Tried the Wild Wild Brett Blue...I went in with low expectations, thinking it would be more interesting than enjoyable....and thought it was actually pretty decent. Not sure I would want any more than the 8 ounces I drank, but that one try was decent enough. Glad I tried it, even more glad I got to try it on tap in an 8 oz pour rather than via the bomber. I would not have been that happy if I had bought a bomber of it. Also found my expectations for it were slightly off....thought it was a Black IPA but didn't quite seem like it was. Had some similar characteristics of a Black IPA but not really any hops (unless the spruce tips just prevented me from noticing any hops)? And I didn't get much brett from it either.

Freshcraft also has Dogfish Heads Festina Peche. Tried that since you spoke so highly of it, Paul, and definitely enjoyed that one. I'd happily drink that again. My favorite that I tried, though, was definitely Funkwerks Ron Burgundy, a belgian brown aged in red wine barrels. I have been wanting to try that forever so seeing that on their draft list definitely made my day.



Now onto the old trusty Odell IPA; probably my favorite IPA and one I would put up there with Two Hearted, White Rajah, Pliny, etc. Perhaps a biased claim, but I love this beer.

Odell IPA is my favorite Colorado IPA.

Man, I might have to stop at Freshcraft tonight for some more Festina. Very refreshing on these hellishly hot days. And low in alcohol so you can drink a few.

You both (SL too, i.e.) should check out Great Leap brewing here in Beijing. Over the top Social Realism, with the sturdy corners of Art Deco everywhere. Their website is always unavailable when I try to access it, and I can't get photos off my camera, thanks to incompatibility issues with old HP and shitty Windows 7.

Their beers are awesome too. Twice I've been there, they just ran out of Silver needle white ale (with Silver needle tea), so I haven't tried that. I thought the sichuan pepper in their Honey Ma Ale was lacking punch, but they assured me the newer brews had more kick to it. Their Little General IPA is a great IPA, had their Negrito Generallisimo last week, which is a black version of it (apparently, I was the first one to pick that up.... duh). Their East City Porter is good, tat bit sweet as porters tend to be. Missed some spiciness in their Spiced Stout (I think it was an IRS), but it had a lot of coffee taste. They generally have a guest tap from a Shanghai brewery too.

The other microbrew in Beijing, Slowboat, is fairly watery. And, having tried 4 of their brews in a week before I went out to see Great Leap, the four tasted exactly the same to me.

Gus: I LOVE smokey porters, bocks and lagers. Even though they tend to all use the same Bamberg smoked malts, which makes them taste quite alike as a rule. De Molen uses Bruichladdich peated malt, tastes a lot different. In their 'Smoke and Fire' I miss the chili pepper completely, though.

Left hand makes it out to the Netherlands, yo!!! I've had the Milk Stout a very long time ago, before I liked black beers, so I don't remember what I thought of it. But I agree with you on the Black Jack and the 400 LB Monkey.

Hi John, how are things?

I believe it says ImPaled Ale..., and I'm sure I need reading glasses....

Yeah, I thought so too. Since it is local for Arz and he is in the know about that beer, I deferred to him.

Definitely would not have expected that.

Had myself one of the Nitro Milk Stouts last night at dinner. I prefer the regular Milk Stout when via the bottle but the nitro bottle version is still quite good. That was the beer that converted me into stouts/black beers so it will always have a special place for me.

Currently checking out a Collage, a collaboration between Deschutes and Hair of the Dog. Kinda a messy beer, lots going on, tons of heat to this one too. Decent enough but not sure it comes together as well as it could. Bottle says it needs to be aged for a while longer and I'd imagine that's probably for the best.

Been alternating b/t Odell and Lagunitas as of late...trying a little bit of everything...Odell's Shenanigans is one of the better limited releases I've had this year...beautiful mess of flavors but quite pricy ($14 a pop).

Definitely pricey but I agree good. Have you tried Saboteur, a prior one of those limited released by Odell? That one was my favorite I have tried so far.

Maybe someone here can help me with understanding what this is. I tried a Menage a Troi from a state brewery, Crabtree, yesterday. It is a blend of the Boxcar Brown aged with plums in Merlot barrels, a Whiskey barrel aged version of their Oatmeal Stout, and Northern Colorado Wildflower Honey fermented with Boxcar Brown in Merlot Barrels. When I looked into the beer online it seemed to be listed as a "Braggot," a term I was unfamiliar with. All I got from that was it had to do with honey. This beer had a HUGE honey presence so I see the connection but I have had other beers with honey (like Elevations Apis V) that have not been considered braggots as far as I am aware. My question is what is a braggot and what allows some beers with honey to be braggots and others not.

