What are we drinking?

[speedpimp]

Ice Mountain Water.

[Kchrpm]

Water with lemon.

Five Alive frozen punch with Ginger Ale.

Sprite.

[Rob]

Hot Chocolate with a shot of Disaronno.

[Jason]

Tap water.

..

Shit, did we get old?

[FaultyMario]

Hot Chocolate with a shot of Disaronno.

You sure about the latter? Not Tea's urine? I heard she had run out and was too cold/lazy to buy some.

[Phil_SS]

Apple cinnamon shine.

[Rob]

You sure about the latter? Not Tea's urine? I heard she had run out and was too cold/lazy to buy some.

Bitches be doing my bidding.

[overpowered]

I ran out of margarita mix. Tequila + cranberry pomegranate juice.

[M4FFU]

Tea :)

[Rob]

Jack Daniel's Single Barrel. Way way better than the usual overrated and overpriced JD product. A little pricey though at £42 per bottle.

[harper]

£42 a bottle? Fucking hell.

I've got two fifths of whisky, Maker's Mark and Johnny Walker Black, but I haven't touched them much. I don't drink much by myself. I still have like 18 beers from my last run to Costco, because they have a house-brand pack of microbrews, and recently I got a couple of Widmer Hefeweizers at a local import store by some goddamned miracle. Not packs of those, but individual bottles (and they were like 500 yen/each). I take it when I can get it out here.

[Mr Wonder]

I've been drinking a great many things lately, the best of which by far was goose island night stalker. I also really enjoyed Bolero Snort's ragin bull winter, it's a great spicy seasonal.

Best discovery for the missus has been Omission brewery. She's gluten intolerant and really misses having a beer. Most of the gluten free stuff is pretty crappy, the best has been mass produced lager good. A drink possibly being as good as a Becks or Carling isn't something you can ever really look forward to. Que the spotting of the omission bottles, and chilled six packs, in the local liquor store.

We tried just one, the pale ale, and it was really, honestly very good. I'd happily drink it if there were some in the fridge.

We also sampled a local(ish) delicacy. Picklebacks. A shot of whiskey followed immediately by a shot of pickle brine. They're not as bad as you'd think. But they're also not that great.

[Rob]

I have whiskey and pickles.

[Godson]

When I was in Guatemala, you only really had the choice of 3 or 4 beers (if you were lucky enough for them to have it in stock).

Gallo - it's ok, but I prefer something...better. The international awards it has won can like my dick.
Moza - a bock styled beer that was decent to the palate but left me wanting something more.
Monte Carlo - Kinda like heiniken, but not. It was serviceable and usually was my go to beer.


All that said, when I was picked up from the Airport by the 'rents, they were kind enough to have brought me some kickass BBQ, and a 4 pack of Tank 7 for the ride home, which is close to an hour. Thank Heavens that the lawmakers in MO allow open containers in the car (passengers are allowed to drink, but not driver.)

[Sad, little man]

I broke down and bought a bottle of Lagavulin. I haven't had it in probably six years or so, but my god is it heavenly. Yes, it was $91 for a 750ml bottle (£55 for our friends playing overseas.) Not only does it taste and smell incredible, but for minutes after drinking it, it felt like a kindly HVAC technician had gently installed a tiny gas furnace in the back of my throat. And I don't mean that in a bad way, I mean that as in I felt like it might be a good move to just turn off the thermostat in my house and sustain myself via the warming heat emanating from my esophagus.

It was distilled 16 years ago. I was still watching cartoons then. Maybe the Viper TV show was on then? I dunno... Anyway... Lagavulin, drink it. :up:... It comes from here... Look how pretty it is.

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=199&d=1390624256

199

[Sad, little man]

Yes...... Yes Viper was definitely on the air when this whiskey was distilled. :hard:





Grrrrr! Lagavulin is being made right now! Grrrrrrrrrr!
http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=200&d=1390624568

200

[Sad, little man]

I'm trying to accomplish something tonight... I plan to drink wine, beer, liquor, and sake all in one night.

*Sips a small glass of sake.

[Sad, little man]

Achievement unlocked!!! :toast:

[speedpimp]

Hangover?

[TheBenior]

Stopped by the Lincoln Park Costco, which now stocks a wider selection of beers in 750mL bottles. Split a Goose Island Lolita and a Gulden Draak with the girlfriend last night.

[overpowered]

Jack Daniel's Single Barrel. Way way better than the usual overrated and overpriced JD product. A little pricey though at £42 per bottle. I'm not really a fan of the other JD's but the single barrel is pretty good. That price is insane. IIRC, it was less than US$40 at Costco.

[thesameguy]

I got some of this for Christmas:

http://www.realmendrinkwhiskey.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/whistlepig-whiskey.jpg

and finally opened it over the weekend. It's really, really good. I'm normally not a fan of rye, but this is up there with some of my favorite beverages.

[thesameguy]

On the subject of Christmas spirits, I also received a bottle of George T. Stagg bourbon and Eagle Rare bourbon. The Stagg stuff is 141 proof and mind-numbingly (literally) good. Both are Buffalo Trace Distilliary; the Eagle is quite a bit cheaper than the Stagg and, IMHO, an *excellent* buy. Possibly one of the best inexpensive bourbons I've had. Stagg may be taking the place of the best effingham serious booze I own, a spot previously occupied by Booker's. Booker's tastes very good but there's no denying it's downright flammable. The Stagg is every bit as volitile, but has a superior flavor. If you like unfiltered bourbons (as I do), I'd give it a go.

[Rob]

Picked up bottles of Knob Creek and Monkey Shoulder on the way home the other night. Also have a bottle of Breckenridge Bourbon sitting in Steve's flat that he trafficked back from the USA, really really looking forward to having that again.

[thesameguy]

Knob Creek is a classic. I'm always sad that more bars don't carry it - for whatever reason, Woodford's Reserve seems to have taken over locally for it.

A while back I posted some questions about converting a PS3 to do media playback and resolved it wasn't possible without investing far more work than it was worth. A couple days later I overheard one of our employees (a student) lamenting that he really wanted to play GTAV but couldn't swing the dough to buy a PS3 and the game. I really like this guy - he's one of the few people that doesn't make my work life a living hell - so a couple weeks ago I bagged up my 20-hour old PS3 and all its gear and brought it in as a late Christmas gift. His boss thought that was awesome and picked up GTAV via Amazon Prime at the same time. Very cool.

Friday afternoon I found a box on my chair with a thank you note. In side the box was;

http://charbrad.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/wathens.jpghttp://cdn.thewhiskybarrel.com/images/published/3/sources/products/product/1606/elijah-craig-barrel-proof.jpghttps://www.buffalotracedistillery.com/sites/default/files/ElmerTLee_0.png

Three amazing bourbons for a PS3? I could not have hoped for a better result.

Man, it was a great weekend.

[Rikadyn]

gekkeikan plum wine

[G'day Mate]

Home brew. It's awesome.

[tigeraid]

Can we speak a little on beer in this thread? I'm just not hardcore enough anymore to drink liquor.

Being Canadian, I've always drank the usual Canadian stuff (Canadian, Coor's Light, Keith's, etc) but really decided, lately, that I just don't like the taste enough, and I'm not a rampant alcoholic so I can't just guzzle until I don't feel it anymore.

For a while I've been drinking Lech:

http://www.thebeerstore.ca/sites/default/files/styles/brand_medium/public/brand/hero/Lech_Beer%20Store-HIGH%20RES.jpg


Which I quite like. It goes down relatively smoothly, it's quite fizzy and it tastes crisp. But it's also pretty bitter in the aftertaste.

Then, at a party at a friend's bar, I sampled the greatest thing I have ever tasted--Grimbergen.


http://www.catchadraught.com/wp-content/uploads/grimbergen_dubbel.jpg

Ooooooh yum. Yum in my tummy. It came in that exact glass, with that kind of head on it. Fucking delicious. No bitterness, a hint of caramel, and strong enough to get ya fuckin' drunk on a couple of them. This was the first dark beer of any kind I'd had in ages, since I first tried Guinness when I was like 16--which I DESPISED. So this came as a bit of a shock.


The downside? It only JUST came to Canada, and I have searched high and low with absolutely NO luck. So far, it's only available to restaurants and bars, to be put on tap. I'm sad. :(

Until the glorious day that it becomes available by the bottle, I've been trying to find something similar. And it turns out it's Belgian Dubbels, brewed by monks, in general, that I like. So far, this is the best I've found:


https://www.foodpairing.com/images/photolib/785_bpm.jpg

Quite good, though just a tiny bit bitter, unlike Grimbergen. On the plus side, it comes in bottles. So I think for now, I'm gonna go with that.

