Beer Club

[beast]

We have recently started a beer club that meets monthly up in Minnesota. The club consists of seven members who want to be exposed to good regional and imported brews. At the first meeting, we each brought a six-pack of a new beer, which were tasted, discussed, and rated. Our club also collects dues which will be used for "field trips". We are looking for suggestions on beers or "monthly themes" to try, as well as any tips from other beer clubs.

Thanks,
Beast & St. Paul Beer Club

[davesarman]

Dear Beast,
Your club sounds very interesting. I live in a western Mpls. suberb and might be interested in joining your club, if you are interested in additional members. Wondering if I could get some info on the where, when, etc? Prost!

[bsardin]

A few themes that me and my friends have done are as follows:

Seasonal tastings- for example in the winter we each brought different beers that we feel are more appropriate for the winter like Imperial stouts, Barley Wines Trappist Ales.

Tastings from specific Countrys

A 1516 tasting-Beers that are brewed under the Bavarian Purity law of 1516

Beer and food pairings- This takes a lot of work but is very rewarding.

A Beer and Bacon Breakfast- Everyone brings a beer they have never tried, some meat eggs and a morning of fun

[davesarman]

Sounds really fun! I would be interested in joining! I sent you a pm stating the same and requesting some info!

[bsardin]

Dave, we would love to have you but it would be one hell of a commute for you to join in one of our events in Little Rock, Arkansas. Maybe everyone on the board could form an National beer club and we could coordinate tastings across the U.S. The come back here and discuss what we tried.

[davesarman]

Sorry, I didn't look and thought your post was from the same person as the first post who lives in MN...

[tavernjef]

Say, were you the group who were recently in Great Waters and have flyers up to go around the Twin Cities Brew pubs?
Any who, sounds really interesting and fun, if you don't mind send me some info.
Try having an all Oatmeal Stout tasting.

[Beer Nazi]

Originally posted by bsardin
Dave, we would love to have you but it would be one hell of a commute for you to join in one of our events in Little Rock, Arkansas. Maybe everyone on the board could form an National beer club and we could coordinate tastings across the U.S. The come back here and discuss what we tried.

That' be a hoot!!! A national beerclub's day out!!!!

[kpo]

someone better edit that poll - not much to choose from, especially in a forum for tasting new beers... lots of "old news" in that poll.

but speaking of new tastings:

I recently picked up "The Midas Touch" brewed by Dogfishhead Craft Brewery, "America's most extraordinary and adventuresome small brewery," according to Michael Jackson.

Upon excavation of The real King Midas' Tomb ( the man who inspired the legend) in central Turkey, U. of Pennsylvania achaeologists discovered a ram's-head drinking set in the iron-age tomb. Inside was residue from the drink, drunk at his grand funerary feast 2700 years ago, and which was molecularly analysed;... now Dogfishhead makes the brew from barley, honey, white muscat grapes and saffron, as found in the drinking set.

My notes: sweet, very honey-ey; sticks to the glass like a port, tastes delightfully warm and smooth. I'm not a conniseur, so not sure if it's the grapes or the saffron that make it so sweetly, richly rounded, but whichever, it's a beautiful golden Ale.

Check it out!

[warmstorage]

well, it's a poll, and i can't resist giving my opinions of each (which will give me up as a Big Beer addict:)

(as of 3-6-2003)
Guinness 3 14.29%
Samuel Adams 2 9.52%
Heineken 1 4.76%
Newcastle 3 14.29%
Beck's Dark 1 4.76%
Paulaner Okt 4 19.05%
Monteith's Dark (New Zealand) 1 4.76%
Pilsner Urquell 3 14.29%
Bush Light Draft 0 0%
Summitt Extra Pale 3 14.29%

* Guinness is actually the only beer here i really like. yum -- i'd eat it for breakfast if i could.
* Spam Adams is, in my opinion, and as i've ranted elsewhere, a weak, overmarketed macro designed to appeal as a bridge beer for those just figuring out that Coors Light sucks. and what's this Spam Adams Light besides a redundancy?
* Heineken is also weak, and very much a macro. was just in Thailand, where their huge spending and underpriced-to-compete clone (Chang Beer) have gobbled up a disturbing market share from Singha, a legitimate and quite tasty Thai beer.
* Newcastle is okay, but quite thin, feels to me to have a somewhat metallic body, and is basically boring.
* Beck's Dark: ick: perhaps the best of the bunch from this macro, which says very, very little.
* Paulaner Okt: fine, drinkable, but not anything to write back to Germany about (i wonder if our export version in the states is weaker/less exciting than in Germany?)
* Monteith's Dark: only one i haven't had.
* Pilsner Urquell: a weak, overmarketed, overhyped, overpriced "bridge" beer. as many votes as Guinness?
* Bush Light Draft: the beer i wish i hadn't tried: i wouldn't wash a sidewalk with it.
* Summit Extra Pale: as many votes as Guinness? i think there's a big Msp/St.Paul contingent on these boards. a drinkable beer, in style, but super thin, and extra, extra, extra pale. yawn.

of course, it's all a matter of taste. enjoy whatever you drink!

