Guys, I just picked up a big bottle of La Chouffe for $7.69. Cheeeeap.

Want to save it for a bit, then I'll do a review. See where I stand between Wookie and Robinson.

Wow. Nice price.

Is there a better Imperial Stout available? It's better than Sam Smith's and it's better (disappointingly) than Ipswich's new Choate Bridge Imperial Stout. What else is out there that I can try?

lew,

If you can get your hands on Alesmith, Rogue or Stone Stouts, I would give them a try, they're known for making some incredible Stouts. Might want to get your hands on The Abyss by Dechutes, I bet it'd give Ras a run for his money, maybe even better.

I haven't had Old Rasputin (haven't seen it in Minnesota) but, I have heard a ton of good things about it. I have recently had the Victory Storm King, and I thought that was a very solid Imperial.

Also, Surly (my hometown brewery) brews their version of an Imperial once a year called Darkness, it's a 10 beer. I doubt you'll ever be able to get your hands on a can, but it's PHENOMENAL.

I just tried some of Weyerbacher's imperial stout, Old Heathen, and thought it was really drinkable. It tasted more chocolatey than roasty to me, with just a hint of alcohol warmth. I definitely like a more acrid, roasted-edging-on-burnt character in my stouts, so I thought it was only ok. My girlfriend really liked it, though, and it's definitely a smooth drinker. I jokingly asked if it was a sessionable imperial.

I've also got a bomber of Weyerbacher's 13th Anniversary beer, a 13.6% imperial stout. Can't wait to try that one out.

I can really only get Weyerbacher when someone I know goes to Atlanta, so if anyone has suggestions for the next brew of theirs to try, I'd love to hear it.

I haven't had it, but one of the brewers at work said Oskar Blues' Ten-Fiddy was really great, and they seem to have decent distribution, so you may want to look for that as another imperial stout to try.

Ten Fiddy was pretty good. I'd try Great Divide's Oak Aged Yeti (or regular Yeti).

Poured from a One Pint, 0.9oz bottle. I paid $2.88 for this bottle. Served in a 16oz Surly pint glass.

Pours with a nice 1/2 inch head that isn't very thick, but sticks around for a while. A Clear, light, golden, very transparent, pale looking beer. It smells of honey right off the bat, with a light, sweet, musty smell.

The taste is effervescent, sweet, fresh, with a little spiciness.

In the mouth it feels lightly carbonated, just right. A little bitterness up front. Very well balanced.

I will be purchasing many more of these ~17oz bottles in the future. A great session beer that surprises, and makes me wanting more.

I'm giving this a 2p2 rating; an A on my scale. It's one hell of a beer, not quite world class, but definitely exceptional and I will be buying A LOT more of this.

New in here...from CA, big on IPA's and west coast ales. I home brew some.

I had this stuff the other day and went back last night to buy more... Green Flash West Coast IPA... F-ing great!

Also got a 22oz of the LeFreak...haven't tried yet, will report.

http://www.greenflashbrew.com/

Kidcolin was a big fan of the Green Flash IPA. I wasn't so big on it myself, but I loved the Le Freak. Let us know what you think.

dear wookie,

tomorrow i will be having 4 different bottle of 3 fonteinen with some friends. Begin expressing jealousy.

-Snowden

Yeah, so, in order for me to do that, you're going to have to clue me in to what it is. I make no claims to knowing everything about beer.

4 different kinds of lambics from the best lambic house in the world.

oh yes... love it!

The heavy handed one (i think its called) is awesome too.. very hoppy and lots o sediment but, thats okay.

sc000t, +1 on Bell's, though we were too stupid or tired (went to Founders and New Holland the night before) to go outside when we were at Bell's last year.

I didn't particularly love Oberon, though I'd like to give it another try after your very nice description, despite the echoing sentiments from RDH among others.

--

Lew,

If you can get your hands on any Dark Horse winter stout series beers (they make 5 I believe, yes, 5 winter stouts), I would suggest that.

Even though they are released every winter, I still picked up a few as late as July, they do a pretty fine job and they come in 4 or 6 packs for around $10 bucks near me I believe, so you're at least getting a little bit of beer for what you pay. I liked the smoked one the best, but I haven't tried the biggest one (I think it's called one or five or something like that).

Their blueberry stout was interesting as well.

I guess since Darkness was mentioned, I'll mention Dark Lord as well. I prefer Darklord over Darkness, though I've only had 2 snifters of the latter on one single night. I also liked Darklord a little bit better fresh compared to 8 or 10 months old (I have a few 2008s still and periodically open one up), it just gets too sweet for me as it ages. It could very well just be a novice palate not picking up all the wonderful flavors people seem to experience with aged RIS, but only time will tell!

I also recall some good Bell's stouts, and 3 floyd's makes an extremely good stout in the "Moloko Milk Stout." Haven't tried Abyss yet, am interested to.

