Jump to content
DVDVR Message Board

Beer recommendations


Mike Campbell

Recommended Posts

I hate to just post a Yelp link, but: https://www.yelp.com/search?cflt=chinese&find_loc=Montgomery County%2C MD&start=0

I can vouch for Cheng's, Peking Gourmet Inn, Hot Pot Hero and Urban Hot Pot. I need to hit up that new pulled noodle joint, looks legit. Last time I was on the Pike I went to a Louisiana steamed crawfish place that was run by a Katrina-displaced Vietnamese guy and it was killer. The girlfriend went to one of the Asian food courts in Rockville and dug it, but I forget which one: https://dc.eater.com/2017/11/30/16721358/pike-kitchen-the-spot-rockville

This is, like, the thing Rockville is good at.

Edited by John E. Dynamite
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I  had some Port City Brewing Co Metro Red Ale over the weekend.  Brewed just down the road in Alexandria, Va.  I can't remember my last red ale.  I want to say some Killian's but that would have been like 10 years or more ago.  That doesn't sound right.  I'm positive some mixed 12 I've bought in the ensuing years had a red in it, right?  Anyway, this was good.  Definitely better than the aforementioned Killians.  Nice full flavor but not so hoppy that hop-averse people wouldn't enjoy it.  I drank it with some grilled BBQ wings I made.  Okay, I drank two while grilling and two more while eating.  Let's not get technical here.  I recommend it.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I continued my Port City kick with their Essential Pale Ale.  It was on sale at the county-run place near me.  When I got home, I realized it was brewed last July, so that explains the sale.  Fucking great job, Montgomery County.  My tax dollars at work.

Luckily, the beer was still good.  I really enjoyed it.  It had a lighter flavor and feel but "lighter taste" didn't mean "no flavor" in this case.  It had a good crisp bite and was pretty damn refreshing.

This week is payday, so I'll try the new beer and wine place that's sort of by me and maybe get the new Laguitas seasonal or something.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had an Elysian Space Dust IPA on tap last night at an optional/mandatory work happy hour.  Pretty good but it was edging into that "so hoppy it kind of tastes like orange juice that has gone bad" territory that, even as an IPA lover, I can't stand.  You can be hoppy without tasting like a bottle of Trop 50 that's been open too long.  So I'd rate this 6 or 7 out of 10.  If you love IPAs, try it.  If not, avoid.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've a bottle of Ommegang's GOT "Hand of the Queen" in my fridge for months, which was supposed to be our "Mike got a new job!" celebration drink. But, with GOT's new season starting tomorrow, we're openin it to celebrate.  And, I dropped (far too much) money to order a bottle of GOT "For the Throne" to hopefully celebrate me getting a new job.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had Lagunitas' Summer release, "Lagur," over the weekend.  Now I'll preface this by saying I love Lagunitas' stuff, but you  really need to like IPAs a lot to enjoy their offerings.  Because just about everything they make pretty much tastes like a West Coast IPA.  It might be an IPA with brown sugar or a "Pilsner" that still tastes like IPA, or a session IPA that tastes like IPA with water added.  Whatever you buy, that's what you're getting.  It's 31 flavors of a similar West Coast IPA.  So I bought "Lagur" last Thursday, the whole while wondering if they would have the balls to call something a lager but then it just tastes like IPA.  You already know the answer.

I liked it, it tasted good, but it wasn't what I was in the mood for.  So if you want  a lager, get something else.  If you want to try this beer and you know what you're in for, go for it.

Edited by Technico Support
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It was a beer twofer this weekend.  First off, the county liquor store near my job (one day I'll list all the weird Maryland county-by-county peculiarities W/R/T hooch), the one with the really bad beer selection, had Bell's Two Hearted, which is just bizarre.  I had heard a lot of good things about it before, had it once on tap years ago and didn't get the fuss, so I decided to try it again.  I looked it up and some craft beer such and such had voted it the best beer in America, so I figured it was worth it.  Well again, I wasn't too impressed.  It was a lot more balanced than I expected, lightly hoppy but also a little malty.  It was okay but I felt like it was almost trying to be something for everyone and, in that, nothing about it really stood out.  Above average and inoffensive, but not memorable. 

