Beer

[pepband99]

I was shocked, shocked I tell you, to find a couple of beers from Toppling Goliath at our Whole Foods this week. First time I've seen anything from the legendary Iowa brewer around these parts. There were 4 packs of both Psuedo Sue and Pseudo Sue Double Dry Hopped. I picked up the former. It's an unfiltered single hop (citra) pale ale. Not particularly challenging, but grapefruit and mango are there. Quaffable at a relatively sane 5.8 ABV. Not the kind of beer that will be anyone's all-time favorite, but it's well done and enjoyable.
View attachment 90821

A great < 6% IPA is a treasure.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Little Willow having lots of trouble getting distro in CT. I should have stopped in Palmer to get cans when I went up to Treehouse a few weeks ago. I’m in Newport this weekend. He told me he has limited distro in RI. Going to search for it tomorrow.

I’m headed to Long Live today. Looks like some good stuff on tap and in cans.

 

[Dove]

Heading home from Thornton, NH, my wife wanted to hit a store in Keene. Who knew Branch and Blade was just a mile away? Not me. Here is a true juice bomb with galaxy and Idaho 7 hops.

 

[karstenkibbe]

Heading home from Thornton, NH, my wife wanted to hit a store in Keene. Who knew Branch and Blade was just a mile away? Not me. Here is a true juice bomb with galaxy and Idaho 7 hops. View attachment 90875

Nice stop! Big fan of Branch and Blade. They just did a few collabs with breweries in this area.

 

[Patman]

I saw Firefly Hollow in bristol is no longer of this world. I have three of their growlers I want to turn into light fixtures once I get the courage to try to do electrical things again without making it look terrible. The idea is pendant lights over a galley kitchen full of fairy lights inside the growlers. The engineering weakpoint would the metal chain holding the glass growler suspended. The ignorance weakpoint is, well, working the electrical bits without frying the fairy lights.

Fairy (LED) lights plus growler = fireflies.

 

[AreBee1969]

I saw Firefly Hollow in bristol is no longer of this world. I have three of their growlers I want to turn into light fixtures once I get the courage to try to do electrical things again without making it look terrible. The idea is pendant lights over a galley kitchen full of fairy lights inside the growlers. The engineering weakpoint would the metal chain holding the glass growler suspended. The ignorance weakpoint is, well, working the electrical bits without frying the fairy lights.

Fairy (LED) lights plus growler = fireflies.

That's a nice idea!

I was sorry to see them shut down as well. The Warden and I would often sit at their place and have a Cone Flakes and a Toadstool.

With breweries going up on every block, I was surprised to see an established place that makes decent beer go down. Their original message in March said they hoped to be back at some point. Maybe it was an expensive rent or maybe Bristol just isn't a town to support a brewery. Better Half Brewing, also in Bristol closed too.

 

[Patman]

That's a nice idea!

I was sorry to see them shut down as well. The Warden and I would often sit at their place and have a Cone Flakes and a Toadstool.

With breweries going up on every block, I was surprised to see an established place that makes decent beer go down. Their original message in March said they hoped to be back at some point. Maybe it was an expensive rent or maybe Bristol just isn't a town to support a brewery. Better Half Brewing, also in Bristol closed too.

with breweries its always a mix of things. Could be they daydreamed too hard, could be they were getting squeezed for rent, could be they couldn't keep up on the loans taken out for their equipment. Could be that the principles are getting older. You can never be too sure.

Lately I've been full time hanging out at a two barrel operation with really good people and I know two regulars there who also want to open breweries (1 year time frame and 4-5 year time frame) and I've been listening more about their thought processes.

I think the world has shifted to a "neighborhood" model but in that you will also have to expect places to come and go. Which is far different when you expected most breweries to carry a legacy. Even ones that do otherwise "fine" will run into this or that.

What I am getting right now is that there's tradeoffs. Those who work a normal job will take a loan out on the bigger equipment and have that as the collateral. Don't lose the literal house. But still one guy I talk to if you get an industrial area you're going to get a certain price for square foot but if its anything mildly trafficked its a much higher price.

---

As for my little project, its been on my mind for 6 years and we (coworker helping me) tried to make it work once before covid only for me to remember that resistors are a thing... oops.

 

[Waquoit]

I saw Firefly Hollow in bristol is no longer of this world.

I'm sorry to hear that. They were one of the first for me. I stood in line for Cone Flakes. And I can't believe their rent was too high.

 

[AreBee1969]

I'm sorry to hear that. They were one of the first for me. I stood in line for Cone Flakes. And I can't believe their rent was too high.

From the looks of the place, I would agree that rent alone probably wasn't the issue.

 

[Conndog]

Heading home from Thornton, NH, my wife wanted to hit a store in Keene. Who knew Branch and Blade was just a mile away? Not me. Here is a true juice bomb with galaxy and Idaho 7 hops. View attachment 90875

I'll bet that you went to Brewtopia- it's a fun store, great beer and Zach the owner is amazing

 

[HuskyHawk]

Anybody else heading to Beervana in RI on September 30th? It was always an amazing event, and has a new, improved venue as of last year. I’m eager to check it out after my wife banned me from the last 4 years or so.

Beervana Fest Craft Beer Enlightenment

beervanafest.com

 

[Patman]

Anybody else heading to Beervana in RI on September 30th? It was always an amazing event, and has a new, improved venue as of last year. I’m eager to check it out after my wife banned me from the last 4 years or so.

