch on the market for ~$20 US for 750ml.

I will take your advice on this, good sir, and see if I can find this next time I go liquor shopping.

[Professor S]

Originally Posted by KillerGremlin

I will take your advice on this, good sir, and see if I can find this next time I go liquor shopping.

Please note, its best with a splash of water. It has a slight astringent quality when straight, but it mellows nicely with a little water with strong barley up front and caramel finish. I like it 2 parts whiskey to 1 part water. No rocks.

In any case, its miles better than Dewars White or Johnny Walker Red (whiskey flavored vodka).

BTW, ever try McClelland's? They have Islay and Highland single malt for ~$20 US. I've had the Islay, and I grew to like it. Seaweed, followed by smoky tobacco (the peat) and finishes with a little salt. Not an everyday scotch, but a nice change of pace at a good price.

[Professor S]

Johnny Walker Black: MUCH better than the rubbing alcohol that is JW Red, but not nearly good enough to justify the $15US more you'll pay over Famous Grouse. I still maintain FG is the best scotch for the $ (except for maybe Bell's, but I can't get that in the states. Don't hold me to that. I remember Bell's fondly, but I was quite drunk at the time, singing folk songs in an Irish pub)

Well, JW Blue is the best scotch for the money, and its crazy expensive... but how do you put a price on drinking unicorn tears?

[KillerGremlin]

Samuel Smith Oatmeal Stout - Wonderful. I love oatmeal, chocolate, coffee, and cream, and this beer had all of these things. I've heard a lot of good things about this Stout, and I am glad that it did not disappoint. I think I enjoyed it more than Goose Island's Oatmeal Stout, but I may need to revisit that one.

Sam Adam's Cherry Wheat - A fruity wheat beer from Sam Adams. I think this is an okay beer, and it would make a nice session "get drunk" beer. It is low in calories and goes down pretty easily. The cherry flavor in this beer is completely artificial, and it does have a kind of cough syrup vibe. Due to the artificial nature of the flavoring, I will wager that this is going to be very hit or miss for most people. Either you like it, or the flavor will gross you out. Unlike a straight wheat beer, this one is a little more creamy. I found that at cold temps this beer is quite tasteless. As the beer warms up it gets nice and creamy which is a huge perk since the creaminess seems to balance out the cherry flavor. And then if it gets too warm it kind of gets skunky and unfun to drink.

Sam Adam's Blackberry Witbier - The second of the "fruity" beers. I enjoy wheat beers, so this one was not too offensive for me. Unlike the Cherry Wheat, this one has a much more organic taste to it. This smells like blackberry, but the taste is a little on the weak side. Like the Cherry Wheat, this beer peaks at a certain temperature. If it is too cold it has no taste, when it is just right it is very creamy and that really lets the beer "hit the spot." Too warm and bleh. I'd say try it. If you have no preference for Cherry/Blackberry, go with this one.

Blue Moon Winter Abbey Ale - Another average offering. I like what Blue Moon does and I like that they are available. This beer was slightly roasted and had some caramel flavoring. All-in-all it was nothing special, but I would pick it up again for 6 bucks.

Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA - Magical. This is really a great IPA. The 60 Minute IPA has a lot of pine and hops that come through, but it is remarkably balanced for an IPA. This one is actually really light and refreshing, which is amazing since it clocks in at like 6% ABV. I need to drink a few more to really see where this beer stands, but this is a not-offensive IPA that should work for people who are not hop heads and for people who do love hops.

Guinness Extra Stout - I cannot say this beer is remarkable, but for the price, availability, and consistency, what is there to lose? I think this is a great stout, and it is available at almost any major grocery store. If you are looking for your stout fix and do not have access to a Binny's or other place that sells import/micro beers, then this is a good fit.

That's all for now. I picked up a 6-pack of some brand I never heard of, it's an IPA. So far I'm not impressed, but we will see how that goes. I also tried the whole Sam Adam's Holiday Collection. The Old Fezziwig Ale was probably the most holiday of the bunch. The Holiday Porter and Winter Ale were both okay and had similar flavors. The White Ale was crap as I already mentioned, and the Chocolate Boch was great but obviously a very niche beer.