Everybody tells me that, but, unfortunately, I was missed the boat on Saboteur...embarrassed to admit I missed it, given how Odell has become a go-to brewery for me...their Easy Street Wheat still blows my mind, despite the process involved w/ drinking it...ha!...Colorado has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to beer...my frig validates that as it contains a 6-pack of Easy Street Wheat, a 6-pack of Left Hand Milk Stout, a bottle of Tart Lychee from the Lips of Faith series, and a few bottles of Great Divide's Colette.

Yeah, Colorado is a nice spot for beer. I am actually moving up to Fort Collins next week which will make me a neighbor of Odell's (amongst a number of other state micro's). I am definitely with you for Odell as a go to brewery, as I do believe they have become my favorite current brewery.

My closest place to get sahti is about 30m away; the pub across the street (http://www.sahti.fi/). The name of that beer should be "Finish Legend" etc., norwegians are trying to steal our stuff.

A bunch of the breweries are pretty much on the same street (Funkwerks, Ft. Collins Brewing, Odell). New Belgium isn't far from that street, Lincoln, as is Equinox, which I'd highly recommend. Also, go to Choice City and Tap & Handle downtown.

Braggot: from Beer Advocate
The Braggot is quite an old drink, there is a mentioned in Chaucer, Canterbury Tales in the late 1300’s, and there are earlier references dating even further back to the 12th century in Ireland. Braggot is simply made by blending spices and herbs with mead and beer, to produce a strong concoction with uncommon flavors. Many taverns would make this blend right at the bar though brewers would also blend them as well.

There should be a balance between the honey character and malt flavor with the hop bitterness not overpowering the sweetness yet should be noticeable. Today’s Braggot may or may not be spiced.

I've been to both Choice City and Tap N Handle a couple times now. Tap N Handle really needs to bring in some TV's to play some sports in the background but aside from that glaring omission, a very cool bar with a nice beer selection.

I am definitely making Odell and Funkwerks my first 2 stops once I am settled up there but Equinox is right behind. I've never tried anything by them but they had a write up somewhere that intrigued me, so I'll definitely check them out. And I really want to take a tour at New Belgium, I only just learned that its possible to get a tour even if you fail to make reservations as a few always fail to show and they then accept standbys.

From that write up on what a Braggot is, it doesn't sound like Menage A Trois is really a Braggot. Just a blend of barrel aged beers that also incorporates honey? Whatever it was I enjoyed it nonetheless.

Odell is a little weird, the taproom. You go up and order your beer then pick it up around the corner. I dunno, just struck me as strange.

Funkwerks is small, but nice. Kind of a typical small brewery taproom.

I liked Equinox the most - felt more like you were in a living room/taproom and the beer was solid. I was pretty beered-out by the time I got there, but would definitely stop in for awhile the next time I'm up that way.

Finally got around to trying Dry Dock's IIPA...really enjoying this a lot. Shouldn't have slept on this for as long as I did. I wish they could bottle/can this in a format other than a bomber. I'd definitely drink this a lot more often if they did (same with Firestone Walker's Double Jack).

I heard Odell's Tap Room was kinda weird, no I see what was meant by that. Sounds lame but I love the beer so that should make up for the set up hopefully.

Red Magick
Black Magick

I was there, facing the people from cusco, with a knife pointing at that 12th stone.

The latest offering from Avery's Barrel-Aged Series, Oud Flouris, a sour brown. Really, really good. I do believe I'd choose this over New Belgiums La Folie, another sour brown, if given the choice between the two. Both are great, imo, this one just a little bit more enjoyable for me.

Picked up sixers of Breckenridge Vanilla Porter, and Left Hand American Pale.
I wish the liquor store wasn't the smallest, and least stocked of the chain, though. So many beers on the website that arent available at my particular location. Kind of a drag.

Regardless, it should still be an enjoyable evening of not working.

Has anyone tried the Rogue Voodoo Donut Maple Bacon Ale yet? I bought a bottle yesterday, despite not hearing anything good about it. Figured it would be good for a tasting or a lark, don't know when I'm going to open it though.
Thoughts?

After my experience with Left Hands Smoke Jumper I have stayed away from any smoked beer. Seems like that beer is quite polarizing and there's no middle ground, either you like it or absolutely hate it. I'd take a sample at a bar if it were ever on tap just to see what the deal is with it, but I think that's as far as I am willing to go with that one.

Breck isn't my favorite brewery but I gained some newfound respect for them when I checked out their 471 Small Batch IIPA, I thought that beer was really, really enjoyable. Vanilla Porter seems to be one of those beers that has as many fans as detractors. You got to like sweet and you got like vanilla to enjoy that brew; I think its a solid enough brew when I am in the mood for something sweet. The thinness of all Breck's dark beers is a huge detractor for me though.

I enjoy Left Hand's The Stranger. Not a great beer but one I can enjoy. I'd choose one of these over the Vanilla Porter in most situations.

I just picked up two four packs of the Festina Peche and good god is it tasty. I love the sourness of it. I've been doing a lot of yard work today and they are just hitting the spot.