2010 Founders Nemesis - A black barleywine, very different.

kl1191 wrote:

mtgl wrote:

mhill95149 wrote:interesting.. very interesting... my first Gueuze

I think I like brett in beer way more than in wine.

If that was your first gueuze, well...you've certainly set the bar high.

Agreed on the brett, too. Something about the usual expected bitterness in beer that makes funk acceptable.

Had my first gueuze at La Mort Subite in Brussels...talk about setting the bar high. Really enjoy the style, there's a very wide range of sourness and funk between labels. Haven't tried the Cantillon...how does it compare to, say, the Girardin?

I find the Morte Subite gueuze to be a little sweeter than Cantillon, Girardin, Boon, or Hanssens. Still much nicer than the sugar bombs that are Lindemans (except the rare/good Cuvée René), St. Louis, and their likes. Regardless, the cafe (really no relation to the brewery) is a great place to drink it along side a plate of cheese when in Brussels.

I think the Girardin 1882 "black label" has a little softer acidity - more lactic than say acetic - with a nice Brett funk. Cantillon used to be more acetic and funky but that changed several years ago about the time the son took over and is now better balanced (for a gueuze), IMO, but is still more assertive.

Dogfish Pumpkin... $7.99 for 4 @ Binny's... not bad...

also picked up Founder's Breakfast Stout (they have a ton) $14.99 for 4 @ Binny's

the wimperoo wrote:2010 Founders Nemesis - A black barleywine, very different.

how is this... the guy @ Binny's tried to sell me this for $5.99 a bottle /$23.99 for the 4 pack. he said they kept it locked up in the back; i got the breakfast stout instead.

barleywine aye? anything like Cereal Killer?

MBK wrote:

the wimperoo wrote:2010 Founders Nemesis - A black barleywine, very different.

how is this... the guy @ Binny's tried to sell me this for $5.99 a bottle /$23.99 for the 4 pack. he said they kept it locked up in the back; i got the breakfast stout instead.

barleywine aye? anything like Cereal Killer?

It's quite interesting. Chocolate dominates the aroma. Taste is grassy hops, roasted dark malts, a bit of bourbon heat and sweetness. A lot better than the '09 version of Nemesis, but still something that doesn't resonate greatly with me.

Never had Cereal Killer, but I doubt it since it's quite different than other English Barleywines.

New Glarus R&D Golden Ale

Dogfish Head World Wide Stout from Andersonville Wine & Spirits.

I love that Golden Ale dearly, and hope they bring it back somehow. It screams Orval to me.

mtgl wrote:I love that Golden Ale dearly, and hope they bring it back somehow. It screams Orval to me.

The brett is really starting to come out. Quite a bit of barnyard funk.

I'll get around to my sole bottle of that NG Golden Ale soon enough.

For now, Beer Geek Breakfast with a little age on it. Not bad...actually tastes like good coffee, which I can't say about all coffee beers.

There's a blow-out on Agricole rhum at the Binny's South Loop location...a lot of aged stuff marked down pretty heavily in the close-out bin. Also found a bottle of Inner Circle (the 90-proof, blue dot variety), an Fijian/Australian rum that I didn't think was distributed in Illinois (perhaps it isn't...the bottle appears to be very old, as the label is peeling off). Naturally, I made a 'Ti Punch and drank to my good fortune.

last night I had two pints of Two Bros' Cain & Ebel red rye ale.

Another fantastic stop at The Whistler (20th best bar in America, according to GQ) tonight. I wonder how badly the tight T-shirts are going to stand out against the usual backdrop of flannel?

Had the Clingstone, a last gasp at summer, featuring the incomparable (for the price) Old Heaven Hill Bonded Gold Label bourbon & peach liqueur, with a slice of peach perched atop the rocks glistening with a few drops of peach bitters (yes, I'm a sucker for peach) as well as an off-menu variant on the Fourth Regiment cocktail, a Manhattan-y drink with celery bitters.

kl1191 wrote:Another fantastic stop at The Whistler (20th best bar in America, according to GQ) tonight. I wonder how badly the tight T-shirts are going to stand out against the usual backdrop of flannel?

Had the Clingstone, a last gasp at summer, featuring the incomparable (for the price) Old Heaven Hill Bonded Gold Label bourbon & peach liqueur, with a slice of peach perched atop the rocks glistening with a few drops of peach bitters (yes, I'm a sucker for peach) as well as an off-menu variant on the Fourth Regiment cocktail, a Manhattan-y drink with celery bitters.

One of these nights I'm going to have to get up there. It's just that if I am feeling like cocktails the Hour or DeVille are closer.

SSDD

Had a nip of Rathskeller Rye at The Seelbach Bar in Louisville. This 23-year-old bottling, exclusive to The Seelbach Hotel, is probably the finest American whiskey I've had the pleasure of sampling.



The Seelbach Bar
500 S 4th St
Louisville KY
502-585-3200

the wimperoo wrote:

mtgl wrote:I love that Golden Ale dearly, and hope they bring it back somehow. It screams Orval to me.

The brett is really starting to come out. Quite a bit of barnyard funk.

