The Taproom (aka Anything and Everything Beer)

Splunders said:
1.080! Watch the early fermentation temps!
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As a bit of a newb, it seems like each yeast has a specific temperature it should ferment at, since I don't have a storage fridge yet to control the temps, I've kept it in a dark closet, and it seems like the temps have been consistent at 74, though I worry it may have fluctuated. Could inconsistent temperatures by 2 or 4 degrees cause issues with the fermentation process?
 
blissfullychaotic said:
As a bit of a newb, it seems like each yeast has a specific temperature it should ferment at, since I don't have a storage fridge yet to control the temps, I've kept it in a dark closet, and it seems like the temps have been consistent at 74, though I worry it may have fluctuated. Could inconsistent temperatures by 2 or 4 degrees cause issues with the fermentation process?
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It's usually best to keep the early stages of the fermentation in the lower ranges of the desired yeast temps. 74 isn't too bad, especially for Belgian strains, but if it ramps up too quickly, you can get fusel alcohol notes which can taste pretty nasty. It's OK if things get warmer later, it's just that first day or so when temps really matter the most
 
Honest question - do you guys have a limit for how much you would spend on a beer to have in the house? I like a good "craft" beer as much as anyone, but I just have a mental block with spending anything more than £2.50 on a beer I'm drinking in the house. Am I just being a tightarse?
 
Indymisanthrope said:
I would pay a bit more for like a good release in a 750ml bottle, but otherwise I mostly agree. Problem is that I currently am not drinking beers anywhere BUT in the house, so my budget for house beer is absorbing the unspent bar beer costs.
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I suppose my in-house beers are only for sitting in front of the TV/listening to records, so I'm probably not looking out for something fancy, just a decent session-able beer. Doesn't have to be something fancy, and I can still get something nice from "supermarket craft" at a decent price.
 
Thackeraye said:
Honest question - do you guys have a limit for how much you would spend on a beer to have in the house? I like a good "craft" beer as much as anyone, but I just have a mental block with spending anything more than £2.50 on a beer I'm drinking in the house. Am I just being a tightarse?
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If it’s a nice IPA that’ll usually run me $5-6. But if it’s a bourbon barrel aged stout in a larger sized bomber bottle, I’ll allot $15-20 for it. In rare circumstances I’ll spend $30 on a real nice bottle. When you factor in the high ABV and size of the bottle, I liken it to buying a halfway decent bottle of wine.
 
Indymisanthrope said:
Beer Drop review for anyone who’s curious:

My first shipment just got delivered. UPS won't deliver without a 21+ adult to accept it, and even though I'm working from home, I missed the first attempt yesterday. Trying not to think of how many extra hours it spent in a hot truck.

Packaging: the beers are stacked vertically, with cardboard dividers between them. No other cushioning. I presume that means this service would never ship bottles, but I don't know for sure.

View attachment 58031

Beer selection: The beers all seem to be from legit breweries (all CO-based in this case -- the shipment came with a flyer that says Beer Drop is on board with 80 breweries currently, with more to come). You can choose which styles you want to receive in your shipment when you first sign up (and you can change your preferences each month). This is what I got, along with a handy summary page that gives you styles, and some tasting notes (note that the comments are inconsistently detailed, and that none of them provide any info about the breweries themselves, which makes me think these may be write-ups that the breweries actually provided):

View attachment 58032View attachment 58033

Quantity: 5 beers, 2 cans of each (only one can of each pictured above). I received 4 x 12oz cans and 6 x 16oz pints.

Price: This may be the killer. Beer Drop offers 3 membership tiers. I opted for the recommended "Beer Drop Plus" plan for $49.99, which came out to about $60 shipped when all was said and done. This tier gives you the option to "upgrade 2 of 5 to special release or taproom only offerings." So this is where you get the option to pick up some things you wouldn't find on your liquor store's shelves (although that's a fringe benefit for me already, since I wouldn't find any of these distributed in Indiana anyway). I didn't upgrade anything, but I did see one offer to add on a crowler (32oz) of a special release IPA for the low, low price of just $18. I'm not sure if that offer was to upgrade one of my 5 releases, or to add it on. Neither is a great deal, but the former would have been highway robbery. Either way, I passed on it. The lowest tier of membership ($39.99) a month doesn't allow you to upgrade any of your 5 choices, and the highest tier ($64.99) allows you to upgrade all 5.

As it is, where the net cost comes out to about 6 bucks a can, it's a bit steep, but you're obviously paying the premium for home delivery and for beers you normally wouldn't have access to. If they were sending you things that are available where you live, this service clearly wouldn't be worth it. If the "upgrade" prices are in line with the $18 for 32oz cost that I saw, I don't see myself ever taking advantage of that option unless something truly spectacular comes along. More likely that I'll downgrade to the lowest tier for another month or two. $50 shipped for 10 beers isn't a huge price difference, but feels a bit more palatable to me at $5 per can than $6. They're both a little bit expensive for cans, but I can always pour it into a glass and imagine I'm posted up at the bar in a good brewpub. For as long as COVID has life turned upside down, it's a not-too-extravagant substitute for that experience.

Ultimately, needing to be sure that I'm available to accept the shipment may be the thing that kills my interest fastest. I'm working from home for the foreseeable future, but it's just another thing to keep track of and make sure I don't miss. It's fun to get some beers I wouldn't come across in the midwest, but none of these are exactly buried treasures, either. If I were to get a few months of this as a gift, I wouldn't complain, but I don't see myself keeping up with it long term.
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I did something like this with one of the very first "wine in the mail" boxes. Several years ago I worked in a very casual office so it was cool to get the mail delivered to my workplace. when it came so many of my coworkers were like "oooooh! what'd ya get?!" and I was so embarrassed that I cancelled after one month.

