Beer

What's everyone favorite Octoberfest beer? I haven't tried a lot of different styles myself, but currently enjoying Shiner's Octoberfest. It's rather tasty.

Leinenkugels has a decent one. Heading to the beer store here shortly. Also don't like Sam Adams, but I had their Oktoberfest beer at Red Robin a few weeks back and it was quality.
 
What's everyone favorite Octoberfest beer? I haven't tried a lot of different styles myself, but currently enjoying Shiner's Octoberfest. It's rather tasty.

I kind of don't drink Marzens anymore. Heavy Seas has a good one. Brooklyn has a good one. Sam's is decent. Great Lakes is one of my favorites. The last time I had them, I got the real deal germans Spaten and Ayinger.

I prefer the fall to go and enjoy my IPAs and IIPAs. As some of the best come out this time of year. Fall is the time of Hop Harvest, so you get some of the most delicious fresh hopped IPAs. Sadly, I fear yet again I'll miss out on a few good ones up in the Shire.

Ignoring my love of IPAs for a minute.

My general beer drinking schedule is something like

Winter - Imperial Stouts and Barleywines
Spring - IPAs are usually great. As are porters, pale ales and really anything that has some backbone but isn't crushing
Summer - Crushable beers. Session IPAs, Kolsch's, like Pales, things of that nature
Fall - IPAs and IIPAs, with a 4 pack of Punkin, because.
 
And a small update of sorts from me. On Wednesday I made a Vermont pilgrimage with my Brother and Sister-in-Law. We went to Hill Farmstead. For those not in the know, it's been the number 1 or 2 rated brewery in the world for like 5 years. Got to try a number of thier beers, and came home with 3 growlers. I'm so happy. I'm gonna crack my first one tomorrow night and get good and wasted.

Also, stopped at a beer store in Waterbury before dinner. Got a 4 pack of Heady, 4 pack of Lawson's finest Sip of Sunshine, and a 12 pack of Lawson's FInest Super Session #2

I swear at some point JPX I'll stop drinking this stuff so we can do a beer swap. But it's just too damned good.
 
A shipment of Cigar City Jai Alai made its way to Georgia and I finally got to try this legendary beer on draft. A very tropical IPA. Quite good.
Also tonight I tried a few glasses of Blood Orange Blind Pirate by Monday Night Brews - very similar to Jai Alai and also very tasty.
 
I have like, zero interest in trying this. I like beer that tastes like beer, personally.

I'm with you. I haven't even had it. I know people who have similar tastes to me who've had it and they hated it. So I wouldn't evne waste the money. If someone bought one and offered me one I wouldn't turn it down. But I won't spend money on it.

Also I'm really bummed that no one immediately around me has Punkin yet. I just want a 4 pack. Not to drink now but to drink in November or late October. Someone better get it but I guess I can drive a half hour to get it. If no one gets it before the ned of the month I'll have to head south.

I bought a few glasses lately. Got a pair of the Spiegelau IPA and stout glasses. They really do a heck of a job getting aroma out with the IPA glass. Enjoying Harlan in it last night. Haven't tried the stout glasses yet, but i mainly got them because Winter is coming. Also got the Dogfish Signature glass. Sister's boyfriend has them and I really love them as a universal go to glass. It really works for pretty much any style of beer. Except for some of the bigger boys like stouts, barley wines and quads.
 
I have like, zero interest in trying this. I like beer that tastes like beer, personally.

It tastes exactly like root beer. Like zero difference. If you like Root beer then you'll like it. It's not going to be my drink of choice, but it's worth a try, especially if you like root beer.
 
So I brewed up a potentially super weird IPA that I intend to bottle tomorrow night. It's super hoppy and made with pale, peated and caramel malts. Really intrigued in the end result.
 
Also a highlight on cans and bottles that I've imbibed recently.

Finished my Lawson's Finest Sip of Sunshine and Heady Topper. Still have some Lawson's Finest Session. Got Stone's Enjoy Byin a 6 pack. I've never been happier. Oscar Blues IPA is pretty good. It's like a hoppier Dale's Pale ale. Never got my 4 pack of Punkin but got to drink some. Should have my sister picking me up a pair of 4 packs of River Horse's Hipp-o-lantern. Had Allagash's Fluxus, it was very meh for me. Not a bad beer, but not as good as I was hoping it would be, especially with how awesome Allagash is.
 
