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I was feeling dank today so I picked up Sixpoint's Shatter Imperial IPA. Low IBU for the style (listed as 25 IBU) but a nice hazy gold. (Guessed the SRM right at 6.) The packaging makes it out to be a pretty dank IPA and I had high expectations after remembering the Burley Oak Gucci Flip Flops I had a summer ago.

Right off the bat it is vivid citrus and fruit, definitely a saturated profile. The pineyness wasn't there at first for me, so this beer didn't seem all that dank at first. But I got up mid-review to get the door and then came back ten minutes later...a little oxygen exposure did the trick for this one. When I got back, the vivid citrus and fruit had mellowed a bit and a dank piney aroma and taste had settled in. The description on the can basically dares you to sit and waft the aroma from afar before pouring, so perhaps this was a design choice. Sort of like a delayed release of dankness. Interesting. The can continues to radiate dankness after the contents have been emptied, so trash or stash it if you're sampling more than just the Shatter in one sitting.

Also picked up two variations of Vasen's Velvet Walrus, the vanilla mint and the bourbon barrel. We'll see how those go.

Veil Norfolk opens Saturday at noon. Perfect opportunity to get a beer before either the football or bball game this weekend and check the new space out.

Expect large crowds at the Veil in Norfolk this weekend. The opening has been hyped quite a bit. I'm looking forward to getting by there the week of Thanksgiving when I'm back in town.

I dig anything to do with coolships so I guess this makes the list

Consume Life. Drink Art. So says Adroit Theory of Purcellville. I was out that way today and I stopped in for a few. Yowie wowie.

First and foremost, definitely an Uber/Lyft/need a stone-sober DD trip. (Average ABV for their darker beers is 8%+) They don't do sampler flights but they will sell you individual 4oz pours (in a classy little snifter). Those servings are good if you have some free time and want to run the gauntlet of their offerings. They'll sell you a 10oz or 16oz of even the strongest stuff, which kinda scares me. I indulged in a 16oz of the B/A/Y/S and a 4oz of the oreo cookie BlVcK Celebration variant while I was in.

I have never doubted the quality of Adroit Theory in my limited sampling experience of their products, and they reaffirm their trustworthiness with their fresh offerings. B/A/Y/S is an imperial stout with a touch of raw, unrefined bite and I have cherished it through the years. I hadn't consumed BlVck Celebration in a long time but this time was a special one with the oreo variant. Sweet, decadent, and delicious. Adroit Theory brings me back to the beginning of my craft beer journey, chasing those intense flavors and high ABVs. Makes me feel young again, ya know?

They had a saison and a kolsch available and I initially passed on them to pursue the nostalgia of the darker beers, but I had a sip of a friend's 4oz of both. Good stuff. Their kolsch has a touch of honey to the finish and their saison leans heavy on the peppery phenolic notes. Not the sort of thing I'd go there for, but certainly passable offerings for someone not into dark beer or IPAs.

I didn't get much into their lighter offerings while I was there, which means I missed out on all the Illusion of Safety variants that they had. After my IoS disaster years ago, I have been cautious with anything fruity with sediment in the bottle. I still stay away from such things now, but some of my drinking companions were quite positive about the merits of this batch of IoS. If I can find it on tap somewhere local, maybe I will reconsider my stance.

(11-08-2019 01:11 PM)Fatmonarch Wrote:  Expect large crowds at the Veil in Norfolk this weekend. The opening has been hyped quite a bit. I'm looking forward to getting by there the week of Thanksgiving when I'm back in town.

It was very busy but since they have a bar on each of the 3 floors, a table outside and separate lines for food and to-go beer, the lines moved pretty fast. They did a great job with customer service too.

This place will be rocking more often than not. It's convenient to Ghent, not far from OConnors, next to Handsome Biscuit and Toast and there are apartment buildings being built all around the neighborhood. Should be cool to see the area around it grow the next few years.

Anyone have a good recommendation for a rye beer? I've been doing some research on adjunct grains and rye has always been a favorite of mine. I've had some Rye IPAs (Schlafly and Laughing Dog being the better ones) and the occasional generic rye ale (Atlas Rowdy was really the only one). Old Ox Black Ox was eye-opening as far as rye in dark beers. And of course Boulevard's Rye on Rye, which is one of the most profound beer experiences that I have ever had.

