# Knappstein Larger



## Robbo2234 (3/4/11)

A mate of mine came around to sample some of my home brews and left me with a Knappstein larger he mentioned that it was about $18 a four pack,,,

its in my fridge waiting to be drunk,,, any one else tried it?


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## bconnery (3/4/11)

Haven't had one in a while but it used to be one of my favourite commercial beers. Very good pilsner, as long as you like Nelson Sauvin hops.


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## JestersDarts (3/4/11)

Robbo2234 said:


> A mate of mine came around to sample some of my home brews and left me with a Knappstein larger he mentioned that it was about $18 a four pack,,,
> 
> its in my fridge waiting to be drunk,,, any one else tried it?



He must be crazy - paying good money for beer. Beer is meant to be as cheap as possible, right? 

I'm sure you told him that he could get beer much cheeper than that. Especially larger.


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## browndog (3/4/11)

JestersDarts said:


> He must be crazy - paying good money for beer. Beer is meant to be as cheap as possible, right?
> 
> I'm sure you told him that he could get beer much cheeper than that. Especially larger.



It cost more cause it was larger.


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## Nevalicious (3/4/11)

Very nice beer indeed... I am biased though. I love Nelson Sauvin!

Only one way to find out though hey


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## pbrosnan (3/4/11)

"Knappstein Larger"
... than what?


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## Silo Ted (4/4/11)

How much do you expect to pay for craft beer ? I have been known to grab a 6-pack for $27 of Holgate, Ekim or other Australian beers from time to time. Not really a big deal considering how much a homebrewer saves on beer through the year. 

If you want the biggest bang for your buck, buy a carton of VB.


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## Pennywise (4/4/11)

I think it's a terrible beer, then agian, Lagers have to be pretty damn good for me to like them, and this one isn't...


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## Golani51 (4/4/11)

Robbo2234 said:


> A mate of mine came around to sample some of my home brews and left me with a Knappstein larger he mentioned that it was about $18 a four pack,,,
> 
> its in my fridge waiting to be drunk,,, any one else tried it?



It is one of my staples. Everyone I know, even the VB drinkers (I sometimes let them in my house) love it. Very aromatic.


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## Bribie G (4/4/11)

pbrosnan said:


> "Knappstein Larger"
> ... than what?



They probably make it with rice Gulls as well.


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## MattC (4/4/11)

Best Australian made lager I have tried to date. Love it!!

Cheers


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## Lord Raja Goomba I (4/4/11)

Love this beer. They've been lighthanded enough with the use of Nelson Sauvin that it doesn't taste like bitter wine.

Lots of aroma, and nice and malty.

I've arrived at the conclusion that all beer (good beer that is) should be drunk from a glass. Otherwise, just pay for VB and drink from the stubby and be over it.

And $18 a four pack is exxy.

Goomba


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## Guysmiley54 (4/4/11)

$18 for a 4 pack seems comparable with other craft beers from similar breweries. Moorilla Estate (A Winery) in Tassie sells its exceptional beers in 4 packs for aroun $18-$20 too. Well at least that's the average price once it hits the shops.


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## bignath (4/4/11)

Huge fan of knappstein.

The main hop in it is Nelson Sauvin which is also my favourite hop.

Awesome beer, and $18 for four is about right.


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## Lord Raja Goomba I (4/4/11)

Should have been clearer - my local dans generally sells them about $16 per four pack. $18 seems a bit high.

Goomba


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## Silo Ted (4/4/11)

Depends how much value you place on 50 cents per drink  

The way I look at it, my local pub sells VB schooners for $4.70. 

A takeaway 330ml bottle of hand-crafted Australian beer drank at home for $4.50 is more satisfying, and cheaper than the pub !


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## Nick JD (4/4/11)

Nelson in a lager is like putting a skirt on a dog.  

Who are they "reserving" it for? More marketing bullshit. Might as well have called it "Grange Lager" - sounds even more posh. 

For that price, I'll buy Urquell.


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## Lord Raja Goomba I (4/4/11)

I remember writing once that Nelson polarises people. Nick is at the opposite end of the scale to me.

I personally hate POR - each to their own, really.

For those that like NS, this lager is a decent example of it (though I reckon my pale ale is a better example really and cheaper).

But I wouldn't call it a lager, it tastes like a pale ale and I do agree that the labelling is a bit pretentious (as is the 4 pack).

