ManOfTheBeer

My extreme excitement for the upcoming Brewers season is already tempered by the brutal Klements radio spot. I hate that jingle so, so much.

I needed a nice hop fix last night so I hurried to my local store and picked up a sixer of 3 Floyds Alpha King. I've had it several times in the past, but I'm always blown away by how drinkable it is! The hops are clear and present in that APA, but 3F really know how to draw out some great citrus flavors with their hop usage. Alpha King, for those of you who haven't had it yet, has this delicious sweet tangerine/orange taste that mixes oh so well with the bready malts. Like marmalade on toast. If any of you are new to 3 Floyds, try their Gumballhead...insanely good American Wheat (almost Pale Ale though). One of my coworkers just got back from a Hawaiian vacation and brought me a few beers...the best was Kona's golden ale...kind of boring when cold, but as it warmed it balanced out and was a delicious marriage of sweet malt and just enough hop bitterness for a golden. Her friend who lives in Hawaii is going to be sending her their Wailua Wheat when it's available. On that note of seasonal fruit beers, please rush out and try Abita's Strawberry Harvest. It's brewed from March-May, but it's in very limited quantity. I've already put a Fond du Lac grocery store and a West Bend liquor store out of stock for the season. I'm trying to hold off on buying more so others may experience the awe and wonder of this phenomenal beer. I know, I know. My name should be ManOfTheFruitBeer. But really, this one is so drinkable and not overly sweet. It tastes like fresh strawberries, and there is absolutely no aftertaste. Truly a fantastic creation! TLB: I don't know how available Smuttynose is...they're a New Hampshire brewery that also makes a very good brown ale (Old Brown Dog). Brown ales are an oft-maligned beer style, but I find them to be delicious. Just dark and chocolately enough for a session. You're right: Lakefront is criminally underrated. I love Riverwest Stein, Eastside Dark, and Fuel Cafe (coffee stout) best, but I haven't found one yet that I don't like. I guess I'd say Cattail Ale is my least favorite, though that's perhaps because when I think of mild ale, I think of 3 Floyds Pride & Joy. Tough to beat that one. And hey, don't worry about lacing (the sides of a beer glass as you drink the beer) and retention (how long the head remains) when you have the wonderful world of Pacific Northwest hops to deal with...it's a problem we'd all love to have. Wisconsin is home to some world class beers and a culture to match, but the NW is king of hops. That region has done more for the US craft beer scene that any other. Beerambassador: Yes, Johnny Danger! I was drawing a blank on what we were laughing at during the NG tour, but that was it. I don't care for self-guided tours in general because of the silly talking wand you have to walk around with. I did wave to Dan Carey, who was in a hurry making some new delicious Unplugged (probably). I don't like every NG beer out there, but they do so much right that I just assume it's a deficiency in my tasting. I'll let you guys know how the homebrews turn out...you're right about the 60 Shilling being underwhelming...we wanted to start with a nice, easy drinker to give to family/friends. I'm expecting a mild English type of ale, pretty sessionable. The price was right though!

TooLiveBrew: I'm glad to hear you recommend Ranger. I respect your beerness, and I had a sixer or Ranger in my hands before walking past Moon Man at my local liquor store. Thanks for the disclaimer on the hoppiness of that beer though. It's been a few years since I had Flying Dog's IPA, but I don't remember being impressed. I will have to seek it out again. Flying Dog has been really hit and miss (mostly miss) for me. I wasn't big on their Tire Bite or their Road Dog (Scotch Ale). I did really, really like their Gonzo Porter. One of my favorite IPAs at the moment is Smuttynose IPA. I've also heard really good things about Lakefront's IPA as well. logan3825: To each his own when it comes to opinions of breweries. Truthfully, I'm not a huge Capital fan either. I don't really like German lagers. I much prefer styles from England/Ireland/Scotland. I'm just saying, if you want a lot of beer and an entertaining tour, Capital impressed me. The beer and cheese tasting part of the New Glarus tour was not what I experienced. Sounds awesome!

I haven't done the "new" New Glarus brewery tour since they opened the 2nd facility, but the original was really underwhelming. And this is from someone who loves their beers. If you're set on Madison-area tours, I recommend Capital and even Great Dane over New Glarus. There is something to be said about stepping foot on hallowed grounds though http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/wink.gif The Malt House is on Hwy 151 (I think this becomes Washington in Madison?), in the old Union bar kitty-corner from Red Letter News. If you're driving into Madison from the east, you'll see a smallish nondescript building on your left. Red Letter News is across the intersecting street on your right. In truth, you're only a couple minutes from the UW campus and another great beer stop, the Essen Haus. If you like German food and liters of beer in glass boots, try the Essen. I've found that, despite being a West Bender, the beer culture of Madison and its environs easily rivals that of Milwaukee. Happy travels, and hope you can get out of the house again before the 2011 World Series! [edit] TLB: The last good pale ale I had was Mighty Arrow, which might have influenced my mental rolodex comparison...but I do believe Arrow and Moon Man are quite similar. I agree with you: Mighty Arrow is tremendous. I really haven't had a bad New Belgium yet...huge fan of their 1554 and Mothership Wit.