I also tried Chimay's dubbel:


http://dirtydishpit.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/chimay.jpg

Also quite nice, but again, more bitter than Grimbergen. And, go figure, at least in Canada, they only sell the fucker in WINE BOTTLE size. Which is about three of those bigger glasses. Kinda lame.

Any beer connoisseurs know more about Belgian dubbels or what else I might try?

[Rob]

I had a Leffe Blonde yesterday, actually. I prefer Chimay Blue over the Red label. It's even darker and smoother.

My decision to shift focus towards liquor was motivated by weight loss. A nice strong bottle of beer can hit 3-400 calories, an equally nice large bourbon is 100 or so.

I do have a few bottles from Hastings Brewery to check out tonight though since I spent a day back in my old stomping ground yesterday and picked them up from the little organic vegan bakery that is their sole retail outlet.

[speedpimp]

Can we speak a little on beer in this thread?


Hell yes. I loved the Canadian beers that I tried when I was in Hamilton a few years back. I remember trying Schlitz Gold, 666, 10W30 and Alexander Keith's IPA. We've had Keith's here locally for a few years now, except for the IPA, which is the best of the Keith's I've tried.

[Fogelhund]

Leffe Brun is a nice beer. Tonight had two beers... LOL.. lightweight I know. Samichlaus Classic Bier... what a beer. It is sweet, but the taste.. It is a must try if you haven't before. Not incredibly expensive, $5 for a bottle. Very rich, deep flavour. Not at all bitter. 14% so it packs a bit of a punch.

Also had Omme Gang - Game of Thrones - Take Back the Black Stout... ya.. I bought it due to nerdome and liking the show... but damned if it isn't a fine smooth stout. 750ml @ 7%... also recommended.

[tigeraid]

Hell yes. I loved the Canadian beers that I tried when I was in Hamilton a few years back. I remember trying Schlitz Gold, 666, 10W30 and Alexander Keith's IPA. We've had Keith's here locally for a few years now, except for the IPA, which is the best of the Keith's I've tried.

10w30! That's a local favourite, it's not bad at all. Keith's IPA is generally the only Keith's we have. Hard to find the other stuff, in fact.

[speedpimp]

If you want the other stuff, then come to the US and you'll find it everywhere, just don't expect to find the IPA.

[tigeraid]

I've had Keith's Red, once. Didn't like it.

[TheBenior]

Tried a Sam Adams Cold Snap. Tasted like a slightly better Blue Moon.

[Rob]

That's not setting the bar particularly high.

[TheBenior]

It really isn't, the regular Sam Adams Winter Lager is definitely better.

[Godson]

Yeah, Cold snap is OK.


I prefer Boston and Winter much more. But I would gladly take it over just about any other regular offering.

[Rob]

Cocktails. They were 2-4-1 at a local Caribbean place that I've dragged Steve to a couple of times (and Matt and Keith O, come to think of it...).

Normally £6.75 each, during happy hour midday-7pm and then 10pm-1am they are effectively half price.

Didn't stop me killing 7 in the first 50 minutes (we got there at 5pm) and running up a tab of £170 for the evening (just me and T drinking). There were 6 or 7 off-menu signature cocktails I demanded the staff to make me that probably cost £7-10 each. I also discovered that Subway is open at 2am and was still drunk at 10am the next morning. Oh yeah, basically on an empty stomach too.

Victory?

Victory.

[Yw-slayer]

Cocktails? You're going to undo all the good work you did with that Kettlebell, bro.

[Rob]

Tell me about it. It's likely just glycogen and fluids but I was 5lb heavier the day after. Back to straight bourbon I go...

[Yw-slayer]

It's the sugar. The amount of that in most cocktails is insane. Even lager is probably slightly healthier. Bitter is probably the healthiest beer from that aspect, and vodka lime sodas/gin or vodka tonics are the only cocktails I drink. I usually stick to wine, and even then, maybe 1-2 glasses every 2 weeks.

On the other hand, I'm in Thailand (Chiangmai, so no supadrai action) for a stag from Friday to Sunday. This is going to be brutal.

[Godson]

Tell me about it. It's likely just glycogen and fluids but I was 5lb heavier the day after. Back to straight bourbon I go...

Not the fluids, it's all the sugar being turned into fats.

Alcohol causes you to duirese fluid off from the inhibition of the ADH (anti-diuretic hormone). Now if you were loading water after the alcohol and were trying to sober up, then it is possible to be fluid volume build up. But that would mean you have drank almost .75 a gallon of water that your body had not released yet.



In other news, I drank the almost mandatory crap "green beer" today for obvious reasons. It was shit, and I should have just bought my Gin and Tonics and been happy.

[Rob]

Not the fluids, it's all the sugar being turned into fats.

There is no fucking way I drank seventeen and a half THOUSAND calories' worth of sugar...given that one pound of fat is 3500 calories.

It's the 4-6lb of glycogen I seem to be able to gain in hours and lose inside two days fairly reliably.

I was pissing like a racehorse yesterday and already appear to be 2-3lbs lighter.

Which obviously justified me having a couple of Whiskey Old Fashioned.

[Yw-slayer]

Dude, the sugar will fuck you up big-time - anyway, Godson is the nurse here, so...

[Rob]

Ok, a kilogram of refined white sugar contains c. 3800 calories.

Eating a kilo bag should metabolise into a little over 1lb of fat.

I'd question the odds of all those drinks containing 5 kilos of sugar total.

[Yw-slayer]

It's not that simple. But anyway, the takeaway is that cocktails and sugar are bad, MMKAY?

[Rob]

Monkey Shoulder Blended Malt scotch was on offer in Sainsbury's, down from £27 to £22 a bottle. So I grabbed two.

[Rob]

Oh yeah, today I discovered that Whistlepig Straight Rye changes hands for £90 a bottle here on the rare occasion any surfaces. That's not far off 150 bucks.

[Godson]

I was at Costco the other day and saw a 40 year old bottle of scotch for 700 $. It was Kirkland brand.



Serious wtf. I passed on the 'awesome' opportunity.

[speedpimp]

I remember seeing bottles of a certain Courvoisier range selling for $1200 at Sam's Club. They kept it in a locked case.

[Rob]

I was at Costco the other day and saw a 40 year old bottle of scotch for 700 $. It was Kirkland brand.



Serious wtf. I passed on the 'awesome' opportunity.

That's a Costco relabelling of a Glenlivet. The nearest I can find here is the Dufftown Glenlivet 40 for £999.

[Godson]

I did not know that. Makes it a decent price then.

[Rob]

A decent price for a new tv maybe. :|

[LHutton]

Glenmorangie.

[Godson]

This...is fantastic (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/63/197/)

[Rob]

Deschutes stuff is really great. Mirror Pond rocked my socks.

[Godson]

I haven't had this since 2009 with ettsn at taco Mac.


Yeung, it has been too long

[KillerB]

Yeah next time I go back east I will have a Yuengling for sure.

[Sad, little man]

I just poured myself a nice amount from the Lagavulin bottle to celebrate a recent event... My god this stuff is amazing. I have never experienced any other liquor that you can take a big mouthful of, swish it around in your mouth, swallow it, and not have any kind of harsh burning sensation. It just makes your gums feel all warm and tingly, that's it.

I mean, when people usually say that a liquor tastes smooth, they basically mean "Well, it won't burn too much." But this stuff, my god, it's smooth. As in, does it really have that much alcohol smooth.

[SportWagon]

We went to Beertown on Monday, and my wife had a half pint Mill St. Cobblestone Stout. First she taste-tested Waterloo Dark Lager versus Cobblestone to see which seemed like the cleanest dark beer. She thought the Cobblestone was better, claiming it had a bitter aftertaste which overcame the thick sweetness, whereas Guinness does not. (Though she did not actually directly compare with Guinness that day, and I'd guess it's been years since she had a Guinness and right now she's borrowing her friend's disparagements a bit too enthusiastically, methinks).

I started with a Beau's Lug Tread since I remembered, correctly it turned out, that it was a very well-crafted beer. And it was served in its signature glass with tractor livery, with the extra little tractor etched down the bottom visible when you finished.

After that I explored a couple more darks starting with a 500ml bottle of Grand River Mill Race Mild, which briefly turned the conversation towards Cornish pasties. And we finished up sharing a can of Fuller's London Porter, which I found to be very chocolately tasting. My wife not so much, since she'd just recently finished an actual brownie with chocolate ice cream.

And then we walked home, stopping initially at a Yogurt place, where I had Froyo for the first time since getting an Android phone. Then there was a more unexpected dive into Tim Horton's to use the facilities and purchase some courtesy items; an apple fritter by itself for me--and small decaf and strudel special I think it was for my wife.

