Hooray beer!

[Chaos]

21 hours ago, Zimbra said:

That's how I feel about Bell's getting bought out by Kirin.  Sucks knowing they'll never get to do weird shit like brewing a series of beers based on Holst's The Planets again.

The really sad one is Cigar City in Tampa who made some fun beers, and they recently basically had their brew team and production shut down. Craft beer in general is on a decline because production costs are significantly up making it hard to produce, people are drinking less in general because quitting alcohol is huge in the influencer space these days or if they are they're doing low cal vodka seltzers, and being California sober is more the norm as legalization continues to expand. 

[Technico Support]

4 hours ago, Chaos said:

The really sad one is Cigar City in Tampa who made some fun beers, and they recently basically had their brew team and production shut down. Craft beer in general is on a decline because production costs are significantly up making it hard to produce, people are drinking less in general because quitting alcohol is huge in the influencer space these days or if they are they're doing low cal vodka seltzers, and being California sober is more the norm as legalization continues to expand. 

Ah man.  I really liked Jai Ali and your post makes me realize why I haven't seen it in a while.

I mentioned it before, but my local beer stores are run by the county government, whose prices are really good, and they cut their beer stock a while back in order to give privately owned stores a chance to compete.  But most of the privately owned places by me are way overpriced and sell beer past the sell by date.  There's a place by me I'm positive I can go to right now and pay $16 for a pumpkin ale from October.  So the county stores cut their beer from 4-5 aisles to one and now those aisles previously dedicated to beer are taking up by seltzers, vodka drinks, and the like.

Annnnnnd there's apparently a tariff on aluminum, so fuck brewers, I guess.  Nice job.

Edited March 13 by Technico Support

[Chaos]

On 3/13/2025 at 12:59 PM, Technico Support said:

Ah man.  I really liked Jai Ali and your post makes me realize why I haven't seen it in a while.

Jai Alai is still produced, but it's basically the only beer coming out of there these days. On occasion, you can find a double imperial called Florida Man that's not terrible. Monster took over them a long time ago. Their head brewer before the sale was a dude from Enterprise, AL. Our local brewery here used to make a NYE collab beer with them that was solid. 

Edited March 14 by Chaos

[Technico Support]

I had a slightly more upscale Chinese restaurant’s “house beer” today, a rice lager actually made for the restaurant group (no, fuck you, it’s not PF Chang’s) by Mobtown Brewing in Baltimore.  Light on the alcohol at 4.5%, which is fine since it was midday.  Very crisp and refreshing.  The place was slammed and service was slow, so I only had one.  But god damn, the food was nice.
 

It’s a 3 day weekend and I’m keeping it local with a mixed 12 pack from DC Brau.  I’ll report back on it.  

Edited March 14 by Technico Support

[zendragon]

On 3/11/2025 at 10:36 AM, Robert C said:

I can appreciate the grim determination to drink your beer, no matter how bad.

I shared an apartment for three years in college with a guy whose father ran the Old Milwaukee/Schlitz/Strohs/etc beer distibutor in Austin.  Which meant we could get free beer on a regular basis, for the cost of a four hour round trip.  Not necessarily good beer, but free beer.  I once forgot a case of Stroh's and left it in the back of my non-working truck, for six weeks, in the summer, in east Texas.  It was truly vile when we got round to drinking it, and we were offering it to anyone who happened to walk by the apartment, but we got through it.

best beer if free second best is cold

 

On 3/10/2025 at 10:22 AM, Zimbra said:

I am a real sucker for anything orange-vanilla so when I saw Surly had an orange whip beer I knew I had to try it even though it was probably bad.

It's so much worse than I could have imagined.  I have five of them still in the fridge taunting me.  Absolutely played myself.

[FireThunder]

On a trip to the liquor store the next town over, I found several new selections to try. One that really stood out to me: Nilla Nectar from Kros Strain. It's a hazy IPA with vanilla and for some reason, it works really well. The vanilla stands out against the background laid by the haze.

For those who want a straight up hazy IPA, I also picked up a pack of Juicy Bits IPA from WeldWerks. It says what it is on the can: very hazy, very juicy.

[Mike Campbell]

My best friend in NY sent me a 4 pack this week, so far I've had two of them.

 

"Jalegreeno" - an IPA brewed with Jalepenos from Tree House Brewing, it's a really good IPA although I wish there was more pepper flavor to it. It's just a subtle hint of it on the back end.

