That's one of those Whales everyone chases after [like Heady Topper]

What exactly makes it so special?

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Anchor Steam
Speckled Hen nitro

Right brain brewing...CEO Stout. I’ve never looked back

https://www.beeradvocate.com/...profile/16503/46331/

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Not everything is as it seems -Mr. Miyagi

Really enjoying some NY based beers from Singlecut and Foreign Object (Wet Gravity). Singlecut is usually available here in Mass, Foreign Object is a rare sighting.

I made a run to their brewery a few summers back, while in the area for a wedding. It was on my short list of whale IPAs, the only one I hadn't tasted yet. I don't know that it meets expectations as does Heady, but it's a superb west coast style IPA. The very first impression I had (I may have reviewed it in my IPA thread) is that it's like drinking liquid glass. Hoppy, piney, a little grassy, pungent, but smooth as glass on the finish. If there's one to compare it to, for me, it's like the first time I tasted a fresh Sculpin, but more refined and polished.

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The devil made me do it the first time, second time I done it on my own - W

I like all kinds but I always come back to Dogfish Head 90 min IPA - so smooth.... mmmm,mmmm... Might have to drink one tonight.

these are both very good, easy to drink anytime beers. Nice choices

  


St. Bernadus ABT 12 Belgian Quad. Delicious, but usually have it for special occasions. Should be available at most good bottle shops.

Ommegang Rare Vos. Belgian Pale Ale. Not the absolute best beer, but very good, easy to drink anytime. Nice balance of Belgian yeast with just enough maltiness. One thing I really miss not living on the east coast, cannot get this in OR.

Bell's Two Hearted Ale. Someone else mentioned this. Again, not the absolute best, but very good, easy to drink anytime. Really well balanced pale ale.

Ithaca Flower Power IPA. Very nice IPA from Upstate NY. Hoppy, but not overbearing. Comparable to Dogfishhead 90 minute, little less hoppy, but at that quality level.

DT is pretty delicious. Love their logo.

Arrogant Bastard
Stone Ruination

A good local brew here in Hampton Roads, O'Conner Brewing El Guapo IPA

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All I Wanted Was A Pepsi, Just One Pepsi

Team Zoot, Team Zoot Mid-Atlantic

Several years ago - never mind how long precisely - we couldn't get Arrogant Bastard up here in NJ

A friend of mine, a ginger Londoner living in Austin, promised over & over that he'd send me some in a bottle swap [in return, he'd get some DFH :60 & :90]

He kept dragging his feet, then, one day I saw a big black & red poster in the entrance of my beer store, with the unmistakable gargoyle on it, and the caption "The Arrogance Begins 3-20"

I posted the following, in a Beer Thread we shared on a forum not much different from this one [it's long gone now, however]


I also used to have this t-shirt: an example of what happens when fanboys and beer nerds get together

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Founders All Day IPA

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-----------------------------Baron Von Speedypants
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...runtraining;#1612485

Whenever I read a beer thread and see Founders and Bell's mentioned, I'm reminded of just how spoiled I am with beer. Bell's is 10 miles from my doorstep, so I'm there weekly with a group of friends. Founders is less than an hour away and a variety of their offerings are readily available within a 2 minute drive from home. To top it off, both my town, Kalamazoo, and Grand Rapids (home of Founders) have been rated as "Beer City, USA", each having upward of 15 stellar brewpubs, not to mention everything else we have available from the remainder of Michigan. And it all started exactly 25 years ago yesterday, the 25th anniversary of Bell's becoming Michigan's first brewery to sell beer direct by the glass instead of distribution only.

But for this incredible situation, I must also put up with Michigan's 6 month winter season, so....

What I drink these days. All local micros


Steam Whistle Pilsner
Brock Street Amber
Muskoka Craft Lager

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How does Danny Hart sit down with balls that big?

OK, it's good, but not mind-bendingly blissful

The packaging is just shitty. It looks like something from Cabela's/Bass Pro Shops. Maybe there's a story behind it, I don't know. They could have done better

$8.50 for a 4-pack of tall-boys is a fair bargain, however

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

My new go-to, from Amherst NS. I typically don't stay with any one beer for too long, I like to mix things up.



