What are you drinking now?

My "Holy Grail" Porter... the inaugural pint from my new kegerator.

O'hara's Irish Red

Hugo's Chocolate Stout

I had a little throwdown tonight between 3 seasonal beers from big breweries: Sierra Nevada Celebration, Avery Old Jubilation, and Bells Christmas Ale. The SN is perfectly balanced with biscuity and caramelly malts blending perfectly with a firm bitterness and great hop flavors and aromas. The Old Jubilation Ale was over the top malty. Tasted overwhelmingly of munich malt to me though it wasn't listed on the website. I think it needs some time to come together a bit. And the Bells beer is a bit disappointing. The hops smell more musty than anything else. Flavor is decent with a pretty balanced hop/malt character though the hop mustiness is coming through. It has a background sweetness that mixes with the mustiness to bring rotting food to mind. It's not as unpleasant as it sounds but it isn't awesome either. All three beers look great, deep copper brown and brilliantly clear. All feature nice big heads that stick around.

But the overall winner is:


definitely the sierra nevada. That beer is so well balanced and delicious that I can't get enough. I can't drink one before drinking homebrew because I end up disappointed!

Started the evening with a Kona Pipeline Porter, but am currently enjoying a Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Extra...or whatever this is called!!!

Leinenkugel's Fireside Nut Brown

KingBrianI said:

But the overall winner is: definitely the sierra nevada.

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I couldn't agree more. Currently working on a Stone Pale Ale but the Celebration Ale from SN is up next to go with the Chicken Enchiladas.

Life and Limb the new Sierra Nevada/Dogfish head compilation.
This was followed up with a fellow hombrewers Red Rye Ale and Oatmeal Stout.

Just finished a glass of EW Apfelwein, and now I'm hoisting a mug of my own Olde Tyme Holiday Ale. It has settled down nicely in the bottle, it was pretty hot and hop-forward when we bottled it a month ago. This will make a lovely accompaniment to Thanksgiving dinner this week (which is going to be Salmon at our house!).

Rogue's Morimoto Soba Ale.

I'm not quite sure about it. It's Extremely sweet. Almost too much so. I have to say it is the "beeriest" smelling beer, I think I have ever encountered. Smell wise it reminds me how BMC used to smell back in the old days, back in the pre-corporate takeover and homogenization of the macro beer industry.

SA Celebration. I really am enjoying this one... especially while making food for Thanksgiving...hmmm should have incorporated it.

MirImage said:

SA Celebration. I really am enjoying this one... especially while making food for Thanksgiving...hmmm should have incorporated it.

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Celebration is awesome!!!!!

Well so far I had a Breckenridge Brewery Christmas Ale and just finished a Left Hand Black Ale. Really digging both...especially the Black Ale. Perhaps a Breck Vanilla next??? Gotta love living in the Mile High City....Slainte to all. Have a safe and Happy Holiday

MirImage said:

SA Celebration. I really am enjoying this one... especially while making food for Thanksgiving...hmmm should have incorporated it.

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Tis' the season. I'm enjoying a couple of pints of the SN Celebration Ale while we prepare food for tomorrow's trip to family.

Happy Thanksgiving HBT!

Revvy said:

Celebration is awesome!!!!!

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Hrrm I meant SN... but I am sure that you knew that! haha

Currently sipping my 3rd (or is it 4th?) pint of my Holy Grail Porter.

saint arnold lawnmower. My first kolsch. really digging it.

Just finished a Stone Ruination...First one...AWESOME. Now I'm on Moose Drool brown ale.

No beer tonight Makers and Coke while thawing the bird for tomarrow. But i did but 2 pints of Sam Smiths Oatmeal Stout to start the morning off right here in a few hours.

Avery Brewing -- Samael's Oak Aged Ale.

With smoked Turkey .... it's awesome.

Makers and Coke

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Ah, remember those days. Getting back from T-day dinner with a non drinking family. Finished my Thanksgiving La Fin du Monde and now having my favorite, Sierra Nevada Torpedo. I purposely ate little to have room for a few when I got home.

ToddO said:

Ah, remember those days. Getting back from T-day dinner with a non drinking family.

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No kidding. 12 hours, 332 miles, rude drivers, and I'm now enjoying a SN Celebration Ale (yes, again). Enjoy that Torpedo ToddO!

Smoky Mountain Brewery 9-beer sampler

My AG pale ALE, which makes me love AG brewing... it was my first AG!

Stone Smoked Porter

09 Double Bastard. Not as floral as I remember last years, but definitely big piney bitter malty goodness.

Sierra Nevada Havest Ale wet hopped

Founder's Harvest Ale - wet hopped

Real Ale Brewing Co. - Coffee Porter

Weyerbacher Harvest Ale - wet hopped. Hmmm...I see a pattern forming!

Sorry to break the pattern. SN Celebration Ale (yes, again).

whutever said:

Sorry to break the pattern. SN Celebration Ale (yes, again).

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me too! it's awesome!

your milkshake

Avery - Samael's Oak-Aged Ale.

water......

Delicious Apfelwein

hydro sample of the IPA I just bottled.

PS. why is the HBO logo static fuzz thing SO FREAKING LOUD

whutever said:

Sorry to break the pattern. SN Celebration Ale (yes, again).

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I've got a 12'er of it chilling, every time I look at one of the bottles I can see some sediment floating around near the bottom still about 1/2 inch from the bottom. I'm waiting for everything to settle rock hard, cuz I wanna harvest yeast from these, probably three bottles at a time as a way to start working out the bugs in my ugly/cheap DIY stir plate. Anyone have an idea how long I need to chill the bottles to get everything to settle out well? I bought them cold about three weeks ago I think, and they've been chillin' at about 34 degrees since then, but I can still see some floaties near the bottom swirling around.

Oh yeah, what am I drinking? Blended infected with non-infected SNPA clone, and with a side of johnnie black, and another side of knob creek. It's been a l000000ng day

A bottle of my first doppelbock, or quasi doppelbock. I brewed it almost 4 years ago in Feb of '06 with a WLP 810 San Francisco lager yeast. I had no temp control, but the ambient temp where I put it was in the mid 50's all day. It has held up nicely. Very malty, a little sweet. It could use a little more carbonation, but there is nothing that jumps out saying this is a 4 year old beer. And I still have a 12 pack of this hanging around.

Brewsmith said:

A bottle of my first doppelbock, or quasi doppelbock. I brewed it almost 4 years ago in Feb of '06 with a WLP 810 San Francisco lager yeast. I had no temp control, but the ambient temp where I put it was in the mid 50's all day. It has held up nicely. Very malty, a little sweet. It could use a little more carbonation, but there is nothing that jumps out saying this is a 4 year old beer. And I still have a 12 pack of this hanging around.

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Almost four years? That's outstanding! I'm still having trouble getting to four weeks (at least for lower and mid gravity brews). Here yah go:


BTW, thanks for helping me troubleshoot my brewing a while back. I think my infection problems were a combination of less than stellar sanitation, and using several packs of the recalled Notty yeast.