GIVE ME YOUR BEER SUGGESTIONS!!

[ILikeTurtles]

Better?

[Eismann]

Long-due trip to Jiggle brought home GUlden Draak and Lees HarvestAle 08. Popping open after the Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout.

Belgian Strong Dark Ales aren't typically in your rotation are they? Makes sense that you'd like them, though. If you like that Gulden Draak you're opened up to a bunch of other stuff, I think.

Belgians in general aren't, that's true. However, I do like Trappistes, and generally darks imenotracist, so I'm hoping i would indeed be open to a few new types, e.g. quads.

Thinking about trying it this afternoon.

Whelp, the Gulden Draak is really good. Caramelly without being too sweet or bitter for me. Others like it?

[shmenguin]

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron, potent smell when first opened. Drinking from a bottle, and at first it tastes like a Jack and Coke, with a coffee finish. Great beer.

it's been my go-to beer for a little while now.

...and i drink it from the bottle with regularity

[Froggy]

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron, potent smell when first opened. Drinking from a bottle, and at first it tastes like a Jack and Coke, with a coffee finish. Great beer.

it's been my go-to beer for a little while now.

...and i drink it from the bottle with regularity

that's the one you showed me back in Jan., right? if i recall, i was just as perplexed as some of the posters here why you would drink that straight from the bottle.

[shmenguin]

Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron, potent smell when first opened. Drinking from a bottle, and at first it tastes like a Jack and Coke, with a coffee finish. Great beer.

it's been my go-to beer for a little while now.

...and i drink it from the bottle with regularity

that's the one you showed me back in Jan., right? if i recall, i was just as perplexed as some of the posters here why you would drink that straight from the bottle.

yeah, that's the one.

it's silly, but i drink slower when i drink from the bottle...the whole "bottle neck" phenomenon and all...so when there's a high ABV beer i want to savor, i tend to leave it in the bottle.

[BadHands71]

Holy cow BadHands71 wasn't joking with the Alchemy DIPA, what a treat.

It takes a lot for me to call a beer my new favorite, but Alchemy Hour wasn't kidding around. Each sip brings a smile to my face and a beer that can do that deserves that title.

[Sigwolf]

Whelp, the Gulden Draak is really good. Caramelly without being too sweet or bitter for me. Others like it?

Never had it in a bottle, but I had it on draft last week and liked it a lot.

[IamtheWaris]

Belgian quads begin and end with st bernardus abt 12

Westvleteren 12 > Rochefort 10 > St. Bernardus Abt 12. And that is no slight on the St. Bernardus 12. Obviously getting your hands on the Westy 12 is no easy task but if you can it is a must try if you like quads.

[shmenguin]

St bernardus is like $4.50 per 11oz bottle. Are the other ones you mentioned cheaper by any chance?

[IamtheWaris]

Where are you finding St. Bernardus for that price? I got a case for $118 and considered it great value. Rochefort 10 if I can recall you can get in some places for $5.99. Wetvleteren 12 is only sold at the brewery in Belgium so you'd probably have to pay close to $30 per beer if you can even find it anywhere. They sold it commercially in the US for the first and only time in December and 6 packs were going for $85. They were then being resold for ~$350 on ebay.

[Kraftster]

Long-due trip to Jiggle brought home GUlden Draak and Lees HarvestAle 08. Popping open after the Sam Smith Oatmeal Stout.

Belgian Strong Dark Ales aren't typically in your rotation are they? Makes sense that you'd like them, though. If you like that Gulden Draak you're opened up to a bunch of other stuff, I think.

Belgians in general aren't, that's true. However, I do like Trappistes, and generally darks imenotracist, so I'm hoping i would indeed be open to a few new types, e.g. quads.

Thinking about trying it this afternoon.

Whelp, the Gulden Draak is really good. Caramelly without being too sweet or bitter for me. Others like it?

BSDAs that I like:

Unibroue Maudite
Unibroue Trois Pistoles
Unibroue La Terrible
Chouffe N'ice Chouffe
Barbãr Bok
Gouden Carolus Easter Beer
Caldera Vas Defrens Ale
Ommegang XV
Brooklyn Local 2

I'd tray the Brooklyn Local 2 last of all the above. Its not as much up your alley as some of the others. I don't like the XV too much, but I put it on there because it actually trends more towards the abbey quad flavors than the spiciness that I associate with BSDAs, so you'd probably like that one. Unibroue knows whats up. They have the Grand Reserve 17 (I think that's what it is) also, but I haven't had that yet. Don't like a lot of the Gouden Carolus stuff, but the Easter is yummy.

[Kraftster]

Where are you finding St. Bernardus for that price? I got a case for $118 and considered it great value. Rochefort 10 if I can recall you can get in some places for $5.99. Wetvleteren 12 is only sold at the brewery in Belgium so you'd probably have to pay close to $30 per beer if you can even find it anywhere. They sold it commercially in the US for the first and only time in December and 6 packs were going for $85. They were then being resold for ~$350 on ebay.

Ho1kB had a few Westy 12s about a year ago. I think they were $35. They were gone before I could get there.