I split a growler of Scaldis Noel with a two other enthusiasts last night and I can report that this year's iteration is fantastic. Had a snifter, a decent cigar, and a rousing discussion about the state of Belgian beer. Fruity, strong, and smooth. Still have to get my hands on some Prestige and Peche Mel sometime.

Do yourselves a favor and acquire some Benchtop Altbier. This stuff is sensational.

Throwing a quick plug for Hardywood's Gingerbread Stout. I'm not normally a stout guy but that stuff is fantastic.

(12-11-2019 12:14 PM)ODU2003 Wrote:  Throwing a quick plug for Hardywood's Gingerbread Stout. I'm not normally a stout guy but that stuff is fantastic.

Quite a good batch of GBS this year. I'm hoping to try some of the Christmas Pancakes variant. Christmas Morning is good as well.

Just about into winter now, so time to break out the porters and stouts. The Eastern European styles have always been my game, so Baltic Porter and Imperial Stout are the go-to. Okocim Porter, Zywiec Porter, and Browar Witnica Black Boss Porter are the class of the category out of Poland. Fortuna Komes does a decent Baltic Porter and even a raspberry variant of that, but their imperial stout is much better. (They also do a plum beer that I wrote a review for here years ago...)

I've had a thing for the Euro Strong Lager (#9) that Baltika brews, but their Porter (#6) has always been more interesting. Baltika is the only Russian beer that I have been able to try.

I eventually want to try the Latvian and Estonian iterations of Baltic Porter but I don't know where to find them. Then again, there's a lot of beers from that part of the world that I haven't gotten to yet. Someday I may fulfill the prophecy that the beer textbook put in my head and I may get to sample some authentic Finnish Sahti. Learning elementary Finnish so that I can ask for a glass of the stuff in a pub will be another challenge entirely.

(12-13-2019 07:11 PM)CameramanJ Wrote:  

(12-11-2019 12:14 PM)ODU2003 Wrote:  Throwing a quick plug for Hardywood's Gingerbread Stout. I'm not normally a stout guy but that stuff is fantastic.

Quite a good batch of GBS this year. I'm hoping to try some of the Christmas Pancakes variant. Christmas Morning is good as well.

I've heard this year's variants are better than they've been in a while. I didn't buy a set but then I tried their Christmas Island (rum barrel with coconut) and Kentucky Christmas Pancakes (bourbon barrel) and they were very good. So I got in on the last-chance lottery.

Interesting story in the Pilot about whether the craft-beer bubble is bursting after the closure of three breweries in the past year or so, most recently Coelacanth. I'm not sure I buy it; the easier explanation is that the market exploded in Tidewater in the past five years, so it stands to reason that some of them weren't ready for prime time (and the most prominent closure, Green Flash, was a product of expansion plans that way outstripped their infrastructure). I don't know what the saturation point for craft beer there is, but as you get closer, the failure rate increases.

(12-19-2019 10:31 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(12-13-2019 07:11 PM)CameramanJ Wrote:  

(12-11-2019 12:14 PM)ODU2003 Wrote:  Throwing a quick plug for Hardywood's Gingerbread Stout. I'm not normally a stout guy but that stuff is fantastic.

Quite a good batch of GBS this year. I'm hoping to try some of the Christmas Pancakes variant. Christmas Morning is good as well.

I've heard this year's variants are better than they've been in a while. I didn't buy a set but then I tried their Christmas Island (rum barrel with coconut) and Kentucky Christmas Pancakes (bourbon barrel) and they were very good. So I got in on the last-chance lottery.

Interesting story in the Pilot about whether the craft-beer bubble is bursting after the closure of three breweries in the past year or so, most recently Coelacanth. I'm not sure I buy it; the easier explanation is that the market exploded in Tidewater in the past five years, so it stands to reason that some of them weren't ready for prime time (and the most prominent closure, Green Flash, was a product of expansion plans that way outstripped their infrastructure). I don't know what the saturation point for craft beer there is, but as you get closer, the failure rate increases.

Efficiency, the need to acquire cash for growth, and thinning the market of weaker players are all expected developments. I'm still a craft beer idealist at heart but I know that eventually it will be:
1) Stables of conglomerate-owned craft brands (the "achiever" breweries of today) [Macro]
-Wasteland littered with the ruins of "tweener" breweries that died on the vine after the saturation point/bubble burst/crash-
2) Your local nanobrewery/microbrewery/brewpub that is content squeezing out a meager profit and serving the local community [Micro]

If I am right, I am going to be a sad old man some day remembering how vibrant and independent craft beer was. I hope that I am wrong. Stylistically, there is still plenty of opportunity for craft beer to develop into something resembling the selection-rich wine category. But the business side of things is ruthless.

