SBW '16 thread

Huh. Not sure. I've had Funky Bunch before, this didn't taste like it.

Had some Todd the Axeman at Chuck's 85th today along with Consortium 8. Both were awesome.

 

I had some Todd a few weeks ago in Duluth. It was the big surprise beer from this trip back there, second only to Founders KBS as my favorite of several. It's one of the best beers from any of my several MN/WI trips, and one of the better beers Surly has ever made. For those of you that can get over to Chuck's 85th while they have it on, I highly recommend it.

 

Going over in a bit, but no way am I paying nearly $13 for a pint of an IPA. Not a chance.

 

IPA flight?!

 

Don't know. It says $12.50 pint and $38 growler. I'm not all that interested in a flight anyway.

 

Todd the Axeman isn't the Surly brewed one fyi. I saw the keg when they got the shipment, came from Shelton. I'd love to try it but won't be up there. I had the Surly version at the Local Option in Chicago and kept ordering it because it was so delicious.

 

It's the Amager version of Todd. For $7 I had a flight of it, Consortium 8, Skookum's Chuckleshake DIPA and Stillwater's Superhop IPA.

 

That's awesome. Flight was a great deal last night as well, got to try a lot of Lost Abbeys more expensive beers for only $11 a flight, a lot of the beers are normally $17 for around a 375ml bottle.

Nice chatting with Tomme too, a truly inspirational American brewer

 

I'd forgotten that Todd was a collaboration between Surly and Amager. Surly now releases it periodically; I'm not sure if it's exactly an annual, but it was clear that it was an event when some fresh Todd was suddenly available, as the BA Midwest Forum lit up with the topic while I happened to be back there. Surly Todd is a bit pricey, about $4.50 for a 16er can, but well worth it.

This also makes me wonder about collaboration beers ... I know that people frequently say that the version made at one brewery is superior to the one made at another ... but is it really true that there are substantial differences? It seems that if two breweries collaborate on the recipe, and have the same ingredients, that the chances are that the beers from each brewery would be in the same ballpark. Any direct experiences with this?

 

Yeah, when Chuck's gets a smaller keg of something, as I imagine they did here with Todd, the prices can seem baffling, but they do have a pricing scheme which they typically adhere to, and which makes sense from their perspective. The best option, when applicable for special events and all IPAs, is to just suck it up and get a flight. You'll at least get to try (4 oz of) what you really want, and maybe 3 other really good beers, too, at an excellent value.

 

I was told there was going to be a bottle share event somewhere today (the 18th) at one. Do any of you have any information on this? Didn't see any clues on the website. Thanks!

 

Let me rephrase the question: If I'm not going to be able to get there until after 7 o'clock, should I bother going at all?

Also... Is Pine Box going to be a madhouse tonight?

 

7pm? There will be some nice leftovers once you get in, but most if not all of the hyped stuff will be long gone.

 

I've been on the fence on whether to go or not... Quite a few of those beers were at The Farmhouse & Wild Ale fest in March... Thanks.

 

Table service is fine there. Bar service is fine if it's not busy, but they seem to overwhelmed in a hurry if it's busy at all. The bar space itself is not really built for crowds.

 

My wife and I happen to be visiting this weekend and we were contemplating dropping by Masonry for their tapover event. Has anyone been to their events this week/previous years or have any thoughts on Saturday's event? I've never been to Masonry before, but it's been on the list to check out for a while now. Is it worth making the trip from downtown (I realize it's not actually that far, but we usually stay DT/Capitol Hill/CD area) to the event?

 

I went to the E9/Holy Mountain event last year and it was fantastic. Great pizza too.

 

I braved the crowds at Chuck's tonight in part to give this one a try as part of a flight, as there was no way, like @TheBungyo, I'd pay that price for a pint. It was very good, and I'd say the defining characteristic was its almost total lack of bitterness, but nothing else really stood out. No fruit, melon, or herb really hit me on the face, and announced its greatness, alas. The Surly version may be vastly superior, but the question, as @VashonGuy boils it down to, would be why...? A recipe is a recipe, and as long as the QC and distribution are the same (more or less), what's the difference?

In any event, stacked up against Drunken Master, Maximum Effort, and Consortium #8, Todd was middle of the pack. It was a really good pack to be sure, but it just goes to show the "world class" beers being produced elsewhere are typically no greater than the outstanding, or merely very good, beers being produced here.

 

Great post. I actually did end up trying it in a flight as well. I hadn't thought of a flight until it was suggested. I'm not normally into flights (unless it's different vintages of the same beer) but thought it would be a fun way of trying the more expensive offerings without paying the pint price. Added bonus was sharing the flight with my girlfriend.

I wasn't impressed with this beer at all personally. All I could think of was pinesol or some type of cleaner. It was one of the least impressive brews of the night.

And that takes me back to a point you made so well. We have so many great beers here, especially hoppy beers, that it just doesn't make sense to me to take the time to trade, or spend a lot of money to try something that's hyped. I'm almost always disappointed and can think of numerous things crafted locally that would have more than sufficed.

 

Eh, a recipe is just a recipe, breweries are different and the same recipe doesnt necessarily translate from one Brewer/brewery setup to another. Not saying one brewery is better than the other but it's an interesting thing to know as a consumer of it.