I agree with almost all of this. I do think that the need to drink Pliny within a week is overrated but it does need to be fresh. What separates Pliny from Double Jack (for me) is the malt backbone and the dry finish. Double Jack is my favorite year round DIPA (and I'm a huge FW fanboy) but to me it falls short of Pliny.

I get that my earlier post was douchy - oh well.

I would say double Jack's staying power makes it miles better than Pliny IMO. Unless one lives in a very short range of rrv, then it's just a run of the mill dipa. That in of itself almost rules it out as this amazing beer that people gush over

I consider myself a huge beer snob, but guys like PayTheSnucka are the nut low. **** you, douchsnozzle, go die in a vat of Keystone Light

What are you a ****ing beer hipster?

I can't really say which my favourite beer is when I haven't tasted that many. Tiger, Sapporo and Guiness are good imo.
I can say with 100% certainty which beers I hate though: Pabst blue ribbon and budweiser. Holy **** that is some nasty beer.

I'll grant you that DJ should be acknowledged for its ability to stay drinkable. I think of DJ differently, in that I give it extra points for being as available as it is and as easy to get as it is. However, I don't see how that takes anything away from how great PtE is when fresh. When I'm drinking Pliny, I don't think to myself "Sure its great now, but I'm pretty sure it will be average in a few weeks, so this is actually quite average". It is ridiculous to relate to beer that way.

Not sure how to continue with my point without further douching myself.

Racer5 out of San Diego is amazing imo, better than Stone.

It's not ridiculous to think of a beer that way at all. You are lucky you can get it fresh. But, how can a beer truly be great if it's only great for the first 2-4 weeks of its life?

Edit: it's that very reason that I wouldn't be completely pimping 3f artic panzer wolf. It also falls off after about 4 weeks

I've had Pliny on I think three occasions, one of which was straight from the brewery, and all three times it was incredible. It is certainly one of my gold standards. I've also brewed the widely-available clone and compared it side-by-side with a slightly older commercial version, and everyone at work (brewery) preferred the homebrew by a smallish margin.

All that being said, I think Pliny the Elder is one of the great American craft brews and deserves every bit of hype it gets. It changed a part of craft brewing forever, and many (most?) of the IIPAs that people now say are better wouldn't exist without it.

I haven't experienced the Pliny fall-off I've heard about; like I said, every time I've had it it has been great. But fried chicken isn't so great the next morning, and neither are scallops or ceviche or steak. Beer is food, and should be judged like any other food. A Pliny the Elder at its peak - no matter where that peak is - is one of the best beers I've ever had, and should be judged as such.

had shipyard pumpkin last night. was really impressed by the authenticity of the pumpkin flavor, but there was something overpowering about it that made it difficult to finish. it may have been too cloying/spiced unusually/too high gravity, but it was just a bit much for a full serving. people have very particular reactions to pumpkin beers, though, and i think a lot of people could enjoy this and so should check it out.

i had six point resin today and really liked it. the hop flavor is a bit one-dimensional, but they hide the high ABV and IBUs very well. very smooth flavor, very rich aroma.

I'm a big fan of the belgian wits

Kronenbourg 1664 blanc is a favourite. Not a big fan of Blue Moon - find Shock Top better. Rickard's white sucks.

Least fav 'mainstream' beer is easily Newcastle brown

Had this from 21st Amendment the other day:



Too strong for me, but I also find Dogfish 90 minute that way too :sadface:

I think my threshold is around 7.9, then enjoyment really drops off. I also think I need to man the **** up.

with a ceviche of course!

Best Beer. Best country

Hoegaarden is pretty decent

At $14 for a four-pack, I'm thoroughly not enjoying this beer right now. This beer moves to #1 for overpriced and Stone Ruination (great ipa, but overpriced) moves to #2.

you are so right!

$14 for a 4-pack is **** you and your beer.

I paid $16 for a Chimay Blue in hard cold plastic A$ at a bar

its $8 retail per bottle

Just tried a bottle of non-alcoholic beer (purchased accidently). It tasted of cat urine.

Haven't had it enough to declare it my favorite, but what I just had tonight:

[IMG]Enjoying my souvenir from vacation! [/IMG]

Picked up an 8 pack of 4 different Ommegang varietals the other night. Pretty good! Think it was like $17.

Abbey Ale dubbel
Three Philosophers quad
Hennepin
Some other light lager that was just alright.

HOLY MOLY HOLY MOLY!

Firestone Walker Wookey Jack is amazing. Black IPA never tasted so good.

I had the pleasure of living 10 minutes from this brewery for most of my formative years. Great beer, and they have a beautiful property that was great for beer fests and concerts and the like. Three Philosophers is a beer for only the most experienced drinkers imo. Hennepin is delicious and probably their most solid beer in terms of approachability.