Official Shmups.com Booze Thread

[Acid King]

Picked up a case of Lagunitas Brown Shugga and Stone's Double Bastard. Enough to keep me occupied for a while. The local pub (McG's) has Stone's Russian Imperial Stout on tap, so good times.

I nearly bought a few bottles of this years Double Bastard over the holidays but instead opted for a bottle of Old Viscosity and singles of World Wide Stout and 120 Minute IPA. I'm making an Heaven and Hell black and tan with them tomorrow night for New Years Eve.

A good friend got me started on the home brew thing over the holidays and I'll be starting my first batch tomorrow.

Good luck. It's a lot of fun and even if the beer isn't the best, drinking it is always fun.

[CMoon]

opted for a bottle of Old Viscosity and singles of World Wide Stout and 120 Minute IPA. I'm making an Heaven and Hell black and tan with them tomorrow night for New Years Eve.

Jesus!

[Acid King]

Well the Heaven and Hell was pretty awesome. It looked like they mixed, but I think it was just the glass it was in because you could see light through the bottom of the glass, but not the top. Even mixed, it was reallly good. The two beers flavors worked well together and made them seem less sweet than they are on their own. I took a few big drinks from it and was feeling quite weird in only a few minutes so I had to time my drinks from the glass because I didn't want to drink it all in one shot and be totally fucked and fall asleep. Totally worth. I recommend it if you ever feel like spending $15-20 on a beer.

[CMoon]

So what did you actually mix--you listed 3 beers:

Old Viscosity (a favorite of mine), 120 minute IPA (I prefer the 90, but I know you're going for something else), and 'World Wide Stout' which I'm not sure I know. Which did you mix to make a 'heaven and hell' or did you use some other beers.

I'm pretty intrigued.

My own brewing seems to be going OK. The fermentation lock isn't bubbling or anything, but I can smell the beer so I know the CO2 is getting out somehow. Why don't they make incense that smells like this?

Edit: Called up the brewery shop with all my worries and they suggested taking a peak at the beer (I was worried about oxygen getting in)--and sure enough, huge head of foam growin' on that thing. So my beer is probably fine, I'm just paranoid.

[Acid King]

So what did you actually mix--you listed 3 beers:

Old Viscosity (a favorite of mine), 120 minute IPA (I prefer the 90, but I know you're going for something else), and 'World Wide Stout' which I'm not sure I know. Which did you mix to make a 'heaven and hell' or did you use some other beers.

I'm pretty intrigued.

My own brewing seems to be going OK. The fermentation lock isn't bubbling or anything, but I can smell the beer so I know the CO2 is getting out somehow. Why don't they make incense that smells like this?

Edit: Called up the brewery shop with all my worries and they suggested taking a peak at the beer (I was worried about oxygen getting in)--and sure enough, huge head of foam growin' on that thing. So my beer is probably fine, I'm just paranoid.

Sorry, I didn't make it very clear in my post. Old Viscosity was just the third bottle that I bought at the bottle shop, which I drank yesterday. Thought about using part of it for a black and tan with Arrogant Bastard, but just wound up drinking it straight.

As for the Heaven and Hell, it's a black and tan made with Dogfish 120 Minute IPA on the bottom and Dogfish World Wide Stout on the top. 21% ABV + 18% ABV = the only drink you need in a night. Apparently they serve them at the Dogfish pubs when they have them both on draft at the same time. The pictures I had seen of other people who had made them the beers separated nicely, but mine didn't look too clean. I think it's mostly due to the fact that I had never poured a black and tan before. Still tasted amazing though.

What kind of beer did you wind up making? I wouldn't worry too much. I fucked up making my first batch and it still turned out ok. I pushed the grommet through the lid of my fermentation bucket and dropped it in the beer. I had the fermentation lock sealed with duct tape for a few days before I could get to the homebrew shop and get another. It freaked me out but I didn't get an infection or anything.

[CMoon]

I'm making an IPA from a kit -- the brewing shop is calling it Chico ale. Obviously I want to get more adventurous than that soon, but I'd be completely content to be able to make something similar to dog fish heads 60 minute IPA.

I also had that fear about the grommett dropping into the beer, and I think before my next batch I'll buy a second carboy and forgo the whole bucket fermentation thing--I'm sure my seal is completely fucked up, but at least at this point, CO2 should be pushing out, versus contaminated air getting in.

Man, that Heaven and Hell sounds great...I think I'm gonna have to make a Stone version of that. Hmmm...Russian Imperial Stout and ??? Peraps their Pale Ale?

Oh hell, I got an old viscosity right here--it would make a good black and tan with something... Hahahaha, how 'bout a Black and Blacker???!