Great to see this thread still going strong. I had my first Moon Man last night (get your minds out of the gutters). It was really tasty, reminded me a lot of New Belgium's Mighty Arrow. Good and hoppy but not overly so...label says it's a session beer and I agree in the sense that you can easily have 4-5 in an evening. Logan: get back to the Malt House if you haven't been there before. Great selection of Belgians and the ilk (sour beers are fantastic!) I recently started homebrewing with a couple friends. We have a 60 Shilling Scottish ale and a coffee stout in secondary fermentation right now....the Scottish was out of a Northern Brewer kit with no deviation from the recipe, but it's coming along very well. I wanted to drink some yesterday during the transfer from primary to secondary. The coffee stout started as a straight stout, but we decided to throw in a blend of coarsely ground Arabica and expresso beans before the boil. When boiling, it smelled very much like coffee. After a week in primary fermentation, the coffee nose has faded but now has a significant wallop of alcohol in the aroma...hopefully a couple more weeks in secondary plus a month in bottles will smooth it out. It's an addictive hobby, one that has gotten us through the last few weeks leading up to Opening Day http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

I'm really looking forward to trying NG Cranbic. I've heard great things so far, but it doesn't seem to be available here in the West Bend. For the poster who mentioned Jolly Pumpkin, +1000. Phenomenal funk brewery. I also hate to say this because good beer should have nothing to do with marketing, but Jolly Pumpkin has amazing label design as well. For those looking for lambics in the Madison area...you may want to check out The Malt House on hwy 151 in Madison (across the street from Red Letter News). It's housed in a Civil War-era tavern building, but it's the best Belgian bar I've ever been to. I've had some ridiculously sour almost vinegary beers there, as well as some excellent Oud Bruins and Flanders Reds. You want good Belgian beer, look no further.

Dish Network isn't any better tonight. I'm currently enjoying a sports contest between the satellite and the transponder as they attempt to acquire a signal. Way more fun than watching baseball.

It's definitely not doom and gloom for me, I was just referring to the Cubs mostly outplaying the Brewers today. Harden was great, and I don't think anyone expected them to win this one. As I type that, Rickie finally gets one to fall, and it hits the base of the wall. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif Nice to hear tons of cheers once that one got past Soriano, too. You're right...Harden was great. When he's healthy, he's terrifying for a Brewers fan. But man, I felt like the Crew would come out today and take it to the Cubs anyways. Go Brewers!

RICKIE!

I've been hearing this kind of thing from many Brewers fans thus far this season...with all due respect, why shouldn't we expect the Brewers to channel the homefield intensity of their opener to win? I realize the pundits think the Cubs are better, but I don't get all the doom and gloom. Not singling you out, just mentioning one example. Maybe I'm not expecting them to win each game, but I'm certainly hoping they win these games. I feel like I'm not picking up on something everyone else seems to know about these Brewers. I'm borderline frustrated by the start to the season so far. I love the Brewers and I'm not a knee-jerk or a fair weather fan...but this team IS talented.

My Charter internet bill per month has increased 200% over the last two years. I say good riddance to the jackals.

First off, I'd like to pimp my newish beer blog "Finer Points of Pints". I'm seeing a pale ale theme emerging on page 37 of this fine thread, and it so happens that my friend and fellow Brewers fan Jeff has challenged me to a WI/NY Pale Ale Challenge in which we each sample and rate 3 pale ales from our respective geographic vicinities. Please feel free to comment if you see fit...this is my first true attempt at a beer blog and I'm curious to know if it's hit or miss. Love seeing the 3F love in here too...3 Floyds Alpha King is the best APA I've had to date. Great chewy sweet citrus flavors. As far as Bell's goes, their Two Hearted Ale stands up to most IPAs in my book...and it's named for Hemingway, so how can you go wrong? +1 on the Turbodog. I first had it on tap at Crawdaddy's cajun restaurant in West Allis and fell in love immediately. My #1 brown ale is Avery's Ellie's Brown Ale...so chocolatey.

Perhaps Capital is releasing the Maibock already to prepare for Bockfest and the Blonde Doppelbock? I've never been to Bockfest, but every year my friends tell me it's a great time. I wasn't a big Capital fan until the last year or two...now I don't know how I'd get through Wisconsin's long winter without their help. Beerambassador: That raspberry chocolate stout concoction sounds very interesting. I haven't started homebrewing yet, but one of my dream beers is to use some form of peanut oil to make a peanut butter/chocolate stout. I think that might be an interesting dessert drink.

As great as Capital's Autumnal Fire is (and it is!), their Eisphyre apparently blows it out of the water. From what I've heard, it's basically a high gravity "ice" version of their Autumnal Fire. Kirby is either a lunatic or a genius, and I'm leaning towards both. Some of the recent stuff like their Baltic Porter and Rustic Ale has been quite good. The Rustic Ale is a blend of their excellent Wisconsin Amber and Island Wheat.

True, but that's a bit of a white lie told to the Scots to keep them from feeling inferior.