Bink

The original bottles, or the draft botttles? I assume you're talking original - I've seen them fairly recently.

Duncan Roberts

I just mentally slapped you.

Bink

I have no shame!

I'd like a proper setup, but it will do for now. It's quite good experimenting with it too. I do miss my local UK brewery though, Rebellion in Marlow. Used to go there regularly, made some quality brews.

There are actually a few decent local brews here too, and there's also a few pubs with really decent selections (large!) of good quality beers too from around the country and the world.

MostlyYank

Bink, the original bottles. I didn't even know about the draft till right now - is it any good?

I ended up having a Sam Adams Boston Lager yesterday because they were out of Guiness Extra Stout. It tasted sweet, too sweet.

Pete

Bink

It's not bad, it tastes like the draft cans to be honest. I do still like the original cans/bottles but must confess to prefering the draft.

There's a place downtown here that pulls a good Guinness but most places I won't touch it as they don't know how to pull it, or how to keep the pipes clean and store it properly so it takes like ass.

I don't mind some of the seasonal ales Sam Adams puts out but I consider most of them (generalisation here) to be lunchtime drinks not evening drinks. We have Saint Arnold here which is by no means bad and it normally makes up a decent section of my beer fridge! Okay, so it's actually a beer/soda fridge but it makes up some of my man cave!

MostlyYank

I'll definately look for St Arnold.

I had a new Great Lakes Brewery product this past weekend, 'Lake Erie Monster', an IPA. 22 oz draft.

My 1st thought was, way too sweet and sour at the same time. By the time I got to the bottom I realised - it reminded me of the smell of Lake Erie! Not exactly a bouquet of roses...

I would call it Lake Erie Slime. But, it's over 9%, hence the Monster Worth trying once I'd say.

Pete

Hiro11

How many double IPAs have you had? Do you like the style? DIPAs are OK, but certainly not everyone's taste. It's pretty extreme stuff, try Ska Brewing's "Modus Hoperandi", my favorite American IPA. Great Lakes is a great brewery. Edmund Fitzgerald is one of the better porters in the midwest.

Sidenote, currently in my fridge:
Firestone Walker Double Jack (excellent DIPA)
Ayinger Albairisch Dunkel (Munich dunkel lager, one of my favorite beers ever)
Boulevard Tank 7 (Belgian farmhouse ale / saison)
Unibroue Maudite (Belgian style strong ale)

Duncan Roberts

It's not new, just seasonal in May-July. I don't care for it but some wait all year and get almost as excited as they do for Christmas Ale. Glad it's basically gone from almost everywhere and won't be back for another year!

Bob

Wegmans had a free craft beer sampling event last Saturday, had over 100 beers from 25 odd breweries.

Most of them were from New England area, but there was a couple from California, nice one from San Diego, don't remember the other one and then a Canadian one, one from Scotland, a cider place from somewhere in England too.

Fun surprise was a random one from Alabama and Louisiana.

Hell of a lot of Pumpkin ales on sample and generally a lot of very good beer. Though that special barrel aged Sam Adams stuff wasn't very good, glad to try it, but so not worth the cost

Duncan Roberts

Had a bottle of the stout over the weekend. $6 bottle, $3 beer!

Bob

It was the cherry one I tried as it was the last they had. I actually like their regular cherry wheat, but just didn't rate this special aged stuff, certainly for the cost of it.

Some cracking growlers for cheap at Wegmans though, which is decent, but the pick and mix for bottles isn't, $12 for a six pack if you wanted to mix your own.

Though for anyone in MA, well out in the burbs of Boston - http://www.juliosliquors.com/ Julio's in Westborough is a pretty fab offie to check out.

MostlyYank

Hey bitter folks, try Goose Islands' 'Mild Winter'. Not overflavoured... nice.

Pete

Bob

Kennebec Winter Porter, it's a lovely Maine brew, with the added bonus that it's cheap, well up in Maine it was $6.50 for a six pack and Wegmans had it on sale for the same money a couple weeks back.

Cuthbert Rizla

A common problem I find with US microbrews is that too many of them have hop levels that are over-powering.
Brewers went through a willy-waving phase of trying to outdo each other with 8-9% hop bombs.
However you're spoiled for choice these days with the variety and diversity of breweries.

This is my local one and damn fine it is too.

www.cigarcitybrewing.com

And here's a couple of my favourite US beer bloggers.

http://allaboutbeer.com
http://beerblog.genx40.com

Did I tell you I like beer ?

Pulaski

Stone brewery, perhaps? I discovered their IPA a couple of weeks ago, and I have just invested in a couple of their 22 oz's - an Arrogant Bastard Ale and a Sublimely Self-righteous Ale. Neither are going to make it beyond 1/1/13, so I'll let y'all know in the New Year what they were like.