Had some Bell's Hopslam for the first time tonight. To be honest, it was a decent double IPA, but not the best I've ever had or worth the hype it gets. Maybe it's just me.
 
Had some Bell's Hopslam for the first time tonight. To be honest, it was a decent double IPA, but not the best I've ever had or worth the hype it gets. Maybe it's just me.

I didn't thank this because I don't love hopslam, I do, it's a fantastic beer. But I really want to stress that all too often beer doesn't live up to the hype. And the main reason is that unless you've never had anything like it, then you'll compare it to something you can easily get. I love Heady Topper, but i've had many better beers. If you're in waterbury area I certainly recommend going to a local bar and sampling Sip of Sunshine and Heady, but it isn't worth the hassle to go hunting for the beer.

Only thing that 100% lived up to the hype was Hill Farmstead. They're too legit.
 
One of the struggles of impending move is I can't buy beer. Well I mean I can buy it, but it's kind of asinine to buy things that I'm gonna have to move later. I haven't gotten to try many new beers for that reason. But I've gotten to enjoy some other beers I've bought in the past and not finished.

It's probably not available outside of Vermont, but the collaboration by Otter Creek and Lawson's Finest Double or Nothing is my favorite Maple beer. It's rare to find a beer with real maple flavor in it. I can understand why, cause of cost. But if you're gonna label something maple, you should have maple flavor,andit shouldn't be from extract.
 
beer haul the other day:

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Gonna bring this thread back from the dead. Rather than make a new one.

I've been sliding back into my beer game in the last year or so. I got Cicerone Beer Server Certified and am on my way to the next level of certification once I take the time to sit down and work on my sensory training. May be a winter project. Brew up a big batch of like a cream ale and then work on all my off taste sensory.

I've been brewing since the spring when I've had time. My first batch I royally screwed up, messed my system up, attempted to cover it up and ruined that. It was horrible. Didn't ferment super well either and was just bad. Second one was better, it was almost perfect except I ran into my first issue of keg waste where I was getting hop clogs in the line and I wound up wasting another gallon removing the hops. 3rd batch was a royal ****up in terms of my mash but but the falvor was great. So I wound up with a very sweet stout instead of my more dry and backsweetened stout, which is fine, that one is working it's way down my keg right now. Fourth I screwed up my mash a bit, but it was where I finally identified my issue. My mash tun outside of the summer when I was doing it outside was losing way too much heat so I was getting underextracted beer. I kind of caught it and worked on heating up my mash in sort of a decoction mash style because I didn't want too much water. In the end I missed my mash efficiency by a little bit, Instead of a 9.4% belgian quad I wound up with an 8% which is still on style. My last batch went buckwild on the efficiency, I was making a big IPA for the Fall/Winter. I totally changed my system and mashed indoors using my sous vide taking time to better extract as well and this time I way overshot my mash. Instead of 5 gallons of 9.9% AT 4.6 finished gallons I wound up at 10.1% and 5.25 Gallons. so more alcohol and more volume. Alcohol could have been even more if my yeast attenuated a bit better, but I'm fine with it because it makes for a tough sweeter beer for already a big bold beer.

I'm probably done brewing until January where I may work on a stout or porter for the very cold February.
 
Had some Bell's Hopslam for the first time tonight. To be honest, it was a decent double IPA, but not the best I've ever had or worth the hype it gets. Maybe it's just me.

Hopslam is the best beer ive ever had. And I drank it before hearing that people hype if up. A friend had a keg, I drank and fell in love. Its pushed me to drink a **** ton more IPAs now. But hopslam is still the best for me.
 
Hopslam is the best beer ive ever had. And I drank it before hearing that people hype if up. A friend had a keg, I drank and fell in love. Its pushed me to drink a **** ton more IPAs now. But hopslam is still the best for me.

I don't drink beer (or any alcohol anymore), but I saw your name and thought I'd say "hi." Good to see you.
 
I don't drink beer (or any alcohol anymore), but I saw your name and thought I'd say "hi." Good to see you.

Good to see you. Crazy I use to have time to waste on here all the time. Just thought it had been a couple months since I checked in.....(a couple years ?) Glad to see you are doing well, things are great my way.
 
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