Gella's, and other beer reviews.

Havn't tried Avalanche yet. Bought some "Hazed and Infused" by Boulder Brewing. Not a real high alcohol content but it's got about 4 different hops in it and it has an IBU of 70. And I figured anything that sounded like a Zeppelin song was worth a try.

Go to the Golden Q sometime and ask for a belgium brew called 1554 in a bottle not on tap.
very dark and full bodied,has a hint of chocolate/nut flavor,very filling but very good... definitely worth a try...

I changed the title since we've started doing general beer reviews. Post your favorites here and tell us why. Give type of brew, alcohol content, or other info if known.

A report on "Hazed and Infused" dry hopped ale by Boulder Brewing. This was a very interesting brew indeed. About 41/2% alcohol. The hops are quite evident in both aroma and taste. When first taking a drink there is a variety of tastes come to mind. It's powerful yet subdued. The bitterness factor is there, yet it's not harsh at all. And surprisingly there is practically zero aftertaste. It finishes very dry with no bitter after effect like you didn't even have a drink. I give it 4 polycarts. LOL

I like ice cold 6 point bud in a can because it tastes good and I get a good buzz

I am a Corona w/ lime and salt girl,and I like Red Stripe also-oh and Grolsch

Drank many thousand cans of Bud in my days. I and one of my old friends used to buy at least a half case of 16 oz Bud cans and another half case of Mickey's or Moosehead most every night, and more when we really felt like a party. But sometimes we bought oddball beer like Big Jug. I've picked up Grolsch a few times too, it's not a bad brew.

I tried a Goose Island Honker's Ale last night too. Pretty much a classic British bitter ale though it's not very bitter. Not British either, it's made around Chicago. Plan to check out a couple more varieties this weekend. May go for a Double IPA (India Pale Ale). The lady friend shares a taste for dark stouts with some of you, so I guess I'll have to find a good one. That Belgian one might be an option for her. I'll still be on the quest for a 5 star hop charged barleywine.

Flying Dog makes a beer labeled "In Heat Wheat". The carton is more fun to read than a box of Chex.

What about when Gellas goes smokeless (or is it already?)

It is.

oh, gonna be statewide soon.

mikecc wrote:

What about when Gellas goes smokeless (or is it already?)

Justoo wrote:

It is.

Da Comrade. We must have a healthy environment to clog our arteries with greasy quisine and pickle our livers with a dozen bourbon shots.

The beer report continues.

Goose Island India Ale.. A nice India with some bitterness, but mild as bitter brews go. A decent hop/malt combo but not spectacular. Just under 6% alcohol. About 3 1/2 polycarts.

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barleywine Ale.... My taste buds got wood. Somewhat fruity and heavy with a very strong bitterness that lingers, and at 9.6% alcohol it's a pleasant buzz as well. Five polycarts go to this bad boy.

Disclaimer: Don't bitch at me if you try a brew I like and spit it out. I like them very potent and bitter.

Five pollycarts?!?!?!?! OMG !! It's still not better than sex...

I think I'm in love with this stuff SG. If you didn't already have a man and I didn't have a lady I'd ask if you'd like to join me. Wow this stuff is good.

And I would try it, it sounds like some good stuff. I thought I read...Wow, this stiff is good. j/k

I only drank two and have a good buzz. We'll have to have a get together and try this SG. It is rather bitter though, which most don't go for. But to a serious beer lover it's nirvana.

Cool, can't remember the last beer you let me try, but if I remember...it tasted like a Little King's...but probably not that...it tasted a little similar. Me and my Keystone Light anyway... Boy...am I gonna get crap over that...

Ratzilla, don't have your sophisticated palate. After drinking nothing but Bud Light for a couple of years I tried a sampler at Rock Bottom tonight and still ended up with Bud Light. Fat Tire is an adventure for me. I did like the darker brew but it still tasted bitter. Guess I haven't found the right one.

Ah yes SG, I was drinking Saint Pauli Girl the last we met. A touch skunky, but I hear if you get St Pauli in Germany it's not so skunky and stronger. The trip and bottling in green bottles instead of brown degrades the beer. Sierra Nevada Barleywine Ale is something completely different. Barleywines are the top of the chain with brews. Strong in every way. I'm actually having to think before typing. LOL

SlumberGirl wrote:

And I would try it, it sounds like some good stuff. I thought I read...Wow, this stiff is good. j/k

LMAO I gotta read these posts closer. Yeah SG my tastebuds had a good stiffy with this brew. But at my age that's the only stiffy that's good and strong with brew this strong.

SlumberGirl wrote:

Five pollycarts?!?!?!?! OMG !! It's still not better than sex...

I'd rather drink your Keystone lite warm with cigarette ashes flicked in it than have sex with Rosie O'Donnel. That's all I'll say about the Keystone. I'm trying to make this a friendly thread where anyone can praise any brew they happen to prefer.

I stick to Bud, Texas beer is great warm or cold (coors or bud)

wilkykav2 wrote:

I am a Corona w/ lime and salt

God, there aren't enough Limes in the world to make a Corona not taste like friggen Caster Oil

Justoo wrote:

Flying Dog makes a beer labeled "In Heat Wheat". The carton is more fun to read than a box of Chex.

How many of the Flying Dog series have you tried? I havn't tried them yet. I know a couple of theirs have won awards and the distribution is widespread, but I couldn't decide if they were trying to sell ordinary beer with a weird gimmick, or just a weird bunch of guys making good beer.

I've tried at least one other, but I'm partial to wheats.

Justoo wrote:

I've tried at least one other, but I'm partial to wheats.