 

"Citra Ice Cream Kooks Daydream" - an Oat Cream IPA, which I've never had before, from Other Half Brewing. The mouthfeel was a little offputting, but it was another good one. It's an 8.5% ABV, so I was feeling pretty good afterwards.

[Technico Support]

The DC Brau 12 pack from the weekend was very good.  I have two left; I must be getting old.  The 12 had three each of: a Pilsner, an IPA, a pale ale, and a hazy IPA.  I’m not going all beeradvocate or whatever and discussing mouthfeel, lacing, and all that.  I’ll say all four were damn tasty, though probably too pale ale heavy for some.  One of the pales was a little too grapefruity but I can’t remember which.  Anyhoo, check it out if you live in the area this brewer serves.  

Edited March 18 by Technico Support

[driver]

Went to my local spot and saw a sixer of Yuengling Premium Beer(also Premium Light was on sale for $3.99/sixer).

[Curt McGirt]

My dad finally got some of that but I haven't tried to steal any. I'm uninterested now; they were a target of the corporation protests recently. It probably tastes plain as shit anyway. 

[NikoBaltimore]

Between that and the owner being a jackass about the whole thing Yuengling can fuck off for all I care.  I'd dare say I'd rather have a Budweiser as it tastes better than their stuff.

[Technico Support]

Weekend beers!

Finished the last two beers from my DC Brau 12 pack.  The pilsner (Brau Pils) is really tasty, almost peppery.  The hazy IPA (Joint Resolution) was just okay.  Not bad or anything, but not especially flavorful.  Kind of plain.  It was okay but definitely the least of the four beers in the pack.

The fresh six pack I bought was Lagunitas IPA.  I have  along relationship with Lagunitas that I've mentioned here in passing.  I started drinking their beers probably like 15 years ago.  They used to have a really wide selection of beers.  I'd joke that they all tasted like west coast IPAs, but honestly, there were differences, some subtle, some more disparate, that made each of their beers a real treat.  They'd also make an amazing Christmas beer called Brown Shugga -- someone in this thread mentioned in a little while ago -- that was so amazingly tasty.  One year, they ruined the batch and released a simpler, still very good, knockoff of it called Lagunitas Sucks.  That became another regular for them.  Unfortunately, they were purchased by Heiniken and their line of beers was drastically cut.  That's capitalism, my friends.  Go with what's safe, what sells the most.  Be risk averse.  Maximize profit and minimize your outlay.  If 75% of your consumers drink 2-3 of your beers while the rest of your selection is consumed by the remaining 25%, you don't need that 25%.  I'll try to make this the last time I complain about this topic here.  Just remember the wise words of Cinderella.  You don't know what you got til it's gone.  Enjoy your funky small craft brewers while you can before some vulture buys them up in order to extract all that sweet sweet profit.  Nowadays, I can still find the IPA and their LIttle Sumpin Sumpin wheat IPA, and sometimes tallboys of Maximus, but that's all.  Everything else is just Lagunitas chasing trends like non alcoholic IPAs, hop water, and "session" IPA.  Session IPA tastes like someone mixed half IPA and half water.  Fuck session IPAs.  Next they'll make a vodka soda and we'll know the soul is has truly left the body.

Anyway, Lagunitas IPA is still surprisingly very good.  Just exemplary of a west coast IPA.  I say "surprisingly" because I expected the quality to suffer but it seems like it has not.  I'll continue to drink it in a pinch because the non mom & pop place closest to me has shitty selection but good prices, and sometimes I'm in a hurry, and sometimes you drink a beer you used to love just to reminisce.

[Zimbra]

On 1/23/2025 at 3:56 PM, Zimbra said:

Won't do you much good if you're not in Wisconsin, but New Glarus is apparently doing an imperial pilsner as one of their limited beers this spring.

I miss Lagunitas' Brown Shugga. That was a quality beer that drank real smooth for 10%ABV.

I had the New Glarus imperial pilsner and it is delicious. The most flavorful pilsner I've ever had.

[Mike Campbell]

When my wife's sister and her husband went back east for a week, I was on dog watching duty (basically letting them in and out and making sure they were good on water and food). So, she brought me back a sixer of Southern Tier Irish Cream Stout. Sadly, it's the first beer that I think I've ever had from STBC that I haven't thought very much of.

