The Tulsa Forum by TulsaNow

OK, most of you know my beer snobbery status.  Myself and a couple of friends decided we would head to Caney KS on Saturday for a New Belgium Brewery beer run (Fat Tire) since Oklahoma's stupid alcohol laws prohibit selling beer in coolers and NB requires their beer refrigerated to sell it.

Started about 11am; I hadn't been on a roadie for a while and hadn't been through Bartlesville in about 8 years.  Wow, lot of change going on there.  Slow going through town, I guess to be expected since we rolled in there on Saturday around noon.

Got to Shooters (liquor store in the north part of Caney..LOL) about 12:30.  Wow, what a tiny place.  Got our beer, one of my friends decided to try out the moonshine they had behind the counter (now, I doubt this was real, since he bought some in 'apple pie' flavor, and it was only about 90 proof).  I guess it was called that because it was sold in Mason Jars.

On the way back, the other friend suggested we stop for lunch at Murphy's Steakhouse in B'Ville.  I'd never been, but it was suggested to me try the 'hot hamburger, gravy over all'...so I did.

Wow.

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This monstrosity damn near had me down for the count.  But it was quite tasty.  I had to wait about 30 minutes before embarking on the trip home, for fear of passing out.

Looks like I'll be making monthly runs for both -- the beer and the food.

I've seen the "moonshine" at Collins Mid-Town Liquors.  It's usually up near the cash register.

Hot hamburgers at Murphy's, now that's a tasty myocardial infarction waiting to happen!

Is that an ugly, hairy breast on the right or Popeye's elbow?

Yeah, I didn't need dinner after that mound of carbs...

I've seen the moonshine at Collins as well.

New Belgium doesn't require the  beer to be sold from a refrigerator.  They require it to be transported in a refrigerated truck.  The retail requirement is out of direct sunlight and at least 73*.  The three to four weeks is sits in that environment is okay, but the temps in the truck for a few days is not.  Oklahoma doesn't allow high point alcohol to be refrigerated once it crosses the state border.

I still think SantaFe Nut Brown is a better brew than Fat Tire Ale.

Try some of the New Belgium IPA variants, a little pedestrian, but very drinkable.

I saw a few up there; next trip I may have to buy a sixer of each.

They did a 12 pack collection at one point with three or four varieties.

OK, six of one, half dozen of another.  Either way, they won't sell in Oklahoma.

Enough of the beer talk...

You had never been to Murphy's?

It is a great place to eat if you are ever near Bartlesville. I would put it in my list of favorite places to eat in Oklahoma.

Most people order the hot cheeseburger on Texas toast with fries, onions and gravy all piled on. It is their signature dish. But the steaks are pretty good and affordable. A 16 oz. T-bone is $16.95. I also love their homemade garlic dressing on the salad.

Service can be slow, but it is because the waitresses have worked there for decades and the kitchen ain't in a hurry to cook your food. The waitresses take care of you and check on you often, but the whole dining experience is often too rushed.

The waitresses were great.  Checked often on my drink, asked how we were doing, chatted with us for a bit, etc, etc.

And yes, first time I've been.  The closest I'd been to DT B'Ville was passing through on 75 up to Kansas.  I'll make sure to make it there more often now.  It's not a haul and pretty nice when you have good conversation going on.

I would say its completely different.  The argument against chilled high point liquor is that it's less likely to be immediately consumed if it's room temperature.  If that's the case, then why can't it be transported and sold to the retailer chilled, then be forced to sit in a back room for a few hours to go room temperature before it's sold to the public? 

But for this purpose, it's not different.  THEY WON'T SELL TO OKLAHOMA.

What's ridiculous though about that notion in the law is that most people drink hard liquor at room temp or go down the block to QT to get a cup of ice.  Red wine?  Ready to drink.

Nimrods.

Possibly neutralizes pasteurization?  I can't think of another reason except that the brewer requires it.  In this case, however the requirement is (refrigerated trucks, refrigerated on premise), it's still a requirement and one that keeps them from selling in Oklahoma.

Dude, shush it.  Now they'll require red wine to be kept in a freezer or heated to 150 F in storage.

Wow, the Southie just shushed you, Conan...are you going to stand for that?

 ;D

It's unsafe for him out here.  No sidewalks or bike lanes.

I prefer to hog the lane when I'm out south and really piss the southies off when they are late for a soccer game or rugby practice.

Hoss- I bought New Belgium products warm off a floor display IN Colorado last summer.  So much for New Belgium wanting cradle-to-grave toilet cold

Maybe because their point of brew is Ft Collins?  I'm sure they have just as weird regulations about out of state shipments.

All I know is alcohol laws are far more complicated than need be.

For the love of Gawd. I just want a strong Bud or Coors sold here. Can't they ship those hot ?
Someone explain that to me again. I still dont get it.

Is Bud Platinum sold in liquor stores here?  I thought I was told it was.

I stocked up a while back so I haven't been back to a store in a while.

I havent seen it. But I will ask the next time I go in.

Technically red wine should be served at 65 degrees.  I doubt any liquor stores in Oklahoma set their thermostat that low...

No, New Belgium Brewery doesn't require refrigeration at the retail outlet.  They only require refrigeration during transport.

