The Craft Beer Thread

Craig_ said:
I'm so tempted, but my wife already booked something for her and my daughter for that day and she'd need to be my designated driver. Plus there's a minor issue of a little 10 year old boy that can't join me yet for that, and also can't join the girls outing. :(
Click to expand...
I'm free that day... tries to motivate lol.
 
Just one thing to note, guys, if you're a Castle Light, or in general just a lager drinker, 10% and up craft beers are probably not going to be to your taste. I can almost guarantee that at least 15 out of those 25 beers will be aged stouts/porters, 5 will be imperialised IPAs and the last 5 will be experimental beers that people came up with.

A 10% beer is a flavour bomb. It takes a lot of ingredients to make a 10% beer, so keep that in mind. If you don't like stouts and other roasty, toasty beers, chances are you're not really going to enjoy a strong beer festival.
 
Toxxyc said:
Just one thing to note, guys, if you're a Castle Light, or in general just a lager drinker, 10% and up craft beers are probably not going to be to your taste. I can almost guarantee that at least 15 out of those 25 beers will be aged stouts/porters, 5 will be imperialised IPAs and the last 5 will be experimental beers that people came up with.

A 10% beer is a flavour bomb. It takes a lot of ingredients to make a 10% beer, so keep that in mind. If you don't like stouts and other roasty, toasty beers, chances are you're not really going to enjoy a strong beer festival.
Click to expand...
Ah thats good advice. Now, I am that lager drink haha. But I do like an occasional stout, drink lots of other non-stout and non-lager beers too. (pale ale, ipa etc)

However, there was so far really 2 beers I don't like. That barrel aged beer I got one time on mothercityliquor.co.za was one I really couldn't stand. It was super difficult to finish, though I did. The other one I don't like is the Darling Bone Crusher, which is a wit bier. I just don't like the taste of it.

Would that mean this festival is also not for me?
 
Barrel aged beer, I'd be willing to get there was some souring in that beer. I also don't like that. A witbier is typically a spicy, fruity beer, so no, the festival would be alright for you. I'd recommend going to your local Tops though and look for something like an Imperial Stout, and see if you like it. Craft beers will be like that, and better or worse.
 
Toxxyc said:
Just one thing to note, guys, if you're a Castle Light, or in general just a lager drinker, 10% and up craft beers are probably not going to be to your taste. I can almost guarantee that at least 15 out of those 25 beers will be aged stouts/porters, 5 will be imperialised IPAs and the last 5 will be experimental beers that people came up with.

A 10% beer is a flavour bomb. It takes a lot of ingredients to make a 10% beer, so keep that in mind. If you don't like stouts and other roasty, toasty beers, chances are you're not really going to enjoy a strong beer festival.
Click to expand...

I don't like stotus, or at least I haven't tasted one that I've liked so far. But apparently there's a spot in Stellenbosch that sells high alcohol beers, I might try that out rather next weekend.
 
OK so maybe I should clarify. There are a few high-ABV beers and beer styles out there. Typically, though, stouts are the easiest to do, because of their bold, strong flavours. High ABV fermenting is stressing on beers, and, similarly to wine, it needs aging to mellow out. But, for homebrewers, aging is not easy. Beer is a nutrient-rich environment, so bacterial growth is very easy. For wines, you can "stabilize" it, using sorbates and sulfites (even seen the "contains sulfites" label on wine or ciders?). Beers can be stabilized, but once stabilized, you can't bottle carbonate your beers, it needs to go into a keg. So it's a catch-22, a tossup and a balance. Easier solution? Brew a beer where the flavours of the beer hides some of the off flavours from the fermentation. Introducing the stout. Heavily roasted barley introduces flavours like espresso, dark chocolate, toasted nuts, bread crust and more. All strong, deep flavours, and they hide those flaws. Another style that hides it well is the IPA. Because it gets slammed with hops, and hops also hide those flavours.

That's why I can confidently say the majority of the beers will be in those two styles.
 
Toxxyc said:
OK so maybe I should clarify. There are a few high-ABV beers and beer styles out there. Typically, though, stouts are the easiest to do, because of their bold, strong flavours. High ABV fermenting is stressing on beers, and, similarly to wine, it needs aging to mellow out. But, for homebrewers, aging is not easy. Beer is a nutrient-rich environment, so bacterial growth is very easy. For wines, you can "stabilize" it, using sorbates and sulfites (even seen the "contains sulfites" label on wine or ciders?). Beers can be stabilized, but once stabilized, you can't bottle carbonate your beers, it needs to go into a keg. So it's a catch-22, a tossup and a balance. Easier solution? Brew a beer where the flavours of the beer hides some of the off flavours from the fermentation. Introducing the stout. Heavily roasted barley introduces flavours like espresso, dark chocolate, toasted nuts, bread crust and more. All strong, deep flavours, and they hide those flaws. Another style that hides it well is the IPA. Because it gets slammed with hops, and hops also hide those flavours.

That's why I can confidently say the majority of the beers will be in those two styles.
Click to expand...
you missed an entire world of belgium beers, DIPA's, TIPA's and Imperial NEIPA's. you can even throw in the one place that does an Imperial Lager.

there's also Barley wine etc. while there will be a fair amount of stouts there are plenty of breweries here that do High ABV beers that are not stouts.

I agree that tastes will be hectic but thats to be expected.

Would be fun to do but I dont think I could stand more than one or two before I would need to head to bed.
 
I didn't really miss it, I merely mentioned that those are the most popular examples for homebrewers to tackle, as they're the easier.
 
So after not enjoying my previous barrel agreed beer, I was skeptical about this one I received as a present.

3041972892521f4fe6c709a1166d1ef4.jpg


624d873b8c7323211fb9685eacc99dc7.jpg


It however is very drinkable. Maybe not my favorite but a better experience.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X