Last night it was decided that I'd lead the next round. Among the participants, Monday was determined to be a good day for the event. Some also suggested that it be earlier, but what with the time differences, 9 or 10 p.m. Eastern Daylight Saving Time is probably still the best time. The proposed date is two weeks from last night (March 24th) which means that we'd hold it on April 7th, unless a different date works better.
My pick for the Hubski Drink Club is the Belgian Tripel style of beer (just kidding about Thunderbird, ecib!). Here's a link to a list of tripels.
Description of the style (from BeerAdvocate):
- Description:
The name "Tripel" actually stems from part of the brewing process, in which brewers use up to three times the amount of malt than a standard Trappist "Simple." Traditionally, Tripels are bright yellow to gold in color, which is a shade or two darker than the average Pilsener. Head should be big, dense and creamy. Aroma and flavor runs along complex, spicy phenolic, powdery yeast, fruity/estery with a sweet finish. Sweetness comes from both the pale malts and the higher alcohol. Bitterness is up there for a beer with such a light body for its strength, but at times is barely perceived amongst the even balance of malts and hops. The lighter body comes from the use of Belgian candy sugar (up to 25% sucrose), which not only lightens the body, but also adds complex alcoholic aromas and flavors. Small amounts of spices are sometimes added as well.
Tripels are actually notoriously alcoholic, yet the best crafted ones hide this character quite evil-like and deceivingly, making them sipping beers.
Shoutouts:
_refugee_, mk, b_b, insomniasexx, flagamuffin, theadvancedapes, humanodon, cW, wasoxygen, zebra2, ijustcantanymore, ecib, Meriadoc, lil, cliffelam, sounds_sound, cgod, kleinbl00, elizabeth, pseydtonne, istara, steve, OftenBen, coffeesp00ns, BrainBurner, codingvagrant, kevinf311, ButterflyEffect, forwardslash, backslash, givello, briandmyers, thenewgreen, shitizen, beezneez, uh_oh, fuffle, @fuffle's wife@
There was some confusion as to which IRC room we were to meet in, so we'll use this one.
Let me know what you think!
How'd last night go, anyhow? Good turnout? I wanna join in on one of these, it's just a matter of explaining to my wife why I'm spending one of our three together nights drinking upstairs with online buddies rather than watching Girls with her. Two weeks seems like enough time to tailor the pitch...
Ha! I wish I didn't completely understand this. I'll be glad to see you there. humanodon's got a good point though, you should invite her. I tried to get my wife to join last night... didn't happen. I'm currently attempting to slyly sneak out to my studio because I've not made music in weeks. Have a guitar part burning a hole in my head. You been able to play of late?
My wife is awesome, awesome, awesome... but wholly uninterested in the internet or my goings on here. Also, not much of a drinker now that she has to feed our babies. You know how it is. Record it, then share it. In the past, I've resorted to pulling the "I have to write some e-mails" trick, then spending 30 minutes recording what I can. As for me, I swore off making any more songs in a post earlier on this week, and I was like 90 percent serious. We'll see if it sticks, but it still feels definitive for now. Look at that, I already feel like drinking!
I think we should have a main IRC time - but we should be more inviting to people on all nights and all times of the day. While we can be hot messes and have live conversation in the IRC focused around a specific time, I think all participants should write their thoughts on the alcoholic beverage via comment on Hubski and have more in depth conversations here - perhaps over the course of a day or two. That way we can revisit the conversations and include those not around during a 2 hour period. Thoughts?
Which is the designated IRC channel now? 64chan or mountai or somewhere else?I think we should have a main IRC time - but we should be more inviting to people on all nights and all times of the day. While we can be hot messes and have live conversation in the IRC focused around a specific time, I think all participants should write their thoughts on the alcoholic beverage via comment on Hubski and have more in depth conversations here - perhaps over the course of a day or two.
This could possibly work for me, but because I get in from Japan that night no guarantees. At any rate, enjoy, and hopefully I'll be able to join in next time!
There was discussion of having more than one event for people who can't make this one. I think insomniasexx had some ideas about how that might work.
any advice as to what to pick up in the Northern Ohio area?
This is the correct answer. Would also have accepted Westmalle Tripel.
I'm not familiar with that region, but the link I posted lists tripels by name and includes the brewery and ABV. La Fin du Monde is pretty widely available, as is Chimay White and Victory's Golden Monkey, but a more local beer is probably worth checking out.
La Fin is expensive, but it's worth the price. It might be the closest thing to perfection in beer I've ever come across. Not that I like it more than anything else, as Tripels aren't my preferred taste (that honor I think goes to Scotch and English ales), but I just mean in terms of quality, craft, complexity, everything else under the sun. It is remarkable.
So I picked up This: Long Winter's Nap, which is Marketed as a Triple Bock. Did I buy the right thing?
So a tripel is a strong belgian ale, and is derived from having three times the malt used during the brewing process. Trappist style, with complex flavors and an appearance a bit darker than a pilsner. Meanwhile, a triple bock is a strong lager, and it's a variation of a bock which is different from a belgian ale and are German in origin. TL;DR: To the best of my knowledge, nope. Somebody please correct me if any of that is incorrect.
Essentially correct; the important difference is that a bock (of any kind) should be strongly malty, and dark-roasted malts are acceptable and expected. A tripel should not have any dark-roasted malts, and malt flavour should be light (which is why sugar is often used to boost strength without boosting maltiness).
Welp, if not, I'll just drink and enjoy before the next HDC!
It'll be good but it's not a tripel, sorry. Similar strength though.
Ohh i've tried La fin du Mode before! they sell it at the corner store near home. I'll see if I can find some here and if i can't join you on IRC i'll share my thoughts on the thread. Timezones complicating everything... Since many of you live in California it looks like coming up for a convenient time for everybody is pretty much impossible. I'll be more active when I get home :)
I am very excited about this one. Going to pick up a bottle of the most interesting one I can find since there's a liquor store with great selection next to my gym. I like insom's idea of having everybody write down their thoughts here on top of the live conversation. That way we can avoid the whole "who's next" thing too.