I haven't loved Southern Tier's big stouts thus far, but I'll give them another try this fall and see if I think any differently.

You might want to try Olfabrikken Porter if you get a chance, I know it's not a stout but it's a pretty big, delicious porter that every "stout" person I've seen try it has loved to no end. Mikkeller also has some good big dark beers, Jackie Brown was very good, Mikkeller black was surprisingly good as well, and at 18% for my tastes that is saying something.

Many of my friends loved Southern Tier's Chokolat, their chocolate stout. It is the most chocolaty tasting stout I've had. If you dig that, go for it. If you want something more traditional, stay away.

You like it better than Brooklyn's?

Brooklyn's is very g00t, imo.

For those in the Charm City/DC Metro areas, Resurrection has been getting around a bit. It was exclusively at the Brewer's Art for a good long while, but now I have been seeing it offered elsewhere quite often.

It is a marvelous alternative for those who might lean toward a Newcastle.

Don't try to drink nine of them. You'll hurt yourself and others. The 7% will really catch up to you.

Resurrection:

During the fermentation of the first batch of this
Abbey-style ale, the yeast «died» and was
«resurrected» by brewer Chris Cashell. Made
with five types of barley malt and lots of
sugar, this beer is quite flavorful,
without being too sweet.
7%abv

I like it more than Brooklyn, yes. It's a little less syrupy, the only real fault of the Brooklyn, and it's much more chocolaty.

I just split the La Chouffe with my girlfriend, and it was delicious. I wish I had picked up two bottles, one for me, one for her.

It smelled very sweet, and distinct. I wish my palate and sense of smell was more developed so I could pick out the subtle smells, I couldn't.

The taste was a bit different at first, like nothing I've tasted. It was sweet, a bit musty, and spicy. Different than a Duvel or Delirium, not as floral as a Delirium, and not as pale as a Duvel. Like I said, I couldn't pull out any distinct flavors (I'm working on it) but it was very good to my mouth.

I would give this beer 4.5 and admit that may have enjoyed it more than a Duvel. I would love to have both beers side by side and do a simultaneous tasting.

Overall a world class beer, and one that I wouldn't have any problem spending $8 on.

I tried out a new beer from Harpoon tonight -- their attempt at a Belgian quadrupel that they've dubbed Leviathan. I didn't bother with pics because, quite frankly, I didn't have high hopes. Most American imitations of quads are overly sweet and lose the complexity of the Belgian originals. This beer ran me $3.35 for a single 12 oz bottle, which is somewhat steep in the world of beer but a pittance for the style. It weighs in at a mighty 11.75% ABV.

I was somewhat disappointed by the pour. They didn't include the yeast in the bottle, and that's often an indication of subpar beer. However, the smell is good: earthy and fruity like you'd expect from the style. The flavor is shockingly rich and complex. I get wood, apple, nutmeg, cherry, clove, caramel and a surprising floral hop character in the finish that makes this beer feel more distinctly American compared to the Belgian quads I've had. That finish, btw, is very long, and leaves you fishing for new flavors. I've added a few to the earlier list as I've continued typing this, sipping, and savoring. This is a sweet beer, yes, but it's supposed to be. But it manages to be sweet without being a cloying, syrupy mess. The dry, bitter finish from the hops help here. This is not a beer I can drink quickly. It'll easily take you over an hour. I don't think it'd be the sort of thing I'd drink frequently, either. Still, it's the best American quad I've had, and it's very close to the top tier while remaining distinct due to the hopping, an unexpected but welcome addition. I'll give it a rare rating. It's not the very best beer I've had, but it's delicious, and there's nothing it leaves me wanting. Additionally, a beer this good in this style is seldom under $4 for a 12 oz bottle, so the value here is notable. I clearly underestimated this.

so you are saying this was good then.

Thx, everyone. I will try to get my hands on some of these and report back. This thread kicks ass.

All,

What is your impression of Rogue?

The local beer bar that has a pretty solid tap list has just added like 6 Rogue beers to their list since the last time I was there.

I tried Old Crustacean (sp?) last night, it's their 11 or 12% American style barleywine. My buddy didn't particularly love it, and I find he's more of a balanced, middle of the road guy as far as his preferences.

I actually enjoyed it, but I didn't get a lot of good hop aroma or flavor from the nose or the initial taste. It was like a big rush of bitter at the end of the beer, a lot of different malt on the front. I got into this one pretty nicely.

I generally enjoy Rogue beers a great deal, but I usually find them to be somewhat overpriced and a poor value. The Old Crustacean is delicious, but like you, I like some bombast in my barley wines.

I just did one of those facebook rank thingies, and had Dead Guy Ale as my 5th favorite ale. I havent tried any other Rouge's though...