[shmenguin]

the Wetvleteren...wow

i'm in south jersey and get the abt 12 from this place called "total wine". their beer prices are good, but nothing incredible. i get 4 packs for like 18 bucks. there's no discount for a case.

whenever i get a kegerator, this link get's veeery interesting...
http://bellavistabeverage.com/products/ ... keg-30ltr/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

it's this place is in philly you can get different sized kegs from. they have sixtels of abt 12 available - which easily contains 2 cases worth. with sixtels, you basically always save money per ounce.

[shafnutz05]

So the Ommegang Brewery was great. It was mostly your standard brewery tour, but the guide was quite knowledgeable and was fun to talk to. I came away quite impressed with the beer tasting (six of their beers, starting with the witte and ending with Three Philosophers).

They also just opened up a Belgian cafe there that is out of this world. Had a croque madame and frites, and the rest of the menu was just as awesome. Certainly worth making a trip up there, especially with the baseball HOF and the Catskills/Adirondacks also in the vicinity.

[Troy Loney]

So the Ommegang Brewery was great. It was mostly your standard brewery tour, but the guide was quite knowledgeable and was fun to talk to. I came away quite impressed with the beer tasting (six of their beers, starting with the witte and ending with Three Philosophers).

They also just opened up a Belgian cafe there that is out of this world. Had a croque madame and frites, and the rest of the menu was just as awesome. Certainly worth making a trip up there, especially with the baseball HOF and the Catskills/Adirondacks also in the vicinity.

To get good full and drunk, how much money are you going to end up spending per person?

[shafnutz05]

TBH, the beer prices in the cafe weren't bad at all. And most of Ommegang's offerings are fairly strong (especially the abbey ale and quad) so it doesn't take much. The prices are very reasonable for that quality of food and drink.

Only problem is, make sure you have a DD. Not exactly easy to walk to it from Cooperstown.

Edit: http://www.ommegang.com/cafe-menu.pdf

[Troy Loney]

TBH, the beer prices in the cafe weren't bad at all. And most of Ommegang's offerings are fairly strong (especially the abbey ale and quad) so it doesn't take much. The prices are very reasonable for that quality of food and drink.

Only problem is, make sure you have a DD. Not exactly easy to walk to it from Cooperstown.

Edit: http://www.ommegang.com/cafe-menu.pdf

Yeah, that's more more affordable than the belgian cafe here in pittsburg.

[columbia]

shafnutz05 needs to get himself dahn to Monks and keep this going.
You can take the train in and not worry about the DD.

[shmenguin]

shafnutz05 needs to get himself dahn to Monks and keep this going.
You can take the train in and not worry about the DD.

Eulogy FTW

[shafnutz05]

I've lived in the Philly area for almost five years and haven't been into Monk's yet, sadly. Their tap list is something that dreams are made of

[IamtheWaris]

Where are you finding St. Bernardus for that price? I got a case for $118 and considered it great value. Rochefort 10 if I can recall you can get in some places for $5.99. Wetvleteren 12 is only sold at the brewery in Belgium so you'd probably have to pay close to $30 per beer if you can even find it anywhere. They sold it commercially in the US for the first and only time in December and 6 packs were going for $85. They were then being resold for ~$350 on ebay.

Ho1kB had a few Westy 12s about a year ago. I think they were $35. They were gone before I could get there.

I got 2 of them when I was in Brussels I want to say for 12 Euros apiece. I also grabbed a 6 pack when they were on sale in December. What is Ho1kB?

[IamtheWaris]

the Wetvleteren...wow

i'm in south jersey and get the abt 12 from this place called "total wine". their beer prices are good, but nothing incredible. i get 4 packs for like 18 bucks. there's no discount for a case.

whenever i get a kegerator, this link get's veeery interesting...
http://bellavistabeverage.com/products/ ... keg-30ltr/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

it's this place is in philly you can get different sized kegs from. they have sixtels of abt 12 available - which easily contains 2 cases worth. with sixtels, you basically always save money per ounce.

I have been to the Total Wine in Claymont. They have pretty good prices there.

A sixtel is going to give you around 55 12 ounce beers. I know this because I was crunching the numbers while standing in line for Pliny the Younger this weekend trying to figure out if I was going to get some.

[shmenguin]

the Wetvleteren...wow

i'm in south jersey and get the abt 12 from this place called "total wine". their beer prices are good, but nothing incredible. i get 4 packs for like 18 bucks. there's no discount for a case.

whenever i get a kegerator, this link get's veeery interesting...
http://bellavistabeverage.com/products/ ... keg-30ltr/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

it's this place is in philly you can get different sized kegs from. they have sixtels of abt 12 available - which easily contains 2 cases worth. with sixtels, you basically always save money per ounce.

I have been to the Total Wine in Claymont. They have pretty good prices there.

A sixtel is going to give you around 55 12 ounce beers. I know this because I was crunching the numbers while standing in line for Pliny the Younger this weekend trying to figure out if I was going to get some.

a friend of mine gets high-end craft beer all the time for his kegerator. the price per ounce has always been crazy cheap. i assume the abt 12 is no different.

[IamtheWaris]

I've lived in the Philly area for almost five years and haven't been into Monk's yet, sadly. Their tap list is something that dreams are made of

Take next Monday off and head down there for the Pliny the Younger tapping at 11:30am.

[columbia]

Speaking of Belgium....a photo from a place that is opening up in a few weeks, which is 3 minutes from my parking garage and directly on the way home from work:

Spoiler: