So I'm at the Flying Saucer last night, I had popped in for a quick pint, and I notice the side room is reserved for a private tasting. I'm a schmoozing sonofabitch though, so I casually stroll in. It's a tasting by Breckenridge Brewing, and the head brewer is there. We discussed the hop shortage, Colorado skiing, and beer in general. They've got the 471 Small Batch Double IPA and they're handing out pitchers full of the stuff. 9.2 %....massive. It was very good, not too over the top like a barleywine. They've got to do a presentation, so I saunter off to the bar for one more pint, and what do I see, but a new tap handle from Real Ale in Blanco. Real Heavy. Strong Scotch Ale. Hallelujah.... They have finally allowed Tim Schwartz to set his chickens free and brew his best beer.It was ******* awesome, to say the least. They are going to kick *** at GABF with this beer. Real Heavy (late winter/early spring release) Real Heavy is a traditional Strong Scotch Ale (Wee Heavy). It has a rich brown color, and a deep caramel flavor. Malt flavors dominate and are balanced by the alcohol (9.7% a.b.v.). It is brewed with English crystal malt, English hops, and fermented with English ale yeast. Fans of the Bitter End's award winning Prescott's Wee Heavy will not be disappointed. ABV: 9.7%, IBU: , OG(plato):
So beer has become the new wine, where imbibers now talk about the "471 Small Batch Double IPA" and alcohol by weight or volume. What's next, special glasses in which to drink your beer? Lounging in chairs crossing your legs at the knees whilst discussing the hop shortage and weather conditions in the Willamette Valley? 471 Small Batch Double IPA!?! f**k that ****! Pabst Blue Ribbon!
If you live in West Houston, they are holding a Real Ale Tasting event at 7:30 tonight at the Alamo Drafthouse on Mason Rd
I believe I will be sampling the 2008 Lone Star on the lake this afternoon. Later in the evening I'll be switching to the 2008 vintage Tito's Vodka at Carlos n Charlie's.
I had the Real Heavy at the Draught House last week. That's a serious beer. I think of it as the anti-fruity beer.
I'm jealous. And as for the anti-beer snob-snobs, lighten up fellas. It's all beer and it's all good. Most beer drinkers I know are much more willing to drink a wide variety of styles and qualities than my wine drinking friends. Don't begrudge the guy for getting some good stuff. As for me, I like 'em all (except for Miller Lite which I'll only drink if it's the only option to water), including beer and wine, and scotch, and tequila, and Tito's, and other vodkas, and . . .
I went to the Strong Ales Festival in boulder last weekend. Nothing under 8% (and as high as 18%). I did not walk out upright.
Thanks to this thread, I picked up the 471 Double IPA at the north Austin Spec's this weekend. I must say, it's a damn fine IPA. Thanks for mentioning it.
The Belgian glasses allow the beer to breathe more. At 9 bucks a pop for some of those Trappist beers, you want to savor it.
When I stayed at the YoHo hostel in Salzburg, each line of beer that they served had their own glasses. Sometimes they were shaped differently depending on the style of beer and how it is best enjoyed. I learned something at that hostel. (I learned something in addition to, PAIR OFF EARLY!! )
Here is an excerpt that should put to rest the notion that a lambic beer "breathes" just like a wine does. Why Does a Wine Need Decanting? In times gone by, before so many wines were routinely fined and filtered to a crystal clear state, it was quite common for wines poured from both barrel and bottle to contain a considerable degree of solid matter. In order to avoid bringing an unsightly looking wine to the table, it was quite the norm to decant the wine into a suitably resplendent receptacle. The need for such a receptacle led to the development of the many and varied elegant decanters which are available today. Most wines on the shelves today, however, have no real need for decanting. The winemaking process ensures the wine is thoroughly clarified (even if it may mean stripping the wine of some of its flavour) before it is bottled, by a process of fining (passing egg whites, bentonite clay or other unsavoury substances through the fine to collect solid matter) and mechanical filtration. Although these wines are often best served from the bottle (after all, you've paid for the label), many others still benefit from decanting. Wines which have aged in bottle, typically red wines rather than white, will generally throw a sediment by perhaps ten years of age or more. Not only is this sediment displeasing to the eye, it can also be quite unpleasant in the mouth. More than any other wines, these are the ones that deserve decanting. Young wines also benefit from decanting, although the aim is not to take the wine off its sediment (there is rarely any such sediment in young wines), but rather to aerate the wine. The action of decanting itself, and the large surface area in contact with the air in the decanter, alters the wine, softening its youthful bite and encouraging the development of the more complex aromas that normally develop with years in bottle. For this reason even inexpensive wines plucked from the shelves of the local supermarket can benefit from decanting, if a first taste reveals a tannic, grippy, youthful structure. The Link
I'm not sure why the lambics became the focus of this discussion. The Belgians use several different beer glass styles depending on the beer being consumed. Lambics are a small part of the overall Belgian beer market. As MrMyke pointed out... Much ado about nothing. If you don't want to consume beer from a specialty glass, then by all means, do not do so. Anyway, the Real Heavy sounds good and right up my alley. The IPA, not so much...
^ Lots of bottle conditioned IPA's on the market. Had the Real Ale Devils' Backbone Tripel at Opal's on Tuesday. ******* awesome. Those guys kick ***.