I think it's still just logistically difficult to be at home to sign for a package. I have had bad luck for a couple of other items I needed to get signed. On more than one occasion the UPS driver would not even knock and just leave a note, so I'd have to drive to the distribution hub to pick up the package. It's just not worth it IMO for beer.
 
Indymisanthrope said:
jeanralphioworst.gif
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If was definitely a common thing in that apartment. I remember my girlfriend was expecting to get a new iPhone in the mail and she was waiting in the house on the couch right by the window for the UPS driver. She saw they walked up left the note and walked away. So she ran outside to catch them before they drove away. A very lazy delivery person, I think.
 
Indymisanthrope said:
Beer Drop review for anyone who’s curious:

My first shipment just got delivered. UPS won't deliver without a 21+ adult to accept it, and even though I'm working from home, I missed the first attempt yesterday. Trying not to think of how many extra hours it spent in a hot truck.

Packaging: the beers are stacked vertically, with cardboard dividers between them. No other cushioning. I presume that means this service would never ship bottles, but I don't know for sure.

View attachment 58031

Beer selection: The beers all seem to be from legit breweries (all CO-based in this case -- the shipment came with a flyer that says Beer Drop is on board with 80 breweries currently, with more to come). You can choose which styles you want to receive in your shipment when you first sign up (and you can change your preferences each month). This is what I got, along with a handy summary page that gives you styles, and some tasting notes (note that the comments are inconsistently detailed, and that none of them provide any info about the breweries themselves, which makes me think these may be write-ups that the breweries actually provided):

View attachment 58032View attachment 58033

Quantity: 5 beers, 2 cans of each (only one can of each pictured above). I received 4 x 12oz cans and 6 x 16oz pints.

Price: This may be the killer. Beer Drop offers 3 membership tiers. I opted for the recommended "Beer Drop Plus" plan for $49.99, which came out to about $60 shipped when all was said and done. This tier gives you the option to "upgrade 2 of 5 to special release or taproom only offerings." So this is where you get the option to pick up some things you wouldn't find on your liquor store's shelves (although that's a fringe benefit for me already, since I wouldn't find any of these distributed in Indiana anyway). I didn't upgrade anything, but I did see one offer to add on a crowler (32oz) of a special release IPA for the low, low price of just $18. I'm not sure if that offer was to upgrade one of my 5 releases, or to add it on. Neither is a great deal, but the former would have been highway robbery. Either way, I passed on it. The lowest tier of membership ($39.99) a month doesn't allow you to upgrade any of your 5 choices, and the highest tier ($64.99) allows you to upgrade all 5.

As it is, where the net cost comes out to about 6 bucks a can, it's a bit steep, but you're obviously paying the premium for home delivery and for beers you normally wouldn't have access to. If they were sending you things that are available where you live, this service clearly wouldn't be worth it. If the "upgrade" prices are in line with the $18 for 32oz cost that I saw, I don't see myself ever taking advantage of that option unless something truly spectacular comes along. More likely that I'll downgrade to the lowest tier for another month or two. $50 shipped for 10 beers isn't a huge price difference, but feels a bit more palatable to me at $5 per can than $6. They're both a little bit expensive for cans, but I can always pour it into a glass and imagine I'm posted up at the bar in a good brewpub. For as long as COVID has life turned upside down, it's a not-too-extravagant substitute for that experience.

Ultimately, needing to be sure that I'm available to accept the shipment may be the thing that kills my interest fastest. I'm working from home for the foreseeable future, but it's just another thing to keep track of and make sure I don't miss. It's fun to get some beers I wouldn't come across in the midwest, but none of these are exactly buried treasures, either. If I were to get a few months of this as a gift, I wouldn't complain, but I don't see myself keeping up with it long term.
Click to expand...
I had never heard of this before. I am considering signing up for this! Thanks for taking the time to highlight this company and share your thoughts on it! It seems like a pretty cool service to be able to try some out of state beers
 
Thackeraye said:
Honest question - do you guys have a limit for how much you would spend on a beer to have in the house? I like a good "craft" beer as much as anyone, but I just have a mental block with spending anything more than £2.50 on a beer I'm drinking in the house. Am I just being a tightarse?
Click to expand...

I typically try to do $100-200 a month on craft beers in the house. I went a little crazy in july and spent $500 but that supply should last me until October. I typically prefer higher abv so I am usually only having one or two when I decide to crack one open. I tried to go to quality over quantity route so if the abv is high enough I don't mind spending $6 per beer.
 
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Indymisanthrope said:
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I guess I should mention that they're 16 ounce cans. Seems to be more the rule than the exception these days. I guess at 64 ounces you could liken it to a growler fill for that cost.
 
@folsom_lives @Crabbers

Wolf Ridge Barrel Aged Event drops today

www.wolfsridgebrewing.com

Virtual Barrel Aged Bottle Release | Wolf's Ridge Brewing

We've been sitting on some very exciting barrel aged beer for months, and the time has come to release it into the wild! For the first time, we'll be trying our hand at an online-only bottle release, as WRB is not currently open for dine-in service. Continue reading for information on the beers we'
www.wolfsridgebrewing.com www.wolfsridgebrewing.com
 
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