Room temp for the few weeks a beer sits on the shelf isn't going to damage it like a few days in the back of a non-climate controlled hauler.

OK, I stand corrected, but my point was, the brewery had a refrigeration requirement that Oklahoma by law could not comply with.  So no NBB beers for Oklahoma.

You guys like to talk about drinking. He started a thread about a hamburger and mentioned he was buying beer.

The law of TulsaNow is that if anyone ever mentions booze, the entire thread shall turn into a discussion of Oklahoma liquor laws and favorite beers.

Actually the thread was about my Saturday road trip to Caney, which did include buying beer, and the return trip involved hamburger.

 ;D

And since it involved me having to drive TO ANOTHER STATE to purchase beer that I like, then obviously we are going to talk about the dumbass alcohol/beer laws in this state.

Why?

I don't think the "adult Capri Sun" boxes in my house are ever under 68 degrees.  ;)

I just wanted to make fun of the drunks.

That's lushes.  Lushes.  Drunks drink crappy domestic beers.

 :o

Like

I wasn't trying to prove you wrong necessarily, I just wanted to show exactly how ridiculous the law is.

NBB has been able to work around the issue with other states/counties but not Oklahoma!

As far as Belgium style brews, I really like Ommegang.  Their Farmhouse Hennepin is one of my favs right now.  I also like their Three Philosophers brew.

I guess I saw the picture of the mound of whatever that was and blacked out from the chest pains and totally forget it was even a part of this thread.

It probably is because I have had to drink the 3.2 version my whole life, and when I finally had the chance to taste what the real deal tasted like. It ruined me on buying the Okie watered down stuff.

Oh the hell with it ! It's most likely because I cant have it so it makes me want it all the more.

Yep, that happened to me as well living down in Texas.

I will drink Boulevard wheat when I'm working around the house and a beer sounds good, or occasionally a Coors "yellow belly" if I'm meeting friends out.  It's more or less water for us serious drinkers  ;D

With all the driving trips I made out of state last year, I kept bringing back Fat Tire and other NB products.  Finally though, I just kind of lost my taste for Fat Tire.  It's got somewhat of a sunflower seed note to me.  Santa Fe seems to have more of a full body to it.  Don't get me wrong, I'll gladly bring it back as gifts and won't turn one down if offered, it's just not a primary brew for me anymore.  My tastes seem to change a few times a year anyhow.

Yep, I know the feeling.

Except for Sundown Wheat, though.  That never gets old for me.  Guess I will have to go out this evening and get the Nut Brown and see what all this hoop-la is.

 ;D

I thought you'd already tried that.  Their IPA, Porter, and Happy Camper (canned IPA) are all pretty good brews and an attractive price point.  I think Collins has all varieties as well as Ranch Acres.

You will like it Hoss. Conan turned me on to that a couple of Months ago.

Nope, not yet.

Of the NBB offerings, a buddy of mine, after I had told him I had just got back from Kansas, had told me he liked the NBB 1554 a little better.  I may have to split FT and this 1554, which BA notes as a Belgian Dark Ale with an ABV of about 5.6.  Sounds tasty.  Next roadie...

I'm getting my taste buds ready for this:

"Drink Carib & piss Corona!"

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Man Conan, you are the beer connoisseur.

And it's a terrible sacrifice, but one I feel obligated to.

I drank a few 1554's in TX a few years ago.  I thought it was pretty good.

Reminds me of "Smokey and the Bandit".

When I was in the Navy at Virginia Beach (NAS Oceana), I was always asked to bring back some Coors when I went home on Leave.

There are some tasty Pilsner/Lager beers out there.  MillerCoorsBud actually does a good technical job of making a very light flavored and color beer with minimal flaws.  It's just too light flavored for an increasing number of beer drinkers.  Most Pilsner style beers will be in the range of 5.5% to maybe 6% so it's not only the alcohol level involved when comparing "full strength" beers.  3.2 by weight is a bit over 4% by volume.  Many wheat beers are "full strength" at about 4.5%.   3.2 is, well....3.2.

I'm not a huge fan of Carib.  BUT, the locale in which you are normally drinking it makes it taste a lot better!

Have you had Banks Beer when in the Caribbean?

All of them seem to taste better at a lower latitude at or near sea level.

We will see if it's still a good match for the taste buds.  Never even heard of Banks.  What islands is it available on?

Kalik is pretty good, I had that on Grand Bahama.  Presidente is another that's nice for a laid back afternoon at the beach.

Banks is brewed on Barbados.  They also brew the Guinness Foreign Extra and a few other beers and energy drinks.

OK, we have beer.  Conan, I'll let you know how it is.  Picked up the last six they had at Collins.

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I will be going to Belize in the fall for a wedding.    Any recommendations for good beer?

Hoss you will like the Santa Fe Nut Brown. I tried it after Conan suggested it to me.
I have since found another favorite that I am almost burning myself out on. It's that good.
Point Special Lager. It is fantastic.

The Nut Brown is incredibly good.  Almost scary good, as I could likely sit down and drink an entire six pack in one sitting.

This is all I managed to Google on it:

http://www.ratebeer.com/BestInMyArea.asp?CountryID=24