We decided to grill at the last minute yesterday so I needed more beer.  Having to work today, I didn't want anything too high over 5%.  The new local beer and wine place had Sierra Nevada "Sierraveza" in cans, so that was the one I went with.  I didn't expect much more than a bland-ish crisp lager, hopefully one step up from Bud.  I was pleasantly surprised!  There's a decent malt bite to this that I was not expecting at all.  Not a fan of Heifeweizens, I typically don't like that bubble gummy malt flavor, but this was just right.  Delicious and probably the better of the weekend's two beers.  A shocking upset.  Some Mike Tyson Buster Douglas shit here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This past weekend's beer was Ghost White IPA from DC's Three Stars Brewing Company.  Really good west coast flavor profile IPA, definitely better than expected given the price point -- it was 9.99 and typically a good IPA will run you $11 and up around here in the DC suburbs.  Cool can with a DC flag-inspired candy skull on it, too.  I'll try some more of their beers soon.

 

 

 

 

Edited by Technico Support
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

No new beers for since my last post until now...finishing up various things in the fridge.   I picked it up yesterday, continuing the Three Stars Brewing thing from a few weeks ago.  I tried their "Above the Clouds" farmhouse ale.  I don't even know what that style is supposed to be.  Looking online, I see this description:

Quote

A farmhouse ale is not a single style of beer. It’s actually a broader category of styles. It can be a saison, bière de garde, gueuze, or sahti. In general, a beer that falls under the farmhouse ale designation will have a bit of a funky flavor, kind of like wet hay or earth. It will also be tart, like an unripened strawberry, and leave your mouth crisp and dry. Other than that, the possibilities are endless.

I don't know about all that.  It wasn't funky or tart, nor did it taste of wet earth.  I was a little hoppy, had a malty aftertaste, and was pretty sharp/crisp.  Not entirely bad, but its over-carbonation knocked it down a notch for me.  I was definitely burping more drinking this beer, and I couldn't avoid a massive head pouring it into a glass no matter how hard I tried to sneak it down the side.  I didn't actively dislike it, but I probably wouldn't buy it again.  The crazy carbonation reminded me of beers by Stone, whose offerings I've sworn off completely because every one I've had made me gassy and/or gave me heartburn. 

I also had Lagunitas' LIttle Sumpin' Sumpin' on tap Saturday.  Delicious.  Highly recommended.

Edited by Technico Support
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Currently waiting for the doors at U Street Music Hall to open, having a Right Proper Raised by Wolves. This is just about the most floral pale ale I've had, which, if I'm going to have one of these, is the preferred side to err upon. A little light otherwise, and you certainly couldn't drink a bathtub of these like you can Loose Cannon, but it's a decent change of pace beer. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 5/20/2019 at 5:59 PM, Contentious C said:

Currently waiting for the doors at U Street Music Hall to open, having a Right Proper Raised by Wolves. This is just about the most floral pale ale I've had, which, if I'm going to have one of these, is the preferred side to err upon. A little light otherwise, and you certainly couldn't drink a bathtub of these like you can Loose Cannon, but it's a decent change of pace beer. 

The last restaurant I went to had that on tap and I meant to try it but didn't.  I'll put it on my list for next time I go there.

I picked up a 6 of Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shutdown Ale over the weekend.  Haven't had it in quite a while.

The really good thing is, unlike a lot of Lagunitas' beers, it doesn't taste like a west coast IPA.  Now I love west coast IPAs, but I've mentioned before that a lot of their beers are just variations on the same theme.  This one was a little hoppy/bitter, but also malty and had a really nice, rich, roasted/nutty taste.  Just a really big flavor.  I'd absolutely recommend it with the caveat that you must watch your ass, as it is 9.7% ABV and will fuck you up proper if you're not thinking about it and are just knocking them back.   I noticed the ABV a little late and had to slow down.  Aside from that warning, go for it if it sounds like this is your thing.

