Can't be a beer snob every day...

[Hodgie]

Haven't seen anything posted in beer snob for a while. Picked this up today - don't know when I'll finally open it. Only when I have time to really enjoy it. Hope it doesn't suck. Anyone ever try it ? Samuel Adams Utopias............

Nope never had it, but I have been enjoying the hell out of case of seasonal Cold Snap this past few weeks.

[abner13]

SA founder seems drunk just explaining it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rkeu4AAGx4

[Jimmy_Chimichanga]

Jim Koch spends most of his time inebriated. I can't say I am really a fan of anything by Sam Adams but they did open a lot of doors for popularizing the concept of craft beer.

I pick up cans from Stickman regularly, & Tired Hands occasionally. There are a lot of brewers in PA but those two are really head & shoulders above the rest.

[Parrisk]

Well it looks like I get to fly to Germany and enjoy a fresh Kreuzberg for my double nickel birthday in March.
Listed once in Playboy as THE BEER to get a beer snob, It can ONLY be purchased at the monastery and is my favorite beer in the world.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/11253/43263/

[abner13]

Jim Koch spends most of his time inebriated. I can't say I am really a fan of anything by Sam Adams but they did open a lot of doors for popularizing the concept of craft beer.

I pick up cans from Stickman regularly, & Tired Hands occasionally. There are a lot of brewers in PA but those two are really head & shoulders above the rest.

Sam Adams Boston Lager is brewed in PA!

[Jimmy_Chimichanga]

Yes, I have passed the facility & I will stand by what I said =)

Tired Hands or Stickman are at the top of the food chain for best beer in PA.

Levante & Hidden River are doing good things as well.

[gghbi]

Jim Koch spends most of his time inebriated. I can't say I am really a fan of anything by Sam Adams but they did open a lot of doors for popularizing the concept of craft beer.

I pick up cans from Stickman regularly, & Tired Hands occasionally. There are a lot of brewers in PA but those two are really head & shoulders above the rest.

Sam Adams Boston Lager is brewed in PA!

Yes, I have passed the facility & I will stand by what I said =)
Tired Hands or Stickman are at the top of the food chain for best beer in PA.
Levante & Hidden River are doing good things as well.

I know cans have come a long way, but as a rule, canned beer has always been a lesser tier than bottles, which have been a lesser tier than draft. In fact it was Sam Adams who introduced the improved can that went a long way toward making canned beer acceptable to snobs at all.

I am not familiar with Tired Hands or Stickman, so I am at a disadvantage here, are these specific brews by one company or are they microbrewery companies? It would be helpful to know that. Feel free to educate the masses on that.

We are in a bit of a golden age due to the plethora of mini/micro/brewpubs out there, so it is neat to be able to explore the possibilities. Next week you might stumble into a new place and find a new 'favorite' that you never knew about.

As for Boston Brewing, I think their Oktoberfest is the cream of the crop, because it is the kind of beer I favor, more malt, less hoppy. I know a gal who is into hoppy beers, and loves various IPAs, so to each their own.

[normanvin]

I can tell you the beer comes out of the same tank that goes into a bottle, can or keg.

The thing about micro breweries is that they need lots of funds just to start. Then more just to tread water and more yet to expand. For the most part the will be around for a few years. Some will fold some will get gobbled up by the big boys just to be rid of the compatition.

There are some that turn to bigger breweries to produce and package their products.

[Jimmy_Chimichanga]

http://bfy.tw/GGN4
http://bfy.tw/GGN6

Cans ship better than bottles so essentially until a brewery has cans (or crowlers) their beer has 0 value in the trading community... not to mention cans block 100% of light which degrades the contents inside, canning lines are cheaper to operate than bottling, etc. there's probably 1000 reasons the better beer scene has moved on from bottles. What you find at grocery stores, beer gardens etc are known as "shelf turds" & no beer snob worth their salts has any interest in beer that sits in a warehouse, gets tossed around on delivery trucks, then piles up at a distributor, rinse & repeat. There was a time when milk was delivered in glass bottles door to door, and people went to a store to buy music. Times have changed, the market has changed, & while there's no shortage of people who are perfectly happy drinking old bottles of fizzy yellow sawdust lager, from my perspective Stickman + Tired Hands have mastered both the art & science of what makes a beer great.

[gghbi]

http://bfy.tw/GGN4
http://bfy.tw/GGN6

Cans ship better than bottles so essentially until a brewery has cans (or crowlers) their beer has 0 value in the trading community... not to mention cans block 100% of light which degrades the contents inside, canning lines are cheaper to operate than bottling, etc. there's probably 1000 reasons the better beer scene has moved on from bottles. What you find at grocery stores, beer gardens etc are known as "shelf turds" & no beer snob worth their salts has any interest in beer that sits in a warehouse, gets tossed around on delivery trucks, then piles up at a distributor, rinse & repeat. There was a time when milk was delivered in glass bottles door to door, and people went to a store to buy music. Times have changed, the market has changed, & while there's no shortage of people who are perfectly happy drinking old bottles of fizzy yellow sawdust lager, from my perspective Stickman + Tired Hands have mastered both the art & science of what makes a beer great.

It is true that canned beer revolutionized the market, back in the 1800's. That is what lead to the big national brands if you follow the history. Before cans local taverns, much like the brewpubs of today, and regional breweries who could have bottles returned, were what you had. I have never heard of the term 'shelf turds' so I must admit you are in the lead when it comes to being a beer snob, I bow in your presence. My uncle used to be a milkman, and I can remember buying non-homogenized milk where the cream would separate out to the top. I do not click on links I cannot identify, so I regret you did not provide a direct link, but I am glad you found your beer nirvana. If I should wander into that area, I will have to check it out.

I can tell you the beer comes out of the same tank that goes into a bottle, can or keg.

The thing about micro breweries is that they need lots of funds just to start. Then more just to tread water and more yet to expand. For the most part the will be around for a few years. Some will fold some will get gobbled up by the big boys just to be rid of the compatition.

There are some that turn to bigger breweries to produce and package their products.

Is it still true that bottled/canned beer is pasteurized and draft is not, or is that just history that I have wrong?