The wheat beers don't appeal much to me except maybe on a warm summer eve. But that said, how is the Flying Dog wheat? If they make a good wheat it might get me to try their lager and ale.

Been awhile since I've had one. Flavorful, no aftertaste.

All this talk of beer made me curious, so I took a sip of the hub's beer a few days ago. I think I'll stick to my fruity drinks.

suzyr wrote:

I think I'll stick to my fruity drinks.

You are what you drink.

Well, when I drank beer, it was Michelob Dry. Don't know the last time I saw that in a store.

Quote :

You are what you drink.

suzyr wrote:

All this talk of beer made me curious, so I took a sip of the hub's beer a few days ago. I think I'll stick to my fruity drinks.

What kind of beer does he drink? Some of the specialty beers might surprise you on taste. Some ales have fruity tastes, some darks can have hints of coffee and chocolate.

Thanks for the info justoo. I've been debating the Flying Dog brand.

Ratzilla wrote:

Justoo wrote:

Flying Dog makes a beer labeled "In Heat Wheat". The carton is more fun to read than a box of Chex.

How many of the Flying Dog series have you tried? I havn't tried them yet. I know a couple of theirs have won awards and the distribution is widespread, but I couldn't decide if they were trying to sell ordinary beer with a weird gimmick, or just a weird bunch of guys making good beer.

If you like them to have a bitter taste and aftertaste, you'll love them.

I like bitter brews, especially the Barleywine Ales, and the Indian Pales. Bitterness is not a turnoff to me at all, it's a plus. They say the supercharged hops being done in Microbreweries that cause the bitterness is an American craze. Like many things, we seem to have a taste for the extreme.

Ratzilla wrote:

suzyr wrote:

All this talk of beer made me curious, so I took a sip of the hub's beer a few days ago. I think I'll stick to my fruity drinks.

What kind of beer does he drink?

I won't say what he drinks at home, you'll make fun of him (that's MY job ). Whatever he had wasn't horrid, it just wasn't good. We were at Old Chicago for supper, and I didn't pay attention to what he ordered.

mikecc wrote:

What about when Gellas goes smokeless (or is it already?)

\\Actually is there anywhere left in town that you CAN smoke? Im curious.

suzyr wrote:

I won't say what he drinks at home, you'll make fun of him (that's MY job ).

LOL..

L2C last I was in the Horseshoe I could smoke, and the sign on the bowling alley door states that smoking is allowed at certain hours. I figure it's places like Gella's that lose out because I've pretty much quit going to resturants and bars that don't allow it. I understand they figure the PC crowd is more important, so I won't bitch, It'll just be a rare occasion I go and I'll be leaving early if I do. I could tolerate going outside for a smoke in nice weather, but if it's expected in winter or otherwise bad weather I'll just give my business to the liquor stores and stay home.

luv2cook wrote:

Actually is there anywhere left in town that you CAN smoke? Im curious.

I think you can smoke in the Vagabond restaurant.

You used to be able to in Professors...has that changed? And what about the Q?

The Q is smoky.
So is Village Inn and Jalisco's.

I think your allowed to smoke in most of the bars the only one that I know about that you can't is Neighbars.

Justoo wrote:

So is Village Inn

Nope VI went smokeless at the beginning of October I think.

Hadn't been there in a while.

Now I'm hungry for one of those "intimate skillets".

I will stick to drinking my scotch and brandy.

I will still take a shot of brandy now and then, but don't need the hard alcohol habit back.

Im gonna just drop it here, and let you ladies run with it........link

Justoo wrote:

You are what you drink.

So am I a Coke, a coffee, a bottled water, an Avalanche or a Wild Turkey?

Don't answer that. It was a rhetorical question.

Beer reports....

Boulevard Pale Ale. A nice brew with a good balance of hops and malt, not too bitter.

Tallgrass IPA. I can only give this a fair rating. IPA's should pack a hop punch, but this one wasn't impressive, and I really didn't notice much else. Kind of like a common beer with a little added hops.

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. Decent, but I should have figured when the college boy at the liquor store said he really liked it that it was closer to common brew than it was to Sierra Nevada's heavy hitter Bigfoot Barleywine Ale. Remember in my brew rating I like very heavy hops and abundant malt which means heavy flavors and extra bitter.

The standard American brews we grew up with are good for guzzling on a summer night, and really are good beers, but I've always liked a more substantial brew.

Of the three here, I'd have to say I'd try the Boulevard Pale Ale again. It was very well rounded and complex.

New reports....

Long Hammer IPA Lackluster for a India Pale Ale. Got a hops bite but not real big on taste.

Odell Brewing IPA Maybe I got an old batch, but this one was different. The taste was fine with that fruity piney flavor and bitterness, but it smelled a touch of skunk with tom cat pee. Still drinkable to an IPA fan though.

Indica IPA Not bad stuff here with a piney fruity smell and taste mixed with a moderate bitterness. Could be a touch more bitter for me but an enjoyable IPA.

Breckenridge Small Batch 471 Double Hopped IPA Bitter, but mildly so for a double IPA. Lots of good flavors in this one and a fine hoppy aroma, but it's too pricey. 4 polycarts for drinkability but not good enough to warrant the price.

Anderson Valley Hop Ottin IPA Damn near a double IPA with plenty of hops. I like this one with a good piney-fruity aroma and solid hop bite balanced out by comlplex malts. 4 1/2 polycarts.

Well since I'm focusing on IPA's, Imperial Pilsners, and Barleywine ales, how bout those who prefer a lager, or wheat, or stout do some reviews? Hell do a wine cooler, or bourbon review if you aren't a beer and ale fan.