Edited by Technico Support
Link to comment
Share on other sites

61053304_414113659441415_1149861860099489792_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&_nc_eui2=AeHG560CRYzMc4r8FQmzpmRe1PRJG1llEwJNmKXyP1rOmOlDRNa9hBvRKLk5tpi9_1Pp7ag9fyeQbrSJmv581qkcgzgIpM9SeH6l5d1_fc-IAw&_nc_ht=scontent-den4-1.xx&oh=db6a956466a3a6a2bb8fdc03ef3551d9&oe=5D9C1DE3

 

I had a Delirum Teremns last night while the family was out for dinner, and this is my new favorite glass.  The bartender brought it over, and made a point of telling me that it was his favorite glass, probably to discourage me from even attempting to have my wife sneak it in her purse.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

The wife and kids are back east visiting her family. She already grabbed me a four pack of Southern Tier (my favorite NY brewery) Nitro S'Mores stout from their Blackwater series. I also asked her to get me some Great Lakes beer too. Preferably the Moses variety pack, because their Midnight Moses looks really good, and is only available in that pack.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
On 5/25/2019 at 3:28 PM, Mike Campbell said:

61053304_414113659441415_1149861860099489792_n.jpg?_nc_cat=103&_nc_eui2=AeHG560CRYzMc4r8FQmzpmRe1PRJG1llEwJNmKXyP1rOmOlDRNa9hBvRKLk5tpi9_1Pp7ag9fyeQbrSJmv581qkcgzgIpM9SeH6l5d1_fc-IAw&_nc_ht=scontent-den4-1.xx&oh=db6a956466a3a6a2bb8fdc03ef3551d9&oe=5D9C1DE3

 

I had a Delirum Teremns last night while the family was out for dinner, and this is my new favorite glass.  The bartender brought it over, and made a point of telling me that it was his favorite glass, probably to discourage me from even attempting to have my wife sneak it in her purse.

#treatyourself

https://www.ebay.com/i/372691719033?chn=ps

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Surprised this thread died off. I almost preordered some 450North from CraftBeerKings, but their mark up on beer plus what shipping cost always steers me away even though I know 450 is just high on the secondary market (I was spoiled and had a connection that would on occasion drive him down a few cases of stuff that lived locally and we'd pay roughly cost). I know liquid is expensive to ship, but $20 for basically 8 cans to ship is just a rough yes for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not Finland, but I had a few of these in Sweden:

beer-pripps-bla-model_0.jpg

LOOOOL 3.5%    Holy shit.  I could cosplay Andre the Giant and drink a case of these with no trouble.

Never been to Finland unless you count Aland.  I mean I guess technically it counts.  But that's like telling people I've been to Mexico because I've been to one border town for a few hours.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Chaos said:

Surprised this thread died off. 

I wonder if this is true for anyone else:

For me, pandemic life has steered me away from craft beer consumption. I'm almost entirely a social drinker. And, I have literally not been out for a drink with friends since that brief period in July of 2020 where the first State of Emergency was lifted and the curve had not quite started trending back upward again.

If I have a beer now, it's because I'm having something like gyouza or curry for dinner and beer goes nicely with that. But, a simple basic lager is just fine for those purposes. As much as I'd like to support the fledgling local Japanese craft beer scene... it's not so fun for me to drink tasty beer by myself. I wanna be all trading sips and opinions and so on, with my wonderful drinking buddies. Trying to enjoy a delicious fancy beer on my own just makes me miss that.

Also, I actually get a buzz off of a single beer, now. In 2019, it generally took me five to eight drinks to get any kind of buzz going. I am going to have to be very careful when it's time to start going out again.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My drinking definitely took a drop with the pandemic. Pre-pandemic, I'd hang out with my cousins a lot or go tailgating during college football season, go over to my brother's house, etc. That was all a lot of drinking. I pick up some single beers from the cooler at the liquor store just to try things out and would then switch over to Coors Light because it's basically like drinking water.

I did still have a White Claw every now and then, but for the most part I just drank a lot of water. Whenever I would have a beer, a non-Coors Light beer, like Broken Skull IPA or something, I would get a buzz very quickly from it. Like 1 would do the trick and I could drink 2 pints at most. Lately I've been trying more beers again, but it's still a situation where I can have one and be done.

The one thing I did discover was that hazy IPAs are very different than other IPAs. I normally can't tolerate IPAs because they're very hoppy and bitter to drink and almost always trigger a migraine within an hour. I found out hazy IPAs are basically lighter and "fruitier" IPAs and so I've enjoyed a few different ones lately.

