Guinness and Corona.

Some interesting news for all lovers of beer.

A small,self-styled " punk " brewery in Scotland has announced the launch of Tactical Nuclear Penguin - at 32%, the strongest beer on the planet, beating previous record holder Sam Adams Utopias by 7%.

TNP is an Imperial Stout that has been matured in wooden casks for eighteen months. It has then been frozen to minus twenty degrees at a local ice cream factory.
By freezing the beer to concentrate it this way, they get the alcoholic strength.

A warning on the label states: This is an extremely strong beer, it should be enjoyed in small servings and with an air of aristocratic nonchalance. In exactly the same manner that you would enjoy a fine whisky, a Frank Zappa album or a visit from a friendly yet anxious ghost.

I'll let you know what it's when I've got hold of a bottle.

It's not yet on their website which is here.

www.brewdog.com

Many people "into" beer have a separate refrigerator for storing their beer, one that's set at a warmer temperature (or range of temperatures if it's a fancy one) more appropriate for beer than for food. Then you have home brewers, and others who are really serious about the subject, with their own keg refrigerator systems to serve draft beers at home. I know of a few folks who have coolers and home beer engines so they can have cask-conditioned real ale at home.

Its looking very empty at the moment, last nights poker game with the boys cleaned it out.

There is however one bottle of 2007 Crown Ambassador Reserve Lager that is being saved for something special.

I know little about beer, but I am intrigued to try aged beers, if any are out there....then I can store them in the wine fridge which sits at 56 degrees.

However, OT: Still only have Pabst.....need to hit the local market for some beer and pilfer some of the ideas from this post.

PDXOutbound, you reside in a city nicknamed Beervana. At the moment it is the greatest city in North America, if not the world, when the topic of conversation is beer. So there are many, many, many options available to you.

Along with the link above, I'd suggest starting with the Oregon Brewers' Guild, a trade group of the state's breweries. Portland's tourism agency has a large part of their website devoted to local beer. One of your local radio stations, KXL (750AM), does a weekly show about beer each Saturday afternoon. Knowing the host Lisa Morrison, I'm confident she'd be quite willing to suggest some resources that would introduce you to the wealth of beer options around your home. There are phone and e-mail contacts for her at the radio station website; see the link.

If you're more interested in drinking than talking I'd suggest visiting a place named Belmont Station on SE Stark Street. Visit and ask questions; the staff is traditionally very helpful. Attend a beer tasting or two there or at some of the many other places around Portland where representatives of a brewery -- if not the head brewer him-or-herself -- come by to describe their beers and pour samples.

There's also a beer festival at Pioneer Courthouse Square from December 2 to 6; it features more than 50 different holiday ales -- not just local stuff, but beers from some of the world's greatest breweries. To quote from the website I've linked directly above, "These aren't beers you'll find in the supermarket - our brewers have put together special recipes just for the Holiday Ale Festival. From Belgians and Barleywines to Porters and Stouts, these beers are rich, robust and full of complex flavors."

One next-to-last note; most beers should be drunk as fresh as possible but there are beer styles which age well. Examples would be, say, stouts and barleywines among some others. One last note; while 56 would be acceptable for, say, stouts and barleywines it's a bit warm for storing and serving many beers. When you get your own beer fridge I'd suggest setting it between 45 and 50 degrees.

I just bought 2 cases of 2009 Holiday Ale from Trader joes. They get their special supply from Unibroue and put their own private label on it.

I just saw Sam Adams Utopias on ebay for $250. Man i would love to get my hands on a bottle of that. Too expensive for me. Waiting to find a bar that has some so i can buy a glass.

Go to the Great American Beer Festival next September in Denver. Typically they'll be pouring free samples at the Boston Beer Company booth. Sometimes it's Jim Koch himself doing the pouring.

Generally not. Stronger Belgian beers (think 8%+) will age if you choose to cellar them, as will lambics, but there's not much drive to sell them that way. Better to look for good-quality styles and examples of that.

i have heavier beers ageing away, like Stone Vertical Epic, Trader Joe's Anniversary Ale, Ballast Point Victory at Sea, Stone Oaked IPA, as well as some imported stuff and a few bottles of Chimay for when I feel the urge. The fridge is a bit cooler than a wine fridge and rarely gets opened so it's kind of a little experiment to see what lasts a few years.

Samichlaus is a great beer to have at this time of year. It is brewed once / year on December 6th and fermeted for 10 months.

A server claimed it was the 2nd strongest beer in the world (at 14%), but I'm not sure if I buy it...

Shiner
Shiner family pack from Costco!

Just in case anybody plans to restock the beer fridge for the holidays, one version of the top ten weird and wonderful beers can be found here.

Pizza beer or Santa's Butt Porter anyone? ;)

greggwiggins cheers on the info. I do like Belmont Station....and recently bought an odd ale of champagne style lager and that was interesting. However, I agree on the Beervana idea, but have a difficult time with the Double IPA and IPA madness we see here at every brewery. But I'll check out the festival for sure.

U Can't Touch This
 

The National Beer of Texas - Lone Star Beer

Landshark Lager, island style

Moose Drool, brown ale

Durango Dark Lager, American style

Bear Lake Blueberrry Wheat beer

At least the labels are pretty.