Pittsburgh - New Beers & Local Breweries

Major distribution = unimpressive beers

It's science

 

Founders > Bells

 

Concur with this notion

 

I've kind of determined that I'm hyper sensitive to coffee flavors because in KBS and FBS, that's literally all I taste. No barrel on KBS, no anything else. It just tastes like Folgers that's been sitting on the counter all day. PBBoC was the same way. I got no peanut butter, no anything else but coffee.

Their RIS is fine to me. It's good, but it's nothing I seek out. I'm not an IPA drinker so I can't attest to All Day. Rubaeus is okay again but nothing I'd seek out. I've got a bottle of Blushing Monk that I've not tried yet though so maybe that will turn it around for me. I always wanted to try Sweet Repute but didn't end up landing one.

 

Let me look I might have an extra sweet repute around

 

I'm a big fan of FIS, but unless KtG is over the hill (or the 12oz bottles are considerably worse that the 22s, and that's what you opted to go with), either of which is certainly possible, it's hard to imagine FIS beating that out or Baller. I'd drink FIS over Darkness or Darklord (or Zhukov) any day though. (Crazy to me how much more I like Baller than any of the beers that comprise it.)

 

BBVDs oak aged, no? Does it only count if it's inside a used liquor barrel?

 

Baller was definitely one of the lower ranked beers for everyone at that tasting. Stout Trooper taking the cake with being the worst.

 

Outside of their Breakfast Stout which I love, when it comes to Founders' shelf beers there are other comparable beers that are widely available in the city which I greatly prefer.

 

Pretty sure the only Bell's brew I've had was Two Hearted and I hate it... But, not into the hops, so there you go.

 

Is it oak-aged?

Well looks like I'll put Bell's Expedition into my top-3 Non-BA Stout list in its place.

 

That's really crazy man. Outside of tastings / shares with "bigger" beers, I drink hoppy beers probably 99% of the time.

 

Expedition is solid but prefer Java Stout.

 

You wont have any if I see it....hahaha I loved that beer. My dad still has a few bottles of it.

 

I love FIS, but there is something I dig about an aged Great Lakes Blackout which would make me chose it over the Founders.

 

I know, I've gotten shit from @kbuzz on more than one occasion.

 

I'm with you on that too, Greg - love the meaty/umami vibe on that beer with some age...

...but FIS is still my #1 by a fairly wide margin.

Yeah, dude...so fussy about your beer styles...not sure how you even got into beer with the laundry list of shit you don't like...

 

haha Listen, there are three things that I don't like. They just happen to directly conflict with the things that you do like.

 

Not liking PA/IPA/DIPA, to me, is more than a "thing"...I'd contend that those styles were the gateway styles for maybe 85% of craft beer drinkers? (feel free to dispute this arbitrary percentage...but it's a lot of us).

What are the other two? I cant remember...coffee and smoke? Those I can understand a bit more...

 

Yeah, coffee and smoke are the others.

I don't know, man. I just don't like that stuff. I've tried. I've had Heady, Pliny, SoS... It's just not for me. I can see why those things are appealing to you guys if you like those flavors but they don't do it for me. I wish I did, it'd make this hobby a whole hell of a lot cheaper.