Beer recommendations

[NikoBaltimore]

Lord help us, myself and some friends are going to try homebrewing.  We're going to start with a stout, which is apparently one of the easier kinds to start with.  I've had plenty of stouts in the past, but we're doing a bunch of research (by that I mean drinking a shitton of beer) to find how we want to approach this.  Finding good stouts aren't the problem, it's finding good stouts that fit what we're looking for.

 

For our first one we're going with a basic stout, so nothing like coffee.  It's been a while since I had one, but any great basic stouts that are worth checking out?  Thanks in advance.

[cwoy2j]

Lord help us, myself and some friends are going to try homebrewing.  We're going to start with a stout, which is apparently one of the easier kinds to start with.  I've had plenty of stouts in the past, but we're doing a bunch of research (by that I mean drinking a shitton of beer) to find how we want to approach this.  Finding good stouts aren't the problem, it's finding good stouts that fit what we're looking for.

 

For our first one we're going with a basic stout, so nothing like coffee.  It's been a while since I had one, but any great basic stouts that are worth checking out?  Thanks in advance.

 

You should probably start with a pale ale or american lager. Those are the easiest things to do imo.

[Justin877]

I am still loving the Traveler Beer Companies various Shandy beers

[assfax]

Are you going extract or all-grain? Things not to skimp on: sanitation and a good thermometer.  Lagering requires consistent refrigeration to properly ferment.  Keep shit simple while getting the basic routine down.  Don't do a gimmick beer with an unorthodox ingredient (pumpkin, bacon, chocolate, honey).  Figure out the fundamentals and zero in on the things that fuck up and give you headaches in the first few batches.  You can fuck up and end up with a good brew.  You can also fuck up and end up wasting a batch due to infection or stuck fermentation.  If it tastes good and is at least 4% abv, everything else is gravy.  Make sure you have at least 4-5 hours to spare on the first go.  There'll be a lot of sitting around waiting but during the boil you'll want to be watching to make sure it don't foam over when it first gets rolling.  Temperature is the key to getting shit to work right.  Too hot and you'll burn your grain during the mash.  Too cold and sugars won't be released.  If you have dogs don't let them eat any stray hop pellets that fall on the floor.

 

Bottling will probably be the most annoying and time consuming part of the first few finished brews.  If you can get a hold on some empty bombers and a good bottle brush you can halve the amount needed.  5 gallons will get you almost 2 cases depending on yield/spillage.  Keep getting better and a kegging system will be a no brainer.  Depending on you DIY skill level that will either be very expensive and not time consuming or just kind of expensive and very time consuming.  When you get it set up though, kegging a whole brew can be done by yourself in about 15 minutes.  That's in contrast to bottling which can take almost two hours even with three people.

[NikoBaltimore]

I am still loving the Traveler Beer Companies various Shandy beers

The shandy beers are damn tasty.  The pumpkin one was so good.  Aside from the one Christmas one I had I'd like to try more of theirs.

 

Assfax, thanks for the tips.  We've been watching videos (including the much beloved Good Eats episode) and are starting to read books about this.  I'm a germiphobe so I'll be a stickler for sanitation.  Looking into the basics I feel we might have a decent chance, but it's all about preperation.

 

Cwoy2j, we considered both pale ale and a lager.  My friend had some piece of shit beer kit that had a lager in it.  But we decided to try a stoudt.  It is a kit from the homebrew store, but has what we need to get started.  Once we have the equipment and scheduling down we'll be set.

[John E. Dynamite]

 

I really need to contribute to this thread - I'm the beer buyer at a Baltimore liquor store. We've been running a very successful growler station since it's been made legal in the city and I've had the opportunity to drink a lot of special stuff and discuss it while tasting my (wonderful) customers on them. I did some beer write-ups after I was going through the store's Twitter feed. These are some thoughts I had on some of the sleepers we've tapped since Jan 1st.

 

 

Victory Hop Ticket #2 / Sly Fox Helles - All hail the oncoming Pennsylvania Lager Renaissance! This is a bit pipe-dreamy, I know, but I believe the market for craft lagers is going to open up next Spring. Victory needs to be the guys to lead the charge. They've got renewed buzz (thanks, Dirtwolf), market presence, and incredible talent. They've got 7 of the top 25 Pilseners on Ratebeer as of right now. Hop Ticket #2 tragically underrated at 21st (the clearly inferior, if still awesome, Firestone/Sierra Beer Camp Pils is sitting at 4th). It's only available on draft or in their Summer 12-packs, which are well worth it.

 

I mention Sly Fox as well. They aren't as well-known but they brew some of the most true-to-form German styles I've ever drank. Their Weiss could pass for Weihenstephaner on a good day, they make the best Grisette in the world, and their lagers are usually exceptional. They just can't brew a good pale ale to save their lives and their stronger stuff is very hit-and-miss. Pick up a six-pack of their Helles Lager if you've got Budweiser company coming over and you might change a life.