Cracked mine tonight. I love this stuff. Unholy good. Floral, funky, beautiful. Instead of thinking of Orval when I drink this, I will think of this when I drink Orval.

At the Jolly Pumpkin Café, had some Madrugada Obscura, a sour stout I hadn't tried for years. My opinion hasn't changed: this is one of the most interesting beers from one of the country's most interesting breweries.



Also sampled Berserker, an American strong ale, from the hand pump. A beast.

Jolly Pumpkin Café
311 S Main St
Ann Arbor MI
734-913-2730

A bottle of Schneider Weisse Tap 6 Unser Aventinus

Outstanding wheat doppelbock (?). I only picked up one bottle as I was in a hurry but will be making a several-bottle purchase as soon as my brain can convince my liver (50 cl at 8.3% alcohol).

Throat was feeling a little scratchy, so I mixed up a hot whisky mac variation. Green Chartreuse makes a great addition to this English classic, as Colin Field drove home to me a few years back with his Mach 2 at the Hemingway Bar...well, if Green Chartreuse is good, Elixir Végétal must be better.

2 oz Famous Grouse Scotch Whisky
2 oz Stone's Green Ginger Wine
4 oz Water just off the boil
4 Dashes Elixir Végétal de la Grande-Chartreuse

That Elixir is magical stuff...already feeling miles better.

Fresh Hops are where it's at tonight. Starting off with 3 Floyds Broo Doo. Next up Port High Tide IPA.

gonna be another nice day on the deck out in God's country.

Founders Harvest Ale, another fresh hop IPA. One of the best times of the year for beer drinkers.

Knocking back the rest of the left-over Harlan County batch I made last night. The Briar Patch was a huge hit with the ladies (perhaps due to the pinkish hue), and quickly sold out, but the gents seemed to gravitate more towards beer than whiskey. In any case, I added 25% water to what was left of the Harlan at the end of the night and stashed the bottle in the freezer. Making for great football beverage, as a TV-timeout refill only requires a quick shake of the bottle and pour...bitters optional at this point.

Worked through the Mikkeller Yeast and Barrel series last night with a few friends. Pretty good stuff overall--i loved the brett beer from the yeast series, but i'm a brett fanboy for sure. Barrel series was big and boozy, and the recipe was much better than normal Black Hole, which we also had. The scotch-aged bottle was extremely peaty, and pretty weird/delicious. Worth it for a nice evening with friends, but much too pricey, as Mikkeller nearly always is.

Had a great birthday weekend and decided to make myself a cocktail in its honor.

A Kiss at the Council
2oz Aged Rum (Eldorado 5 year)
1oz Blueberry Cordial
1oz Lemon Juice
3/4oz Maple Syrup
5 dashes of Fee's Barrel Aged.

One of the best drinks I've created, and in honor of the Council Overhang at Starved Rock. Blueberry Cordial ends up being about neutrally balanced between sweet and sour, due to the tartness of the blueberry. I love Fee's Barrel Aged bitters in fall drinks. Very spicy and aromatic.

I'm making that as soon as I get my hands on some blueberries!

The beer bar in the Kingsbury street Whole Foods has the newest 'vertical epic' ale from Stone, aptly called "10-10-10". I thought it was okay... a strong Belgian flavor with a strong degree of herbal notes. From the website's blog post about it:

That said, Stone 10.10.10 Vertical Epic Ale is mighty tasty right out of the gate. Fermented with the legendary Ardennes strain of Belgian yeast, 10.10.10 is a Belgian Strong Pale Ale brewed with pale malt and triticale (a cross of wheat and rye), hopped with German Perle hops, and steeped with chamomile during the whirlpool stage. In secondary fermentation, we added a juice blend of Muscat, Gewurztraminer, and Sauvignon Blanc grape varieties. The wine grapes came from Temecula’s South Coast Winery, located about 30 miles north of our brewery.

I prefered to 09-09-09 that I tried during the big Stone events from last year, but it did have the benefit of aging for a year. I suspect the 10-10-10 will age well, too, and I have a few bottles in the 'aging room' now (ie. my closet), but I don't think I'll seek it out on tap again.

Speaking of beers to age, as mentioned in another thread, there are some variations of Goose Island's Bourbon County Stout coming out soon -- one of the staff members at Binny's on Marcey St. said the release date is December 1st. This will include the Rare, Vanilla, Coffee and regular Bourbon County Stouts as well as the Madame Rose. The Rare version looks like it will come in its own stylish gift box, too. I think it would make a tremendous gift, but I don't know if I could part with any since it already sounds pretty killer.

Does anyone have a source for Pliny the Elder other than ebay?

MBK wrote:Does anyone have a source for Pliny the Elder other than ebay?

Might not be in stock at this moment, but South Bay Drugs in San Diego does online beer sales. Joey, the guy that runs the beer portion of the store, is super nice. Check out their website it shows what they have in stock currently. You can follow the store on twitter and he posts what new beers he gets in each day. He also has an email list that he sends updates out to.

Also, it wouldn't be that hard to set up a trade on beer advocate or ratebeer. Pliny is a pretty easy beer to trade for. A 4 pack of Daisy Cutter would probably get it done.