[Acid King]

I'm making an IPA from a kit -- the brewing shop is calling it Chico ale. Obviously I want to get more adventurous than that soon, but I'd be completely content to be able to make something similar to dog fish heads 60 minute IPA.

I also had that fear about the grommett dropping into the beer, and I think before my next batch I'll buy a second carboy and forgo the whole bucket fermentation thing--I'm sure my seal is completely fucked up, but at least at this point, CO2 should be pushing out, versus contaminated air getting in.

Man, that Heaven and Hell sounds great...I think I'm gonna have to make a Stone version of that. Hmmm...Russian Imperial Stout and ??? Peraps their Pale Ale?

Oh hell, I got an old viscosity right here--it would make a good black and tan with something... Hahahaha, how 'bout a Black and Blacker???!

Sam wrote a book called "Extreme Brewing" that has an extract recipe for a 60 minute clone. I think all of the recipes in the book are extract and specialty grain recipes actually. I'm feeling my way through stouts. I made the Northern Brewer Breakfast Stout kit my first batch and threw together a chocolate stout from glancing at extract stout recipes. I'm just going to use that recipe as a base and start experimenting with it to see how changes affect the beer. The next one I do is going to be an oatmeal stout. It's going to be called "Worship the Goat(meal) stout".

Some people don't even bother with a fermentation lock and just set their bucket lids loosely on top of the fermenter. I think the thing most likely to infect the beer is fussing with it and just being lazy with sanitation. It's better to just leave it sit rather than continually opening and closing it or obsessively checking the gravity every day.

I've heard the usual black and tan at the DFH pubs is the 90 Minute and the Chicory Stout, which I'll have to try sometime. I don't know how it would come out but you could try Ruination with the RIS on top. There was a recent thread on beer advocate about mixing beers and someone mentioned mixing Double Bastard and Arrogant Bastard as well. A Black and Blacker could work. Old Viscosity is possibly the thickest beer I've ever had. Maybe Old Rasputin with Old Viscosity = Old and Older?

[CMoon]

Yeah, I've been reading the Homebrewtalk forum--there's lots of clone beer recipes. I'm gonna check out a meeting of the Maltose Falcons next week and go to a brewing class. Hopefully it all starts meshing for me. I do want to learn how to make full bodied beers (IPAs, Stouts, Barley Wine Ales, etc.) and how to get the ABV up without killing the yeast (I rarely even bother drinking beers with lower than 7% ABV--they typically have little body and insubstantial flavor.) It will be months, certainly, but I can't wait to get to the point where I'm making a beer I'm as satisfied with as the beers I buy at Bevmo.

[Jon]

Recently enjoyed a six pack of Milk Stout from the newly discovered Left Hand Brewery. Pretty good stuff that I would recommend to any stout fan.

Yeah, I've been reading the Homebrewtalk I'm gonna check out a meeting of the Maltose Falcons next week and go to a brewing class.

Great name for a home brew club.

[CMoon]

Inspired by your 'Heaven and Hell', I had a black and tan of sorts: Stone Russian Imperial Stout & Victory's Hopsickle. Pretty freakin' good, though the Hopsickle may have given the drink an overall 'too dry' finish. Still, the drink overall had more character than the Hopsickle while being more drinkable than the RIS. I don't know if I'd get it again, but it was pretty cool!

[Acid King]

Did the beers separate at all? I'd imagine a sweeter IPA would work better than a drier one, maybe something like Unearthly.

Right now my conundrum is what beer I'm going to take out of my 'cellar' (otherwise known as the middle shelf in my fridge) as my celebratory beer when I complete my MA this spring. I've got 120 Minute from 06, Double Bastard, Old Guardian, Stone RIS and World Wide Stout from 07 and some younger stuff than that. Right now I'm leaning towards an Old Guardian.

[jonny5]

this thread makes my head spin....i have no idea what you guys are talking about

on the odd occasion when i drink i usually drink sapporo.....mmmmm....

/goes to the fridge

[CMoon]

Did the beers separate at all? I'd imagine a sweeter IPA would work better than a drier one, maybe something like Unearthly.

No, they didn't so it was sort of a bummer. It tasted fine, but I agree with you.

Hmmm, moved my homebrew to the second fermenter today. I don't know if I'm going to do 2 fermenters in the future. Too much danger of contamination. Fucked up on another part (boiled my dry hop batch for too long and didn't cover it.) Man, making beer is a learning process, that's for sure.

[CMoon]

this thread makes my head spin....i have no idea what you guys are talking about

Yeah, it has turned into the elitist beer thread. No reason you can't join in if you live somewhere that stocks some good beer. I imagine there are still small towns in the US that don't have shit for beer.

