A bitter Englishman in the USA records his beer journey of more than 40 years

Quoted by, contributed to, and featured in …

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Beers in the database:

3631

Beers awaiting addition to the database:

316

Here’s one of the beers in the database …

Brasserie Des Rocs Triple Impériale

Brasserie de l'Abbaye des Rocs s.a.

09/12/2005

Notes added: 08/27/21 750 mL bottle with the newer, but paradoxically old school labels (pictured), from Finest Belgian Beers. 13/04/23 as the date, L2150 17.16 as the lot. Having been really disappointed with a couple of recent bottles of newer Des Rocs, and after learning from Bob Sylvester that there ...
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Ding’s Most Recent Musings …

Modern German beer and more planned for Fort Wayne

Modern German beer and more planned for Fort Wayne

” … Wunderwerk is the brainchild of owners Casey Dazey and John Kuker. I recently sat down with the pair to learn about their journey, and what’s ahead for Wunderwerk Brewing Co. at the end of … “

Marketers and drinkers are two different groups of people

Marketers and drinkers are two different groups of people

” … Those people are also still able to understand that Hazy Little Thing is a different beer to, say Tree House Julius, but there really is no need for this kind of parsing of styles. This analysis is strictly for … “

Sensible Beer Talk

Errr … YES, that’s EXACTLY what I DO want!

For all of the misery that was inflicted upon the beer world by beeradvocate back in the day, in terms of beer, the scene in the USA was infinitely better back then.

I guess that me “shitting on Hazy IPAs” – which I’ve been doing for many, many years – was precisely the correct thing to be engaged in!

Ding, May 2024

Ding’s Rants

Recent and/or Popular Posts

My copy of The Good Pub Guide 1996

Session Beer - an amalgamation of years and years of thoughts

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Never meet your heroes. The death of elite beer bars in the USA?

Come Into My Parlor. A chat with Chris Bryant of Parlor City

More than a decade removed, beeradvocate still banning!

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Legacy drinkers and the assault on Belgium, England and Germany

An Englishman and a Scotsman walk into a US brewery

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How Beer is Promoting Community in Goshen, Indiana

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Fortlandia - a true nano production in Fort Wayne, Indiana

Ding’s Six Pack

The 6 Most Recent Reviews

Barock Dunkel

Barock Dunkel

” … I kinda like this. It’s atypical IMO and it has a lot more presence in terms of the body than many Dunkels and I think that’s a plus. The beer lingers a bit too, which is inline with its increased body … “

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Lunch

Lunch

” … It’s a smashing example of a beer in a style that I rarely crave or want these days, but if, in the future I did want a throwback in the genre, this would be a very strong contender. Nice. … “

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Jacob’s Farmhouse

Jacob’s Farmhouse

” … Definitely has a well-defined French feel, and the beer backs up what it promises. Some earthy Bière de Garde notes as well, it brings peppery hop bitterness and an extremely … “

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Noblesse Oblige

Noblesse Oblige

” … This beer isn’t especially earthy in the way that many BdGs are, and it drinks much more like a hoppy saison or even something with a German Noble hop influence (although there’s not much else … “

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Anno 1050 Märzen

Anno 1050 Märzen

” … Mid-golden, yellow body with a white, nicely formed rocky head. Lace is good, retention also above average. Good looking beer with a pretty color – rather unusual. … “

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Belgian Stout

Belgian Stout

” … The tastes are subtly bitter, and again alcohol soaked. The beer offers a roasty, slightly burned chocolate but it’s never too much. The bitterness is undoubtedly present but it never overwhelms, … “

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The Past. The Present. The Future.

Here’s the complete blog archive with all of the posts from 2011 until today. In addition, you’ll see posts broken down into more specific categories in the Blog Menu. What kind of content can you expect here at DING’S BEER BLOG going forward? What’s the newer content likely to look like? What kind of opinions and writing can you reasonably expect? Here’s a heads-up.

Cains, Finest Bitter

The Past.

 

Just don’t. Frankly I’ve seen it all before and I’m tired of it

I am not a kid either in terms of my chronological age or my beer experience. There are a lot of movers and shakers in beer these days who weren’t born when I was drinking Bass from the wood with my dad, that were in elementary school when I was traveling to Belgium twice a year for beer, and that were only just starting puberty when I was critiquing the fledgling US craft beer scene two decades ago. (Don’t worry, I know that most of you don’t care). So what? Just don’t bother me with your BS.

The Present.

 

I’ll drink (almost) any beer at least once, but …

Drinking something that you know that you probably won’t like just because it’s there, or just because it’s the current flavor of the month is frankly, dumb. What does that mean for me and DBB? Well, likely that I’m going to come down hard against hazy ‘IPAs’, that I’ll be ultra-critical of the non-descript, lazy ‘fruited sours’, that I’ll be hating on milkshake ‘IPAs’, and more often than not pissing all over pastry stouts. I’m a traditionalist, a defender of classic styles, and not a fickle, Johnny-come-lately.

Cains, Finest Bitter

The Future.

 

The Fort Wayne & North-East IN beer scene critiqued

With the re-launch of the website you’ll likely find an emphasis on the beer scene in and around Fort Wayne and north-east Indiana, as I get back to reviewing and commenting on the beer (and the beer scene) that’s close to me. Expect to read my opinions about what’s going on here, but don’t expect blanket praise. If you’re a local brewery or brewer you’ll need to earn the kudos. Local beer is most definitely not necessarily good beer, and expect no punches to be pulled; no beer given a pass.