[tavernjef]

Nice feedback on this poll there warmstorage!
If you're feeling a little adventurous, I'd like to see a breakdown on some of your thoughts with the 64 beers that were used in the current tournament. Have fun and don't lose that edge.
Tjef:D

[warmstorage]

I'd like to see a breakdown on some of your thoughts with the 64 beers...
Tjef

well, thanks Tjef, and since you invited it, i don't mind if i do. first this caveat, courtesy of beeradvocate.com: "There are no beer experts, just beer drinkers with opinions". here are (a whole lot) of mine.

i'm going to attempt to summarize thoughts by category, as i'm trying to pack for a long distance bike tour (where i'll hit every available brewpub on the way: anyone who'd like to share a beer or opinion of their favorite local brewpub along I-25 from Raton, NM to Las Cruces, I-10 to Tucson/Casa Grande, AZ, and then I-8 to San Diego, should drop me a line at djg80218 AT yahoo).

The Saloon
overall, a strange category. some true heavyweights: the perennial favorite Alaskan Smoked Porter, which i try desperately, every year, to cellar with little long-term success), Great Lakes Ed Fitz Porter, Deschutes Black Butte, etc... if i had to live on a desert island, i'd happily subsist on any of them, in the order listed. i for one think that Alaskan deserves all the accolades it gets for this beer: it's a tough style, done perfectly, and they don't dumb it down at all for broader appeal, which i respect immensely. some of their other beers are also great: the Oatmeal Stout especially, and the ESB, though i liked the name Frontier better. oh, and the free samples at the brewery rock.

and the also-rans: my opinions are all over about Summit, no more need be said. Shiner Bock? ummm, this is thin, barely palatable, slightly sickly-sweet stuff that i only order at roadhouses (not pubs, mind you) when nothing else besides BigShit is available.

the most amusing beer in this category? has to be Abita Turbodog, which i confess a closet appreciation for: in the Crescent City, the local beer scene is dismal at best, with Abita a small exception, and i the name is amusing.

i think "Leinie" (Leinenkugel) makes an exceptionally mediocre product and then preys on unsuspecting Cheeseheads who'd do better to use it in their batter to fry cheese curds. (note: i've lived in Wisconsin, among other places. instead, try almost anything at the brewpubs in Madison, which may have more great fresh beer per capita than any other small city in the country: the Great Dane, J.T. Whitney's, and Angelic are all great brewpubs for beer.) same general criticisms of Leinie apply to Sprecher, who should stick to soda. geez, for being a historic capital of beer, Milwaukee turns out some terrible stuff these days masquerading as micro.

The Tavern
overall: this seems to be the lounging couch for shitty beers: August Shell's 'Grain Belt Premium' should be insulting to those who live in the Grain Belt (see my other comments elsewhere bashing August Schell for screwing up St. Louis Brewing's bottled beer on a brewing contract). if Yuengling weren't from Penna, i'd think it was another nasty Wisconsin brew: thin, weak, watery, boring. Spam Adams may be king in Ivy League frat houses, but i've made clear elsewhere on this board what i think of most of their crap, and the Boston Lager is their flagship spew. Mäerzen may well be the best thing Gordon Biersch makes, but that's not saying much. (bias: i HATE, HATE, HATE chain brewpubs who have distilled and wounded the beautiful concept of local, fresh beer. Schlock Bottom, Hops, the former Brew Moon ("Spew Moon"), Capital Brewing (DC area), etc. can all close their doors tomorrow, and only the martini-bar happy hour crowd in their high-rent city locations would suffer. only slightly better because their beer is usually more decent are John Harvard's, and local-y chains like C.B. & Potts, but the same problems apply. )

Saranac is a better upstate choice than, say, Genesee's Golden Annie Ice or Genny Light (they also make the nasty, sickly-sweet J.W. Dundee's Honey Brown than lurks in the Saloon), but not by much: their Black & Tan is amusing, but otherwise they make thin, mass-market-y macros and, like Sprecher, should really stick to pop.

stand-outs in this category include Tabernash, though i prefer the Dunkel Weiss, and most of the beers from their Longmost, CO partnered brewery, Left Hand. (this is somewhat stylistic: i like big, dark, sweet, robust beers.) Widmer makes solid beers, though Pyramid's hefe is a better example from the Pacific NW, and Harpoon is solid, though i wish they'd focus more (and distribute more widely) their UFO-series speciality offerings. Harpoon IPA (and Pale) are often the Flat Tire party beer of the New England states, though it's a hell of a lot better.