[mk]

Have somebody tooted Captain Morgan Spiced Gold?
Not bad, rhum for chiks also, me thinks.
(not influenced much)

[lostnight]

I haven't tried that Captain Morgan Spiced Gold yet, more of a vodka drinker.

Great Lake's has a pilsner called The Wright Pils, I love it. Everyone's doing IPAs And Wheat beers, no one gives a half a shit about making a good pilsner anymore, so it was nice to find this.

[tigeraid]

Tried a Rickard's lemon beer yesterday. Terrible.

Also tried Somersby Cidar. Citrus, in this case, but I also have a couple more flavours to try.

Tell me, does this stuff revoke my man card? I read the ingredients and turns out it's mostly wine! But I bought it in a tall boy in the beer section dammit!

[SportWagon]

So why did you try something (Rickard's Lemon Beer) that was predictably terrible?

Somersby is a Danish forgery. Even worse if they're marketing as cider something which is wine. Unless wine means "apple wine", not "grape wine", as a result of some strange rule of the labeling laws.

Can't actually find a "Rickard's Lemon", although I find a "Shandy". Girly drink made by mixing beer with lemonade. (Or apple juice, or ginger beer or ginger ale, other other pop-type drinks).

Rickard's just seems like Molson's attempt (fairly long-running, well established) to horn in on the craft-brew market.

[tigeraid]

I tried it because I tend to enjoy lemon flavoured things. I mistaken on one of them.

They definitely label Somserby as a cider. Though the ingredients clearly state it has fruity wine in it. But I did enjoy it, and I despise wine, so there's that.

[SportWagon]

http://www.whatidrinkathome.com/2014/07/05/somersby-citrus-cider/


P.S. I was surprised to discover that the main ingredient of this is “citrus wine”, which is a combination of water, sugar and citrus juice concentrate.

Seems weird.

[SupraDupra]

I had a bit of Alpine Duet this weekend.

[Rikadyn]

Bushmills. a fifth a day keeps the feelings away.

[overpowered]

They had Valar Morghulis at Costco, so I decided to try a bottle. It's very, belgian. I'm not a big fan of belgians. On the up side, it's 8% and 750ml, so I have a good buzz going.

[thesameguy]

Because I am classy, I drank my bottle of Elmer T Lee without a glass.

Based on the success of that venture, I'm onto the Whistlepig.

Goal: Drink all the good booze by Christmas.

[SportWagon]

Funny, a 375ml bottle of The Glenlivet looks a bit like a craft brew.

"Are you sure you counted everything in there?"

"Well, yes, you can check your receipt".

"Hmm, I guess the single bottles don't add up very quickly..."

Can only argue so hard in that situation. Somehow The Glenlivet had got rung in as an extra Cobblestone Stout. But I really didn't figure that out till I read the receipt as I was putting the bag away in the car.

[Fogelhund]

http://www.beeriosity.com/storage/reviews/editor_review_photos/graeme/new_zealand/RenaissanceElemental.jpg

I tried this on the weekend... it was so good I went back to the store I got it from, and cleaned them out.

[SportWagon]

Friday I downed a bit too quickly a pint of draft http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/10796/135617/

Followed it with I think http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/132/111176/

I'm thinking perhaps their draft isn't quite as high percentage as the bottles. Because the Rogue tasted and felt downright normal after the Division by Zero.

I think I've got the right Rogue. I thought it was more local to us than Oregon, though.

Yes, I found the Rogue logo. And it's associated with what they serve in the little tap bar..
http://www.ratebeer.com/p/kick-off-waterloo/11892/
http://www.yelp.ca/biz/kickoff-waterloo

[thesameguy]

This stuff:

http://www.drinkspirits.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/rumchata.jpg

and Fireball is delicious. DELICIOUS.

[Godson]

Boulevard Mid-Coast IPA.

Tasty.

Boulevard Oatmeal Stout

Not bad, strong flavors though. I enjoy more of a earthy flavoring in my beers though.

[speedpimp]

Finished off my bottle of Bulleit bourbon the other night. Only took me three years to do it.

[SportWagon]

I conceived of a Scotch Martini, and discovered via web searches that it was already a concept.

I tried it at home with a little of my 3 dollar bottle of The Glenlivet and I think regular Tanqueray. Although I have a bottle of Hayman's (London Dry) Gin going right now. Interesting story. They sold Beefeater and then relaunched with some slightly different recipes.

I tried one at the tap bar, too, but he overdid the Scotch a bit and used sweet mild gin so it didn't have quite the same effect.

Other beers at the tap bar, of course.

And at one point at home I consumed a can of http://www.lancasterbomberale.co.uk/
It was not as plain plonky (London Pride-ish) as I sort of expected it would be. But then afterwards I noticed the awards on the can.

http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo/product/lancaster-bomber-ale/271809

[SportWagon]

Am I the only one on this forum who drinks alcohol anymore?

[Cam]

Some of us just don't post about it. :) (Or maybe some of us are embarrassed to admit how much we drink. :o )

Right now, I'm having a Yuengling. Yesterday I had a large mug of Pacifico at a Mexican restaurant. The day before that I had a rum (Bacardi Gold) and cola (Virgil's Real Cola.) I occasionally have a margarita made with fresh limes. I used to buy Sauza Gold, but I branched out and tried a few different tequilas in the last couple of months. Can't remember the names off-hand. We always have red wine in the cupboard. I buy something different every time I purchase wine. Just bought a couple of Samuel Smith's brews tonight at the grocery store.

[Cam]

Enjoying this one right now. http://www.greatbritishbeerco.co.uk/ridgeway-brewing/lump-of-coal

[speedpimp]

Had some Cajun Beer Bread that was made with Round Barn Brewery's Oak Wood Aged IPA. You can taste a bit of the IPA in it. For the most part it reminds me of dressing.

[SportWagon]

Sometime prior to Christmas I bought a Promotional 4-pack of Wychwood.

Scarecrow Organic Blonde Ale http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/160/4079/
Imperial Red Ruby Ale http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/160/109693/
Dr. Thirsty's http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/160/105279/
and Hobgoblin, of course http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/160/236/


The most interesting was perhaps the Scarecrow. Hobgoblin has become a standard for me. And the Imperial Red was sort of a shadow of the same thing. The Dr. Thirsty's bordered on terrible. In a sophisticated sort of way.

At the bar I've had mostly offerings from Brewdog (http://www.brewdog.com/) or the local Block 3 (http://www.blockthreebrewing.com/).

Block 3 has one they call "Through the Quad", which is Belgian style. 10%. Sort of reminiscent of an English barley-wine, but cloudy with yeast.
And their James Brown Ale (https://untappd.com/b/block-three-brewing-co-james-brown-ale/956422) seemed nice.

Oh yes one day I was lucky enough to catch some of what they labelled on the board as Sam Adams Band Ale, but I'm having difficulty finding citations for. I think I like session ales. Bill told me that keg emptied very quickly.

I think the "Band Ale" must have been this...
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/25263/144216/
i.e. Sam Roberts Band Session Ale. It was definitely a session ale style. Either I misrembered the scribbling on the chalk-board list, or they made either a mistake or a joke when writing it.

Because both Samuel Adams, and Sam Adams Band are things. But actually, Sam Roberts Band (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sam_Roberts_Band) seems to be even more of a thing (in Canada anyway). Hmm. Sam Adams Band seems to be one of those entities who figure your web presence should be rooted in facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sam-Adams-band/132523336810028), not wikipedia.

[thesameguy]

I am drinking beer. But I am doing it ON A TRAIN!

[SportWagon]

Went to liquor store.
Purchased...


2 Rogue Dead Guy (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/132/355/)
1 Spitfire Bottle of Britain (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/138/305/)
1 Duchy Originals Organic Old Ruby Ale 1905 (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/160/61602/) from Wychwood
1 Trusty old Hobgoblin (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/160/236/), with marketing assistance from Barack Obama.
1 Hayman's Old Tom Gin (http://www.ginfoundry.com/gin/haymans-old-tom-gin/) (I should really just stick to London Dry)


Should last a few weeks. Actually, I think the Organic Ruby is labelled as from Waitrose. Perhaps some acquisition happened recently. Or beeradvocate is wrong. Hmm. Looks like Waitrose is a marketer for Wychwood, or something.
Or a chain of supermarkets? (wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waitrose)).
http://www.waitrose.com/home/inspiration/about_waitrose/about_our_food/drink/beer.html

Here's a four-pack I really enjoyed a while ago...
Wychwood Beers of Character (http://www.waitrose.com/shop/ProductView-10317--65731-Wychwood+Beers+of+Character+Collection).


