Craft Beer

dodger · #1 10-12-2017, 05:57 PM

Well it has been a couple of years since I have purchased anything from the bigger breweries. I have tried new brews all summer long with some being ok and some that were amazing. I enjoy the beer from Original 16 as a go to brew when barbecuing a burger. Just finished a mixer pack from Tool Box Brewery that was exceptionally good. But my favourite this summer has been White Raven from Bench Creek Brewry. It was by far the best I have had this summer but trying to find it is a bit of a struggle. It just seems to come and go from different stores ?

Any other home run beers out there?

Dodger.

mooseknuckle · #2 10-12-2017, 06:08 PM

Just kegged a raspberry wit saison, and a smoked honey ale.
Just need a million bucks to open my own brewery and i can share with the world!!

Luckwell · #3 10-12-2017, 06:11 PM

Tool box brewery or Tool Shed? Tool Shed - Red Rage might be my favourite beer. Nice dark porter!

Rib Stone Creek makes some really good beer as well. Old Man Winter is a seasonal porter. I look forward to that every fall.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

TimeOff · #4 10-12-2017, 06:26 PM

Just Carboy'd up 40 litres of Apple Cider from my backyard tree. Bought a wine kit for some Chardonnay for my wife , just finished putting it in a Carboy. Tomorrow morning I'll be cooking up a Pilsner! Found a couple cheap wine making kits used on Kijiji, $90 for 3 plastic fermenters, 4 6gal Carboy's and all the necessary stuff. Looks like I found another new hobby! Not like I needed another hobby, but well…

dodger · #5 10-12-2017, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luckwell

Tool box brewery or Tool Shed? Tool Shed - Red Rage might be my favourite beer. Nice dark porter!

Rib Stone Creek makes some really good beer as well. Old Man Winter is a seasonal porter. I look forward to that every fall.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Correction - it was Tool Shed. Red Rage was awesome !!

Dodger

dodger · #6 10-12-2017, 06:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mooseknuckle

Just kegged a raspberry wit saison, and a smoked honey ale.
Just need a million bucks to open my own brewery and i can share with the world!!

Those sound delish

Dodger.

dodger · #7 10-12-2017, 06:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TimeOff

Just Carboy'd up 40 litres of Apple Cider from my backyard tree. Bought a wine kit for some Chardonnay for my wife , just finished putting it in a Carboy. Tomorrow morning I'll be cooking up a Pilsner! Found a couple cheap wine making kits used on Kijiji, $90 for 3 plastic fermenters, 4 6gal Carboy's and all the necessary stuff. Looks like I found another new hobby! Not like I needed another hobby, but well…

Happy hobby.

Dodger.

TimeOff · #8 10-12-2017, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dodger

Happy hobby.

Dodger.

Sorry to derail a bit there Dodger, but maybe you should do the same, and look for a used wine making kit to make what you're after. Watch a few utube videos about brewing beer and visit you're local brew supply shop. Buy the hardware cheap used, lots available. Get the kits and advise at you're local shop. I had no idea that I would get this excited watching the yeast doing it's thing to the Wart in the carboy's.

Weedy1 · #9 10-12-2017, 07:29 PM

Beer definition: An alcoholic drink made from yeast-fermented malt flavoured with hops.

Origin
Old English bēor, of West Germanic origin, based on monastic Latin biber ‘a drink’, from Latin bibere ‘to drink’; related to Dutch bier and German Bier.

It's ludicrous and irreverent what they put into beer nowadays! I don't see anything in the definition above that says beer has Raspberry, Orange Peel, Coriander.... really? Coriander in a beer?, Fruit, Smoked Honey? as in "Hey I'd like some smoked honey on my Quinoa." Kill me now,,,, stone fruits...huh?.....

The first thing that comes to mind when I hear the term craft beer is:

This guy:

Then there's the names they give this crap. Take the Earl Grey Marmalade Saison for example...yes that's a beer....just make sure you bring me some Grey Poupon on a Crumpet if you try to serve that rubbish to me ManBun dude. By the way if one were forced by stupidity to put a tea into a beer why would they pick an imitation tea anyways? And if you want to put fruit into a beer Man Bud Dude then call it a cooler because that's what it will be.

The stuff should be illegal. Whatever happened to the days when you only had the choice of 6 beers, or in the event a beer strike was on 2 from the US or O.V. if you dared.