The Bistro
houses all the huge, beautiful beers that make beer drinking such a pleasurable and indulgent pasttime. these are the big boys: Rogue, Allagash, New Glarus, Anderson Valley/Booneville, Avery, Stone, Dogfish, Bells, Anchor, Victory, etc: all exemplify great beer, made right, with fat grain bills and careful ingredients. almost everything these folks make tastes great, and is more filling, than the average beer. (though i agree with others: Shakespeare is good, but not Rogue's finest offering. i prefer the Chocolate Stout, the Mocha Porter, the Brutal Bitter, the Dead Guy Ale, etc.) Anchor Liberty is a great offering from the brewery much better known for the drinkable and unique, but less remarkable, Steam Beer: Liberty is a very solid, and imminently drinkable, IPA style that can be proudly shelved alongside the delicious Old Foghorn, Anchor Porter, and Christmas Ale.

almost all of the Bistro choices are fantastic, especially on tap: (e.g., Anderson Valley is great bottled, but is AMAZING on tap, with a nice game of horseshoes to help with mid-session digestion...) Ommegang and Allagash both make wonderful Belgian styles, and while i drink more Ommegang b/c i see it more often, i think Allagash makes amazing, and just slightly better, brews. Wild Goose's Oatmeal is solid, though better on tap, especially at the N. Clybourn location (i'd skip Wrigleyville except for taking in a Sox game), and the Oatmeal is certainly better in style and overall than The Pub's Honker Ale, which, like many flagship beers, is pretty darn boring.

i've not yet had a bad beer by Lagunitas, Dogfish, or Victory, or for that matter, Avery or New Glarus (note: i agree with the BTI that the NG Belgian Red is perhaps one of the finest beers in the world. also try the extraordinary Raspberry Tart ale). Stone's Arrogant Bastard is a great, great beer with a great advertising schtick, but it's not a 71/29 better beer that Avery's Hog Heaven. both are fantastic, and Avery deserved a better showing: Coloradans seems to not be holding their own in BoB this year.

perhaps the best matched, and most interesting contests of BoB 2003 happen in the quarter-final rounds of the Bistro: Shakespeare v. Barney Flats, Arrogant Bastard v. 90-Minute, and HopDevil v. Liberty are all great match-ups, and emerging winners from these showdowns should beat the hell out of anything from the other three brackets, except *maybe* SNPA and Alaksan Smoked Porter. (but SNPA is more a sentimental favorite for this native Sacramentan: Liberty, Arrogant, and HopDevil are all arguably better, while admittedly being IPA styles when compared to SNPA, the definition of the classic APA style. tho i once had a spolied SNPA from a Cupertino Safeway, but i won't talk about those particular tasting notes unless someone asks.)

The Pub
like The Saloon, some odd beers here, and some great ones: Sierra Nevada Pale well deserves its reputation and status as the elder statesman of the craft brew movement, even if it is now a macro by the numbers. (i mean, just about everything SN makes rocks: the brewpub sampler tray in Chico was the experience of a lifetime: something like 14 choices on tap, including several different pales and IPAs, as well as a smoked porter, the legendary Bigfoot, etc... absolutely worth the trip to Chico.) Mendocino makes good beers, though the flagship Red Tail doesn't stack up to Eye of the Hawk, or Black Hawk Stout. while Shipyard also makes better beers than the Export, including the Stout and Chamberlain's PA, Great Divide beer's mostly suck, and i was happy to see the disturbingly named Denver Pale Ale go down.

the North Coast v. Three Floyds matchup was a tough one: North Coast makes some of the best bottled brews anywhere, but i'm especially partial to the outrageously rich (and expensive) brews: Rasputin Imperial Stout, Old Stock, Pranqster, and also like the more tame Old No. 38 Stout. with apologies to North Coast and Lloyd Bentsen, i know Red Seal, Red Seal is a good beer, Red Seal is a friend of mine, but Red Seal is no Alpha King.

i've already bashed Flat Tire as a tired, over-marketed, boring brew from an otherwise solid brewery: it's a shame how badly it beat a unique, fruity, high-integrity beer, MH No. 9.

