PTY season

by Geezaldinho Tue Mar 22, 2011 3:41 pm

Total bust. I know where one more keg sits, but other than that, it appears to be over. Demand has so far outstripped supply that I decided it's not worth pursuing further. Even PTE is in short supply.
MY publican described the frenzy as akin to people waiting in line at a refugee camp when they ran out of rice.

So, I started looking for other stuff to driink. There are a couple of great new beers out.

I tried the Elisian Trip VIII, and it's pretty darn good. It's actually a collaboration between Elysian and New Belgium. (9.6% ABV) smooth, hoppy, a real treat.

Another beer on the Geezer recommended list is Green Flash's Le Freak. All the reviews put this in the top Standard deviation, and I agree. So here's a review from one of my favorite beer reviewers, Drunkenpolack.com. ("life is too short to drink **** beer"). (PilotNation inserted the ****)

Le Freak pours a lighter amber color with a good sized head. Good retention and a ton of lacing. Now this beer is a mix between a Trippel and and an IPA. The aroma of this beer definitely gives off both very nicely. I picked up a nice grassy hops, Belgian yeast, spices, fruits such as pineapples, bananas and apples, candy sugar, and a very nice sweet malt smell. Just friggin fantastic.

This is just a fantastic tasting beer. But just a warning. This beer really needs to warm up before any of the flavors really come out. I noticed when I didn’t let it sit, all the flavors were there but they all came together into a jumbled mess. Once I let it sit, all the flavors just exploded. Totally different beer. Totally awesome beer. Up front is the grassy hops. Then the fruits come in and they give off a really nice and big taste. In the end you get the nice spice and Belgian yeast. The beer is a tad bit dry and bitter all the way through but very crisp and easy to drink. It’s dangerous. It goes down easy, maybe to damn easy at 9.20%. At the end of this bomber I was pretty buzzed. The alcohol is evident just a little but mixed in well with everything else. This is a top notch beer and I think it might of snuck into my top 10 of all time.

OK, the guy is reporting from Maryland, and I lived there for 20 years and can attest that it's no beer capital, but the guy is spot on.

both beers are Four bucks cheaper than PTY, too.

by **DaTruRochin** Tue Mar 22, 2011 4:40 pm

Ugh, tell me about it... I went to Horse Brass several times in the last month and even they were flummoxed at the state of both the Younger and Elder. But yeah it's kind of led me down the route of trying other things, I know they have been around for a minute, but man I am a big fan of the CDA varieties (aka Dark IPAs), just delicious.

OH and also a few weeks ago I was down at Green Dragon and sampled the 10 Barrels Apocalypse IPA (and was so happy with it I ordered a second one!)

Here's the official description:

A Northwest American-Style IPA. The color comes through as a deep gold with orange hues. Fruity and citrusy hop aroma shines, with hints of pine resin. The four hop flavor dominates, re-enforcing the aroma with more citrus, fruity and piney notes. The malt character is clean and smooth with a unique toasted flavor (thanks to the generous helping of Victory malt), all held together by a firm bitterness. Apocalypse has a medium-bodied mouth feel, finishing crisp and dry. All of this results in a very drinkable IPA. HOPS: Horizon, Centennial, Amarillo, Cascade Bu: 65 ABV: 6.5% Malt: 2-row Pale, Victory, Crystal

Not super high in the IBU dept and more of a toasted sweet malty flavor than the typical hoptastic IPA. But I would call it a really pleasant switch from my typical fare, just a very smooth and enjoyable brew. (I had it off tap, I can't speak for the bottled version)

by onetouchfutbol Wed Mar 23, 2011 8:05 pm

I think I posted this somewhere else, but, this place has $2 Pliny during Happy Hour in Seattle:

http://www.yelp.com/biz/bambinos-pizzeria-seattle#query:Bambino%27s%20Pizzeria

They run out quickly just like anyplace, so you need to call to find out when they are tapping... The Czech beers and European options are also quite yummy there...

by **PilotNut** Tue Mar 29, 2011 11:40 am

This is getting out of hand... even the O is on the madness...

LINK

Pliny the Younger pouring at the Horse Brass today

John Kathman just messaged me that Russian River's much-lauded triple American IPA, Pliny the Younger (how much lauded? Beer Advocate gives it an A+ and calls it a world-class beer...) is on tap at the Horse Brass Pub today starting at 11 a.m....hmmm, a ploughman's platter and a Pliny, please... that's enough alliteration for any one man...

here's the brewery's description:

Pliny the Younger

11.0%ABV, 1.098 O.G, GOBS of BUs
Pliny the Younger was Pliny the Elder's nephew, in the case of this beer, the "Younger" is a triple IPA. Pliny the Younger is hopped three times more than our standard IPA, and is dry hopped four different times. Seasonal release (February) available at the pub and for distribution.

PTY season

PTY season

Re: PTY season

Re: PTY season

Re: PTY season