Random Beers

[wa-loaf]

Table Wine(white):
Local supermarket had Berlinger PinotGrigio...~$5+.. = but pretty good for a general-purpose...

Hey this is a beer thread! Keep that grape based stuff out of here!

[HD333]

Speaking of IPA's. Racer 5 from Bear Republic is outstanding IMHO.

[soposkier]

Speaking of IPA's. Racer 5 from Bear Republic is outstanding IMHO.

Racer 5 is quite good (Mach 10 by Bear Republic is also good. Little more potent than the Racer 5 though). Baxter Brewing Stowaway is also an excellent and local IPA (to Maine atleast). It is in cans, so it can fit quite nicely in a ski jacket.

[BackLoafRiver]

Racer 5 is quite good (Mach 10 by Bear Republic is also good. Little more potent than the Racer 5 though). Baxter Brewing Stowaway is also an excellent and local IPA (to Maine atleast).

Agreed on both counts. (Can't speak to the Mach 10 as I can't find it around here) Red Racer IPA is also a fantastic canned IPA.

For those who might be Mainers (or nearby neighbors) tonight begins Maine Beer Week. There are A LOT of activities throughout the state. I plan on getting introduced to as many new brews as possible.

[Geoff]

Table Wine(white):
Local supermarket had Berlinger PinotGrigio...~$5+.. = but pretty good for a general-purpose...

Thread hijack

Cheap Pinot Grigio is like PBR or making love in a canoe. F'ing close to water.

Done properly, Pinot Gris (from Alsace) or the Italian Pinot Grigio can be excellent. You have to prune and thin to get concentrated flavor in the grapes, harvest it when it's fully ripe, and let the must sit for a pretty long time to extract the flavor. You can't over-filter it. The bulk mass market stuff is machine harvested from high yield vineyards that don't thin the vines; and then machine processed in big stainless steel vats is lousy.

My go-to mid-price white these days is Caymus Conundrum. Lots of fruit. Plenty of flavor. I stock up when I see it in the New Hampshire State Liquor Store for sub-$20.00.

If I'm buying a sub-$10 white, I tend to go with west coast Sauvignon Blanc. Hess, from Washington State is pretty reliable. All the big wineries have one and they're all drinkable. The wines have a lot more flavor than a comparably priced Chardonnay. I also like the Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc that has some green grape juice in it that gives it a citrus-y fresh taste.

[C-Rex]

Anyone else notice Long Trail Triple Bag 4 packs showing up at their local packie? Excellent.

I'm going up to VT for some brewery touring Saturday. Can't wait. Maybe some turns at KTon on Sunday if the snow-making gnomes do a good job.

[drjeff]

Anyone else notice Long Trail Triple Bag 4 packs showing up at their local packie? Excellent.

I'm going up to VT for some brewery touring Saturday. Can't wait. Maybe some turns at KTon on Sunday if the snow-making gnomes do a good job.

Yup! IMHO that was just another of the brilliant descisions that the great folks at Long Trail have made these past few months!

[vdk03]

Anyone else notice Long Trail Triple Bag 4 packs showing up at their local packie? Excellent.

I'm going up to VT for some brewery touring Saturday. Can't wait. Maybe some turns at KTon on Sunday if the snow-making gnomes do a good job.

If you get the chance try the Good Night Irene draft they have going. They only have a limited supply so don't hesitate.

[Black Phantom]

If you get the chance try the Good Night Irene draft they have going. They only have a limited supply so don't hesitate.

I don't think it is anything special. Had a couple last week.

Give it a try for yourself. They are donating $ from the sale of it. Good cause.

[riverc0il]

Well, it's not going to be quite as smooth as the double bag, which IMHO is perhsps the smoothest high alcohol beer out there), but for a 9+%'er....its quite smooth. I think you can taste a dogfish 90 min....and really tell its high alcohol...not so much for the triple.

How about the Founder's Centennial IPA, Steve? There is another pretty smooth 7.2% beer for ya. My local store had their regular ipa I think 5.5 in growlers. Thst was quite good....my wife even enjoyed a couple.

I wasn't expecting it to be nearly as smooth as the triple. But it also lost that rich dark fullness that made the Double Bag exceptional. It has significantly more bite than the Double Bag without contributing anything else positive besides a harsher bite and more alcohol content... but just barely. The Double is already 7.2% so I felt that it was an excessive jump in harshness for a minor jump in alcohol content. Dogfish 90... that is just a different experience. I'd rather have a Dogfish 90 than the Triple. I just don't think LT should have linked the Triple to the Double... really two very different experiences. Unlike say going from Dogfish 60 to 90... different but similar enough that the naming scheme seems appropriate.

I don't require smoothness, I've had plenty of pretty harsh +10% aggressive beers. I just don't like when alcohol content and aggressiveness become the raison d'etre (another good beer) and supersede other important aspects.

Never seen a Founder's up here.