I went into my local Fareway store last night (which is right across the street from where I live). I saw that they now carry Old Main Brewery beer. I was really surprised by this since I live only 30 mins away from the Mississippi River. I didn't know they were expanding that much. I've never had any of their beer but after all of the beer conversation we've had in the past week or so I figured you guys could help guide me to the right ones. I am a fan of most beer and really like stouts and IPA's. Your guidance will be appreciated when I go back over there to pick up a six pack or 4:wink:
Help me out Olde Main Brewery fans
- Thread starter Wallruss64
- Start date
Unfortunately they don't make an IPA and the only beer of theirs I like, the Clone Pale Ale is not available in bottles. The three they do offer in bottles all sell pretty well though. I'd try the Long Face Amber if I were you. The scottish ale isn't too terrible either.
The Clone Ale is actually one of my least favorites. I wish I did like it because the name and logo are awesome. I really think they need Clone Ale shirts just because of how cool the logo is.
Its awesome that I can find them in the local grocery store when the town I live in is like 3600 in population. I think this is the first microbrew that you can find in town which is great because I can only drink so much amberbock and things like that.
The Dinkey wheat is ok, but not as good as Boulevard or Blue Moon. It sounds like you prefer dark beers so I guess you should try the Long Face or the Stout.
You should also be warned that Olde Main's beers are very inconsistent between batches, so you never know what to expect. I have a group that meets their weekly for dollar draws and the beers (especially the dark brews) have a wide range in quality. These days they are good more often then not, but if you are really turned off don't be afraid to try again in a couple months!
After reading that I'm guessing they don't bottle the Stout either. Long Face is a good suggestion though.
You would think they would want to get that locked down before they start distributing it.
The Scottish Ale is the closest to a stout in flavor that they bottle. I think its excellent, and one of my favorite fall/winter beers, but it's good anytime. I would rate the Dinkey Wheat higher than Blue Moon or Boulevard. It has more flavor, and is VERY refreshing. I'm kind of blah on the Long Face. It's ok.
I prefer the clone ale if I drink Olde Main at all, but I am staying away from it because the quality (or lack thereof) has gone way down since they started. It's too bad, but I think they are more focused on churning out as much beer as possible to keep up with demand rather than making a consistently quality product.
Hub City brewery in northeast Iowa is a good example of a small microbrewery that decided to invest in the processes of producing good beer as opposed to a lot of beer.
JMHO.....
Some info from the Olde Main Web site on types and names of available beers, etc.
Dubuque Native, Olde Main Brewmaster Brings His Product Home « Olde Main Brewing Co. Blog
Dubuque Native, Olde Main Brewmaster Brings His Product Home « Olde Main Brewing Co. Blog
I just tried it this weekend and it wasnt bad. I like blvd better. The three arent all the same thing though really.
I like the Clone Ale. Up until this last week, the stout didn't have a name. But it does now and it looks like they will start bottling it "later this year".
Olde Main Brewing
Olde Main Brewing
I'll concur with the guys that have said they like the Dinkey the best and strongly agree with the comments about the batches being inconsistent. I'm glad the first time I had the Dinkey it was a good brew because I've had other batches that I would never want to order again and hardly wanted to finish the pint I ordered. So don't be afraid to try them more than once if they left you with a bad taste in your mouth the first go around. Long face is my number 2.
I think I've only once had a batch of Olde Main (it was a 6 pack of Dinkey) that missed the mark. Maybe I'm lucky, but I haven't seen near as many consistency issues as are being described...
I went and picked up a sixer of the dinkey and the long face. It didn't look like they had the off kilter which is disappointing because I wanted to try it. I am currently drinking a boulevard waiting for my olde main to get cold. I also put a 6 pack of the IPA I bottled about a week ago to see how it turned out.
