What's your favorite "big" commercial beer?

[HalfPint]

Just like it says, what big beers do you like from the store? It doesn't matter what style whether it's a RIS, Belgian, or a Barley Wine, what do you like?

 

[XDeus]

Not sure I have a favorite, but Gulden Draak near the top.

 

[SumnerH]

Cigar City Hunahpu's RIS--it's their regular Marshal Zhukov RIS but aged on ancho and pasilla peppers, cinnamon, cocoa, and vanilla.

Dogfish Immort Ale barleywine (when aged; it's not great until a year or two after purchase). Has a wonderful peatiness that really comes out when the sweetness mellows with age.

St Bernardus Abt 12 Belgian dark strong ale. A great, complex BDSA, and it's pretty readily available.

 

[humann_brewing]

that is a really tough one but hop 15 is mighty fine

 

[944play]

How big does a beer have to be to be considered "big"?

This is just scratching the surface:

Anchor Old Foghorn
Goose Island Bourbon County Stout
Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA
Delirium Tremens
Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Charlie, Fred & Kens Bock
Redhook Treblehook
Real Ale Devil's Backbone
Lagunitas Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale
Oskar Blues Gordon
North Coast Old Rasputin
Russian River Consecration

 

[octo]

Cigar City Hunahpu's RIS--it's their regular Marshal Zhukov RIS but aged on ancho and pasilla peppers, cinnamon, cocoa, and vanilla..

this

 

[heywolfie1015]

Favorite recently is Allagash Curieux.

That tends to change every time I have another awesome big beer, though.

 

[knightbeer39]

I've started becoming fond of Delirium Tremens. The beer. Not the shakes I usually have in the morning

 

[SumnerH]

Goose Island Bourbon County Stout

They have a coffee version that's fantastic, too.

 

[Teromous]

One of my favorites is Sam Adams Imperial White which I think not a lot of people drink. Southern Tier Gemini is really good...

 

[Kriznac]

Rogue Old Crustacean, Stone Old Guardian is pretty damn good too as long as they have some age on them. Although not a big beer I have to mention Deschutes Obsidian Stout, absolutely delicious.

 

[cfonnes]

PBR. Hey this is Utah, in order to get most of the beers that you guys have listed I have to travel out of state.

 

[944play]

They have a coffee version that's fantastic, too.

We're just starting to get Goose Island out here, mostly Sofie and Matilda. The GIBCS I had was on a guest brewery night at the pub where a rep just brought a few cases.

 

[carnevoodoo]

Speedway Stout.

 

[kjjohns5]

Cigar City Hunahpu's RIS--it's their regular Marshal Zhukov RIS but aged on ancho and pasilla peppers, cinnamon, cocoa, and vanilla.

Easily the best RIS I've ever tasted. This is the one for me too. Unfortunate that they don't make it anymore.

 

[HalfPint]

awesome suggestions guys!

Keep em coming!

 

[Strave19]

North Coast - Old Stock Ale... varies in ABV from year to year (10-12%) but never dissappoints. Available, reasonably priced, delicious... Sweet, savory, leathery, dark, berries, plums, hop hints with malty goodness...

I saw consecration for the first time at the store this weekend... 17$ for 375ml, are you fisting me!? PASS...

 

[CrystallineEntity]

Abyss has to be mentioned here.

 

[GuldTuborg]

They have a coffee version that's fantastic, too.

They also have a heavily dry-hopped version, "Night Stalker." Also incredibly tasty.

 

[SumnerH]

Easily the best RIS I've ever tasted. This is the one for me too. Unfortunate that they don't make it anymore.

I think it's going to be an annual release, like Dark Lord, Kate the Great, Pliny the Younger, etc.

I've got my attempt at a clone aging as we speak. :rockin:

 

[SumnerH]

We're just starting to get Goose Island out here, mostly Sofie and Matilda. The GIBCS I had was on a guest brewery night at the pub where a rep just brought a few cases.

Sofie is absolutely awesome, IMO.

 

[carnevoodoo]

North Coast - Old Stock Ale... varies in ABV from year to year (10-12%) but never dissappoints. Available, reasonably priced, delicious... Sweet, savory, leathery, dark, berries, plums, hop hints with malty goodness...

I saw consecration for the first time at the store this weekend... 17$ for 375ml, are you fisting me!? PASS...