Oh, I would have bought

1 Beau's Lug Tread Lagered Ale (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/15435/34786/)

(in a more plain bottle than currently shown at that site)
but they wouldn't split 4 pack, and I don't really drink that much at home, and I like to have variety. Lug Tread is nice every now-and-then, but not repetitively.


Edit: so, last night, a Hobgoblin helped me make room in my fridge for a Dead Guy.

[SportWagon]

SLM worthy and double-post worthy...
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2099/7428/

Not quite a normal Scotch Ale, but strangely yummy.

[Drachen596]

Nothing super special for me. i have Guiness and some Jim Beam and Pepsi.

probably a terrible idea since i have to work tomorrow. we shall see though.

[Alan P]

Had a drink last week, first time in 3 1/2 years! Nothing too adventurous though! Kopparberg Strawberry and Lime.

[SportWagon]

Another pleasant surprise.
Butler's Bitter (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/25051/82691/) from Niagara College Teaching Brewery (http://www.firstdraft.ca/content/Home/Products.aspx)

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/25051/82691/ said it was discontinued, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

It is supposed to be authentic 1812 style. I was expecting something dark orange in colour, and, well bitter, perhaps one of those cidery British styles I don't quite like.

But it was very dark, and not really bitter. Just a pleasant subtle extra taste from light hoppng.

It seems much like a Session Ale, and I suppose that might make sense for an 1812 heritage. Though the 1812 stuff is probably mostly hype from the College marketing school, or something. Well, it was first brewed in 2012, the 200th anniversary.

[Kchrpm]

I have some Gatorade G2 Strawberry Lemonade at home. New flavor for me, I like it.

[SportWagon]

This local Block 3 offering ("Project Orange") was on tap at the usual place I go...
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/34730/163250/

Ick. Poo. Yuck. The keg was nice that night--a lighter bodied ale for a change. Can't recall what it was, though. And I had a Rogue 7 Hops, which is a bit of a standby. http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/132/111176/

But I continued to be curious about the Project Orange. I should not have been. I had great trouble getting it down, and needed a glass of water to wash the taste away afterwards.

Mike was finishing up with a middle shelf Scotch, so I tried for something from Glenmorangie, but they didn't have any. So I believe Bill sold me a Dunhill.

[Godson]

Found out my neighbor works at Boulevard Brewery. Told him I loved Tank 7.


Couple hours later I walk out to get something from the car, and notice a case of Tank 7, and a 4-pack of The Calling. I coach tonight, so I need to wait before I can partake. I am super excited.

[KillerB]

Yuengling Traditional Lager. In Los Angeles. This should not be possible, yet it is.

[SportWagon]

Here you can find the current Cask and Keg listings for the place I usually go... http://askcask.com/venues/kickoff

Oooh!! They've broken out the Sam Roberts Band Session Ale (http://askcask.com/beverages/sam-roberts-band-session-ale).

[SportWagon]

So I went there tonight, I did. And I took me farver's glass-bottom pewter mug, I did. Inscribed to SJT. PEPPER, it is.

And I had me a Sam Roberts Band Session Ale (http://askcask.com/beverages/sam-roberts-band-session-ale) in it, I did. Something from Fuller's would've been more suited, but I thought the Sam Roberts might run out. Besides the Fullers was Black Cab Stout (http://askcask.com/beverages/black-cab-stout). And Bill warned me it had just been changed, and so it was warm.

So I had a Black Cab for the second pint in the pewter mug, I did.

Back to my office to see if my wife asked to buy my own supper (which necessitates going and go back to the bar again; they're tolerant of brought-in food), but that was not the case, so I'm going home for supper, I am. Preparing for cycling season, is the story, it is.

Drinking from a pewter mug is strange, it is, because you can't see the colour of the beer. Well, the glass bottom helps, it does.

[speedpimp]

Two shots of Margaritaville tequila and a 25 oz. can of Oculto(billed as "beer brewed with tequila barrel staves").

[SportWagon]

Mostly abstaining until I figure out why I have no cycling legs this year. And hopefully improve that situation and get some legs back.

But last night I couldn't resist a middle-of-the-night Church-Key Holy Smoke (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2099/7428/).

[Godson]

Jameson and ginger ale.


Better then I thought it would be.

[Cam]

Found a recipe for a "High Voltage" in a cocktails book. It's quite refreshing on a hot day like today. Whiskey, triple sec and lime juice, topped up with club soda.

[sandydandy]

Got a bottle of Skyy vodka, which I 'thought' was a premium brand. How wrong I was. It's nasty! Tastes like nail polish remover, even when mixed with Sprite or 7up. Just horrible.

I'd been drinking Absolut for a while and was perfectly content, but during my last trip to the liquor store decided to get creative and try something new. What a mistake. Will never buy this garbage again. Ever.

I'm about ready to just cut my loss and dump this shit down the drain. Worst vodka I've ever drank. Worse than Aristocrat.

[SportWagon]

Went to liquor store.
Purchased...

1 Spitfire Bottle of Britain (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/138/305/)



Wow. That really is a well-balanced ale. Full-bodied, somewhat sweet but with just the right amount of bitterness. Nice beer-bottle brown in colour. (Comes in clear bottles which look like brown bottles if you don't notice the top of the neck).

[Godson]

Jameson, ginger ale, and lime.

[Rikadyn]

Yamazaki Distillers Reserve.

[speedpimp]

Bell's Oberon and Two Hearted Ale.

[thesameguy]

We did a pickleback (piskey whickle?) tasting on Friday. Drank so much Jameson and so much pickle juice it was unreal. Finished with about six beers of various denomination.

[pl8ster]

Oh, wow, had a bottle of this tonight and it was AWESOME.

1309
http://www.schlenkerla.de/rauchbier/sorten/fastenbiere.html

[SportWagon]

Restocked for a few weeks Beau's Festivale (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/15435/53746/) looks like possibly a Bockish version of Lug Tread
Scotch Ale from Highlander Brewery (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/20563/79777/) - may not be exactly that one
Church Key Holy Smoke (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2099/7428/) a yummy Scotch Ale in case previous is disappointing
And a Scarecrow (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/160/4079/) in a pear tree

Oh and I had a draught Santa Paws (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16315/105931/) at Bill and Troy's Excellent Taproom (http://askcask.com/venues/kickoff). Actually it was so good I had two. The Sam Roberts Band Session Ale (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/25263/144216/) had been disappointing, actually.

[Yw-slayer]

Finished off some Patrice Rion Chambolle Musigny 2008, which was AWESOME VALUE, but even that could not compete with....

... Faustino I 2001. Seriously this shit is the dog's. I am going to order at least 24 bottles.

[SportWagon]

Two Dead Guys, a Scarecrow and a Hobgoblin walked into my bar.

"Ha! Ha!", laughed the Hobgoblin, "I'm the only one here who's a living being".

"Well, actually," retorted the Scarecrow, "you're the one that's only mythical".

And the Hobgoblin vanished in a puff of logic. Which was a shame, because it's good beer.

[Tom Servo]

Friend of mine bought me a bottle of Nikka Coffey Grain Whiskey from Japan...it's not half bad. It's no Lagavulin, but it'll do.

Tracked down a couple of bottles of Mikkeller's "Beer Geek Brunch Weasel" not too long ago, that's always worth the cost. Wondering if I can find a place that will cold brew that coffee for me and see if I can homebrew the beer....

[thesameguy]

The culmination of my November 2015 masterwork is me and my dog chillaxing alone while I hit my second 650 of Stone's Vertical Epic. What a fine, fine brew. I ditched the family, no doubt soon I will ditch sobriety. Wish the neighbor would pop by and share whatever he's smoking and bring me to Holiday Perfection.

[Cam]

Root beer and Captain Morgan Tattoo. :lol: Sweet.

[Phil_SS]

Moonshine. Apple Pie to be exact. :)

And this isn't some store bought poser. It's honest to god back woods goodness.

[thesameguy]

I once made a terrible mistake* of mixing moonshine with Grape Drink - which is a shitty desert name for a shitty desert drink... vodka & grape juice concentrate.

* I have no recollection of it being a terrible mistake, but others present told me it was.

[thesameguy]

Hey, you know what is good though... for real... picklebacks.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/82/9e/18/829e18ef4137c9b984c7b3cbd7f8b9fb.jpg

Gotta get the right pickles, but it's truly a fantastic combo.

On the subject, so is the good old fashioned American Sazerac.

http://cocktailtimes.com/whiskey/top_primehouse_sazerac.jpg

Now that Absinthe is legal again, you can order one in your favorite local hipster bar. Just make sure they use some sort of real Absinthe and not that bullshit Pernod.

