February 15Feb 15 4 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said: Midday Shenanigans (session IPA) - Titonka Brewing Co, Titonka IA pop. 511 Timestamp checks out.
February 15Feb 15 18 minutes ago, deac_tracy said: Do people still line up for PtY nowadays? I'm still an IPA guy above all, so I'd line up for it. Not sure I could line up very often with that ABV. Thanks to @mdleast for posting those pics. I was drinking the beer below when I realized Surly most surely would have an ongoing beer thread. Nice maltiness and a little roasty, but still light. Can't beat an inexpensive but tasty new offering from one of our regional stalwarts. Thanks to @HenryJames for kicking off this thread, @sith_horn for leading the charge, @Al_4_ISU and everybody else who's posting all these good-looking beers. I'll be a regular.
February 15Feb 15 Pliny the Younger with absolutely no wait (twice) imo…that is actually kind of depressing. i had PtY for the first time in 2014 when i made the trip to the brewpub in santa rosa specifically for the release. next had it in denver for my bachelor party in 2016 at euclid hall (RIP), one of the great early gastropubs. edited to add pic of my first PtY
February 15Feb 15 10 hours ago, patrickdrinksbeer said: that is actually kind of depressing. i had PtY for the first time in 2014 when i made the trip to the brewpub in santa rosa specifically for the release. next had it in denver for my bachelor party in 2016 at euclid hall (RIP), one of the great early gastropubs. edited to add pic of my first PtY I'm impressed that you can find a beer picture from 2014. That's dedication to good beer. Why "kind of depressing?" Seems like there's more story there worth telling. I don't have enough coffee in me yet to remember an anecdote worth posting, but I'll probably be thinking about beer while out shoveling snow later on today. Still trying to remember why our Sunday beer happy hour was talking about both Pliny the beer and Pliny the Roman not too long ago; it may have been while looking up something else on UnTappd. Not sure any of us had tried the beer but we were talking about Russian River and Lagunitas as potential pilgrimage destinations.
February 15Feb 15 @sith_horn, where do you live? I feel like we can crowdsource you more options since you seem like the kind of guy who is open to trying new things.
February 15Feb 15 11 hours ago, Hayduke said: I'm still an IPA guy above all, so I'd line up for it. Not sure I could line up very often with that ABV. Thanks to @mdleast for posting those pics. I was drinking the beer below when I realized Surly most surely would have an ongoing beer thread. Nice maltiness and a little roasty, but still light. Can't beat an inexpensive but tasty new offering from one of our regional stalwarts. Thanks to @HenryJames for kicking off this thread, @sith_horn for leading the charge, @Al_4_ISU and everybody else who's posting all these good-looking beers. I'll be a regular. You in Central WI? My cousin lives in Plover and I’m taking her son (my godson) skiing at Nordic next Saturday
February 15Feb 15 Do people still line up for PtY nowadays?My impression just from online viewing is that there are still lines for it at some places while also plenty of places like the one I was at with none at all. I believe the key is that when they opened their Windsor brewery, it recalled upped their capacity. On a related note, I remember when finding a bottle of Pliny at a store when in California was a rarity (and you often had to ask the guy “have any in the back?”) whereas now you can find whole shelves of it at grocery stores all around California. Cheers!
February 15Feb 15 Yep, @Al_4_ISU. Nordic ought to be in really good shape next weekend. Powdery stuff right now and earlier this week. Here's the view off the back deck this morning. Have you been to O'So in Plover? They've got a nice space there. But there might be one or two other places to choose from in Wisconsin. I was looking at your Titonka pictures and trying to remember if that's what I had at a BBQ place over in Tea, SD -- near Sioux Falls -- in late 2023. I may be getting it confused with the Tatonka stout from BJ's, though.
February 15Feb 15 Author 12 hours ago, patrickdrinksbeer said: 2014 when i made the trip to the brewpub in santa rosa 2017, imo.
February 15Feb 15 1 hour ago, Hayduke said: Yep, @Al_4_ISU. Nordic ought to be in really good shape next weekend. Powdery stuff right now and earlier this week. Here's the view off the back deck this morning. Have you been to O'So in Plover? They've got a nice space there. But there might be one or two other places to choose from in Wisconsin. I was looking at your Titonka pictures and trying to remember if that's what I had at a BBQ place over in Tea, SD -- near Sioux Falls -- in late 2023. I may be getting it confused with the Tatonka stout from BJ's, though. Love O’So. Stop there every time I visit my cousin. The place in Titonka is really new. I think the only account they distribute to is Dixie’s in Decorah (the original Toppling Goliath building), which is where I had it yesterday. It’s probably the stout you’re thinking of.
