Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler beer thread

I'll have to make some of that sometime...think I could just dump a crapload of blue food coloring into a light ale?

...I hear a 2nd one is in the works too, this one really is a must see, perhaps esp if you hate trek

errrr i guess it was out or straight to video?

www.trekkies2.com

Speaking of beer and Vegas... a friend with a real German wife, born and raised in Bavaria I think, went to the HofbrauHaus in Vegas and apparently she got all misty eyed. They said it was the real deal. You can find 10% off coupons in the ubiquitous hotel magazine.

http://www.hofbrauhauslasvegas.com/

Holy Moley! Thanks for sharing, BigWill. I had no idea. It does seem that they tried to make it authentic.

I've been to the Hofbrauhaus in Munich. It was one of my very favorite places that I have ever visited. Go figure.

Like I needed another excuse to go to Vegas...

Tom, a store very near my house has Czechvar @ $7.99/6 pack. They wouldn't sell me just one bottle! How's that stuff compare to Pilsener Urquell?

I prefer Budweiser Budvar (nee Czechvar) to Urquell; I find it slightly softer and sweeter. Or, at least I did in Prague. Bwa ha ha ha ha!!

tom, maybe it's time for a beer shoot-out. skip the tv sets, avr's and speakers. i would guess we all can afford a six pack or single to back up your test results. guess the only major stumbling blocks would be imported vs domestic, and cans or bottles.
does this need it's own thread?
dan

LOL!!

If BigWill and I ever manage to span the thousand miles between us, you can be sure there will be a Axiom Beer Shootout Report. As to whether we'd have the discipline to do it double-blind, well, it depends on your definition of double-blind

I have probably already mentioned that I am a Certified Beer Judge, so I actually have some experience with and guidelines for psuedo-objective tasting. Once upon a time, some friends and I did a series of tastings of commercial beer using scoring sheets and double-blind conditions. The problem was, we found that the time it takes to actually analyze, score and debrief the beers really detracted from the experience of "drinking a beer with friends".

In homebrew competitions, I typically can judge only ~5 beers per hour, while drinking 2-3 ounces of each. You owe the brewer thoughtful analysis and comments. Depending on the style, it becomes very difficult to give credible feedback beyond about 8 beers - fewer for stronger or hoppier styles. Palate fatigue.

That being said, it can be fun and informative to pick a style, assemble some examples, have the designated steward serve the beers, and try to describe what you like and why using the style guidelines.

I never submitted any of my beers for review by the judges, Tom, but I did talk to some judges who were rating homebrews for customers of a particular supply store. They weren't happy campers - it seems everybody was submitting their "problem" beers and these guys had to drink it. LOL

I did share an oatmeal stout with the head brewers of BJs in Brea years ago. It was a good one (hard for me to say how good it was - it was my baby). They were polite in their praise, but not effusive.