[SportWagon]

King Goblin is like Hobgoblin with a little more alcohol and a little less character. Not sure if my wife will ever okay the opening of the Drambuie she made me buy. What a silly spelling checker. Underlines Drambuie.

But my wife did decide she really likes Scarecrow.

[Cam]

Duclaw Sweet Baby Jesus, the Reese's Peanut Butter Cup of beer.

http://duclaw.com/beer/sweet-baby-jesus/

[Cam]

Orange-flavoured booze and vanilla flavoured booze mixed... Creamsicle.

[SportWagon]

Snuck my wife some Drambuie and she didn't like it! But at least now I can explain why the bottle is open.

Beau's is now selling 600ml singles of a nice Scottish Ale which they call 80 shillings (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/15435/199016/). Partly because the store was out of Holy Smoke I bought a bottle last weekend and tried it last night. It was more than passable, but not super-outstanding.

Over the holidays I spotted a Spitfire (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/138/305/). You know, The Bottle of Britain. But it was in a tinny, can you imagine that? At least I kept a bottle from before to remember it by. A clear glass bottle. Which sort of surprised you because the beer inside is beer-bottle brown. My first bottle of Hobgoblin (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/160/236/) was like that. Makes me glad I try to collect an instance of each beer container I drink, since later Hobgoblin bottles have been brown. And the goblin art is different too.

But recently my wife threatened that collection. Grrr.

[speedpimp]

Lagunitas Hop Stoopid and Jim Beam Devil's Cut.

[SportWagon]

Glenmorangie Lasanta.

Bill would not let me put a sliver of ice in it, but insisted on only an eye-dropper of water. Even gave me a small shot with the ice and my real shot with the tiny drop of water.

That was after pints of

Death Valley IPA (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1535/86337/)
Iron Spike Copper Ale (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/17014/43085/)
and
Hacker-Pschorr Maibock (http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/hacker-pschorr-maibock/132095/)

[Cam]

I tried Miller High Life, "The Champagne of Beers." for the first time tonight.

I poured it out.

[thesameguy]

Old Rasputin. You jerk.

[Yw-slayer]

Tomorrow, first drink since early Feb. Roederer Brut and a bunch of Gibbston Valley stuff. Probably also some Tsingtao.

[speedpimp]

Sam Adams Rebel Rouser 2x IPA is some good shit, especially when backed with Jim Beam Devil's Cut.

[SportWagon]

Last Friday I had...

Rogue Brutal IPA (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/132/361/)
Block 3 Three Ring Circus Belgian Triple (https://untappd.com/b/block-three-brewing-co-three-ring-circus/1171155)
And another, perhaps Royal City Two Rivers (http://askcask.com/beverages/two-rivers)

and then during my walk home ...
this happened (http://gtxforums.net/showthread.php?1360-This-is-the-thread-where-we-talk-about-bad-driving-riding-walking&p=73008&viewfull=1#post73008)

[speedpimp]

Moscow Mule in a can.

[Freude am Fahren]

Tried out some Coney Island Hard Ginger Ale. Never really been into the hard sodas, but it's pretty good and refreshing, and tastes more like ginger ale than Not Your Father's Root Beer tastes like root beer. Still not as good as Jack and Ginger.

[thesameguy]

Pepsi has these new "1893" sodas, a cola and a ginger. The ginger goes GREAT with Jameson. Like,spot on.

[SportWagon]

Discovered I had a bottle of Dr. Thirsty's No. 4 Blonde (http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/160/105279/) from Wychwood, the Hobgoblin people.

Despite its description as citrus and floral, it seems like maybe this brewery doesn't really know much about adding junct to beer, and it's actually very clean.

Ah actually found.

http://www.beerlog.ru/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/wychwood_dr.thirstys_3.jpg

A shimmering blonde concoction of fruits.
This unpasteurised beer provides instant refreshment
with an insanely fragrant aroma.
Brewed & bottled in the UK.

So, as I say, I was pleasantly relieved that that description was not so accurate, and it really tasted like beer. Unlike some of those North American craft-brewed usually attributed as Belgian-style things, usually with "Saison" in their name. When I see "Saison" I now read "Full of junk which isn't beer".

I suppose I forgot to explain that this bottle came as part of a Christmas promotional 4-pack from Wychwood. Otherwise their description might have put me off buying it.

And despite other reviews, my bottle poured a near-amber blonde colour.

[Cam]

What I drank.

1913

[Yw-slayer]

Just went to a Macallan dinner. Had some of the MOP5 and MOP4. They were good, but frankly my palate isn't sophisticated enough to appreciate them and I preferred the value for money of the new Double Cask release.

[speedpimp]

Great Lakes Commodore Perry IPA and Bird Dog Whiskey(including Jalapeno Honey flavored). Can't drink a 1/4 of what I used to.

[SportWagon]

So last night I was watching an old episode of To Tell the Truth and they had as one of the featured guests the then current owner of Flowers Brewery, who was also heavily involved in the Shakespeare theatre scene in Stratford-on-Avon.

I remember drinking something marketed here as "Flowers Mild Bitter" when playing darts on Wednesdays in the very early 1990's. Perhaps my favourite beer of all time.


The challengers got skunked. (The entire panel(Tom Poston, Peggy Cass, Orson Bean and Kitty Carlisle) picked the correct guy).

Oh yes, I polished off a Churchkey Holy Smoke while watching the show. I drank it from a Rogue Brewery shaker glass.

[Cam]

Drinking Howe Sound Licorice Imperial Stout. Damn tasty.

http://www.howesound.com/

At the same time, I picked up some Samuel Smith's Organic Lager, which is a favourite over here.

Lori got some Stiegl Radler Grapefruit, which is the only Stiegl we can buy around here, it seems. Too bad, because I'm a fan of the pilsner, which can be purchased readily at the Ontario Beer Store.

[speedpimp]

Lagunitases Hop Stoopid Ale is really fucking good. That is all.

[Cam]

Rum and root beer. :D

[SportWagon]

Why is there now barf on my keyboard?

[Cam]

You drank too much? :p

[Cam]

I have determined that I am not into saison.

In the past few years, I have been more into darker brews, like porters and stouts.

[SportWagon]

Saison = full of crap which isn't beer.

I had an "Elora Borealis", a local craft-brew citra-hopped pale ale, which seemed to have the recipe down nice and subtly.

At the same party I sampled the "Tullamore Dew" Irish WhiskEy I gave the hostess for her 1000000th birthday, and it certainly is very smooth but tasty.

[speedpimp]

Familia Camarena Reposado Tequila. I got it from one of the salesmen at work. He got it from his inlaws when they "downsized" and let him have their bar. Really fucking smooth. Also included in the hall was a bottle of Crown Royal(contents were enough for one shot) and a few bottles of champagne and mixes. Gave the big bottles of champy and mixes to a neighbor.

[Cam]

Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest. Nice.

[Cam]

Battle of the stouts!

Conquest Medusa Stout: Poured very foamy, despite pouring down the side of the glass. It was sweet, but otherwise nothing special. Quite bland. Avoid.
Carolina Bauernhaus Nacht Imperial Stout: Not as strong a flavour as I expected, but still a bit more complex than the Conquest. Not necessarily worth the price.
Abita Bourbon Street Imperial Stout: Much more flavourful than the other two. Sweet aroma and caramel on the tongue. Nice.

Edit, one more:
Freehouse Brewery Hoodoo Organic Imperial Stout: Sweet aroma, slightly bitter flavour and a sweet finish. Not bad.

[Cam]

Of all the liqueurs to have ever existed, http://www.sortilegewhisky.com/ is the best. Ever.

[SportWagon]

Store was out of normal (London Dry) Tanqueray (https://us.tanqueray.com/gins/london-dry-gin/) in the normal size, so I decided to try the Rangpur (Lime) (https://us.tanqueray.com/gins/rangpur-gin/) variety.

Don't like it. It tastes like vodka mixed with dirty limes (completely overpowering the normal Tanqueray flavours which are supposedly there) and seems to irritate rather than soothe a mildly sore throat. (Some Beefeater (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beefeater_Gin) demonstrated to me that such a non-lime(y?) gin would actually soothe a post-cold sore throat; even though Beefeater apparently has some lemon and orange peel in it).

[Cam]

Can't stand gin. The wife likes gin and tonics, but it's too bitter for me. The only time I drink gin is if it is in a Long Island Ice Tea.

[SportWagon]

All gins are not created equal.

[Cam]

Yeah, some taste like grass and some taste like hay. :P

[Cam]

Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier Märzen: The only word on the label I recognized was "smokebeer" and I think they only put it on there to warn the foreigners. The aroma smelled like tanned leather, but the taste is definitely smokey. It's a dark red colour with a hearty flavour. I kind of like it.