February 15Feb 15 1 hour ago, Al_4_ISU said: Love O’So. Stop there every time I visit my cousin. The place in Titonka is really new. I think the only account they distribute to is Dixie’s in Decorah (the original Toppling Goliath building), which is where I had it yesterday. It’s probably the stout you’re thinking of. Makes sense. I recall it was a regional beer, but Titonka does seem a little small and far away to be in a Sioux Falls-area restaurant. That's why I like Untappd -- it helps the old memory mechanism, although I haven't mastered searching it beyond the name of beers. Might do that next. Send a message next weekend if your plans get firmed up enough and you want to shoot the breeze about Big XII ball over an O'So. I enjoy reading your takes and probably have similar views about the direction of collegiate sports. Would have to see if I can get away but would definitely make the effort. I'll post my after-shoveling beer later. Snow still coming down and have a little more to go. Which New Glarus is that? Couple of buddies and I went to the beer garden there last May. That's a fine setting there, too, and hard to beat the beer.
February 15Feb 15 1 hour ago, HenryJames said: 2017, imo. That is one great picture. Sums up the unfairness of youth. But I guess there are probably advantages to it as well ... if I could just remember them.
February 15Feb 15 1 hour ago, Hayduke said: Makes sense. I recall it was a regional beer, but Titonka does seem a little small and far away to be in a Sioux Falls-area restaurant. That's why I like Untappd -- it helps the old memory mechanism, although I haven't mastered searching it beyond the name of beers. Might do that next. Send a message next weekend if your plans get firmed up enough and you want to shoot the breeze about Big XII ball over an O'So. I enjoy reading your takes and probably have similar views about the direction of collegiate sports. Would have to see if I can get away but would definitely make the effort. I'll post my after-shoveling beer later. Snow still coming down and have a little more to go. Which New Glarus is that? Couple of buddies and I went to the beer garden there last May. That's a fine setting there, too, and hard to beat the beer. Moon Man, of course. I’ll keep you in the loop. Likely will be heading back to NEIA on Saturday night, but who knows. Edited February 15Feb 15 by Al_4_ISU
February 15Feb 15 I'm impressed that you can find a beer picture from 2014. That's dedication to good beer. Why "kind of depressing?"just lamenting the waning enthusiasm for craft beer in general. hype and lines for PtY would be a welcome indicator of the strength of the industry.
February 15Feb 15 On 2/1/2025 at 5:02 PM, Hammerin Hank said: I'm a big fan of Yellow Rose IPA Same. Their consistency waned a bit around 2 years ago, but they seem to have figured it out again
February 15Feb 15 On 1/29/2025 at 2:57 PM, HiggyBaby said: There’s some debate as to the quality of this brew since their buyout, but I will still pick up a six pack when I’m on the road in Florida. Damn tasty. Used to be one of the better IPAs in Florida. Before Oskar Blues left Austin, they were the Central US brewer for Jai Alai, IIRC. It was great to get on tap and you could get it as part of their $6 6-packs on Sunday.
February 15Feb 15 On 1/20/2025 at 8:03 PM, 4th&Five said: Good. They have some good dark offerings on tap rn. The peanut butter stout was tasty as well. PH Burnet's Nitro stout is quite good right now. It's basically their traditional stout w/ Nitro as the propellant My son and I favor Green Battles, but it seems that it is now more of a seasonal for them. I like PH and appreciate their business, but will complain that the pints used to be around 20 oz at $6 and now feel more like 15oz for $7. And the HH prices of old were $4 for that same ~20 oz "pint".
February 16Feb 16 PH Burnet's Nitro stout is quite good right now. It's basically their traditional stout w/ Nitro as the propellant [emoji4] My son and I favor Green Battles, but it seems that it is now more of a seasonal for them. I like PH and appreciate their business, but will complain that the pints used to be around 20 oz at $6 and now feel more like 15oz for $7. And the HH prices of old were $4 for that same ~20 oz "pint".they’re making less money now with higher prices. sucks from the consumer side, but even PHP can’t survive on $6 IPA imperial pints today.
February 16Feb 16 First time I ever had a bourbon-barrel stout was from Central Waters about 15 years ago. Thought it was crap and swore I'd never have one again. My taste has since evolved and this is one of my favorites -- today's post-shoveling reward. Took a couple over to my neighbor after he brought out the snowblower and I used the heavy steel-bladed shovel to scrape off the icy stuff left by the blower. I generally find shoveling kind of therapeutic after a week at the office, so the beer was really a double reward. Cassian Sunset. Coffee, vanilla bean, cinnamon. Today I thought it was more chocolate than those flavors, but Central Waters doesn't overdo their BBS and the flavors stay subtle enough, but still distinct, to make them seem a little different each time.