[Technico Support]

Oh man I’ve been slacking on this thread!  Trying to remember what I’ve had recently.  I know I had a Beer Farm Irish Red (local MD beer) that was disappointing and bland.  Troeg’s Nugget Nectar limited release is out now, but only in 12 packs near me, so that sorted my beer for last weekend and this as well.  It’s delicious!  I actually had one from a frosted glass first, and switched to a room temperature glass after that.  Some beers just do not work in frosted glasses, as I find the cold numbs my taste buds sometimes and kills the flavor.  I could definitely taste the difference between that a a regular glass.  My British pals might be on to with their room temperature beer.

[driver]

This morning I found a can of Lagunitas Little Sumpin Sumpin' IPA for $1 at my local grocery store. I guess it was close dated or something close to that to get the price discounted 75%.

[Technico Support]

On 5/17/2025 at 5:15 PM, driver said:

This morning I found a can of Lagunitas Little Sumpin Sumpin' IPA for $1 at my local grocery store. I guess it was close dated or something close to that to get the price discounted 75%.

I'll say it again: that is a tasty beer.

I bought Lagunitas IPA this past weekend after somebody was drinking it in a dream I had a few days before -- I took that as a sign.  It's a really flavorful, great example of West Coast IPA done well.  Actual flavor is something I think IPAs miss maybe half the time.  I had a hazy IPA a few weeks ago, can't remember which brand, and it was bitter and vaguely citrusy, but didn't really have a lot of flavor.  Props to Lagunitas for still making really good-tasting beers despite being majority owned by Heiniken.

Edited May 19 by Technico Support

[Technico Support]

This past weekend's beer was Flip Coast IPA, a west coast IPA by Lone Oak Brewing, which is super local to me -- they're in Olney, MD, which is like 15 minutes from where I work.  I believe all their beers come in four-packs of 16oz cans (so you get 8oz less than your standard six pack of 12 ouncers).  It was maybe a little better than average, which was kind of disappointing, especially because it was like $18.  Not terrible, but not great, either.  As far as west coast IPAs go, it wasn't as flavorful as the Lagunitas IPA I'd had the prior week.  This brewery has a lot of styles in the beer section of my local store, though, and payday is this week, so I might try another one by them, maybe the Czech Pilsner.  I'll let you know.

 

[NikoBaltimore]

Double Groove is a very short walk from me and I like the workers there.  But they opened in late 2019 and while some of their stuff has been good a lot of it is average and sometimes below.  So I can't get behind them doing $18 for a four pack when I can get a far better beer for the same price at Independent.

[Curt McGirt]

My mom bought two of those weed drinks with THC in 'em the other day. Guess how much for a four pack?

Spoiler

$25

I told her "one of these days I'm just gonna buy you some gummies". 

[Technico Support]

5 hours ago, Curt McGirt said:

My mom bought two of those weed drinks with THC in 'em the other day. Guess how much for a four pack?

  Hide contents

$25

I told her "one of these days I'm just gonna buy you some gummies". 

I just picked up some gummies today!  Not sure if I'd ever try the THC sodas...feels like a lot of effort for the same amount as a gummy.

The dispensary I go to has a bank next to it with two ATMs right in front.  I have to believe they're the busiest ATMs in the county.  I still can't get over how happy and positive all the people who work at the weed shop are. 

But all that talk is for the eventual "Hooray Weed (if it's legal where you are)" thread.

Edited May 29 by Technico Support

[Zimbra]

Man, I really need to find a time to make a run to the U.P. soon.

[Curt McGirt]

Something I have noticed (and am a bit ashamed of) is people using straight cash at the dispensary exclusively, whereas I am using my debit card. They... they have a point. 

[Technico Support]

16 hours ago, Curt McGirt said:

Something I have noticed (and am a bit ashamed of) is people using straight cash at the dispensary exclusively, whereas I am using my debit card. They... they have a point. 

I use my debit card for everything, but this particular dispensary only takes cash or Jane Pay, whatever that is.  PayPal for stoners, I guess.  The other dispensary near me takes debit, but treats it like an ATM transaction where you need to put in your PIN, and then they round up to the nearest 10 and give you change.  Dispensaries are weird, man.

[Zimbra]

It's not the dispensaries: most payment processors won't handle weed payments since it's still illegal federally.