Edit: I went back in time and found this:


Oh, wow, had a bottle of this tonight and it was AWESOME.

1309
http://www.schlenkerla.de/rauchbier/sorten/fastenbiere.html

That's the one!

[SportWagon]

Hendrick's Gin tastes like(of) cucumber.

[IMOA]

I'm with sportwagon, Gin is a wonderful thing.

My regular rotation atm is

Cheap I'm a bit pissed Gin - Tanqueray
Negronis - Four pillars spiced negroni
Strong cocktails that call for a Old Tom - Archie Rose Distillers strength
Gin and tonic - Archie Rose tailored (botanicals of juniper, blood lime, river mint and a tickle of honey)
Martini Gin - Archie Rose signature dry or Adelaide hills distillery 78 degrees (with Margan dry vermouth. Wonderful)
Something different Gin - Four pillars bloody shiraz (particularly in a bloody Floradora) and Four Pillars Christmas Gin (using christmas pudding as one of the botanicals! Girlfriend loves a martinez made with this after work). Actually, I also made up some tanqueray infused with toasted coconut for some other cocktails which is interesting
Sipping Gin - Atm I'm giving Ginzu a run (replacing aviation I've I've had a bit too much of that recently)

Of all the spirits I have more Gin than anything else (unless you count whisky's as a single spirit rather than scotch, bourbon, rye etc)

Cam - your issue may be as simple as shitty Gin like Gordons or crappy post mix tonic, something like Tanqueray is a really good, versatile value for money Gin and if you mix that with a Fever tree Indian (or Mediterranean if you find indian tonic bitter) you might be surprised.

[Cam]

Simple reality, I just don't like it. I was told by a couple of English folks that Hendricks gin in Fever Tree tonic with a slice of cucumber is the best G&T ever. I thought it tasted like grass. I don't like grass.

[SportWagon]

Tanqueray (normal London Dry) is my "canonical" gin. But I didn't like Tanquery Ten. It had a sharp woody taste.

When Canadian-made Gordon's was extremely pungent juniper (Drew said "like drinking a Christmas tree" about some gin and it met that description), I would mix a very small amount of it with a large amount of carbonated water (usually not true soda), and typically drink i from my pint mug. But a few years back they changed their formula (actually apparently bringing it more in line with the British product, I believe), and it no longer had that characteristic.

Now I tend to drink it (gin, that is, very very rarely Gordon's now) straight. Though to take the edge of that Tanqueray Rangpur, I mix it with just a little Beefeater.

For a short while there was something marketed here as "Hayman's Old Tom". Allegedly actual Victorian style. (oom pah pah! oom pah pah! That's 'ow it goes...) I really liked it, but it went away. Very occasionally now you'll see "Hayman's London Dry", but only very occasionally. And it sells out quickly.

You never see Seagram's gin around this town. That might be because where there are now condos, there used to stand, until 1992, the original Seagram distillery. The (originally) Kuntz Brewery was not far away either (it became Labatt, and closed too in 1993). Some nights walking home the excess malt oozing into the air was quite overpowering.

Everyone here does know why there is no "apostrophe S" after "Labatt"?
(Actually I think the brewery in question did become "Labatt's" and changed to "Labatt" in 1988).


And another thought...

Maybe it's tonic water that Cam doesn't like...

[IMOA]

Believe it or not we ordered a Gin when out the other night and my girlfriend left most of it because the tonic was bad. She's a concerned that I've made her more than a little fussy :)

For Cam it might be interesting to try something quite out there like Aviation as thats quite a different tasting gin or something like The Botanist which is very botanical and light on juniper so quite different to standard gins however ultimately if he doesn't like it he doesn't like it. Sadly I assume this means he also wouldn't like a Negroni and I couldn't imagine living if I didn't have Negroni's to enjoy.

[SportWagon]

My thesis is that in the limit there is no difference between gin and vodka. So one can only say one does not like all/any gin if one also doesn't like natural vodka.

On the other hand, one can certainly say one does not like London Dry Gin. (Although it seems to me even London Dry Gin has got much less bitter over the years).

[IMOA]

My understanding is that the only difference between gin and vodka is that gin has juniper. As you say there are different styles of gin (London dry being the most common) but in terms of flavours gin can have anything.

Oh, and they launched this today, I couldn’t resist.

https://archierose.com.au/shop/product/horisumi-summer

[Cam]

What can I say, I have simple tastes and enjoy sweeter liquor; rum (and cola), tequila (margarita), plus the aforementioned maple whiskey. However, Long Island iced tea is one of my favourite cocktails. As you know, it contains rum, tequila, vodka, gin and orange liqueur.

I feel that good vodka is pretty much tasteless, while the gins I have tried tasted very bitter to me.

Ironically, I cut back on my alcohol consumption in the past few months and have lost four kilograms (ten pounds).

[SportWagon]

Started a bottle of Hendrick's gin for the first time in a few years. It seemed a lot heavier on the licorice than I remembered.

[IMOA]

Misbehaving a bit tonight. Which means I learnt a few things

Negroni is still the greatest cocktail ever created. No question. Close the book. But 4:3:3
Last word can finish an argument
New Orleans is responsible for more genuinely great cocktails than anywhere else in the world
Martinez needs old tom or a sprinkle of christmas from those magicians at four pillars
Smokey nails shit on rusty nails

[IMOA]

On Champs Elyeese now. Kinda drunk

[SportWagon]

Stonehammer Pilsner
St. Ambroise Double IPA
Unibroue Trois Pistoles
Negra Modelo
Dos Equis (dark) (can't actually confirm its existence)

Shillow Bitter Waitress
Greene King Festive Ale
Shepherd Neame Christmas Ale

[Cam]

A few weeks ago, I got a half-dozen or so mixed German beers. I enjoyed all but one.

This week, I have Murphy's Stout and Innis & Gunn Rum Aged Scotch Ale. The Murphy's is unexciting; kind of bland. I enjoy Innis & Gunn beers.

[SportWagon]

I managed to get some Bitter Waitress dark IPA before Christmas, which my wife enjoyed, and the store restocked so I was able to get some more for New Year's as well.

We also had with dinner some Granville Island IPA and Elora Lady Friend.

Early in the new year I decided I shouldn't let my Wychwood 4-pack get stale, so I had
Dr Thirsty's Blonde Ale
Scarecrow Organic Blonde Ale
Imperial Red Ruby Ale

Didn't get to the Hobgoblin yet.

[Cam]

Appleton's and cola. A traditional favourite.

[IMOA]

New discovery. Really good quality absinthe french style (sugar cube, little bit of ice water) with a couple of handmade belgian pralines. This is my new favourite way to finish dinner.

[IMOA]

Fuck. On the absinthe again. The best thing about it is while it does create a situation where you get stuck into the fancy Belgian choccy’s at 68%abv there is a natural fuse to ensure you don’t eat too many. They also do an absolutely cracking London dry, one of the few London drys I prefer straight up. This place if anyone stumbles into Belgium.

http://www.sasdistilleries.com/

[Cam]

Javer Pilsner from Germany. Reminds me of the cheap Nova Scotia beers from Oland Brewery. In other words, kind of lame. :lol:

[Tom Servo]

Having a "Big Deluxe" from Ritual Brewing in Redlands. Imperial Oat Stout aged in High West Bourbon barrels. Extremely caramel-y, but goes down really easy. Between them and the Pugachev's Cobra coming out of the same city, that's two really strong imperial stouts coming out of Redlands. Might have to make a road trip out there.

[SportWagon]

On Friday...
- some localish IPA (Beau's maybe?)
- two https://cowbellbrewing.com/beer/013-belgian-eggnog Belgian Eggnog
- the second was a mistake because I meant to order https://beaus.ca/halcyon-barrel-house-releasing-first-sour-ale-gravity-well-lcbos/
- which I did afterwards

A 9% Flanders-style red ale. Came in smallish snifter-type glass, though...

Perhaps it was best savoured alone, instead of while I was eating a traditional Chinese crepe and wonton soup (the second Eggnog was tolerable with that).

Then it was time to toddle home. Oh, and Walter announced his retirement.

[SportWagon]

Spotted the following Ontario craft gin at the liquor store http://www.lcbo.com/lcbo/product/top-shelf-gin/464719
And the cashier gave it a recommendation.

It's very smooth. So smooth, I'm sure Cam will enjoy drinking it to toast G'Day's finishing of the RAAM.

[speedpimp]

3 Floyds Zombie Dust. It paired very well with venison chops.

[Tom Servo]

Jester King's "Black Metal Stout" is back! The last time I saw that was in Stockholm, and that was after a year or so of no longer finding it in the states.

Of note, it's also one of the only beers that I've successfully brewed myself.

