This is fantastic. One of my favorites from Cycle so far. Tons of cinnamon with vanilla and a super chocolatey base beer.

I’ve got an evening in Des Moines tomorrow for work. Any beer recommendations?


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I think there's a place called El Bait Shop that's supposed to have a huge tap list that occasionally includes some fun stuff from smaller breweries.

Toppling Goliath's stuff is great and is worth having one of their IPAs if you can't get them at home.

Pulpit Rock is also outstanding. Will be harder to find their beer but I do believe they occasionally send kegs to Des Moines. Really one of the best hazy makers in the country (lead brewer broke off from Toppling Goliath some years back).

Alluvial is pretty good from what of theirs I've had. 515 is solid. I've not had anything from Big Grove and Barn Town but they're both supposed to be good.

That should get you a good list. If El Bait Shop isn't convenient or you want to hit multiple spots, I've seen Iowa Taproom's name once or twice in terms of getting solid beer. I just checked the tap list of both and would probably recommend El Bait Shop of the two, though.

So, I'm in NYC for a while and noticed something interesting last night. I went to a beer shop I really like (Good Beer, 9th & A) and they had a big sign that said something like "Do not ask us if we have Pliny the Elder/Heady Topper/Trillium/Treehouse. They do not distribute to New York and it is illegal to sell them here."

The thing is, I know for a fact some places are selling Heady Topper here. So this raises the question-- are there also places dealing the big Massachusetts beers in NYC? (I don't really care about finding Pliny, which I've had many times)

Heady/Focal etc is onsite consumption only everywhere I’ve seen it (many places). We get can drops a few times a year of it. Trill/TH definitely does not distribute here

Places do illegally resell cans on occasion ($10+ a can usually), but that’s generally not the best beer shops. I’ve seen some shady places on Long Island selling Other Half cans for $11 a pop, lol.

Ah, thanks a lot. I'll try to ask around and see if any bartenders know some shady places selling it -- will report back if I find any!

Brews I recently tasted that I rate excellent:

From Revision Brewing in Sparks, NV (at their tap room)-

Sparkle Muffin IPA and Tahoe Haze IPA (both advertised as Northeast Style IPA’s)

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From some random brew pub in California:

Blood Orange Pale Ale; from Elysian Brewing out of Seattle.

Yes! This is excellent!

No dice on the Heady Topper or Massachusetts beer thus far, but I've been pretty happy with the Sloot and Alewife IPAs I've had. Was kinda underwhelmed by Other Half but I know everyone else loves them, so I'll give it another shot.

fyp

As Is on 50th and 10th consistently has the best tap list in Manhattan, imo. Honorable mentions to One Mile House, Proletariat, Fool’s Gold/The Jeffrey, Blind Tiger, Arts and Crafts, Good Beer.

My favorite NYC stuff besides Other Half is LIC Beer Project, SingleCut, Grimm, and Threes.

Sloop, Equilibrium, Industrial Arts, Hudson Valley are good upstate stuff if you see it on taplists. I use the BeerMenus app, just make sure you check the updated date on the lists. Some bars update daily but some do it sporadically.

No, that was American beer. I don't drink eurotrash swamp water brews.

I have been to everywhere on this list except As Is and Arts and Crafts (which my beer snob friend swears by and is trying to take me to). This is a simply excellent list of places to drink beer in Manhattan. You clearly have great taste in bars, and now I'm dying to get to As Is this weekend. Side note, I'm actually writing this post from Fools Gold!

When I lived here 2012-14 I went to Pony Bar a lot but I feel like their tap lists have been pretty uninspiring the last few years.

I used to like the Superfuzz but I tell you what, any more than two 12 ouncers will give me a massive headache and the runs the next day. Just my humble experience.

Superfuzz is inbev beer. Not for connoisseurs. Has been for a couple of years now since Elysian sold out.

Shot in the dark here - in Scottsdale and looking for a good beer bar, ideally something with West Coast offerings beyond AZ. Would go pretty much anywhere in area.

I've cut way back on beer consumption for various reasons, and I haven't hit up anything special in a while.

I have been drinking a few Jack's Abby House Lagers on the weekends, though, and it's just a perfect beer imo.

also meant to add, if anyone has tried this year's Born Yesterday, please update this thread. Really looking forward to it. Was shocked by how good it was last year. One of the IPAs of 2017.

Had some Born Again Yesterday on tap a few nights ago - one of the best beers I’ve ever tasted.

Hmm, I had Born Yesterday for the first time earlier this week and thought it was good, but not memorable. Might give it another go tonight.

Ok, am currently drinking a Born Yesterday. I am updating it to very good. It is very good.

I love this time of year. So far, the wet/fresh hop beers I've had:
- Founders Harvest Ale, which I love every year
- Lagunitas Born Yesterday, which I have recently updated to very good
- Troeg's Fresh Hop (not sure if that's the name), which was very good
- Columbus Brewing Yakima Fresh, which was probably the weakest of the bunch, but still good.

Also got my hands on a couple of 4-packs of 2013 Goose Island Bourbon County Barleywine (that's the version aged in barrels that had previously held Bourbon County Stout). Might open one of those tonight, too.

Celebration should be hitting shelves any day now too.

Oh, god, this is great. Light pop when the cap came off, short-lived head. And is just a wonderful mix of stout and barleywine flavors.



Yes, another great example!

13 and 14 bcbw are just unreal good. I'm not a barleywine fan at all but always appreciate when I get a pour of one of these. Really wish they would consider going back to the old way.

Had more of this recently. Still great.