however, i haven't yet sufficiently bashed Breckenridge, which along with Great Divide makes some of the worst micro-masquerading beer in Colorado, which Avalanche is a perfect example of: cool name, nasty beer. even though i hate that Redhook (and Widmer!) are partially owned by A-B, notwithstanding all the claims of brewer autonomy, Redhook ESB kicks the crap out of Avalanche any day (though they are really quite different styles.) as noted elsewhere, Honker's is hardly Goose Island's best beer, but neither is the Amber Full Sail's best (the seasonals are all better, especially the Old Boardhead Barleywine). O'Dells 90 Schilling is a good beer, but deserved to be beaten by Grant's Scottish, although maybe not with quite the smackdown that it got.

phew: time to get packing.

-Warmstorage, headed for warmer climes...

p.s. remember: these are only one beer lover's opinions... your mileage may, and should, vary: everyone tastes things differently. unless you think that Avalanche is a great beer, of course.:D

[kpo]

Originally posted by warmstorage

* Pilsner Urquell: a weak, overmarketed, overhyped, overpriced "bridge" beer. as many votes as Guinness?


I wonder if you just don't like Pilsners? I'm a big fan of Big Beers and hoppy beers, but when I do go for lighter stuff in summer, I find that Urquell is the only Pilsner that has substance and definition. That, and Spaten "premium", Elliot Ness and one more by capital brewing of Madison, WI are the only lighter beers I enjoy; surprised, therefor, to see such a poor review of Urquell.

Try biking through Bloomington, IN to try Uplands "Dragonfly IPA" or their new "Winter Warmer".

[kpo]

I also find it disturbing that Anchor Liberty beat Bridgeport IPA in the first round.

Probably just a vicitim of "lack of wider distribution".

[warmstorage]

Originally posted by kpo
I wonder if you just don't like Pilsners? I'm a big fan of Big Beers and hoppy beers, but when I do go for lighter stuff in summer, I find that Urquell is the only Pilsner that has substance and definition.

in all fairness, you're not too far off: i don't, generally, care for lighter styles. i think this has a lot to do with the fact that they are, as a style, more difficult to do WELL than ales are (i say this both as a homebrewer, and as a fan of beer.) and i think a lot of American breweries make a lot of really terrible pilsners and light beers, and that a good chunk of European breweries do as well.

that said, i've had some truly amazing pilsners made by Canadian brewpubs: in general, in fact, i've had amazing lighter styles in Canada: schlocky offerings like Molson notwithstanding, Canadians know how to make some great lighter bodied beers.

i think the key is substance and flavor: these beers i'm talking about actually have good flavor, taste like they have actual grain in them (and nice nasty adjuncts and false grains ala buttwesier).

while i do respect your tasting of Urquell, that it has substance and definition, i just don't taste it that way: i think it's light, overcrisp, lacking of body, slightly sour on the finish, and generally unsatisfying: and i drink beers because they are satisfying, and taste good, and i don't think Urquell is, or does.

respectfully,
warmstorage

[tavernjef]

Warmstorage, wow, you're definately the advocate I thought.
I, myself, have only had 27 of the beers from the tourny so I was just interested in what you may or may not have to say about both the ones I've had and the ones I haven't. I personally just like what other people have to say and I really don't say a whole lot. This is just a nice way for me to find new beers and maybe even get a little feedback on why people, like yourself, like or dislike a certain beer or beer style/type. Thats all, and it's all in good fun, its not a game with real results. No winners, no losers, just those of us who know what they like and explore different avenues all the time. Cuz why stick to one thing, lifes to short.
So I end here, I'm off to enjoy my Bell's Cherry Stout and the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tourny. I just might have a Sam Adams while there, why? Cuz its better then Hieny, Miller, Corona, and any of the other crap they serve at a major sporting arenas. Besides, they won't let you carry in your own cooler full of Bell's Expedition or Cherry Stout.
Cheers to all.:D

[warmstorage]

Originally posted by tavernjef
Warmstorage, wow, you're definately the advocate I thought.
...
So I end here, I'm off to enjoy my Bell's Cherry Stout and the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tourny. I just might have a Sam Adams while there, why? Cuz its better then Hieny, Miller, Corona, and any of the other crap they serve at a major sporting arenas. Besides, they won't let you carry in your own cooler full of Bell's Expedition or Cherry Stout.
Cheers to all.:D

ummm, it's cold in Minnesota, yah? and that means big pockets, right? hmmmmm...

