What are you drinking ?

[jt]

Ok, so What Are You Brewing was a hotty, as topics go.

Now I'm 15 pints into a keg I only filled on Tuesday and wondering if anyone else has a favourite at the moment ?

It's my second brown with US-Oh05 and it's better than the forst, maybe Ikept the temps down a bit during the scorcher we had in januray

[Ally Mcg]

Totally agree. I'd love to share the love with everyone else in NZ who can get off the filthy mega swill and on to some craft brewed gorgeousness but the thought of all those bottles of pliny growing old at beerstore makes me feel sad

[Mike Neilson]

Trust me I will be doing my part to make the Pliny not age!!

[Daniel Parker]

OK.. Heres where we are at..
1) It is not my intention for this to be a one off thing.. but in saying that, even if I was to start the process again tomorrow, it would likely be August before new stock arrives in..
2) We havent even thought about another shipment at this stage. It is likely that I will start the process late next month - so make sure you give us suggestions here: http://www.beerstore.co.nz/suggestions.lasso
3) We have sold over half of our Pliny in a week, and getting low on Firestone.. so get it while you can.

[JoKing]

Thanks for the heads up. FW is a diamond in the rough.

[Barbara Joppa]

Just finished the red. I think it turned out nice. Used the Merris Otter but it turned out kinda light. I had to steep some roasted barley to bring the colour back. I will bottle this weekend.
Thought you all should check out this link. It's US based (and biased) but well done, regardless.
Cheers
http://vimeo.com/4298464

[Barry]

Awesome link, amazed I hadn't seen that before. I feel like kissing the closest craft brewer. Stephen Plowman, you awake?

[vdog]

Thanks for posting the link - that was great! Now if only I could convince my wife to let me go on a drinking trip to the US...

[Stu McKinlay]

My parents 50th wedding anniversary is a couple of years away... with three kids here and two well settled in the UK... I'm pumping for a special reunion somewhere on the west coast of the USA... I actually do love the place (after spending a few weeks in LA and Santa Barbara a few years back) so I would love to see more of it - and get in some beer drinking this time.

Yeh, it is a good video. Very good. Someone else posted it a few days earlier.

[Reviled]

Belhaven Twisted Thistle IPA - Lots of marmalade character from the challenger hops, nice malty taste, quite tasty actually and a nice sharp bitterness, allthough I cant say i picked up on any cascade characteristics? Maybe they just say they use cascade to sell more of it :oP lol

[Stu McKinlay]

Last few days...

Firestone Union Jack - big malt, big hop, mad props.
Orval - man I love that lolly malt, hop and brett mix.
Some case swap beer - what a great little journey this has been.
Twisted Hop Raspbierry Chocolate... yeow!! Jelly tip in a glass.
Invercargill Not on your Nally - Kid Choc batch one, gone wrong. Yum! Nice mistake.
Invercargill 'Project X' (not its real name) - unnamed and unspeakable test batch... but we might be in for a treat later this year.
Mike Neilson's Double IPA - big bad malty hoppy beast... reminds me of the time that TheGrandmaster slipped a hop pellet in my glass (a good way to stop a headache). A bit menthol but could be a great wee drop if it is left to mellow for six months (unlikely!).
Bambule's Mild - An excellent first up mild... just needed a little more ooomph in the middle... much better than my first effort, which was too roasty... deliciously drinkable but 500ml was not enough.

[Bambule]

Kriek Boon 2006 and Marstons Pedigree. Funny what you find in New World in Masterton of all places on a Wednesday night. They had a Young's Special Ale which I should have got as well...

[JoKing]

I just had a beer tasting at Whitecliffs Brewery - home of Mikes Premium Organic Beer.

It was pretty good - they are releasing a Robust Porter aged in the old Whiskey Barrels from Wilsons. They were getting some public reactions to the blends they were considering... dont ask me what beers they were blending with, or what percentages... but they were all nice. The blend I liked the most would have been a 50:50 blend with the Mild Ale - they tasted pretty good together.

But the stock beer was bloody nice. It's like 7.5% with HUGE oak and some rockmelon fruityness (probably from the yeast) before the roasty flavours of coffee and milk chololate take over. Hint of whiskey - but balanced. It'll age very well - hopefully before brewNZ... I hope they enter it - they should do well with it.

Then we had a random blind tasting of all sorts of beer from Germany, Belgium and the UK that I had not seen before... as well as them - he snuck in my Dubbel and my IIPA!! The Dubbel averaged 8 / 10 amongst the domestic drinkers there - and the IIPA got a miserable score... they all liked the smell, but they all said it was too bitter. One chick said she could smell Pine Needles in it - I was stoked!