February 16Feb 16 4 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said: Moon Man, of course. I’ll keep you in the loop. Likely will be heading back to NEIA on Saturday night, but who knows. I thought the thumbprint was only on their limited releases, but we've already established that my perceptions can be off. Moon Man is good stuff. Just read today that their beer garden and hilltop facility in New Glarus is closed until fall of '26 while they do an extensive brewery renovation/addition. Glad I got there this past spring. Sounds good for next weekend. Not sure my wife, who has had flu all week and will want to go out next week, would be thrilled about me going off to drink beer with someone I'm sure she'd see as a random sports fan from Iowa, but that's probably for one of the "Wives" threads ... New Glarus beer garden on a slow day and the NG Belgian Red, which was a very fine cherry beer and great after a day of hiking:
February 16Feb 16 Founders Porter. Went down really well with a homemade sub sandwich. Oven toasted sourdough sub roll with smoked turkey, ham, pastrami, salami, provolone, monterey jack, chopped red onion & poblano, lettuce and tomato
February 16Feb 16 22 hours ago, patrickdrinksbeer said: they’re making less money now with higher prices. sucks from the consumer side, but even PHP can’t survive on $6 IPA imperial pints today. totally agree - just wanted to whine a bit and reflect on the "good old days". That said, I'd pay a premium for an imperial pint
February 17Feb 17 From today's neighborhood happy hour: started with an Old Rasputin Russian imperial stout, which I chose over a local imperial because, y'know, charismatic/lunatic guy (depending on where you stand) affecting history and all. Also hadn't had it in a while. Maybe my congestion kept me from enjoying it as much, but I found it less flavorful than I recalled. Still, an imperial stout seemed like a good fortification against the temps that were supposed to arrive tonight -- reported to be -18, although now they're saying only about -6. Also had a few ounces of each of the IPAs in the second picture, as we'll tend to split beers among ourselves. I've had them all before and liked them OK, but with the exception of Welcome to the End, they struck me today as a little too thin. Again, probably some congestion, but the Drekker held up best. The other two are from Young Blood (Madison) and a collaboration between Black Stack (St. Paul) and Second Harvest Heartland (a St. Paul food bank).
February 17Feb 17 Pliny the Younger still available two days later with zero wait as I bookend my trip with this tasty beverage [emoji869]
February 20Feb 20 On 2/17/2025 at 5:01 PM, Hammerin Hank said: It’s nice afternoon for a Negra Modelo Love a good Negra. Yellow Rose IPA Hadn't had it. It's pretty God damn good. Color is hazy and it's drinkable like a hazy but thinner and more hop forward. Very full flavored. Doesn't have any of that fruity/syrupy heaviness some hazys have. My favorite type of IPA - where there's a lot going on flavor-wise but you can pound 3 or 4 without getting burnt out.
February 21Feb 21 29 minutes ago, ztejas said: Love a good Negra. Yellow Rose IPA Hadn't had it. It's pretty God damn good. Color is hazy and it's drinkable like a hazy but thinner and more hop forward. Very full flavored. Doesn't have any of that fruity/syrupy heaviness some hazys have. My favorite type of IPA - where there's a lot going on flavor-wise but you can pound 3 or 4 without getting burnt out. Yellow Rose draft is so good. Might be my favorite ipa. I poured myself a Hanz German style pilsner by Real Ale. It’s light and more flavorful than a traditional American pilsner. 5.3% abv
February 21Feb 21 3 minutes ago, Hammerin Hank said: Yellow Rose draft is so good. Might be my favorite ipa. I poured myself a Hanz German style pilsner by Real Ale. It’s light and more flavorful than a traditional American pilsner. 5.3% abv Yeah I rec'd Hans Pils to Sith Horn upthread. I'm at Haymaker on Manor pregaming the Spurs game and saw Yellow Rose and googled it - saw Beer Advocate gave it a 98. "One Yellow Rose, please"
February 21Feb 21 Real Ale Brewing - Commissar Russian Imperial Stout, 9.8% ABV Another excellent brew by Real Ale Brewing. I'm really impressed with this one and their Real Heavy Scotch Ale. Likewise, they are both an excellent value for potent brews at 1 pint + 3.2 oz. See HEB shelf display below. With three HEB Central Markets in easy driving distance, now are the good 'ole days. Edited February 21Feb 21 by sith_horn
February 22Feb 22 Foggy Eyes hazy ipa by Bear King Brewing in Marble Falls. They had a guy handing out samples at HEB and I liked it. 6% abv so too strong. Not as thick as some hazys but really good flavor
February 23Feb 23 Phase Three Brewing, Lake Zurich, Illinois. 3.9 ABV. Brewer's notes: nutty, baked bread.
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.