That's expensive for Consecration. It is about 12 here, and worth it.

Old Stock Ale is a fantastic beer. The 2005 barrel aged versions were brilliant.

 

[SumnerH]

They also have a heavily dry-hopped version, "Night Stalker." Also incredibly tasty.

That's actually a different beer, I think, not a BCS variant. Night Stalker's only 11.2% ABV and is all Simcoe and Mt Hood. Bourbon County (both regular and coffee) are 13% ABV and all-Willamette.

I could be wrong, though, maybe they changed up the recipes.

 

[carnevoodoo]

That's actually a different beer, I think, not a BCS variant. Night Stalker's only 11.2% ABV and is all Simcoe and Mt Hood. Bourbon County (both regular and coffee) are 13% ABV and all-Willamette.

I could be wrong, though, maybe they changed up the recipes.

Bourbon County has had fluctuations in ABV. Two years ago they released BCS and Bourbon County Brand Stout, the latter at 13% and the former at 11.

 

[944play]

17$ for 375ml, are you fisting me!? PASS...

Veuve Cliquot yellow label is way more than that... a little perspective.

..but I pay $6.75 for a ~12oz pour at the pub; I've seen 750s for $17 in town.

 

[RC0032]

Easily the best RIS I've ever tasted. This is the one for me too. Unfortunate that they don't make it anymore.

I was there 2 weeks ago and it was on tap

For the goose comments: Night Stalker is the base for BKS They then barrel age it giving the higher ABV. IMO its better than BKS.

When does the next BKS come out? I have a few 4 packs of 07,08,09

 

[Strave19]

Veuve Cliquot yellow label is way more than that... a little perspective.

..but I pay $6.75 for a ~12oz pour at the pub; I've seen 750s for $17 in town.

Yeah, It was in the Seattle area that it was that expensive. I'm sure its worth it to a lot of people, but I'm on a pretty tight budget as it is. I would not hesitate a bit to get 12oz for $6.75 at a pub, but I cant justify $17 ($16.95 I think) for a 12.7oz bottle of beer. If its still around when I have more money maybe I'll get a bottle to share with family over the holidays or something... There seems to be a trend in increased prices for special releases and such...

Back to topic :rockin:

 

[SumnerH]

BCS was released a month or two ago, at least in the coffee version. Unless that was the 2009 release (after aging in the barrel), but I don't think so. I'll see if I still have the bottle at home tonight.

 

[SumnerH]

When does the next BKS come out? I have a few 4 packs of 07,08,09

By the way, that's awesome. Have you verticaled them?

We did a vertical of the Abyss 2006-2009 at our last tasting:


It was pretty impressive how much variation there was year to year.

Also horizontaled Captain Lawrence Smoke from the Oak (bourbon, wine, rum, and apple brandy barrel versions), but you'd expect those to be wildly different.

 

[GuldTuborg]

That's actually a different beer, I think, not a BCS variant. Night Stalker's only 11.2% ABV and is all Simcoe and Mt Hood. Bourbon County (both regular and coffee) are 13% ABV and all-Willamette.

I could be wrong, though, maybe they changed up the recipes.

I had to check on this, as my memory is notoriously buggy, but this (below) was pulled from an old ad on the GI website. The barrel aging may up the ABV - that's my guess. Whatever its relation to the other GI RISs, they're all super delicious.

“Night Stalker is an American television series that aired on ABC in 1974. It featured a newspaper reporter — Carl Kolchak, played by Darren McGavin — who investigates crimes with mysterious and unlikely causes that the proper authorities won’t accept or pursue. The series version was set in Chicago and is credited as an inspiration for the X Files.

Goose Island Beer Company will release it’s third beer in the Fulton Wood Series, Night Stalker, as an homage to the Chicago-based television show. Night Stalker is a jet black, dry hopped Imperial Stout, extremely rich and full flavored with malt and chocolate followed by a bright dry hopped aroma. It is the same base as our Bourbon County Stout, but instead of aging in Bourbon barrels, we dry hop it like madmen.

ABV – 11.7%, IBU’s – 60, Color – 100
Aroma Hops –Mt. Hood & Simcoe
Malts – 2-Row, Munich, Chocolate, C-60, Roast Barley, Debittered Black”