[IMOA]

Homeishu. Kind of like a really obscure japanese Dom Benedictine but with more awesome.

[Cam]

Allagash Ale aged in oak barrels. Disappointing considering the hefty price. Sweet, yet with a bitter citrus taste. Difficult to describe, but not to my taste. Took a gamble and lost. :(

[Tom Servo]

There are a lot of places doing the barrel age thing, I never thought it took well to Belgian style beers. Honestly, I don't feel like it takes well to anything other than big, big stouts, and often then it's overkill.

When done right though, like with Ritual Brewing's Barrel Aged Big Deluxe, it can be goddamn delicious.

[Cam]

Innis & Gunn gets it right, as does Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale.

[Tom Servo]

I've never seen either of those out here. I'll ask my local shop if he can get them.

[IMOA]

For the Gin crowd I finally bought some Spiegelau gin and tonic glasses over the weekend and bugger me they really do make a difference. I'd say they wouldn't be worth it if you're drinking cheaper, industrial gins but if you're drinking anything where they've made a real effort with the botanicals it raises the drink to a whole new level. I heartily recommend.

[Cam]

While in Canada, I took the opportunity to get some Sortilege. I polished off one bottle already. :o

[pl8ster]

Allagash Ale aged in oak barrels. Disappointing considering the hefty price. Sweet, yet with a bitter citrus taste. Difficult to describe, but not to my taste. Took a gamble and lost. :(

I've got to say, I'm just not a huge fan of their stuff. But sorry about the lost gamble!

[SportWagon]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hop_varieties#Citra_brand_HBC_394_cv

It's currently fashionable to create hop-bombs using those. Hopefully the fad will go away in a few years.

[IMOA]

My learnings from the last week

Daiso have some not bad glasses for gin and tonic. Glass quality is a bit shit and they are a bit industrial but at $1:20 they’re pretty much perfect when you’re in a serviced apartment for 6 weeks

Gin and tonic in the afternoon on a hot and humid day after work is proof god exists

Gen Yamamoto in Tokyo is something every enthusiastic drinker should try at least once
https://talesofthecocktail.com/destinations/art-simplicity-tokyos-gen-yamamoto

My new favourite cocktail bar in Tokyo is Cocktail Gastronomy in Nishi Azabu, doing some amazing things for very reasonable prices

[speedpimp]

Glenmorangie Sherry Cask, a sample anyways. I am not a Scotch drinker in the least(not a fan of the "bite"). I was buying some Tullemore Dew and Yuengling and noticed they had bottles on the counter for samples. First thing I told the man was "I am not a Scotch drinker" and he recommended the Sherry Cask. About as smooth as smooth can be. Then again my exposure to Scotch has only been Chivas Regal and Cutty Sark.

[Ashie]

I picked up Travelers Aloha beer for the first time and was disappointed. I enjoy the Grapefruit and Jacko, so I thought the pineapple would be right up my alley. It lacks any real flavor of pineapple and is too light.

[Cam]

Couple of Munich beers, a lager and a dunkel. Pretty good. It seems Germans know how to brew a good beer. :)

[Ashie]

Blue Moon Mango for the win. 3078

[Dicknose]

Got Kahlua but ran out of vodka, so my 2nd drink used gin. Damn if my “black London” isn’t better than a Black Russian.
Oh and yes it’s 3pm on a Friday, I should go easy as my work week (Sat and Sun) are coming up fast.

[Cam]

I was in Gatlinburg, Tennessee last week. I felt that I could not go to TN without trying some whiskey. There was a local distillery, Old Smokey, near where I was staying. They make all kinds of flavoured whiskeys and I decided to try the Salty Caramel variety. It's sweet and smooth. I do not normally enjoy whiskey, so I was pleasantly surprised.

[dodint]

Gatlinburg is fun. An uncle of mine lives over the mountain in Maryville so we pass through there from time to time.

[SportWagon]

Got Kahlua but ran out of vodka, so my 2nd drink used gin. Damn if my “black London” isn’t better than a Black Russian.
Oh and yes it’s 3pm on a Friday, I should go easy as my work week (Sat and Sun) are coming up fast.
It would be somewhat dependent on the particular gin used.

[Tom Servo]

There's a beer/wine shop that's opened up a year or two ago that's run by a very nice guy who's really into beer. We went in today and he pointed us at this imperial porter from Jordan. It's quite good, and something I don't think I'd ever have the chance to try if it weren't for this shop.

https://scontent-lax3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/41849021_2320773631272814_9180334660662591488_o.jp g?_nc_cat=0&oh=2b6dd19ae7bc5707d5f713d5d036bb9e&oe=5C152DDE

[Cam]

Whoa. That's a crazy label.

[SportWagon]

I bought a couple of cans of Brio (Chinotto) Vodka Cooler. Not sure when I'll get around to drinking them. Chinotto is the only sugar-water I can't quite totally give up. If I can get it I prefer non-Canadian Brio to Canadian. And actually San Pelligrino Chinotto tops them both.

[SportWagon]

The Brio Vodka Cooler is distinctly lacking in distinctive Brio (Chinotto) flavour.

[FaultyMario]

I just made myself a pretty decent bloodymary to keep me company while i do the statistics.

[SportWagon]

The Glenlivet is heavily marketing their "Founders Reserve". An unspecified maturity. What does it mean? Stuff we found in various cellars which we'd forgotten to properly recask? Web searches pan it as extremely inconsistent.

But I couldn't resist buying a beer-bottle sized bottle. Mine was surprisingly smooth and uncomplex for Scotch.

I also had a Wychwood Bah Humbug! Christmas Cheer! Ale (https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/160/14943/). Appeared a little early. I think the stock may have been left over from last year.

It was flavourful, but subtle. A little like Christmas pudding, but not too much so.

[Cam]

Alright, I admit it. Lori and I have been drinking Bud lately, mainly because it is economical. We think it is the most reasonable beer for the buck. Roast me. :lol:

[Tom Servo]

Does Lucky Lager not exist anymore or something?

EDIT: Well, sonovabitch, it's been gone for years, but apparently is being resurrected.

[Yw-slayer]

Bud Nitro on tap isn't actually too bad

[FaultyMario]

Alright, I admit it. Lori and I have been drinking Bud lately, mainly because it is economical. We think it is the most reasonable beer for the buck. Roast me. :lol:

Can't judge you. It's Tropical Light (https://www.gmodelo.mx/images/marcas/tropical.png) for us, a 12 oz can costs roughly $.40 USD.

[Rare White Ape]

Little Creatures Pale Ale.

On special it’s $38 for two six packs.

Worth every penny.

[SportWagon]

https://askcask.com/beverages/bills-cookie-tears
With its sour character, that actually seemed to result in a strange pain between my shoulder blades.
(You know, sort of a burp that won't come out...)

A subsequent
https://askcask.com/beverages/lug-tread
actually took that away.

I tried Bill's beer to make him happy. Normally I try to avoid beer containing stuff which isn't beer.

[Tom Servo]

Little Creatures Pale Ale.

On special it’s $38 for two six packs.

Worth every penny.

Looks like they have a taproom in San Francisco. Unfortunately, that's about 400 miles away, but maybe they've got some distribution down here. I'll keep my eyes open.

[Yw-slayer]

Various Hitachino Nest specials, as my friends brew and distribute it in HK. Just had their cidre. It's unfermented. Also another Japanese IPA they distribute, which is quite light. They also brew Carbon Brews stuff, so I've been getting into that.

Oh, and the tons of red wine that I have. Pruno 2012 is still awesome.

[Cam]

:sing: Wastin’ away again in Margaritaville...

My favourite beer right now is Steel Hands Coffee Lager. It’s a craft brewer in town. Buy local!

[FaultyMario]

Nothing. I'm on zombie medication and dont want to destroy my liver. Well, at least not in one go.

[Yw-slayer]

Take care and don't eat too ma y BRRRAAAIIINNNSS bro

[FaultyMario]

The aftertaste totally sucks. I should be able to wash it down with mezcal, but alas...

[Yw-slayer]

Wash it down with some of that slushy cranial fluid!!!

[Cam]

:lol:

[Yw-slayer]

Upcoming emergency: Running low on Tanqueray Malacca.

However, at least I will soon be at the cellar to get some more wine.

[Cam]

Oh noes! :lol:

[Dicknose]

Gin gin and more gin.
We thought we isolated well - well aware from people but nice and close to a distillery!

[Cam]

We ran out of limes and orange liqueur, so I could not make a margarita. I squeezed some fresh mandarin orange juice and mixed it with tequila. Surprisingly good! :D

[Yw-slayer]

Last night, had part of a magnum of 2004 Lascombes. However, I generally prefer to drink AWESOME VALUE wines rather than bigger name stuff.