And what's with the marketing BS? Ooooooh it has a beautiful golden straw colour that owes its champagne-like effervescence to secondary fermentation. So does my urine, on a bad day......

Cut the freakin man bun off and go by a case of Pil. Sheesh....

And to answer your question Dodger - NO!

Unregistered user · #10 10-12-2017, 07:45 PM

What happened to the days when we had 6 beers to choose from? Life got better. Those beers were **** and they are now even ****tier since the multinationals took them over and screwed with the recipes to maximise profit. Kokanee is a great example, anyone who remembers that beer before Labatt's and then Imbev ****ed it up knows what I mean. Yep lots of craft beers suck but it is nice to have choice. I also don't miss the annual summer beer strike and long weekend line ups at the liquor store. BTW I agree with you, man-buns are hideously ghey!

JustBen · #11 10-12-2017, 07:47 PM

I'm in Vancouver right now - just discovered Steamworks Flagship IPA. Not sure if it's available in Alberta but it's my new favourite IPA.

Shekka · #12 10-12-2017, 08:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dodger

Well it has been a couple of years since I have purchased anything from the bigger breweries. I have tried new brews all summer long with some being ok and some that were amazing. I enjoy the beer from Original 16 as a go to brew when barbecuing a burger. Just finished a mixer pack from Tool Box Brewery that was exceptionally good. But my favourite this summer has been White Raven from Bench Creek Brewry. It was by far the best I have had this summer but trying to find it is a bit of a struggle. It just seems to come and go from different stores ?

Any other home run beers out there?

Dodger.

Ahh, Bench Creek is awesome. They brew it just outside of Edson, we go there often. A few weeks ago I bought a flat of Apex Predator from them. It pretty potent beer. Tastes good (but you need to like pine flavours). They also make Cloud Breaker which is my fav. Unfortunately you can only get them in growlers, so it means making lots of visits!!

Esox · #13 10-12-2017, 09:05 PM

Not a huge beer guy but the micro-distilleries that are starting to pop up really have my attention. Eau Claire distillery out of Turner valley makes phenominal stuff. Lucky Bastard out of Saskatoon does well to but my favorite is the Rum and whiskey that Last Mountain Distillery produces.

ESOXangler · #14 10-12-2017, 10:28 PM

Blindman Brewery long shadow ale. Outfit out of lacombe.

dodger · #15 10-13-2017, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weedy1

Beer definition: An alcoholic drink made from yeast-fermented malt flavoured with hops.

Origin
Old English bēor, of West Germanic origin, based on monastic Latin biber ‘a drink’, from Latin bibere ‘to drink’; related to Dutch bier and German Bier.

It's ludicrous and irreverent what they put into beer nowadays! I don't see anything in the definition above that says beer has Raspberry, Orange Peel, Coriander.... really? Coriander in a beer?, Fruit, Smoked Honey? as in "Hey I'd like some smoked honey on my Quinoa." Kill me now,,,, stone fruits...huh?.....

The first thing that comes to mind when I hear the term craft beer is:

This guy:

Then there's the names they give this crap. Take the Earl Grey Marmalade Saison for example...yes that's a beer....just make sure you bring me some Grey Poupon on a Crumpet if you try to serve that rubbish to me ManBun dude. By the way if one were forced by stupidity to put a tea into a beer why would they pick an imitation tea anyways? And if you want to put fruit into a beer Man Bud Dude then call it a cooler because that's what it will be.

The stuff should be illegal. Whatever happened to the days when you only had the choice of 6 beers, or in the event a beer strike was on 2 from the US or O.V. if you dared.

And what's with the marketing BS? Ooooooh it has a beautiful golden straw colour that owes its champagne-like effervescence to secondary fermentation. So does my urine, on a bad day......

Cut the freakin man bun off and go by a case of Pil. Sheesh....

And to answer your question Dodger - NO!

Oh Weedy - You need to have a cold one. I use to think like this until I lost all of my hair. If only I had enough hair for a man bun

. Nothing like a fat old man with a bun.

Dodger.

Badgerbadger · #16 10-13-2017, 06:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ESOXangler

Blindman Brewery long shadow ale. Outfit out of lacombe.

They're really good. You might like these guys, too. http://caravelbrewery.com/

I find a lot of "craft" beers are in competition to see who can put the most hops in their brews, and all one can taste is bitter, bitterer, bittererer. Like taking a swig of Corona then licking a truck tire.

