Wine and Beer Enthusiasts

[it wasnt me]

my own view is that much of the current beer market is flooded, nay, saturated by legions of over-hopped IPA style beers

I wholeheartedly agree. That's one of the reasons why I resisted craft beer for a long time: I thought they were all such tediously boring IPAs with extra hoppiness in the hops. They all taste the same. Fortunately, I've learnt a lot since then. But IPAs still bore me.

I find that I far prefer a reliable weissbier, or helles, or kristal style beer as a regular beverage.

My normal after-work beers at home are often Pilseners or Helles (usually the Tegernseer one, because that's available almost everywhere here), but I agree that with wheat beer you at least basically know what to expect: Nice heavy yeast and often bananas. (Hardly any bananas found in Weihenstephaner! I still gave it a 4.2 out of 5 stars in my ratings.) It's a fine art to make a wheat beer that I find truly dreadful. I like that.

(Which is not to say, of course, that I don't now know several truly vile wheat beers).

 

[Scepticalscribe]

At the moment, I am strangely mellow.

The Chablis is going down rather well.

Actually, I think that I could live perfectly well as long as I am amply supplied with seriously good coffee, Burgundy wines, and German and Belgian beers...among other sundry necessities in order to ensure that one is able to maintain a decent quality of life.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Sipping a Westmalle Dubbel, a Belgian classic.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Inexplicably, my beer supplies had - with the exception of several bottles of Trappistes Rochefort - almost run out, thus, earlier today, I replenished them (which took the form of quite a few different Weihenstephaner beers, - a stash that included Helles, Korbinian, Hefeweissbier, and Hefeweissbier Dunkel), and expect them to be delivered later this evening.

A few bottles each of Chablis and Côtes du Rhône completed my selection.

 

[it wasnt me]

I paid a visit to a “Wirtshaus” today (basically, a Bavarian-themed restaurant) where I had a Munich Löwenbräu Helles and one of their Pilseners. Just down the road, there’s a Weinfest (“wine festival”) going on, so I had a German red cuvée for the evening, lovely with hints of amaretto and strawberries, and a Spanish kiwi pastry sour which was green.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

My beer has been delivered.

One might add something along the lines of "happy days", (or evenings).

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Having consumed hardly any alcohol this week (not least, because I was out of beer, with the exception of several bottles of Trappistes Rochefort) and out of Chablis, - deficiencies that have since been remedied - I am now on the horns of a dilemma:

Shall tonight's tipple take the form of The Grape or The Grain?

 

[it wasnt me]

I’m all in favour of the grape.

 

[it wasnt me]

Time for a typically citrusy-sour Schneeeule beer with lots of ginger and lactose, then suddenly strong habanero in the flavour, which continues into the finish. Some sour cucumber if you take a big sip. Deliciously perverse.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I have just opened a beer from the selection that was delivered yesterday: Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel.

 

[it wasnt me]

Enjoy!

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Enjoy!

Thank you.

That has gone down exceedingly well.

Now, to give some serious thought to what form my second (and last) beer of the night shall take.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I’m all in favour of the grape.

I missed this post.

Tonight was the Grain, (partly prompted by the fact that I dined on my own, homemade ratatouille and some fresh - and glorious - pork sausages).

However, the Grape shall be greeted in due course.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

My second, (and final) beer of the night is the classic Hefe Weissbier from Weihenstephaner.

 

[it wasnt me]

I have heard rumours about Weihenstephaner Dunkel being available near me. I will investigate.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I have heard rumours about Weihenstephaner Dunkel being available near me. I will investigate.

I think it an excellent beer, a wonderfully well balanced (and smooth) dark beer.

 

[JackAHyde]

I got myself a pack of Nitro Milk Stout now that I'm no longer foregoing alcohol. It tastes so great, much like a stronger Guinness.

 

[it wasnt me]

I found an Erdinger Urweisse today. I agree with what Erdinger says about it. Quite an interesting one, mineralic with a touch of ashes and, of course, smooth with ripe bananas.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I found an Erdinger Urweisse today. I agree with what Erdinger says about it. Quite an interesting one, mineralic with a touch of ashes and, of course, smooth with ripe bananas.

Enjoy.

My tipple of choice tonight was a Weihenstephaner Helles, absolutely gorgeous.

 

[rhett7660]

Cracked my first bottle of 2024's The Brewery's Black Tuesday. It did not disappoint! This brewery is one of the top shelf brewery's when it comes to barrel aged stouts and just stouts in general. Soooooo freaking good.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

Cracked my first bottle of 2024's The Brewery's Black Tuesday. It did not disappoint! This brewery is one of the top shelf brewery's when it comes to barrel aged stouts and just stouts in general. Soooooo freaking good.

That is a brewery I have never heard of.

It sounds amazing.

Do enjoy.

 

[it wasnt me]

That is a brewery I have never heard of.

I can imagine it’s hard to google it anyway.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

I can imagine it’s hard to google it anyway.

Not sure I understand your meaning.

I merely observed that I had never heard of the beer - let alone ever come across it; that is no reason - unless @rhett7660 wishes to offer further comments about the brewery or beer - to seek out further information.

In any case, these days, in my corner of Europe, we rarely see beers from the US - apart from Sierra Nevada, which I don't rate especially highly.

Moreover, I haven't come across a beer from Founder's (which I used to see, occasionally, as a post on this very forum - which had enthused about it - initially prompted me to seek it out, a beer that I must concede did cause me to revise - somewhat - my poor opinion of beers from the US) in years and years, a situation that I doubt will be resolved any time soon.

 

[rhett7660]

That is a brewery I have never heard of.

It sounds amazing.

Do enjoy.

They are amazing and this particular brew is only offered one day a year in October on a Tuesday no less. I have been buying two bottles each year and age them both. Usually one for six to eight months and then the other for one year as I will drink that one on the week of the new release.

The Bruery Black Tuesday. It is one of my favorite beers.

 

[Scepticalscribe]

They are amazing and this particular brew is only offered one day a year in October on a Tuesday no less. I have been buying two bottles each year and age them both. Usually one for six to eight months and then the other for one year as I will drink that one on the week of the new release.

The Bruery Black Tuesday. It is one of my favorite beers.

Wow.

Thank you for posting the link.

That beer sounds absolutely amazing, but, but, but, 19.7% abv?

This is far stronger than something such as a Belgian quadrupel (which usually clocks in at something between 9-11%), and far stronger than even those rich, robust, red wines (which would be around 14-14.5%, very occasionally, perhaps, 15%), while venturing well into the territory of fortified wines.

Hm.

In that case, I can well understand how this is a beer that one would (or could) only consume one beer at a time, sipping, sampling, savouring nice and slowly.

Do enjoy.