 

Cisco Island Reserve Geuze - Cisco's an OK brewery that gets most of their buzz from New England natives who like their simple stuff. I could really care less about their Whale's Tail Pale or their well-I-guess-somebody-has-to-brew-it Light Pale Lager. I keep an eye on them because they quietly brew some of the best sours on the East Coast. Keep an eye out for their bottles at stores, they tend to get overlooked and are worth experiencing. Word of warning - the acidity of the Kriek will melt your teeth.

 

Union Craft Brewing Double Duckpin Cask (conditioned with Galaxy hops) - For my money, Union is making the best beer in Baltimore. It looks like they're going to start canning their Double Duckpin DIPA soon, and I'm excited. This beer really shines on cask - it should drink like pure hop juice. No bubbles needed.

 

Oskar Blues Ninja Cow ESB - Oskar Blues draft-only is ridiculously rare out east. I think our whole state got three or four sixtels of this stuff. If you're a buyer for somewhere that sells draft beer, it's you're duty to give the people what they want. Turns out people LOVE ESBs without even knowing it. They are the holy middle-ground between the IPA drinker and the casual lager type. Nobody has really been able to capitalize on this with package beer and it's a shame.

 

2012 Sierra Nevada Narwhal, tapped Jan. 2014 - It's really cool to see what happens to the hoppier Imperial Stouts after you put enough time on them. Once the hops fade you never know what direction they're going to head off towards. I thought Narwhal was gonna go all Quad-y and show dark fruit, but it wound up being really unctuous and savory - far more complex than a fresh keg of it would lead you to believe.

What store do you work at?  I live right by Canton Wine and Spirits that does growlers and it's just sublime.  And much love for the Union love.  Haven't tried that one from them, but Duckpin is really good.

 

About to do a Heavy Seas brewery tour Saturday, followed by more beer and more beer.  I really should not drink that Rebel IPA in the fridge tonight, but you know...football.

 

And Untappd is a tremendous app.  The checkins are nice, love the badges you get.  The recommendations are a bit out of my range mostly, as lots of them are beers that don't have distribution to MD.  But it's overall a great app to use.

 

 

Replying to this half a year late. It's Pinehurst Wine Shoppe, tippy-top of the Baltimore border. Sierra Nevada tasting this Saturday! We're also morphing into more and more of a bottle shop.

 

The guys at Canton Crossing do a great job - I remember having a long conversation with them on the subject of running a growler station before they even opened their doors. I'd say they're doing just about everything right and that I'm a mite jealous of their professionalism.

[Cliff Hanger]

Like most beer snobs who grew up in Texas, I went through a phase of adoring everything Shiner makes, then outgrowing them as I discovered just how broad a category 'craft beer' is. (Still, back in the 90s it was pretty awesome to live in a place where every gas station was guaranteed to have something other than fizzy horse urine.) As their prices have consistently risen in the past 10 years, I find myself drinking less and less of their stuff and almost none of their signature bock, but without them I would probably still be saying "Beer? GROSS."  Anyway. Their annual 'birthday beer' for 2015 is a chocolate stout and, like much of their output, it's best described as "tasty but unexceptional."  But it's 12-packs of chocolate stout for $13, and at that price it's pretty unbeatable.

[StretchMediatedHypertrophy]

I believe there are yeasts which are a bit more temperature tolerant......that isn't to say it won't affect the taste, but that some yeasts have a bigger margin of error. You probably don't need to refrigerate a lager in some parts of the world right now (including UK), outside/garage will be fine fine; certainly for fermentation. Lagering is not fermentation of course.

 

Also, if you haven't looked - Boil In A Bag method has pretty much revolutionised homebrewing and made an all-grain much easier. I definitely plan to do this at some point.

[NikoBaltimore]

From what I read so far, that Boil in a Bag method sounds awesome.  We're definitely going to consider that.  Maybe not for our first beer, but it's a possibility once we forego the beer kit and try more traditional methods.

[cwoy2j]

 

I am still loving the Traveler Beer Companies various Shandy beers

The shandy beers are damn tasty.  The pumpkin one was so good.  Aside from the one Christmas one I had I'd like to try more of theirs.

 

Assfax, thanks for the tips.  We've been watching videos (including the much beloved Good Eats episode) and are starting to read books about this.  I'm a germiphobe so I'll be a stickler for sanitation.  Looking into the basics I feel we might have a decent chance, but it's all about preperation.

 

Cwoy2j, we considered both pale ale and a lager.  My friend had some piece of shit beer kit that had a lager in it.  But we decided to try a stoudt.  It is a kit from the homebrew store, but has what we need to get started.  Once we have the equipment and scheduling down we'll be set.

 

 

Was it a Mr. Beer thing? Those things suck. That's cool that you got one from a homebrew store. Northern Brewer is a great resource if you're looking to buy online.