[SportWagon]

Last Friday some of the crew from the pub we go to had a video conference instead.

I'd deliberately run my stock down, since drinking beer at home isn't great for someone with diabetic tendencies, but I drank a Fuller's London Porter from a glass from Rogue brewery which had somehow found its way home from the pub.

We need to make sure everyone realizes we have a virtual Friday this week on Thursday.

[Yw-slayer]

A new restaurant/bar has opened in HK called Binge Drinking Club. I am not kidding.

[Cam]

Had a mishap with a can of Guiness today. Dropped an unopened can on the kitchen floor and it exploded. :eek: Beer everywhere; on the floor, counter, cupboards, me, Lori... :lol:

[SportWagon]

What a waste. Oh well. At least it was only Guinness.

[FaultyMario]

Havana blanco. Socialism, eff yeah!

[SportWagon]

I nearly bought a can of Cameron's Jurassic IPA but I realized my wife was waiting in the car, and adding alcohol to my purchase might mean I'd need to get into a longer lineup.

Our virtual pub has been serving Hobgoblin from Wychwood, but this batch of tinnies taste a bit dull and lifeless.

Other offerings from our Virtual Pub are...
Fuller's London Pride (good goto British plonk)
Oast "The Barn Raiser" Country Ale
Jever's Pilsener
Beau's Lug Tread (I find it better in containers than on draught, actually)
Innis&Gunn Original (a staple during the peak of the real pub, a few years before they used COVID-19 as a convenient time to end the money-losing operation)


(To forestall questions; I must purchase and bring home the "offerings" for my instance of the "Virtual Pub")

[Cam]

What the funk?

3563

A pull tab on a bottle? Didn't see that coming. :lol:

[SportWagon]

Last Friday the Pub decided to offer an award-winning American Beer.

I was surprised. I thought English beer had a reputation for being flat...

[SportWagon]

I nearly bought a can of Cameron's Jurassic IPA but I realized my wife was waiting in the car, and adding alcohol to my purchase might mean I'd need to get into a longer lineup.

Well later I actually bought one.

And drank it tonight. I was nicely balanced cirtussy not so bitter.

And I also a had a Railway City Dead Elephant. Sort of similar for a craft IPA. Not so bitter. Not as citrusy as the Jurassic.

[Cam]

I splurged on a recent beer run and bought a bottle of Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout. Holy moley, it's a thick, hearty stout, as it should be. Tasty, but at nearly 15% alcohol, it needs to be nursed. It burned my throat on the first swig. :lol:

[SportWagon]

To celebrate a recent political occasion, my wife decided we should finally open the champagne I bought for last New Year's, but which we never drank.

Wait, it wasn't champagne, it was...

Walkerville Russian Imperial Stout (https://www.walkervillebrewery.com/blog/russian-imperial-stout-is-back)

My wife found it a little too bitter with a nasty aftertaste, but I found it very nice. It had an interesting complexity, with a sort of not overly-sweet sweet flavour, and while not lively, it didn't seem quite as flat as some renditions of Russian Imperial Stout.

[Cam]

:lol::up:

[Tom Servo]

Oooh, that looks really good and the bottle reminds me of a local favorite, Pugachev's Cobra.

To celebrate me being gainfully employed again, we got a bottle of Cuervo's Reserva de la Familia and Don Julio's 1942.

I think Cuervo takes it, but it's weird how fancy bottles of hooch get when you spend too much on them.

[Dicknose]

Can I say Im still on gin. Wild Brumby!
With a few ciders tossed in along the way.

[Tom Servo]

I should pay more attention

[Cam]

I decided to try Foster's again for the first time in years. The last time I tried it, I did not dislike it, but it was not memorable either. I bought a can of lager and a can of ale. Again, the lager is nothing special; pretty normal-tasting macrobrew. I was somewhat surprised to see it is brewed in the USA. I kind of like the ale, however. It is darker with a bit more flavour. I bought some other local brews also. A new liquor store opened nearby and they have a good selection of SC microbrews.

An annoying trend right now is adding crazy shit to beer, like fruit and spices. I want my beer to taste like beer. Although, one of my favourites right now is a coffee lager from a microbrew right here in town, so I can't be too judgmental. :lol:

[Tom Servo]

On one hand, I'm totally with you on that. Ever since Constellation bought out a San Diego brewery called Ballast Point, every one of their top sellers has to have this massive number of flavored ones. They had a pretty good IPA that now has at least Grapefruit, Habanero, and Pineapple varieties, there are likely more. I think that kinda lead into this thing where now every major brewery also has to have a hard seltzer, we're basically back to the Zima days here.

Then I thought about how much I like stouts brewed with things like cacao nibs and coffee and realized I should probably just shut my hole.

[Cam]

Back in 2008, I visited Vienna. I tried Ottakringer Pils, brewed in Vienna, which I liked. I never saw it in North America until today. My local beer store had a few cans of pilsner. I have not tried it yet, but I hope I enjoy it again.

[Kchrpm]

Cincinnati has a big local craft brewery market, and I'm always amazed by the number of choices they have that they have made themselves.

The place I used to host trivia: Rhinegeist (https://rhinegeist.com/beer/explore/)

The place I host trivia now: Third Eye Brewing (https://thirdeyebrewingco.com/beer/)

[FaultyMario]

I regret having watched The Queen's Gambit. It's lead me down the path of addiction to Gibsons.

[Cam]

I was mistaken. I tried Ottakringer Helles, but I bought lager. It is certainly different than what I would expect from a lager; darker, malty and nutty. I think it is closer to a marzen than the lager I am accustomed to. I like it though.

[Fogelhund]

These are the best of what I've had recently.

https://harviestoun.com/product/old-engine-oil-craft-stout/

https://nickelbrook.com/collections/barrel-aged-beer/products/cafe-del-bastardo-2020

https://fortycreekwhisky.com/product/confederation-oak-reserve/

[Cam]

Lori bought a new blender, so she's been making margaritas. :)

[Cam]

I was in Gatlinburg, Tennessee last week. I felt that I could not go to TN without trying some whiskey. There was a local distillery, Old Smokey, near where I was staying. They make all kinds of flavoured whiskeys and I decided to try the Salty Caramel variety. It's sweet and smooth. I do not normally enjoy whiskey, so I was pleasantly surprised.

A month or so ago, I picked up another bottle of this at the local liquor store, as we had not had it in a while. Lori decided she really liked it and we've picked up another bottle or two since. It makes a great digestif, or just sipping over ice. :D

The last time Lori was at the store, she also picked up a bottle their peanut butter whiskey just to try it. It is certainly not as good as the caramel. I wondered how I could make it a little more interesting. I had some unsweetened chocolate almond milk in the fridge, so I mixed it together to make a bizarre choco-PB shot. It's not bad, actually. :lol:

[Tom Servo]

There's a brewery out here called Bottle Logic, probably one of my favorites in So. Cal. They do a stout around this time of year called Red Eye, so when I went to the grocery store and saw it, I got my usual level of excitement. Then I realized that these were the 2020 and 2019 batches. You can't find those anywhere. Sold the store out.

[FaultyMario]

Brian. Oh, um, Hi!

Remember that I offered a Mezcal for your efforts in the politics thread? yeah, well... I thought I could make us a couple of mezcalinis (https://medium.com/oaxaca-by-hotel-el-callej%C3%B3n/m%C3%A9xico-y-las-leyendas-de-sus-5-cocteles-4f835abf3131), but I don't think I have the other ingredients, so I ended up doing a sort of Paloma.

So anyway, hope you like.

Cause i'm drinking it!

It's almost like you were here, right?

[Tom Servo]

Almost!

[Cam]

The last couple of weeks it has been:
Salty Caramel Whiskey.
Oktoberfest Marzen.
Margaritas.

[Tom Servo]

The plan tomorrow is a road trip to Bottle Logic in Anaheim. I hope to get quite the haul of good big and black beers.

[Ashie]

Salty caramel whiskey sounds interesting.

[Tom Servo]

Did not get quite the haul. Did get to try a couple of beers, which was enjoyable. Still, two hours of driving for an hour of two 6 oz. pours was a little much.

[Cam]

Salty caramel whiskey sounds interesting.

I am not sure if you can get it in your area, but it is so sweet and delicious just over ice. https://olesmoky.com/products/salty-caramel-flavored-whiskey

[Ashie]

I am not sure if you can get it in your area, but it is so sweet and delicious just over ice. https://olesmoky.com/products/salty-caramel-flavored-whiskey

Thank you for sharing. According to the location finder it's at our local wine and spirits store.

[Ashie]

It was tasty Cam, but very rich. I need to mix it with something.