[jonny5]

i live in toronto, canada...we gotz beerz!

i just dont really like beer....*ducks for cover*....sapporo is really the only beer i drink and enjoy the taste...

only the king cans, mind you....the bottled stuff tastes different

i should start a weed connoiseur (sp?) thread.....thats more my thing....

my buddy makes beer....its alright....tasted kinda sweet and almost cidery....iirc he said they didnt brew it long enough or something

my g/f likes guiness....but then i gotta smell her breath

[CMoon]

Have you tried any of the microbrew stuff? A lot of people say they don't like beer but then don't really know anything about beer. It's to bad that the available beer varies, but the first beer I had that ever really did much for me was Sam Smith's Oatmeal stout. That's when I knew that I didn't really know anything about beer.

[Acid King]

i live in toronto, canada...we gotz beerz!

i just dont really like beer....*ducks for cover*....sapporo is really the only beer i drink and enjoy the taste...

only the king cans, mind you....the bottled stuff tastes different

i should start a weed connoiseur (sp?) thread.....thats more my thing....

You know, hops are in the same plant family as weed. Heh, maybe that'll be what gets you into beer. There are plenty of beers that smell and taste like that. Sierra Nevada's wet hop harvest beer tastes and smells like someone ground up a cannabis plant and turned it into a beer.

[Jon]

the first beer I had that ever really did much for me was Sam Smith's Oatmeal stout. That's when I knew that I didn't really know anything about beer.

Easily my favorite entry in the Sammy Smith line of beers, their Taddy Porter is pretty good as well.

[CMoon]

Taddy Porter is pretty good as well.

Yup, the good ol' Tadcaster.

[CMoon]

Went down the beer making shop today and picked up the ingredients to make my own 90 minute IPA. With luck I'll be brewing by mid-week. Yeehaw!

[Acid King]

Are you going to use one of those old vibrating football games?

[CMoon]

Are you going to use one of those old vibrating football games?

You're gonna have to explain that one to me. The recipe for the 90 min IPA (extract version) is surprisingly simple short of the huge number of hop additions (adding hops to the 90 minute boil roughly every 7 minutes.) I'm not ready to do all grain versions, but was pretty blown away by the 8 freakin' lbs of malt extract the thing takes. Damn!

[Acid King]

You're gonna have to explain that one to me. The recipe for the 90 min IPA (extract version) is surprisingly simple short of the huge number of hop additions (adding hops to the 90 minute boil roughly every 7 minutes.) I'm not ready to do all grain versions, but was pretty blown away by the 8 freakin' lbs of malt extract the thing takes. Damn!

Heh, it's how Sam Calagione brewed the first batch of 60 Minute IPA. He cut a hole in a 5 gallon bucket full of hop pellets and set it on one of those old vibrating electric football games above the brew kettle. The vibration would shake the hops down the table and add the hops continuously throughout the boil.

[CMoon]

My god that's awesome!

[Ravicious]

For casual, social drinking, I prefer something dark like Guinness. If I am short on cash I'll buy a Shiner Bohemian Black. Other alternatives to good old Guinness is the never disappointing Bully Porter.

I'll almost never touch the cheap beer because I personally think it tastes too much like urine.

Other times when I need to unwind by myself, I'll take a few shots of Wild Turkey.

[Acid King]

Drinking a Stone Smoked Porter right now. I had some 90 Minute IPA over the weekend and tried mixing it with a St Ambroise Oatmeal stout. It didn't separate but the mix was pretty good. The oatmeal stout dominated but the sweetness of the 90 minute cut through the roastiness well and it tasted pretty balanced.

[CMoon]

What I can't figure about the 90 min IPA is that the only grain being sparged is pilsner malt--a not terribly flavorful beer. I can only assume most of the flavor comes from the malt extract + the hops. I mean, it is a LOT of malt extract and a LOT of hops, but I'd still...

[Acid King]

I'd suspect that it's mostly the hops, with all the malt extract edging out the bitterness. It makes sense. If you want the hops to shine you'd want a light tasting base malt to build on.

[CMoon]

Made an attempt at the 90 min IPA today, put up a blog page:

http://lastvisibleblog.blogspot.com/201 ... it-is.html

[CMoon]

For what it's worth, I'm drinking my own beer right now, and it isn't bad at all. This is a Mr. Beer kit given 1 month+ to ferment/age. Not bad at all and helluva encouraging. My first real brew should be MUCH better, but this is way better than I'd thought it'd be (I'd planned to name it 'fail ale'), as it stands I'd say it's on par with a sam adams.