[The Germanator]

Originally Posted by KillerGremlin

[b]
Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA - Magical. This is really a great IPA. The 60 Minute IPA has a lot of pine and hops that come through, but it is remarkably balanced for an IPA. This one is actually really light and refreshing, which is amazing since it clocks in at like 6% ABV. I need to drink a few more to really see where this beer stands, but this is a not-offensive IPA that should work for people who are not hop heads and for people who do love hops.

Excellent choice! 60 minute IPA might be my favorite go to beer ever. Of course I have some hometown pride because it's brewed right in downstate Delaware. If you find the 90 minute IPA out there, definitely try it. It's 9% ABV and maybe even better than the 60 minute.

[KillerGremlin]

Originally Posted by The Germanator

Excellent choice! 60 minute IPA might be my favorite go to beer ever. Of course I have some hometown pride because it's brewed right in downstate Delaware. If you find the 90 minute IPA out there, definitely try it. It's 9% ABV and maybe even better than the 60 minute.

I either had the 90 or the 120 back when I was less knowledgeable of beer. I remember thinking it was a very sweet brew and very strong...but maybe that was the batch. I do believe Dogfish Head suggests you drink the super hopped brews like a brandy or wine, so it isn't really intended to be a session beer. The 60 minute is a session beer though (imo).

I will definitely check it out though. Props to Dogfish head, their brews are readily available all over the Chicago area.

I've had the Raison D'Etre too. I do not remember that one well enough to offer a critique, other than I drank that a long time ago back when I knew nothing about beer.

[Seth]

I'm more of a wine guy as of late. My home valley is Canada's Napa so the wine is everywhere.

For beer though I prefer Nelson Brewing Company. Since 2006 they have embraced organic brews and now they're entire stock is certified. Their Paddywhack India Pale Ale is my favourite. Gotta get me to Nelson for some boarding and beer hoarding.

[KillerGremlin]

Originally Posted by Seth

I'm more of a wine guy as of late. My home valley is Canada's Napa so the wine is everywhere.

For beer though I prefer Nelson Brewing Company. Since 2006 they have embraced organic brews and now they're entire stock is certified. Their Paddywhack India Pale Ale is my favourite. Gotta get me to Nelson for some boarding and beer hoarding.

Yum, I was checking their site out, I will pick some up if I come across it.

Tonight I had a pint of Lindemans Pêche Fruit Lambic (bottled). I've tried their Raspberry Lambic, and it is goooood stuff. Lambic beers remind me a lot of wheat beers, and they have similar tastes. Lambic beer is kind of like wine I guess. It has a sweet taste to it, and it is brewed with wild yeast. The one I had tonight was a peach lambic, and it is apparently brewed with real peaches. The beer was quite complex with a lot of good yeasty flavors coming through. Obviously you get a ton of peach, and it had a nice sugary and syrupy mouthfeel. I'd say this was a heck of a beer and I would get more lambic beers if they were not so expensive.

I picked up a variety pack by Dundee Brewing Co. for 12 bucks at Jewel. 12 bucks, 12 beers. So far I have tried the Dundee Kölsch-Style Ale which is a super light and very average golden ale. I get corn, biscuits and maybe some citrus in this brew. I'd say this is a good summer or easy drinking beer. The Dundee Stout was maybe average to below average; it has all the typical flavors in your average stout, but it was a bit oily. It sort of peaked once it warmed up though, and I may need to revamp my opinion once I have a few more. The Dundee IPA is also maybe a bit below-average. Sort of an unbalanced, not particularly hoppy brew that is not very memorable. And finally, the Dundee Pale Bock seems to be the most complex of the brews with a nice balance of flavors, a good amount of roast, caramel and malt, and a beer that actually tastes multidimensional.

I also picked up a 6-pack of Metolius Dolly Varden India Pale Ale. I wish this brew had more bitterness and more bite. Otherwise, it seems to be on the weaker side of IPAs. If I blindly drank this I wouldn't even peg it as an IPA. This brew is more caramely and grassy than most IPAs I have had, so yeah. I will see how I feel as I finish the 6-pack.