Good beer shouldn't be hoppy at all, and should taste like the beer it is.

Prairiewolf · #17 10-13-2017, 06:26 AM

It wasn't long ago I considered Sam Adams Boston Lager to be a craft beer...

Oh the times they are a-changin'!

aulrich · #18 10-13-2017, 09:12 AM

No fruit in beer, better not tell the Belgiums that, they will wonder what they have been drinking in the last 400 years.

Ah Belgium it's like beer heaven, hundreds of actually distinct beers!!!

Sam Adams is good beer, between them Sierra Nevada , Anchor and one other that I forget right now, saved us from the hell of ****water pilsners.

I got to bottle a Fullers ESB clone, hopefully tonight it's been in secondary for a month.

ward · #19 10-13-2017, 09:24 AM

I have been working my way through the Alberta brews for a few years. Currently on Hells Basement from the Hat.

tacomama · #20 10-13-2017, 09:38 AM

Wildrose Brewery in Calgary had a great Oktoberfest special brew, I had it in their brewery pub, don't think it was sold in liquor stores though.

Walleyedude · #21 10-13-2017, 09:59 AM

Too many favourites to get into listing them all, but for kind of obscure ones that are out there that don't get nearly enough credit - if you're in SK or MB (it's not available in AB yet - Booo!), check out Black Ridge Brewery in Swift Current, they make some stellar beers.

Their Pseudo Lager is one of my all time faves, and their IPA is excellent too.

I stock up every time I'm in Sask!

http://blackbridgebrewery.ca/

El-Brento · #22 10-13-2017, 10:23 AM

To each their own, I'd rather have a root beer than a Canadian.
Highline in Inglewood has a real nice ESB and I really like Dandy's oyster stout and GBD.

aulrich · #23 10-13-2017, 10:46 AM

Though one trend I can do without is the over play of IPA's.

It seems we have traded liveless pilsners (blue, coors bud etc) as the dominate style, to lawn clippings in a glass IPA's

walker1 · #24 10-13-2017, 11:28 AM

Started brewing again 14 months ago thanks to this forum!!!! ( did brew 25 years ago )

Nice to make the all grain of your choice for 1/3 the price after initial investment of course.

I buy 6 packs of different brews to find what I like and go from there. I like the Deschutes brewery beers. Rail Ale brown from BC is really good if you like nut brown ales.

I don't go overboard on IPA and just picked up grains and yeast yesterday to brew a batch but keep the hops medium .

Nice having 4 taps in the basement with baseball playoffs and hockey on the go!!!!!

mooseknuckle · #25 10-13-2017, 11:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by walker1

Started brewing again 14 months ago thanks to this forum!!!! ( did brew 25 years ago )

Nice to make the all grain of your choice for 1/3 the price after initial investment of course.

I buy 6 packs of different brews to find what I like and go from there. I like the Deschutes brewery beers. Rail Ale brown from BC is really good if you like nut brown ales.

I don't go overboard on IPA and just picked up grains and yeast yesterday to brew a batch but keep the hops medium .

Nice having 4 taps in the basement with baseball playoffs and hockey on the go!!!!!

And your address is?

zewks · #26 10-13-2017, 11:48 AM

COLD GARDEN is by far my most favorite spot in Calgary, $5 18oz pints with 9 different beers on tap! Ya thats right $5 all day every day! You can also bring dogs into the brewery, cool little brewery with a super relaxed atmosphere.

https://www.coldgarden.ca/coldgarden

Tool shed is great too, and the tasting room is cool. Huge with a shuffle board.

http://toolshedbrewing.com/?ao_confirm

Au revoir, Gopher · #27 10-13-2017, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by zewks

18oz pints

An 18 oz pint...

Are we talking about a short imperial pint?

ARG

walker1 · #28 10-13-2017, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mooseknuckle

And your address is?

HaHa!!!!

Berniebeag · #29 10-13-2017, 01:34 PM

You can also check out "Siding 14" out of Ponoka. Started up in July nice assortment of brown, honey, gold, IPA's. Very nice tasting room and brew set up

dodger · #30 10-13-2017, 02:15 PM

One thing about this thread that surprised me was the many small town brewery’s in AB. Very cool to hear about them.

I was in Virginia last year and had a beer that they let ( not sure about terminology ) ferment in old Jack Daniels drums. It was awesome but a litttle to potent for me.

Dodger