A beer I miss the absolute most though was one from pre-pandemic. It was brewed by Untitled Art and called Rocket Pop Sour Ale. I really like sours and goses as long as they don't taste overly fermented and that Rocket Pop Sour Ale was the best one I had. They unfortunately don't brew that any more.

One trend that I'm not a fan of are the amount of lactose beers out there. I find that they taste kinda weird. Plus, they're not great if you're a little or very lactose intolerant. 

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I went on keto before the pandemic started, so no beer for me.  I went off of it for a good while (life issues, health issues, etc etc) but am now back on, so, again, no beer for me.  I mean I can do some of the low-cal, low-carb beers but I honestly haven't had one I enjoy enough to really care to do that.  I'll stick to White Claw.

One crazy-ass thing that happened: In the phase where I was drinking beer again, I noticed that there must be some strain of hops I'm pretty allergic to, which sucks.  2-3 IPAs I had caused my throat to partially close after 1-2 beers.  I narrowed it down to Citra or Mosaic, probably Mosaic. 

Oh, and I mentioned it in the wrestling merch thread...I found Broken Skull IPA to be really underwhelming.  Considering the cost for a 4-pack, it's really not worth it at all.  The most entry level IPA, like Sierra Nevada or something, is better than Broken Skull.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, Technico Support said:

Not Finland, but I had a few of these in Sweden:

beer-pripps-bla-model_0.jpg

LOOOOL 3.5%    Holy shit.  I could cosplay Andre the Giant and drink a case of these with no trouble.

Never been to Finland unless you count Aland.  I mean I guess technically it counts.  But that's like telling people I've been to Mexico because I've been to one border town for a few hours.

It sure counts man, even if Ålanders identify themselves more as Swedish. And I think this stuff is what Swedes call "mellanöl" as in "between beer" ( you can see the Roman numeral II at the bottom), as in between light beer (I)and standard beer (III) Then there is strong beer (IV) and the Gin Long Drink I mentioned is 5,5%, standard strong beer would be about that level. So, no 13% stuff over there, no Sir! If you ever get the chance to visit Finland, though, then hard pass... just kidding! It's pretty cool place, actually. As is Sweden, if we are being honest.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, Gordberg said:

I wonder if this is true for anyone else:

For me, pandemic life has steered me away from craft beer consumption. I'm almost entirely a social drinker. And, I have literally not been out for a drink with friends since that brief period in July of 2020 where the first State of Emergency was lifted and the curve had not quite started trending back upward again.

If I have a beer now, it's because I'm having something like gyouza or curry for dinner and beer goes nicely with that. But, a simple basic lager is just fine for those purposes. As much as I'd like to support the fledgling local Japanese craft beer scene... it's not so fun for me to drink tasty beer by myself. I wanna be all trading sips and opinions and so on, with my wonderful drinking buddies. Trying to enjoy a delicious fancy beer on my own just makes me miss that.

Also, I actually get a buzz off of a single beer, now. In 2019, it generally took me five to eight drinks to get any kind of buzz going. I am going to have to be very careful when it's time to start going out again.

I started cutting back on my drinking radically (for me, anyway) in fall of 2019, meaning cutting back on the times I consumed any alcohol at all. When I do though, it's usually not just a couple. I'm a social drinker, but that's not a necessity, as I can be very social on a message board while drinking, with no one else around. I prefer my own couch or my friend's couch to bars, however. I go to a bar maybe two times a year. But communication is the number one thing while getting a buzz on. If you have no one to "talk" to in one way or another, then what's the point in the first place?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 hours ago, Craig H said:

A beer I miss the absolute most though was one from pre-pandemic. It was brewed by Untitled Art and called Rocket Pop Sour Ale. I really like sours and goses as long as they don't taste overly fermented and that Rocket Pop Sour Ale was the best one I had. They unfortunately don't brew that any more.

Untitled Arts are doing really, really good work. But in my market their sours are pretty limited and you're only gonna find them at stores that are actively ordering them as soon as they hit the warehouse. Most of those sours are gonna be one-offs, so don't fall in love.

UA's big move is probably their hard seltzers, believe it or not. They're far and away the best hard seltzers I've ever drank, not that I advocate spending 17.99 on a six pick of 5% abv bubbly water w/ fruit puree as a habit. But if anyone wants to treat themselves, if anyone wants to see the pinnacle of this strange new craze, it's out there to be found.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...