[StretchMediatedHypertrophy]

Last Saturday I had one of those 'Enjoy By' beers that Stone Brewing Company do a few times a year, after being told I was a 'fucking moron' by a Mikkeller Bar bartender for missing out previously. It was pretty damn ggood though probably not worth the small fortune I shelled out for it. Cool to get an US IPA that fresh though.

[NikoBaltimore]

Cwoy2j, it was definitely the Mr. Beer kit.  My friend got it and after one look I told him he wasted his money.  But man, the stuff we have smokes that ten ways 'til Sunday.

[Chaos]

I'm enjoying a 4-pack of Big Foot Ale this weekend from Sierra Nevada. Good and flavorful barley/hops ale that's 9.6 ABV definitely hits you in the face and makes you feel like a lightweight. 

[CSC]

A local liquor store has started carrying Bells, which is the first I've seen of it on the West Coast.

Picked up a 6-pack of their Oarsman Ale, which is deliciously light and tart. Going to totally pick up somemore - at 4.2 percent it's the perfect sessionable Spring beer.

[Technico Support]

After hearing so much about Bells, I finally ate at a place that had it on tap (some bar in Philly when I was in town for work) a few months ago.  To me, it's pretty overrated.  Nothing that really separates it from other higher-end IPAs.  You'd do just as well with just about anything by Lagunitas.

 

Beer is a lot like wine to me in that the price and quality lines on the chart meet somewhere around $15.  Is that special $20 for a sixer or $15 for a 4-pack IPA really better than a $12 one?  Like wine...will I really be able to tell the difference between a $30 bottle and a $60 one?

 

I live near DC...your prices on this chart will vary.

[Neil Koch]

Bell's Two Hearted is okay.  Mostly I get it at bars that have on tap for happy hour.  $3 for a pint of 7% beer isn't a bad deal.  I don't think I've ever bought it in a store.  If I do want an IPA at home, I will get a 4 pack of Surly Furious or a growler from Dangerous Man (local Minneapolis brewpub) of their imperial IPA.  That is increasingly rare, though.  I used to really like IPAs but I fund myself drinking them less and less now.

[Mike Campbell]

My favorite restaurant now has a beer sampler on their menu. For the price of a regular pint. You get 4 5oz glasses of your choice of any of their beers on tap.  

[StretchMediatedHypertrophy]

Sounds like a fun way to get drunk on two pints. Gotta love a beer flight.

[Chaos]

I guess Sierra Nevada is in the Oktoberfest game with their brews. They are partnering with different German breweries to make on each year. I hate that they quit making Tumbler a full release but this is a solid brew. It's dangerous because it's one of their few non-hoppy beers that I will drink, so it's light on my palate and easy to chug. At 6.0% ABV, It will get you drunk quickly.

[Cliff Hanger]

Real Ale Brewing's Black Quad:

 

Snagged this today because after dealing with Time Warner Cable, there was zero chance of me just walking *past* the liquor store on the way to the bus stop.  RABC describes it as a "Trappist-inspired Belgian quadrupel" and that's a very good description.  Nobody's going to mistake it for Chimay or anything, but I paid $5.25 for a bomber and at that price, it has all the essential qualities of a Quad. Pitch black, heavy but not overpowering, just a hint of sweetness and not bitter at all. If you live in central TX and like beer that can be mistaken for crude oil, it's a fine buy.

[CSC]

I believe I found my perfect beer of the Summer last night.  Sierra Nevada Otra Vez, a gose brewed with Grapefruit and Cactus.  Just the perfect slightly sweet, tangy light summer ale and at only 4.2% completely drinkable all day long.

[Mike Campbell]

On 7/29/2016 at 4:05 PM, CSC said:

I believe I found my perfect beer of the Summer last night.  Sierra Nevada Otra Vez, a gose brewed with Grapefruit and Cactus.  Just the perfect slightly sweet, tangy light summer ale and at only 4.2% completely drinkable all day long.

I'll have to give that one a whirl if I can find it up here. I've had Sam Adams Got to Gose, and the Southern Tier Cherry Gose, and neither did much of anything for me. 

[Cliff Hanger]

I tried Real Ale Brewing Gose and it was too sour for me, but from the way people talk it's not a good rep for the field as a whole.

[NikoBaltimore]

8 hours ago, Cliff Hanger said:

I tried Real Ale Brewing Gose and it was too sour for me, but from the way people talk it's not a good rep for the field as a whole.

My wife is huge into sours and gose drinks, and I can appreciate a good one.  Luckily, Union in Baltimore has Old Pro Gose that is outstanding.  If you happen to get some of that it's a good one.

[cwoy2j]

Just posted in my cheap beer blog for the first time in a while. Take a look if you're bored and want to read about me drinking such tasty beers as Hamm's, Game Day Light and South Paw Light.

http://johnsoholicsanonymous.blogspot.com/