As for the price - I have 3 Dan's and a Liquor Savers (plus many BWS/Liquorland/Vintage Cellars, etc smaller mass owned bottle-oes and some independents) nearby - competition is fierce. Hell I can get a 6 pack of imported Belgian Stella 500m away for $17.99 per six pack, should I want to.

Goomba


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## Pennywise (4/4/11)

I love NS, still dislike the beer though. I agree with Nick, just doesn't click for me


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## WarmBeer (4/4/11)

Nick JD said:


> Nelson in a lager is like putting a skirt on a dog.


Hey, everybody is entitled to their kinks, okay?


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## Silo Ted (4/4/11)

Lord Raja Goomba I said:


> I personally hate POR - each to their own, really.



Blasphemy ! 

Someone give that man a good home made POR ale :icon_cheers:


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## Greg.L (4/4/11)

Lord Raja Goomba I said:


> I've arrived at the conclusion that all beer (good beer that is) should be drunk from a glass. Otherwise, just pay for VB and drink from the stubby and be over it.
> 
> 
> Goomba



I've found, because I've been drinking bottle conditioned homebrew for so long, I can't enjoy beer from a stubby anymore. It has to be from a glass or I don't get the same enjoyment.

Greg


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## Lord Raja Goomba I (4/4/11)

Greg.L said:


> I've found, because I've been drinking bottle conditioned homebrew for so long, I can't enjoy beer from a stubby anymore. It has to be from a glass or I don't get the same enjoyment.
> 
> Greg



I think that is part of the key - we all pour beer into glasses, whether we bottle or keg. We're used to having the aroma of what we are drinking there under our noses.

Given that aroma and the olfactory senses have a signficant bearing on the process of taste (and appreciating hop and malt aroma of beer purely by smell), then we are short changing ourselves by drinking from a bottle.

I never critique a beer unless I've poured it. So if someone gives me something new to try and I can only drink the stubbie, if I'm 50/50 about it, I'll buy it again and pour it.

Goomba


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## argon (4/4/11)

Lord Raja Goomba I said:


> I think that is part of the key - we all pour beer into glasses, whether we bottle or keg. We're used to having the aroma of what we are drinking there under our noses.



I often get strange looks from mates or the mrs when i pick up a glass of beer and just smell it, then put it down again. 

I think it's all part of enjoying a good beer.


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## Lord Raja Goomba I (4/4/11)

argon said:


> I often get strange looks from mates or the mrs when i pick up a glass of beer and just smell it, then put it down again.
> 
> I think it's all part of enjoying a good beer.



Absolutely. My missus reckons I used to just drink beer, and now I am a beer snob, she doesn't want to drink with me because she's sick of hearing about "hops and crap".

OT - but noting you make a saison - I've never made one, never used a saison yeast, and never drunk one. I got pinged with the weather using windsor and nottingham yeast in summer and producing fusel-crap (fridge obtaining and conversion in progress). Is there anything about the style to note or the yeast use? I'd like to get a beer down soon, and nailing down the sparkie mate to help (I'm not doing the STC1000 myself) is proving a little elusive (he went on holiday, and just got back).

House seems to hover in the mid 20's with the aircon on during the day, but if we go out and leave the aircon off, it can get up hotter.

I'm thinking that if it produces good beer, then it might be a Brisvegan speciality.

Goomba


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## Greg.L (4/4/11)

Lord Raja Goomba I said:


> I think that is part of the key - we all pour beer into glasses, whether we bottle or keg. We're used to having the aroma of what we are drinking there under our noses.
> 
> Given that aroma and the olfactory senses have a signficant bearing on the process of taste (and appreciating hop and malt aroma of beer purely by smell), then we are short changing ourselves by drinking from a bottle.
> 
> ...



For me its not (just) about aroma, my brain just doesn't activate the pleasure circuits unless the beer comes from a glass. Must be force of habit, reinforced over many years.

Greg


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## argon (4/4/11)

OT - Firstly... go out to Era or Nectar and grab a bottle of Saison Du Pont. Pretty much regarded as the benchmark for the style.

Have a look at Tony's Saison, and ferment hot and long. Should get you something nice, light and clean


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## Nick JD (4/4/11)

My latest Citra Biere de Garde (beer snob warning light = ON) has me sitting there with my nostrils perched on the side of the glass chroming like a streetkid with a fresh aerosol can.

