299371 Sun Dec 05 04:14:13 -0800 2004 23 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 1658271 Any favorite dark beers at TJ's? Sun Dec 05 04:14:13 -0800 2004 0 nubi 1 1658289 I don't buy beer there. It should be kept refrigerated. Sun Dec 05 12:48:57 -0800 2004 1658271 0 Bung 2 1658307 Beer doesn't need to be kept refrigerated. Cool, yes, and out of strong light. But bottled beer isn't going to suffer from a few days -- or even a few weeks -- at room temperature. Sun Dec 05 17:10:15 -0800 2004 1658289 0 Josh Mittleman 3 1658336 Assuming the following: 1) Beer isn't shipped in refrigerated containers 2) I buy from a retailer with high beer turnover I think you're correct. (Also, I think this holds true whether the beer is cold or warm filtered.) Sun Dec 05 23:29:16 -0800 2004 1658307 0 nubi 4 1658373 There is no such thing as "warm filtering" beer. All beer is filtered at cold temperatures -- the fact that this is featured in some advertisements is marketing hype. Mon Dec 06 14:14:45 -0800 2004 1658336 0 Larry Lustig 5 1658402 >All beer is filtered at cold temperatures How cold is cold? My mistake. I meant warm fermented (i.e. top-fermented) ... is that right? Mon Dec 06 16:25:38 -0800 2004 1658373 0 nubi 6 1658407 Whether or not a beer was top-fermented (ale) or bottom-fermented (lager) makes no difference on how long it stays fresh. Mon Dec 06 16:36:01 -0800 2004 1658402 0 rl 7 1658412 Where/how do you like to buy your beer? (i.e. Where do you come down on the refrigeration issue.) Mon Dec 06 16:46:15 -0800 2004 1658407 0 nubi 8 1658419 I usually buy my beer from local liquor stores that carry alot of specialty beers. Usually the "beer guy" at these places know how beer should be stored. But even that is no guarantee of freshness. Only once in a while will I see something in a supermarket that is worthy of my money. From what I've heard TJ's does carry some quality beers for pretty decent prices. Due to state laws in MA, most TJ's tend not to carry any type of alcohol - at least the TJ's near me. Refrigeration requirements mostly depends on the beer. I wish all craft/quality imported beer that is not bottle conditioned was refrigerated during the whole distribution chain, but this is not the case in reality. If I owned a beer store, I would leave all the Bud, Miller, Coors type products warm since they turn over so quickly so freshness is usually not an issue. But in reality most stores do keep these cold for convenience of their customers while craft micros and delicate lagers from Germany suffer on the warm shelf :-( Mon Dec 06 17:13:56 -0800 2004 1658412 0 rl 3 1658338 Few days maybe, few weeks noticible spoilage (change in flavor to be kind) on the 70+ shopping floor of TJs under 12+ hours/day of F-bulb radiation. I don't know if this is ever true, but I figure beer that makes it into TJs is often old to start with, thus the great deal they got on it. Craft beers especially ones that are not pasteurized are most vulnerable to spoilage: http://www.beeronthewall.com/faqs.html#5 Link: http://www.evansale.com/fresh_beer_article.html Mon Dec 06 00:41:55 -0800 2004 1658307 0 Bung 2 1658333 >It should be kept refrigerated. Even pressurized containers ... the ones with no air? Sun Dec 05 23:07:37 -0800 2004 1658289 0 nubi 2 1658415 Yes, beer will last longer if it is refrigerated, but not all beer is meant to be. Some people want their bottled conditioned and/or strong beers to age just like wine. Helps to mellow out some stronger flavors and even can develop other flavors not noticed when the beer is young. Some beers can be cellared for up to 10 years without spoiling. The only company I know that ships their canned/bottled product cold from the brewery is Coors. Even then, they don't really have control over what happens when its at the distributor or retailer. So I will go out on a short limb here and say every canned/bottled beer has been warm at some point. Mon Dec 06 16:47:43 -0800 2004 1658289 0 rl 1 1658312 Mr. Babs loves the Black Toad. Sun Dec 05 18:06:29 -0800 2004 1658271 0 babs 2 1658317 Yep, Mr. M. loves black toad as well. He doesn't drink much in the way of domestic beer and says this is one of his fav--good price too. Sun Dec 05 18:59:34 -0800 2004 1658312 0 Jackie 1 1658341 Chimay Grande Reserve Mon Dec 06 01:51:23 -0800 2004 1658271 0 petradish 1 1658359 I like the oatmeal stout, but it's not super dark. It's even kind of sweet. I also like dark Guinnes stout. Mon Dec 06 13:04:57 -0800 2004 1658271 0 kc girl 2 1658408 All stouts are dark, even the oatmeal variety. Dark is not a flavor, it is a color. Mon Dec 06 16:37:36 -0800 2004 1658359 0 rl 3 1658425 Needed some of that info, thanks, But by "dark" Guiness, I did mean the darker of the two Guiness stouts I've seen. Mon Dec 06 18:26:37 -0800 2004 1658408 0 kc girl 1 1658378 "Dark beer" is a meaningless term. Dark coloured beers have a variety of flavours (or lack thereof). Mon Dec 06 14:36:10 -0800 2004 1658271 0 OLG 2 1658410 I was being purposely vague to veil my ignorance. A vague question: Are there dark beers that don't use roasted barley? I want a dark beer with "un-roasted" inputs. (i.e. I think this eliminates stout.) Mon Dec 06 16:41:20 -0800 2004 1658378 0 nubi 3 1658416 Yes, plenty. Porters are not supposed to be roasty, but these days brewers skew the line between porter and stout, so it may be hit or miss. If you see anything labelled as a "brown" porter, then it will be more chocolaty than roasty. Robust porter will be more roasty than chocolaty. Almost all dark belgian beers don't have any roasted flavor. You'll probably want to check out some Belgian dubbles since they are dark colored, but have no roasted flavor or black patent bitterness you may not like in stout. My favorites are St. Bernardus Prior 8, Achel Brown (or Extra), Abbaye Des Rocs, and LaTrappe Dubbel. Someone else suggested Chimay Grand Reserve (blue label). Although its not a dubbel, it won't have those flavors you don't like in stout. Good luck in your search. Mon Dec 06 17:01:03 -0800 2004 1658410 0 rl 4 1658458 Abbaye des Rocs has undergone a name and lineup change, at least in the US. See link below. Link: http://www.specialtybeer.com/rocs.htm Tue Dec 07 06:47:44 -0800 2004 1658416 0 Jim Dorsch 3 1658427 I'd still suggest the Oatmeal stout will appease your liking. Mon Dec 06 18:32:04 -0800 2004 1658410 0 kc girl 1 1658452 Thanks all for the info. FYI, I found two websites with beer reviews: 1) http://www.tastings.com/ 2) http://beeradvocate.com/ Tue Dec 07 00:04:08 -0800 2004 1658271 0 nubi