I had a 'dark chocolate bitter' the other day, it was one of the most godawful tastes I've ever had to experience. But hell, you've got to try these things.
I think I'm turning into a Stout guy, after drinking this on tap:
I wasn't sure if drinking it on tap made such a difference, but man, this was a really good beer. It was really smooth, and while it was strong, it had great subtle tastes of coffee. It makes me regret not drinking more of them. The other stout I had that night Left Hand's Milk Stout, which was still pretty good, but not as great as O'hara's. It felt a bit more carbonated and had more of a toasted malt flavor. My brother informed me that cream stouts have more of that kind of flavor.
I may have to go fishing around for beers. I think the carbonation is the toughest thing for me to get over, because if it isn't good, it's just hard to take it down. But if it goes down smooth, it's easier to drink and more enjoyable imo. So good beer then turns into a super beer.
I may have to go fishing around for beers. I think the carbonation is the toughest thing for me to get over, because if it isn't good, it's just hard to take it down. But if it goes down smooth, it's easier to drink and more enjoyable imo. So good beer then turns into a super beer.
Looking for a smoother, lower carbed beer then? Look into the higher-gravity ales malty ales. Try some Scotch ales and old ales. Ola Dubah is quite malty, as is Old Engine Oil.
You know, I so rarely drink beer (I'm more of a wine guy) that when I do, it's always some crazy fancy thing. But I do enjoy a Negro Modelo when I'm doing housework. I've formed some kind of pavlovian connection between that beer and handyman work.
I've started taking the initial steps to turn Front Row Brew into an actual commercial entity. The first and largest obstacle is obtaining approval from the Department, since they technically regulate any and all food production establishments, including all beverage manufacturers. The director of the lab is confident that it will be approved, and he supports the idea. Reading over our conflict of interest policies and the Public Officer's Law, as long as the company does not directly conflict with my main job, I'm fine. In this case, we really don't do any work at all with beer; at most, some other division will have to license the establishment where I brew.
So, right now, I'm filling out the annoyingly long Approval of Outside Activities form. Once that (hopefully) clears, I'll be set. All I have to do after that is consult a lawyer to discuss all the various agencies with whom I have to be licensed and to figure out whether or not I need to be federally licensed, dig through the zoning regulations in the city of Albany and Albany county to figure out what kind of zoning I need, find and rent an appropriate space that is properly zoned for a price that won't be outrageous, file the DBA with Albany County to be a sole proprietor, file all the appropriate license applications, and register with one of the local farmer's markets. Oh, and brew beer. And advertise or something.
Piece of cake.
Pursuant to this new development, I have a request of anyone who's reading this and has tried one of my beers. I've gotten your feedback on the stuff, but now I want your market research. I can't really offer you any particular compensation other than my eternal gratitude and perhaps some more free beer, but answering any of the following questions will help me tremendously.
So, if you've tried one of my beers, please answer the following questions at your leisure and send me your responses via e-mail, whisper, IM, Facebook, whatever. Just talk at me.
1: Do you regularly purchase beer?
1a: If so, what kind(s)? List styles or brand names.
2: What is your primary deciding factor in choosing to purchase a beer? Label, brewery, locality, recommendation from another person, prior experience, etc. If there are multiple factors, please rank them in order of importance from most important to least important.
3: You've tried my beer. Did you like it? Why or why not? Any reason is useful, even if it's simply that you dislike the style.
4: If you liked it, would you buy it, and what is the most you would consider to be a fair price for it? Be realistic, and consider the prices of other craft beers on par with mine. No craft beer will ever be as cheap as Bud Lite, and mine is no exception.
5. If you didn't like it, what would it take to turn you around? Again, even if you simply dislike the style, let me know.
6. Finally, what would you like to see improve in any of my beers?
Sucks I'm stuck here in Virginia...would love to try some of your beer, because I can think of a few independent restaurants and stores that would appreciate a new brewer.
Even though it's officially Spring, I'm still a fan overall of stouts but I had some nice ales recently. I had New Holland's Dragon's Milk not to long ago, which was good but had too much of a wood taste for my preference. I also had Moorhouse's Blond Bitch/Witch, which was a very nice pale ale with some fruity taste, but I wouldn't recommend for a beer veteran because it doesn't have a strong flavor to it. Tomorrow, I shall have tasted more beer!
Sucks I'm stuck here in Virginia...would love to try some of your beer, because I can think of a few independent restaurants and stores that would appreciate a new brewer.