Beervana Fest Craft Beer Enlightenment

beervanafest.com

I doubt I'd do this one but one of these days I'm tempted to do a travel trip to a bigger local beerfest that isn't my own state. I prefer authenticity but there's an allure to the shotgun approach of getting a lot at the same time.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I doubt I'd do this one but one of these days I'm tempted to do a travel trip to a bigger local beerfest that isn't my own state. I prefer authenticity but there's an allure to the shotgun approach of getting a lot at the same time.

Back before it became so easy to get amazing beers, this one was epic. It still is I suppose, if you like to try things that you don't want to buy. Sam Adams Utopias, Goose Island BA Stout Variants, really old Old Stock, Cantillon, Allagash Coolship, Vintage Brookly Black Ops, Vintage 120 minute. I haven't been in a few years, but it was pretty normal for breweries to create unique beers for it.

This is like a time capsule. So much has changed since I went to this one in 2015. Beervana: the beer list!

This year so far. I can finally try 12 percent.

 

[FfldCntyFan]

This guy appears at a local package store once every two or three Septembers and I buy them out when I see them A one liter can and an Oktoberfest (dimpled) mug that holds the full liter. Wash, rinse and freeze the mug, put the can in the fridge and it comes out perfect.

One aside: a coworker close to my age once joked about how as a teenager he and his buddies would buy 40 ouncers (malt liquor). I told him "this is the closest I ever came to drinking a 40 oz". View attachment 76115

For anyone interested (and local enough to get there before they run out) BevMax on East Main Street Stamford has these in stock.

I picked up a case yesterday (they come five in a case) while stocking up for the football home opener.

They had three full cases and one open case (on display) with three left. Highly recommend for fans of true German Oktoberfest beers. Reasonably priced as well as the cost (including the dimpled full liter mug) is similar to what the mug alone normally retails for.

On a side note (as we open the season in less than a week): @karstenkibbe if you have any interest in attending the opener, or any other football game drop me a DM with your contact info. I normally have spare tickets and parking passes (hopefully after this season they will become more scarce). You can bring your kids if you want and you can tailgate with us along with joining us for the game.

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

Back before it became so easy to get amazing beers, this one was epic. It still is I suppose, if you like to try things that you don't want to buy. Sam Adams Utopias, Goose Island BA Stout Variants, really old Old Stock, Cantillon, Allagash Coolship, Vintage Brookly Black Ops, Vintage 120 minute. I haven't been in a few years, but it was pretty normal for breweries to create unique beers for it.

This is like a time capsule. So much has changed since I went to this one in 2015. Beervana: the beer list!

This year so far. I can finally try 12 percent.
View attachment 90957

Finnback is in Queens, deep in Queens. I've cycled out to it a few times. Have some solid IPAs if you get the chance. Think their rolling in the clouds or whale watching series are what they are known for.

 

[HuskyHawk]

Finnback is in Queens, deep in Queens. I've cycled out to it a few times. Have some solid IPAs if you get the chance. Think their rolling in the clouds or whale watching series are what they are known for.

Yeah, we get Finback in stores here and it shows up on tap at nicer places. Good stuff. Grimm is metro NYC somewhere too. Also good.

 

[Dove]

Treehouse doesn't make it to my house that often. Here is a blonde ale with citra hops.

 

[Atomicfear]

Milwaukee will always be the greatest beer town:

 

[karstenkibbe]

For anyone interested (and local enough to get there before they run out) BevMax on East Main Street Stamford has these in stock.

I picked up a case yesterday (they come five in a case) while stocking up for the football home opener.

They had three full cases and one open case (on display) with three left. Highly recommend for fans of true German Oktoberfest beers. Reasonably priced as well as the cost (including the dimpled full liter mug) is similar to what the mug alone normally retails for.

On a side note (as we open the season in less than a week): @karstenkibbe if you have any interest in attending the opener, or any other football game drop me a DM with your contact info. I normally have spare tickets and parking passes (hopefully after this season they will become more scarce). You can bring your kids if you want and you can tailgate with us along with joining us for the game.

That is insanely generous of you. Let me check the schedule and see when I can make it up there. Would love to join you!

I’m a big fan of the true German fest biers commercially available in the US. Simple stuff. But so good. That’s a great deal on the Paulaner. Ayinger and Weihenstephaner are both now stocked at Trader Joe’s down in Stamford. I also recommend Cheshire-based Counterweight’s fest bier, which is now in package stores all over CT.

 

[karstenkibbe]

Treehouse just isn’t missing on any of their beers. Well oiled machine. This new DIPA, with NZ and Aussie hops, delivers tropical fruitiness, a nice bitter bite and a creamy, medium body.

 

[uconnbaseball]

Smooth as hell IPA!

 

[karstenkibbe]

Copiague is not a very attractive town, but Root + Branch’s taproom is gorgeous. Had to drop my son off at a party in Nassau County this afternoon, so I decided to finally visit R+B while I killed a few hours. Right now, the only brewery in the Northeast making hazies as consistently amazing is Fidens.

 

[Waquoit]

Bissel Brother's had a nice NZ IPA just before COVID. And I liked Hooker's wag at a one a year or so ago. What's funny is when I was in NZ, I loved an IPA and they were most proud of their APA.

 

[HuskyHawk]

A beer for the UConn vs NC State game and thus cool weather.

 

[karstenkibbe]

Hill Farmstead Three Magic Letters. Even better than I remember. Last time I tasted this beer was six years ago.