I like these guys' Blonde Ale, and the Red. Next up gonna try their oatmeal stout.


http://www.triderscraftbeer.ca/beer/

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

The packaging is classic Bell's from one of their seminal recipes, doubtful it's due to change anytime soon. It's inspired by a love of Michigan and the Two Hearted River, a trout stream Hemingway spent a good bit of time fishing and wrote about. For the distribution Bell's now has, Two Hearted has remained amazingly consistent through the years both with how much more they're producing and from the early years of the recipe. I'm lucky to go there regularly since it's in my hometown (heading there tonight) and have some of their one-off or limited release brews, but still drink Two Hearted regularly.

Thanks for clarifying; I figured there was a back-story

Also glad to see Bells hasn't been gobbled up by an international conglomerate yet. I thought maybe they had - but I missed the news - and that's how they got to South Jersey

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Not yet. I think they're trying to stay fiercely independent. From my understanding, their growth has meant they've butted up against what it legally means to still be a microbrewery, which has caused them to lobby for changes to those legal definitions in Michigan. They've been courted, but are still doing their own thing and seem committed to that. Founder's is another local leading brewery that grew quickly and sold a large minority stake to a Spanish conglomerate a couple of years ago, giving them some international distribution. They're still pumping out world class stuff with a small, independent spirit, so I'm not sure how I feel about it.

For you midwesterners, I'll be in Indiana & Ohio next month. What microbrews do I NEED to pick up (preferably from those states)?

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

I really like Founders [you can't go far wrong with a $18 15-pack of quality Centennial IPA], even though the "sell-out" part of my punk rock brain wants to rebel against it


I know the Craft Brewers Association has to keep moving the volume line to define "Craft" since Sam Adams & Yuengling are now America's largest [independent] breweries; so big they can afford commercials on NFL and NBA games

https://www.brewersassociation.org/...raft-brewer-defined/

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Don't know about Ohio, but in IN, nearly anything from these guys is good:

https://www.3floyds.com/...s://www.3floyds.com/

If you can find it, their Zombie Dust Pale Ale is out of this world (had one last night in fact).

They did a collaboration with a brewery called War Pigs recently and those products are still on shelves here in IL - the Foggy Geezer IPA is excellent (look for black cans)

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_________________________________________________
"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare" - Juma Ikangaa

http://www.litespeed.com

I'd say Bell's, but you can get that where you're at and likely won't be in a place to get any of their more limited releases anyway.

I'm really enjoying Truth by Rhinegeist in Cincinnati right now. It's killer, can't get it here so I get it when I'm in Indy or have friends bring it up, a great summer beer. White Rajah by the Brew Kettle is also really good, surprisingly so. Not sure that I can get it here (it's an Ohio brewery, not sure if it's distributed here).

I'm a big fan of Dragonmead Final Absolution from here in Michigan.

Dragon's Milk, a milk stout from New Holland in Michigan is killer. If you can get your hands on one of their limited release versions, do it. It's tough to find, sells out really fast, and I cannot remember when limited releases last came out.

Founder's KBS, from Michigan, is always good. Three will give you a nice long nap.

Three Floyd's is a must from Indiana. Robert the Bruce, a Scotch ale, is delicious. I'm not a scotch ale fan in general, but this is a very drinkable beer. Bubblegum Head is also quite nice and I recommend it. EDIT: Someone else mentioned Zombie Dust. No idea how I forgot that, but yes, yes, yes.

Upland, from Indianapolis, also has some decent stuff, but I don't remember the names of any of them at the moment. If you go with one Indiana brewery, make it Three Floyds, though.

I think I've had Robert the Bruce on one of my previous visits. I'll have to pick that up to bring home.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

Not to get all hipster on you, but I think Bells 2 Hearted out of a bottle or on tap are much better than out of a can......and I'm actually a guy who prefers cans, but just did not like 2 Hearted out of a can.

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-----------------------------Baron Von Speedypants
-----------------------------RunTraining articles here:
http://forum.slowtwitch.com/...runtraining;#1612485