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Another odd one from Fonta Flora. A sub 3% mocha stout that's described as being 'thicccc'. Their using some of the best local chocolate and coffee, so I'll have to give it a shot.



There's so much more to beer than alcohol, but what the hell is the point of a 2.8% stout that is this thick and decadent? They may as well just heat it up enough to boil off the alcohol and make it a genuine dessert beverage, like those awful Starbucks drinks.
 
There's so much more to beer than alcohol, but what the hell is the point of a 2.8% stout that is this thick and decadent? They may as well just heat it up enough to boil off the alcohol and make it a genuine dessert beverage, like those awful Starbucks drinks.
I think the point is to have a decadent beer that you can open at the end of the night that won't wreck you. My Monday morning would have been a lot better had I not opened 2 Modern Time's stouts at the end of the night.....
 
I think the point is to have a decadent beer that you can open at the end of the night that won't wreck you. My Monday morning would have been a lot better had I not opened 2 Modern Time's stouts at the end of the night.....
Why not just... not... drink... alcohol?

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Have a cup of cocoa and adjust your tea cozies while you're at it.
 
Allegory, a great newish brewery near Heater Allen in McMinnnville, OR, made a BAM (Barrel-Aged Mini) Stout twice now, first at 3.5% then at 5%. The first batch was really tasty and I didn’t get to try the second.
 
Good to know there are places out there that now have dumber laws than us down here in TX:

No food trucks and annual tours. Craft breweries in N.J. now have a new set of rules to follow.

https://www.nj.com/news/2019/05/no-...nj-now-have-a-new-set-of-rules-to-follow.html

WTF New Jersey?

Ehhh, I can't speak for NJ specifically, but there's been a lot of similar redefining of rules/regulations for the breweries/wineries out here on Long Island as well and I think the greatest oversimplification is the generic a few bad apples ruin the barrel.

Several wineries here had basically become clubs on weekends, bringing in busloads of people, being disruptive, creating typical drunk ******* environments and basically being such complete shitheads to their neighbors that their neighbors had enough and did something about it.

Same goes for food trucks/food sales. If you basically get all of the perks of having food on site, without any of the hassles of being considered a restaurant, why shouldn't you try and do it.

Big picture regulation/government intervention is a separate issue in these discussions, but as breweries continue to pop up, develop, redefine what they're doing (Farm breweries, no onsite, no distribution, tastings only etc.) the laws lag behind and eventually have to catch up.
 
Several wineries here had basically become clubs on weekends, bringing in busloads of people, being disruptive, creating typical drunk ******* environments and basically being such complete shitheads to their neighbors that their neighbors had enough and did something about it.
Do they not have local ordinances? Sound ordinances? I'm not familiar with the dram shop laws of NYC/NJ but if it's a big ******* deal here if they also overserve people (they have the ability to fine your servers directly and take your liquor license for repeat offenses... and will also do checks for underage and overserving randomly). The TABC makes bartenders sit through a 3-4 hour course yearly about it. Public drunkenness is also against the law (though that's arguably not really enforced unless you're REALLY hammered and being an *******).

Being downtown I'm pretty familiar with our local laws with sound/disruption here go. The police will literally sit outside your business after "quiet hours" and test your decibel levels at your property line (ours go down at 10pm or 12am depending on the day). They can then turn off the music and fine you if you're above the limit. It's even more strict out in the 'burbs where it's 9pm.
 
Do they not have local ordinances? Sound ordinances? I'm not familiar with the dram shop laws of NYC/NJ but if it's a big ******* deal here if they also overserve people (they have the ability to fine your servers directly and take your liquor license for repeat offenses... and will also do checks for underage and overserving randomly). The TABC makes bartenders sit through a 3-4 hour course yearly about it. Public drunkenness is also against the law (though that's arguably not really enforced unless you're REALLY hammered and being an *******).

It wasn't so much about ordinances, per se, but they didn't have the pertinent laws on the books that defined what a business classified as a winery/brewery could and couldn't do. So instead of going and having a glass of red in the vineyard, it basically became a weekend dance club with DJs and booze, but still fell under the purview of "winery." And out here, it's vineyard...two lane non-divided highway and a few houses in between with 7-8 sector cars as the on the job walking the beat police force.

Here's 2 articles about the worst winery of the bunch and what they "got away with" until they didn't.

https://patch.com/new-york/northfork/vineyard-48-owners-slapped-160k-fines-town

https://thecorkreport.us/2017/10/good-riddance-to-vineyard-48/
 
I think the point is to have a decadent beer that you can open at the end of the night that won't wreck you. My Monday morning would have been a lot better had I not opened 2 Modern Time's stouts at the end of the night.....


If I’m drinking that many calories there better be a buzz involved
 
It wasn't so much about ordinances, per se, but they didn't have the pertinent laws on the books that defined what a business classified as a winery/brewery could and couldn't do. So instead of going and having a glass of red in the vineyard, it basically became a weekend dance club with DJs and booze, but still fell under the purview of "winery." And out here, it's vineyard...two lane non-divided highway and a few houses in between with 7-8 sector cars as the on the job walking the beat police force.

Here's 2 articles about the worst winery of the bunch and what they "got away with" until they didn't.

https://patch.com/new-york/northfork/vineyard-48-owners-slapped-160k-fines-town

https://thecorkreport.us/2017/10/good-riddance-to-vineyard-48/
To be fair, only being able to offer New York wine itself isn't a great draw ;) Make it a wine mom club and you're onto something.

Out here, pretty much every winery is only allowed to be open 6 hours (most are 10-4, 11-5, 12-6) but there are some with restaurants or whatever that allow longer hours.

Sucks about those NJ restrictions. The bar and restaurant lobbies are strong there. Instead of trying to catch up with the times, they'd rather just use regulations as protectionism. Can't imagine that's a great long-term strategy.
 
Are hazy IPAs even all that heavily hopped? Generally speaking you wouldn't know it from drinking them.
They are, it's just so whirlpool and dry-hopping focused that the bitterness isn't there in most cases (and the yeast esters can compete with hop flavors). But lots of brewers are doing like 5 lbs-per-barrel in dry hopping alone these days.
 
I tried their blueberry popsicle IPA and it was as disgusting as you imagine. I honestly think ABI could bring back Wild Blue and relabel it as a popsicle IPA and it would sell out everywhere.
It's pretty amazing to me that ABI hasn't jumped on this trend yet. It's really right up their alley.
 
(and the yeast esters can compete with hop flavors)
I think this is my issue with it. They clearly use very little bittering hops, and given how yeasty (and malt-sweet) they typically are it just seems like a waste. Yeah, you can get a pretty intense fruity nose, but that doesn't carry very well into the flavor (at least for me) because it's too delicate to compete with the HAAAAAZE.

Even Alvarado, I'd rather drink their clear stuff. I'm not sure I've actually ever found a brewery that makes better hazy beer than clear beer.
 
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