Once I go commercial, that's a lot less likely to happen. The way it's looking, the initial sales would be limited to a handful of farmer's markets in the Capital Region of New York. No interstate commerce at all. Unless you want to drive to Albany to buy it, that is, but even then, I'm not sure whether or not that would constitute interstate commerce on my part.
$5/bottle is the most I've paid for beer in recent memory.
I've paid a touch over $20 for a single 12.7 oz. bottle of Imperial Stout. Granted, it was a single production run and 17.5% ABV. A single 12 oz. bottle of Utopias is north of $150. I'm not brewing those kinds of beer, so I wouldn't expect them to ever be retailed for that price.
Mmmmm. Glorious beer. The darker, the better. Imperial stouts, ftw. Sam Adams isn't bad for a domestically made Imperial stout, but ideally I'd choose Guinness.
Comments
Anybody have any suggestions?
2. Mikkeller Black
3. Dogfish Head World Wide Stout
The Stone RIS is pretty much the best RIS that you can get reliably and at a reasonable price. It's one of the finest beers on Earth.
I wasn't sure if drinking it on tap made such a difference, but man, this was a really good beer. It was really smooth, and while it was strong, it had great subtle tastes of coffee. It makes me regret not drinking more of them. The other stout I had that night Left Hand's Milk Stout, which was still pretty good, but not as great as O'hara's. It felt a bit more carbonated and had more of a toasted malt flavor. My brother informed me that cream stouts have more of that kind of flavor.
I may have to go fishing around for beers. I think the carbonation is the toughest thing for me to get over, because if it isn't good, it's just hard to take it down. But if it goes down smooth, it's easier to drink and more enjoyable imo. So good beer then turns into a super beer.
You know, I so rarely drink beer (I'm more of a wine guy) that when I do, it's always some crazy fancy thing. But I do enjoy a Negro Modelo when I'm doing housework. I've formed some kind of pavlovian connection between that beer and handyman work.
So, right now, I'm filling out the annoyingly long Approval of Outside Activities form. Once that (hopefully) clears, I'll be set. All I have to do after that is consult a lawyer to discuss all the various agencies with whom I have to be licensed and to figure out whether or not I need to be federally licensed, dig through the zoning regulations in the city of Albany and Albany county to figure out what kind of zoning I need, find and rent an appropriate space that is properly zoned for a price that won't be outrageous, file the DBA with Albany County to be a sole proprietor, file all the appropriate license applications, and register with one of the local farmer's markets. Oh, and brew beer. And advertise or something.
Piece of cake.
Pursuant to this new development, I have a request of anyone who's reading this and has tried one of my beers. I've gotten your feedback on the stuff, but now I want your market research. I can't really offer you any particular compensation other than my eternal gratitude and perhaps some more free beer, but answering any of the following questions will help me tremendously.
So, if you've tried one of my beers, please answer the following questions at your leisure and send me your responses via e-mail, whisper, IM, Facebook, whatever. Just talk at me.
1: Do you regularly purchase beer?
1a: If so, what kind(s)? List styles or brand names.
2: What is your primary deciding factor in choosing to purchase a beer? Label, brewery, locality, recommendation from another person, prior experience, etc. If there are multiple factors, please rank them in order of importance from most important to least important.
3: You've tried my beer. Did you like it? Why or why not? Any reason is useful, even if it's simply that you dislike the style.
4: If you liked it, would you buy it, and what is the most you would consider to be a fair price for it? Be realistic, and consider the prices of other craft beers on par with mine. No craft beer will ever be as cheap as Bud Lite, and mine is no exception.
5. If you didn't like it, what would it take to turn you around? Again, even if you simply dislike the style, let me know.
6. Finally, what would you like to see improve in any of my beers?
1a. the alcoholic kind
2. That it taste good
3. Liked it, it tasted good
4. For your stout, $10 for a 6 pack?
5. N/A
6. Less green.
EDIT: Let me amend the "how much would you pay" question: What is the most you would consider to be a fair price for my beer?
Even though it's officially Spring, I'm still a fan overall of stouts but I had some nice ales recently. I had New Holland's Dragon's Milk not to long ago, which was good but had too much of a wood taste for my preference. I also had Moorhouse's Blond Bitch/Witch, which was a very nice pale ale with some fruity taste, but I wouldn't recommend for a beer veteran because it doesn't have a strong flavor to it. Tomorrow, I shall have tasted more beer!
Then again, barley is a very picturesque grain, and hops are pretty. That's wicked neat.
EDIT: Utica Club Brewery tour is still the best.
We really need to arrange a Dogfish Head tour.