Virtual Happy Hour (Brews & Spirits, Pics & Reviews)

[Cadence]

I traditionally do a Friday Happy Hour with a friend in person. Since the "lockdown" its been twice a week on-line, we'll see how it goes once things open up. Anyway, I'm thinking pictures of brews and brief reviews (and maybe the snacks once its back to being out some place). I'll only be posting one each time since it's grown to be my limit, a decade ago it would have been two or three.

Edit: Now expanded to spirits too.

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La Lindura Coffee Stout by Untitled Art in Waunakee, Wisconsin. Imperial Stout with Coffee, Milk, and Sugar. 12% ABV.

It's coffee in the sense of a coffee ice cream maybe, and it goes down sort of like a melted version of that (or with a texture a bit like the bottom half of a cup of hot chocolate made from powder). Was surprised it was 12% because I couldn't taste it. I'd drink one again, but wouldn't be the one to order it. I don't like it as much as I did their Chocolate Banana Imperial Stout (in spite of the fact 11% in that one was definitely noticeable).

 

[Cadence]

Maisel's Weisse Original Hefe-Weissbier, from Bayreuth, Germany. Very nice balance of tastes between the beer flavor and stereotypical banana flavor of a hefe. Pours darker than a lot of them (maybe half-way between a hefe and a dunkel-weis?). This one is a keeper.

 

[Cadence]

Foothill's Brewing People's Porter. 5.8% ABV, 30.1 SRM, 42 IBU. A bit hoppier than I like, but a solid porter and a nice change of pace. Nice to have IBU reported on the bottle. I'd never heard of SRM, but it's apparently related to color.

 

[Cadence]

Southern Tier Pumking Imperial Pumpkin Ale. 8.6 % ABV. One of the great pumpkins that comes out at this time of year - a nice balance between the pumpkin, ale, and alcohol taste. A bit more of the later two than I usually get in a beer, but they hold together well with the pumpkin.

 

[Retreater]

It's not pumpkin spice, but a good seasonal drink nonetheless. My brother-in-law works for the company, so we love to support them.
DankeChain from West 6th Brewery.

 

[Zardnaar]

Nice last Imperial Stout I had was only 10%.


I'll see what I can find on my phone.

 

[Zardnaar]

Baltika 6 Porter with satay beef.

Not bad, 7.2% iirc would recommend. Can get it in the USA.

 

[Zardnaar]

One if the better IPAs I've had. They usually overdo the hops.

 

[Zardnaar]

Zatecky Gus, just a macro lager but one of my favorite drops. Easy to drink 4.4% iirc.

 

[Zardnaar]

The imperial stouts I mentioned, can't recommend the triple chocolate stout, Baltika 5 it's ok prefer 6,7 and ZG.

Rough night that one.

 

[Zardnaar]

Our supermarkets rock.

Macro

Craft and wine rows behind it.

 

[Zardnaar]

Good George Hazy IPA 6.8%.

Not to strong on the hops taste. Happy hour $3.50 USD a pop.



And the stout. Very nice developing a taste for dark beer

Beer 3 APA. Happy hour getting happier.

And the good George pilsner. Even more happy gonna leave it there.

 

[Cadence]

Our supermarkets rock.

Macro

Craft and wine rows behind it.

That's the one downside about being down here in South Carolina. There are a lot more grocery stores with great selections up north (Wisconsin, Illinois, and New Jersey anyway). On the other hand we have some really nice beer specialty stores that take orders by phone and do curb-side pick up... and we skip all the freezing icy stuff in the winter

Good George Hazy IPA 6.8%.

Not to strong on the hops taste. Happy hour $3.50 USD a pop.

I'm not a hops fan, but that might be because a lot of the IPAs here are way over the top. I should try out some of these less hoppy ones before writing off the entire style.

 

[Retreater]

I was just wondering if doing some kind of unofficial ENWorld "virtual pint night" on a video chat might be a fun idea. We could talk games, brews, etc., and finally put faces to names. Would anyone else be down with that?

 

[Zardnaar]

That's the one downside about being down here in South Carolina. There are a lot more grocery stores with great selections up north (Wisconsin, Illinois, and New Jersey anyway). On the other hand we have some really nice beer specialty stores that take orders by phone and do curb-side pick up... and we skip all the freezing icy stuff in the winter




I'm not a hops fan, but that might be because a lot of the IPAs here are way over the top. I should try out some of these less hoppy ones before writing off the entire style.

Yeah more good is kinda the default here. APAs less hoppy and the Russian one I posted is quite smooth.

Prefer pilsner anyway I think.

 

[Zardnaar]

The mighty Baltika 7 in a 900ml (1/4 gallon approx) can.

5.4%, 3.8 drinks per can.

Brewed in Russia by Carlsburg, strong flavour have to drink it quick before you go temporarily blind.

Just a Euro macro lager but you can get it in the USA.

 

[Cadence]

I was just wondering if doing some kind of unofficial ENWorld "virtual pint night" on a video chat might be a fun idea. We could talk games, brews, etc., and finally put faces to names. Would anyone else be down with that?

I can see doing it once or twice a year (maybe a virtual Octoberfest?) but I can't picture doing it a lot more. Partially for time constraints in real life, and partially not being particularly outgoing until I know people

 

[Cadence]

Elysian Punkuccino Coffee Pumpkin Ale. A shot of of Shumptown coffee with just a shake of cinnamon and nutmeg. Fine... but kind of odd to have those flavors not in a porter or stout. I don't think its as good as the Pumking as far as pumpkins, but definitely drinkable. The first of four pumpkins I'll be doing from Elysian.

 

[Cadence]

Elysian Great Pumpkin Imperial Pumpkin Ale. 8.1% ABV. Definitely in the same family as the Southern Tier Pumking (8.6%) - and Beer Advocate has them at essentially the same rating. This one feels smoother... or maybe weaker? So if Pumking was too sharp, this might be the next one to try. I prefer the Pumking by a little. (Two more Elysian pumpkins to try).

So far:
1 Southern Tier Pumpking
2 Elysian Great Pumking
3 Elysian Punkuccino

 

[Zardnaar]

Just a macro beer but had not had for a while.

Asahi super dry.

Japanese restaurant, seemed appropriate.