Hardywood tapped takeover at the Kroger marketplace in harborview starting right about now.

(12-19-2019 10:31 PM)Cyniclone Wrote:  

(12-13-2019 07:11 PM)CameramanJ Wrote:  

(12-11-2019 12:14 PM)ODU2003 Wrote:  Throwing a quick plug for Hardywood's Gingerbread Stout. I'm not normally a stout guy but that stuff is fantastic.

Quite a good batch of GBS this year. I'm hoping to try some of the Christmas Pancakes variant. Christmas Morning is good as well.

I've heard this year's variants are better than they've been in a while. I didn't buy a set but then I tried their Christmas Island (rum barrel with coconut) and Kentucky Christmas Pancakes (bourbon barrel) and they were very good. So I got in on the last-chance lottery.

Interesting story in the Pilot about whether the craft-beer bubble is bursting after the closure of three breweries in the past year or so, most recently Coelacanth. I'm not sure I buy it; the easier explanation is that the market exploded in Tidewater in the past five years, so it stands to reason that some of them weren't ready for prime time (and the most prominent closure, Green Flash, was a product of expansion plans that way outstripped their infrastructure). I don't know what the saturation point for craft beer there is, but as you get closer, the failure rate increases.

I found that article to be missing some downright honest discussion on why these breweries closed. Coelacanth's beer wasn't good enough to make up for their bad parking and mediocre tasting room. Bearded Bird had the worst beer of any craft brewery I've ever been to and their customer service was not much better. Once you had visited both once, there was very little reason to return when other breweries make better beer and offer better tasting room experiences. I liked Green Flash but as you mentioned, they just overextended themselves.

We don't blame bubbles when bad restaurants close, so why is it a bubble when bad breweries close? It's just consumers deciding the winners and losers.

I just took a glance at what was in the 2019 GBS complete set and I have decided that I need to find a way to acquire next year's iteration. Not sure I want to go Family Tree to do it but I just might.

Not sure how I feel about those brewery-specific "beer clubs" anyway. If I lived right next door and had a liver of steel, sure. Debatable utility for the rest of us

(12-27-2019 07:20 PM)CameramanJ Wrote:  I just took a glance at what was in the 2019 GBS complete set and I have decided that I need to find a way to acquire next year's iteration. Not sure I want to go Family Tree to do it but I just might.

Not sure how I feel about those brewery-specific "beer clubs" anyway. If I lived right next door and had a liver of steel, sure. Debatable utility for the rest of us

The GBS Complete Set is available to the general public, though it's offered to the Family Tree members first. I got my set as a non-member two years ago, then as a member last year and this (I still have to pick it up, matter of fact).

I didn't renew Family Tree because it didn't give me nearly enough value for what I paid. The specialty beers were hit or miss, probably owing to my heavy preference to stouts, so the spring and summer offerings held little appeal to me — I didn't even touch the first three packages, gifting them to friends who have higher tolerance for sours and barleywines than I. The opportunity to pre-purchase popular limited runs, like Hoax/Trickery/Foolery/was nice, but I didn't use it that often. I suppose if I lived in Richmond again I'd get more use out of it, but then I'd also be more likely to be onsite to get in on those limited runs.

Plus I'm not as into beer as I was this time last year; between the last FT package, a few GBS variants I bought last month and a couple of straggler bottles from last year's GBS set, I've got 10 large-format Hardywood beers at home, and that's not counting this year's GBS set that I'll pick up on the way home.

I think if there was a half-measure membership in which you didn't get the quarterly packages (or were only offered a chance to buy them), but still got dibs for limited-run/GBS purchases, I'd be interested. Or if they do what The Bruery does and offer packages based on type of beer.

What is the general opinion on beer cocktails/bar specialties? My early years of the beer adventure were chock full of asking naively for black & tans and snakebites at the college town bar.

As a brewer, not a fan. I’m not a fan of a bartender altering the beer in any way. We brewed the beer to taste, look, feel a certain way. I’m even picky about type of glassware it goes in at our taproom. However, most of the beers that bartenders are doing this with are cheap, mass distro beers (yuengling, Guinness) and they probably don’t give a ****.