Fifth Avenue Forum

The Sam Adams Holiday Porter is not great.

I've yet to find a porter that is worthwhile. It's like somebody wanted to make a stout, but decided to water it down because reasons.

The Sam Adams Holiday Porter is not great.

I've yet to find a porter that is worthwhile. It's like somebody wanted to make a stout, but decided to water it down because reasons.

Great Lakes Edmund Fitgerald is my go to. I'm not sure what's going on with Ballast Point, but their Victory at Sea imperial porter is always a delicious treat.

I don't mind Edmund Fitzgerald, but it's still meh compared to most stouts.

I don't mind Edmund Fitzgerald, but it's still meh compared to most stouts.

yeah, you are going to have that problem if you keep trying to compare a porter to a stout. Try the ballast point, I think that will get you close to what you are looking for

Just go buy a stout...

When in doubt, go with a stout.

Dammit, c2i.

anyone attend the Grist House Fire fest last year? Is that place going to be overly crowded tomorrow?

Speaking of stouts, Day 5 of my beer advent calendar was Clown Shoes Undead Party Crasher, an imperial stout. It was absolutely superb.

Speaking of stouts, Day 5 of my beer advent calendar was Clown Shoes Undead Party Crasher, an imperial stout. It was absolutely superb.

Your wife better be getting a nice Christmas present this year

Speaking of stouts, Day 5 of my beer advent calendar was Clown Shoes Undead Party Crasher, an imperial stout. It was absolutely superb.

Your wife better be getting a nice Christmas present this year

Oh yes...she will be.

Day 6 was an interesting one. "Shploing" by Omnipollo Brewing. I thought it was a very good New England IPA, that said, the only one of the flavors listed I really picked up was the toasted marshmallow and mango. That said, it was very good. My wife really did some serious research and time on this, man.

Edmund Fitzgerald is probably my favorite beer, that along with Saranac Black and Tan.

@shafnutz05 that one is ok, but check out Fatamorgana... It's really good.

Also, completely different style, but Pleroma is excellent. If you like raspberries, it's not really sour, pretty much perfectly balanced... Just smooth and delicious.

went to Roundabout Brewery this weekend, that place is outstanding. I didn't have anything close to even an average beer. It may be the best brewery in Pittsburgh behind Brew Gents.

went to Roundabout Brewery this weekend, that place is outstanding. I didn't have anything close to even an average beer. It may be the best brewery in Pittsburgh behind Brew Gents.

Good to know. In my neck of the woods but always seem to forget about it.

Cinderlands is another PGH place that I feel like has really stepped up their game as of late.

Anybody been to Dancing Gnome recently? It's been a while, but I remember it being pretty quality.

Day 10 of the beer advent calendar was this:



Wow...this is a world-class beer. Absolutely superb English strong ale. Packs a punch but so smooth. Man, my wife did some serious research into this.

Just popped the cork on a Wild Elf that was bottled in 2017. So. Damn. Good.

Day 15 of the beer Advent calendar. Dragon's Milk Reserve Oatmeal Cookie Stout. Wow... this is so good. Incredibly smooth for 11 percent.

Day 15 of the beer Advent calendar. Dragon's Milk Reserve Oatmeal Cookie Stout. Wow... this is so good. Incredibly smooth for 11 percent.

DM tends to be that way. Haven't had that particular variety, but it sounds good.

Here's what I've had so far...

Grimm Just Intonation: not really sour, was real tart, almost cranberry-like. Very good.
Weltenburger Kloster Barock Dunkel: solid dunkel
Rogue Dead Guy Ale: ok
Arrogant Consortia Enter Night: solid pale, had a nice bite
Hitchhiker Subsurface: Mango, Rapsberry, Peach: This drank like a smoothie and kinda tasted like a red starburst
Boon Oude Kriek Marriage Parfait: cherry and oak. It was good.
Firestone Walker Velvet Merkin 2018: chocolate and oak. very good.
Zundert Zundert 8: good trappist ale
Hitachino Nest White Ale: real nice wit
Hoffbrau Maibock: surprisngly good
Erdinger Kristall Weisse: kinda weak... not really my favorite style
Mahrs Brau Weisser Bock: good
De Dolle Oerbier: This was damn excellent. Best beer I've had this month, advent calendar or not. BSDA.
Knee Deep Simtra Triple IPA: This was solid, but it came in a bomber which was WAY overkill for a 11+ TIPA.
Wild Barrel Black Currant Vice: I've had this before and I absolutely love it. Just an excellent black currant flavor and so easy to drink.

Won a craft beer 4 pack raffle at the CFOs Christmas party:

Cigar City Jai Alai
Helltown Buffy Hazy IPA
Levity Tenured Double IPA
Mother Earth Aphrodite Rising (google says Hazy IPA)

The first 3 are good thus far.

Day 15 of the beer Advent calendar. Dragon's Milk Reserve Oatmeal Cookie Stout. Wow... this is so good. Incredibly smooth for 11 percent.

I love dragons milk, but haven’t heard of this. Sounds amazing.

The distributor had a pallet of IC Light Twist Lime Coconut on sale for $3/6-pack of pounders, so I thought I'd take a flier on it. Turns out there was a reason why it was on sale and a pallet was still left.

The distributor had a pallet of IC Light Twist Lime Coconut on sale for $3/6-pack of pounders, so I thought I'd take a flier on it. Turns out there was a reason why it was on sale and a pallet was still left.

Should've got the Mango Pumped

Remainder of the advent calendar...

Dogfish Head Pennsylvania Tuxedo: Solid, spruce was very present
Karl Strauss Mosaic Session IPA: Normally not huge on session IPAs because they tend to taste like nothing, but the mosaic is front and present, making this tasty and crushable
El Segundo Broken Skull IPA: Clean, crisp, bit of a bite. I enjoyed it.
Sixpoint Resin: Intense. I preferred the previous.
Revision Hops in a Can: Juicy. Real nice mix of hops, tasty af.
Tioga-Sequoia Sierra Dark Sky Reserve: This more or less just tasted like a whiskey barrel to me... I was not overly impressed.
Unibroue A Tout Le Monde: I've had this before... it's fine, but there are so many that are so much better.
Omnipollo Pleroma: Love this. Raspberry, Vanilla, delicious.
Brasserie Dubuisson Scaldis Noel: 12%, not as "spicy" as I would have expected from a Christmas beer. It was good, not amazing.