> Warmstorage, wow, you're definately the advocate I thought.

did i mention i'm an attorney?

enjoy the Sam!

-warmstorage

[kpo]

Originally posted by warmstorage
while i do respect your tasting of Urquell, that it has substance and definition, i just don't taste it that way: i think it's light, overcrisp, lacking of body, slightly sour on the finish, and generally unsatisfying: and i drink beers because they are satisfying, and taste good, and i don't think Urquell is, or does.


I drink by the same rules, - so what do you find satisfying on muggy summer days, when big IBU counts and heavy malts just won't do?

All this picking aside, I'm currently in the afterglow of the "gravityhead festival" opening night at Rich O's, which I have written about in various forums here at realbeer.com.... three barley wines, two doppelbocks and one belgian for me tonight....

[tavernjef]

warmstorage, the attorney,

did I mention I'm not an attorney,

I'm an unlabeled person of society who just gets by and has fun doing it. Ahhh, life, what a strange thing to be given.

qoute: warmstorage
> "ummm, it's cold in Minnesota, yah? and that means big pockets, right? hmmmmm..."

Yep, it's cold in Minnesnowta, big pockets...sure.
If your implying trying to sneak beer in, good luck!
At events when high school kids are present, security
searches everybody. I know cuz it happens every year
I go. So as an attorney, what would be my rights after
they confiscate my beer and don't let me in, hmmmm...
Now I'm out some good pricey beer and the money I spent
on the ticket.
I know it sounds stupid, but as a teen I always snuck in
beer or screwdrivers in a thermos. That was then, this is
now and most schools are on to this these days. So at all
major sporting events, dances and the such, staff are always
looking for this sort of thing. Some schools have gone so far
as to have security cameras and actual police attending
said events.
At the Hockey Tourny, it works like this, adults who wish to drink
alcohol have to sit in the upper decks where under aged teens
are not allowed. Those you do sit in the upper decks are not allowed to take any alcohol anywhere, if you try to take it down
to the lower level they make you leave it, drink it, or they take it. At all the entrances they check ID's, we all know teens can get or make fakes cuz they get caught all the time, silly teens, when will they ever learn. There's even been times where the security felt they couldn't keep good control of the situation that at some events no alcohol is available to be purchased at all.
Anyways, thats the scoop.

And I'm appauled that an attorney even would
suggest such a thing.:rolleyes:

Cheers
tavernjefummm, it's cold in Minnesota, yah? and that means big pockets, right? hmmmmm...

[paul84043]

GEEEEZZZZZ....I don't get out enough!!

I live in the "Holy Land" of Utah, and I am just beginning to open my eyes and see how deprived we really are out here...

First off, I give Warmstorage full credit for speaking his mind, attorney or not. It's nice to find an honest opinion.

I printed out his "review" for future reference, it's actually hard to find such a sweeping cross section of beers like that, I know, I have been looking.

I feel kind of like a little kid that just stepped into the big kids sandbox....I brewed my first homebrew just a few weeks ago, it's still aging in the basement.

I guess that brings me up to the point that I should be ranting and raving about how good Spamuel Adams is? One foot out of the double wide and the other in my mouth...

Our best offering locally is Wasatch, which when it first came out gave me all the incentive I needed to realize what nasty tasteless watered down crap the Mega brews are shoving down our throats, not to mention the fact the the "Holier than Thou" state of Utah feels that they have the right to take our watered down swill and cut it to 3.2% ABV. We have some of the stupidest liquor laws that I have ever seen in any state...but I guess if you lack the intestinal fortitude to actually punish the idiots that break the laws, you can always pass sweeping legislation to pound the crap out of the rest of us that actually obey them...
It was quite a lot of fun to see the almighty dollar shove the book of Mormon aside for the Olympics, we were wondering how long it would take for that to happen here...guess we know which one is more powerful...(Dumb liquor laws? Heh, Heh, not us!! here, we'll change them all temporarily just so the rest of the world doesn't think we're the bunch of fake, closed minded, sheltered, green jell-o salad eating idiots..)

Oh, did I say that or think it?

You should have seen the look on my in-laws faces when they found out we were brewing beer in our home!!! They asked (wide eyed and shocked) if it was legal....you would think we were running a meth lab out of our basement.
It's really sad.

I looked over the Poll on this thread and I am sad to say that I didn't even know half of them existed....

So much beer, so little time....

I was happy about my second batch that's fermenting in the closet right now, a Black and Tan, oooohhhh....dark beer.....funny isn't it..

I look forward to falling face first into the dark seedy underbelly of society where people drink real beer and actually like the way it tastes.

Thanks guys...