GIVE ME YOUR BEER SUGGESTIONS!!

[the wicked child]

Going to a German beer tasting at Teutonia Männerchor this evening. Should be a good time. Looking most forward to trying Andechser Doppelbock and Dunkleweizen.

Nice. If I was in town I would be there. Fun facts: I worked in the kitchen there during high school/college. Also, my Grandfather was president for a number of years.

[eddysnake]

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[BigMcK]

My first take away from this interview is what a tool Sam Calagione is. He has a chance to champion craft beer, but doesn't.

But is a cheaper IPA bad for beer lovers?

I can see how it'd be good for A-B InBev, but it's not great for a consumer that loves the choice, diversity, and excitement indie craft breweries have brought back to America. After prohibition, the whole beer industry consolidated as a few international conglomerates sought to control market share in America. That's something to be wary of as these large breweries are buying up small breweries, then brewing their beers in giant quantities and charging very little for them. Their end goal is to dominate every segment of the beer world. If they succeed in that, then beers will get homogenized back down again to a few simple styles again.

What a pretentious answer. I have a budget and have no problem paying for quality. However, choice, diversity and excitement has ZERO to do with brewing a quality beer. Quality products go in, quality products should come out.

I see no reason to pay $7.99 for a quality IPA when I can get a equal quality one for $5.99. Just because your brewmaster wants to experiment making a new flavor by blending lemon resin from France and bacon bits from Argentina into a IPA to expand your diverse IPA portfolio, that cost of choice is yours for trying to raise excitement for a niche offering. It seems a good amount of the people that post in here have their favorite styles or flavors. Flagships keep the doors open. Niches do not.

We are big boys and girls but he makes it seem like beer consumers will be unable to distinguish quality craft beer from macro-brewed craft beer if we don't pay more. He should know by now that if you make a quality product that people like, sell it at a price point that people feel is of value, you then will never have to worry about the beer consumer creating a demand for your beer.

Sorry for the rant. He really may be a nice guy and I am like Betty White right now really in need of a Snickers bar.

[eddysnake]

I hear you BigMcK, in Greensburg, a 6 pack of fatheads hop juju is $25, sculpin ipa is $20. That that is insane.

[Factorial]

And there will always be a market for niche beer at $25. If "big beer" can produce a better product than the swill they produce now at a lower price point than small breweries everyone wins.

[count2infinity]

I think it's been discussed in here before, but with the number of local breweries across the nation, it's easy to buy good beer for low prices. Do I want Sculpin IPA? Of course I do, it's one of my favorite beers, but I can go grab a stone enjoy by or great lakes burning river or whatever a seasonal good IPA from a local brewery is going on for a much better price and quality is comparable. It's not like it is right now with sours where there are only a few breweries that are doing them right... everyone is doing IPA right.

[slappybrown]

Interestingly enough, I had two Sculpins last night. I had had it before and was underwhelmed, but wanted to try again. Still thought it was ok but not top of class as its reputation would indicate. 6.5/10.

I did, however, also have an IC Light. 10/10.

[eddysnake]

Sometimes Sculpin tastes great and sometimes mediocre to me. I would love to try the grapefruit sculpin, but I haven't seen it around (probably won't either).

[OutofFoil]

We procured a six of the grapefruit sculpin. I love regular sculpin. I'm not a fan of the grapefruit variety. Heartburn city. My wife loves it though.

[the wicked child]

Nugget Nectar is so damn good.

[llipgh2]

Had a Langunitas Cappuccino Stout tonight. Rather underwhelming. Strong coffee flavor, and really nothing else.

Glad I tried it, but won't get it again.

[eddysnake]

I really liked the cappuccino stout (although I had it at 9am,going to try again this evening). Lagunitas night time was great

[the wicked child]

Beerfest tonight. Can't fricken wait.

[llipgh2]

I really liked the cappuccino stout (although I had it at 9am,going to try again this evening). Lagunitas night time was great

Considering it's called Cappuccino, I was expecting more complex flavors. It was just meh.

[eddysnake]

I really liked the cappuccino stout (although I had it at 9am,going to try again this evening). Lagunitas night time was great

Considering it's called Cappuccino, I was expecting more complex flavors. It was just meh.

Not only was mine drunk in the morning, but also out of a horn when it was 15 degrees outside, so I'm excited to give it a proper go this evening. The price is certainly right at $4.5 per bomber.

[shafnutz05]

Made my first visit to a new bottle shop that just opened up in Malvern, PA, The Beer Store. First off, it is incredible:

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A tad on the pricey side but amazing selection. I am currently enjoying a Victory batch brew (came in a bomber) called Moving Parts. Basically, every batch they tweak one or two ingredients, this is the third batch. It's a hop-forward, citrusy IPA, but brewed with Belgian yeast. Pretty darn good. I've had Belgian-style IPAs before, but never with West Coast hops like Cascade and whatnot. Good stuff. As far as I know released less than a week ago.

[eddysnake]

That place looks cool, definitely need to make a trip. Did they have ballast point victory at sea by any chance?

[shafnutz05]

That place looks cool, definitely need to make a trip. Did they have ballast point victory at sea by any chance?

Haha funny you say that, they were just saying "Yeah, got more Victory at Sea in the back". Should have gotten it.

[MWB]

That place looks cool, definitely need to make a trip. Did they have ballast point victory at sea by any chance?

Haha funny you say that, they were just saying "Yeah, got more Victory at Sea in the back". Should have gotten it.

So good.

[the wicked child]

Definitely going to the Friday session of beerfest for now on. A bunch of breweries were either not there or had run out of the beers that I wanted to try. Did get to try some good stuff... But really disappointed that some of the stuff wasn't there.

[largegarlic]

I saw that the H1KB is opening a new location on Route 19 in Wexford. It would be nice to have it in a newer, nicer building in a less out-of-the-way location, but I also have been burned in the past when some of my favorite beer bars move from divey locales to nicer ones. You get the yuppie crowd moving in, because craft beer is hip right now, and it gets too crowded to be enjoyable. At least it seems like the New Ken location is staying open...

[PensFanInDC]

Definitely going to the Friday session of beerfest for now on. A bunch of breweries were either not there or had run out of the beers that I wanted to try. Did get to try some good stuff... But really disappointed that some of the stuff wasn't there.

1000x this. Was not happy with the selection even as early as 8.

[PensFanInDC]

Nugget Nectar is so damn good.

This might be my new favorite beer. I bet we could have finished off a case.

[the wicked child]

I was looking over the list of beers I was interested in trying at the beerfest earlier today. I was able to try 6 out of the 34 I had identified. The remainder of these were either not there at all, had run out, or the line for the brewery was too obscenely long to consider waiting in line to find out if they had them or not.

Best things I tried were Session #3 by Arsenal... maybe the best pure apple cider I've had from them. Favorite beer was Hop Rocket from Arcadia.

[PensFanInDC]

That hop rocket was stellar.