Craft beer

[Spunky Porkstacker]

Sculpin is excellent. Available in cans now, too.

Currently drinking this. Pretty good seasonal IPA. Citrusy ipa with very light body considering the ABV.

Tasmanian is one of my favorites, what is the freshness date on yours?

 

[R_Mac_1]

Tasmanian is one of my favorites, what is the freshness date on yours?

Bottled on 9/18, so it's actually not very fresh. Still tastes fine though.

 

[Spunky Porkstacker]

I just finished the last of mine dated 9/25, I couldn't find anything fresher. But yes still tastes great.

 

[BlackHawkPaul]

I am not a big beer drinker at all, and BHP can run circles around me when it comes to beer knowledge. And allow me to shill a bit....

I had the SlapShot Stick to the Nuts a few weeks ago, and I was pleasantly surprised. It's a beer brewed with peanut butter. It is of course a nut brown. They are local to Chicago and you can find their stuff in most places. Binnys, some grocerey stores in the south burbs, and a good amount of bars. Yes, I am friends with them. They know their booze.

http://www.slapshotbrewing.com/home/the-beer/

I bought Stick to the Nuts and a couple more from Brian and Steve's brewery (Slap Shot).
I thought SttN was okay. Not great, but far from shitty. Was expecting a bit more PB to the beer, but it succeeded in being nutty. I'm not huge on brown ales, but I did succeed in drinking theirs.

 

[BlackHawkPaul]

A beer that surprised me was Two Brothers Night Cat. Probably one of the better common releases from their brewery. Finished much smoother than I anticipated. Comes in cans. Eat beans and franks while drinking it. Fart all night.

 

[Spunky Porkstacker]

A beer that surprised me was Two Brothers Night Cat. Probably one of the better common releases from their brewery. Finished much smoother than I anticipated. Comes in cans. Eat beans and franks while drinking it. Fart all night.

Until your eyes are watering and the wife wants to punch you.

 

[winos5]

Freshness dates are a load of crap, just a marketing tool. Most beers get better from conditioning in the bottle a few months, preferably in a cool dark place. Any home brewer knows this.

 

[MassHavoc]

A beer that surprised me was Two Brothers Night Cat. Probably one of the better common releases from their brewery. Finished much smoother than I anticipated. Comes in cans. Eat beans and franks while drinking it. Fart all night.

Haven't seen that one. Do tell. What is it?

 

[AuCN]

An old friend of mine just opened a brewery in Freeport, IL called Generations. I had some of his beer when he worked as brewmaster at another brewery and it was great, but I havent tried it from his new brewery. Somebody go check it out and let me know how it goes.

 

[MassHavoc]

An old friend of mine just opened a brewery in Freeport, IL called Generations. I had some of his beer when he worked as brewmaster at another brewery and it was great, but I havent tried it from his new brewery. Somebody go check it out and let me know how it goes.

I had to google where freeport is... man it's out there. sorry.

 

[R_Mac_1]

Freshness dates are a load of crap, just a marketing tool. Most beers get better from conditioning in the bottle a few months, preferably in a cool dark place. Any home brewer knows this.

My experience with accidentally buying old IPAs says differently.

 

[Heidenlarm]

My experience with accidentally buying old IPAs says differently.

Indeed, some beers are better the sooner they are drunk and some can benefit from a little aging. Plus not all beer is bottle conditioned.

 

[R_Mac_1]

Indeed, some beers are better the sooner they are drunk and some can benefit from a little aging. Plus not all beer is bottle conditioned.

I realize that. I know people cellar beers and whatnot.

For me, being an IPA drinker, freshness or bottled on dates are crucial. If they don't have it printed on there, I usually don't buy it. Malt bombs are no bueno.

 

[Heidenlarm]

I realize that. I know people cellar beers and whatnot.

For me, being an IPA drinker, freshness or bottled on dates are crucial. If they don't have it printed on there, I usually don't buy it. Malt bombs are no bueno.

I was just elaborating further on what you said, that was more for winos' benefit or anyone else that didn't know.

 

[AuCN]

I had to google where freeport is... man it's out there. sorry.

Cmon. You have heard of the Freeport Pretzels...right? right?

Yeah, probably not. Well, if you are passing through on your way to...um...uh...Iowa, you know where to whet your whistle!

Our high school mascot used to be the Freeport Brewers, but then they banned alcohol related themes for high schools. Our town was breweries and pretzel factories, so we became the Freeport Pretzels. This new brewery is the towns first in decades. Very exciting that my hometown finally got one.

 

[Spunky Porkstacker]

Freshness dates are a load of crap, just a marketing tool. Most beers get better from conditioning in the bottle a few months, preferably in a cool dark place. Any home brewer knows this.

A fresh hoppy Ipa will lose that fresh hop flavor after around 3 months. The majority of fresh hoppy IPA lovers will avoid buying them outside of that window. Also if there is no date on the bottle I won't buy it. Stouts or BA Stouts get better with age. So ya the dates do matter beer advocates have been asking the Brewers to date their bottles and breweries are starting to listen.

 

[winos5]

Hops provide IPU bitterness and some citrus/grassy/piney/flowery undertones depending on the vareity used. It might loose some aroma, but it won't loose much bitterness.

What they ought to print on the bottle is how fresh the hops were, weather they used whole hops, leaves or ground up pelletized hops, that would give you a better idea of the quality of the hops.

I've cellared barley wines for 18 months and longer, they get nothing but better and they are typically hop bombs as well. I've drank IPAs after cellaring 1 month, 3 months and 6 months and could not notice any difference except maybe slightly less aroma

 

[MassHavoc]

Cmon. You have heard of the Freeport Pretzels...right? right?

Yeah, probably not. Well, if you are passing through on your way to...um...uh...Iowa, you know where to whet your whistle!

Our high school mascot used to be the Freeport Brewers, but then they banned alcohol related themes for high schools. Our town was breweries and pretzel factories, so we became the Freeport Pretzels. This new brewery is the towns first in decades. Very exciting that my hometown finally got one.

Hahah a pretzel mascot that is awesome.... If you buddy does any brew fests in town let me know.

 

[AuCN]

Hahah a pretzel mascot that is awesome.... If you buddy does any brew fests in town let me know.

Will do! I know he has been at beer fests in Freeport and Rockford, but I am sure he wants to do them in and around Chicago. I hope he will be at the Great American Beer Fest out here next year. The doors at the brewery just opened this summer so he is just getting up and running. It takes 6 months to a year to figure out your equipment, so I tend to not judge new breweries too harshly. I have heard good things about his beer already though.

 

[Heidenlarm]

For Christmas my cousin gets beers.