[KillerGremlin]

So I just killed off the final 2 bottles of this Metolius Dolly Varden India Pale Ale while trying to decipher my stats homework. Like I said before, I think I picked this up for 6 or 7 bucks which is not a bad price to pay for a craft 6-pack. This is an okay IPA. It goes down pretty easy because it is on the lighter side, so if you are looking for something a little bit tasty to get drunk on this would do the job. It isn't very balanced...it has some pine and hops, but the bitterness gets washed out by the unbalanced malt. More of a grassy, malty, caramel-ish IPA. If anything, a bit generic. Like I said, goes down smooth and I could see myself putting 5 or 6 of these down in a sitting if I wanted to.

[Typhoid]

On the weekend a friend came back from school in the valley, so we had a box social which involved sports, and alcohol.

Anyways, 3 of us split a big bottle of Glenfiddich Scotch - while others had beer, like chumps.

It wasn't my first time having Glenfiddich, but I forgot how smooth and good it was. We had the 12 year, which is by far the lowest on the Glenfiddich scale, but as far as single malt goes, it's still my favourite.

If there are any fans of scotch/whiskey/rye in here, I do recommend you try Glenfiddich, if you already havent.

[TheSlyMoogle]

Dogfish Head's Chateau Jiahu: Mmm... It's based on a 9000 year old recipe very loosely. It's a sweet and bubbly brew with a nice little punch to it. Reviews suggested that it's pretty close to what mead would have tasted like if mead had honey in it. Something like that anyway.

Just tried it a couple of months ago, totally in love with it when I'm looking for a beer to sip on.

[KillerGremlin]

I picked up a 4-pack of Goose Island Matilda so I will give you guys my opinion. Currently I am working on the Matilda, and my first thoughts are pretty positive.

I also picked up tall Stella Artois single so I'll humor my thoughts on that.

[KillerGremlin]

Stella Artois - not bad, I like Stella. It's better than Heineken by quite a bit, but it loses some points in terms of price. This beer is way-the-fuck overpriced. Seriously, just because it looks like royalty does not justify the insane overhead you pay for this beer. At any rate, this is a great summer beer, and goes with burgers, brats and bbqs.

Goose Island Matilda - This is a Belgian Ale. It is brewed with wild yeast, and has a lot of interesting flavors. The big flavors I got from this beer were fruit and clove and lots of good yeasty flavors. I really enjoyed this beer, and would recommend it as a Belgian style beer with a lot of good funk. I think it might be a little clove-overpowered, but I enjoy cloves so it worked for me (clove cigarettes...mmmm). The Matilda comes in a 4-pack for like 8 or 9 bucks, which is pricey but it is a good return when you factor in that each bottle is 7% ABV.

Duvel - Hey, I finally am getting around to knock this one out. Duvel is THE Belgian Strong Ale. This beer is surprisingly subtle, and I expected it to taste a lot like the Goose Island Matilda. But it doesn't. Duvel has some sour notes, some clove notes, apple notes, and a good malty/creamy mouthfeel with a clean dry finish. This is really a complex beer, and it has a lot of flavors that remind me of a pale lager...and then bam! You get the wild yeasts and the sugars. At 8.5% ABV, Duvel is a beer that will fuuuuuuuuuuckkkkkkk you up! Obviously this is a classy and expensive beer, so it really is not meant to be consumed as a beer pong beverage. Still, I picked up a 750ml bottle (which is like 2.11 beers), and at 8.5% ABV it is about the same as drinking 3-4 beers in one sitting! Very nice!

The head on the Duvel is white and looks all pillow-like. The body is golden and gives off the impression that this is some macro light beer. I guess that is why the beer is named "Devil." The surprise comes from the taste which is huge. Overall, I am loving Duvel and I think I would say this is one of the better beers I have had thus far.

[Professor S]

VERY good scotch. Sweet, rich, and fruity without being cloying to the palate. Not unlike good Cognac. I will buy this by the bottle from now on because one glass at Stokesay Castle in Reading, PA cost me $26. The only part of this scotch that disappointed me was that the barley flavors (a personal favorite) were lost in the fruit of the sherry casks this scotch is aged in, but this is a minor complaint because the cost of this age dictates that it is a special occasion spirit and not an everyday scotch.

Does anyone have a scotch they DEMAND I try before Memorial Day. I hang up my scotch for the season come Memorial Day. It is unseemly to partake in brown liquor over the summer months, and I switch to gin.