Oh - and I like Nelson, just not so much in a lager. Makes the beer taste like fizzy, weak Sav Blank and a little bit of catpiss. In a big, malty Ale me loves it.


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## Lord Raja Goomba I (4/4/11)

Nick JD said:


> My latest Citra Biere de Garde (beer snob warning light = ON) has me sitting there with my nostrils perched on the side of the glass chroming like a streetkid with a fresh aerosol can.
> 
> Oh - and I like Nelson, just not so much in a lager. Makes the beer taste like fizzy, weak Sav Blank and a little bit of catpiss. In a big, malty Ale me loves it.



I agree - same goes with Citra and Pacific Hallertauer. Far better in a pale ale, and I've done nelson in among saaz and others in a brown ale. Works well in small doses and balanced with other hops.

I made a Citra Pale Ale which was just passiona beer. Very nice, mind you, but I made the decision that if I made it again, I'd get a low-mid AA% hop (5-8% AA), bitter up the backbone, but leave the passionfruit flavour additions in place. I think it would balance out well in that case.

I think that the Stone and Wood Pacific Pale Ale gets a bit like that with galaxy, but damn I like it, as girly as that passionfruit may be.

Goomba

Edit: Thanks argon - ferment long and high - should be easy with this weather holding up.


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## Nick JD (4/4/11)

WarmBeer said:


> Hey, everybody is entitled to their kinks, okay?



That dog has the same look on its face when you tell someone drinking Crown that it's Fosters.


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## Amber Fluid (4/4/11)

Nick JD said:


> That dog has the same look on its face when you tell someone drinking Crown that it's Fosters.




LMAO... that's funny!!..


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## Nevalicious (4/4/11)

Nick JD said:


> has me sitting there with my nostrils perched on the side of the glass chroming like a streetkid with a fresh aerosol can.



Such a way with words Nick. I love reading some of your posts... I actually LOL'ed


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## Lord Raja Goomba I (4/4/11)

Nick JD said:


> My latest Citra Biere de Garde (beer snob warning light = ON) has me sitting there with my nostrils perched on the side of the glass chroming like a streetkid with a fresh aerosol can.



In the Valley at 5am Saturday morning.


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## Sydneybrewer (4/4/11)

what a coincidence i brought a 4 pack of this for the first time yesterday so i could drink while watching the footy, and i bloody loved it, it is a really nice well made beer and not overly fruity, was about to do a search for a clone recipe, anyway my 4pack only cost me $14 so cheering


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## j1gsaw (4/4/11)

4.5kg prem pils
500g pale wheat
200g carapils

NS - 20g/60m
- 15g/30m
- 10g/10m

swiss lager yeast.
Came out very close to original. Just give it a good lagering.


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## neonmeate (4/4/11)

IMO:

this beer tastes like deodorant.

it is basically the same old 20IBU sweet flimsy fizzy yellow stuff. only with extra catpiss.

hops for people who don't like hops, why is it so sweet?

i grant you it's well made for what it intends, blah blah


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## Pollux (4/4/11)

As a lover of NS, I was quite interested in how I'd take this one......While a lager isn't generally my type of beer, I quite like this. Might have look at smacking out a copy I think.


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## Robbo2234 (4/4/11)

Well I drunk it,

yeah its nice,,,, I don't think its a larger and I dont think its 18 bucks a four pack.

but overall a nice beer


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## JestersDarts (4/4/11)

Robbo2234 said:


> Well I drunk it,
> 
> yeah its nice,,,, I don't think its a larger and I dont think its 18 bucks a four pack.
> 
> but overall a nice beer



You dont think it is a lager? Apart from the ridiculous miss-spelling, why would you not think that it is a lager? Wouldn't the fact that it *is *a lager give it away? Or do you need to decide for yourself?

And was it 18 dollars for a four pack? I'm confused.


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## Robbo2234 (4/4/11)

Ok it doesn't have the usual lager flavour

hey if you like picking up on typos try here
http://www.englishclub.com/


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## Nick JD (4/4/11)

Robbo2234 said:


> hey if you like picking up on typos try here
> http://www.englishclub.com/



But I'm not English. And yes, mine is larger.


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## Silo Ted (4/4/11)

Robbo2234 said:


> Ok it doesn't have the usual lager flavour



By 'usual lager flavour' do you mean a Dunkel, Vienna & Doppelbock, or is VB & Tooheys New your gold standard reference for the style ? What is your benchmark for a lager characteristic? 

Now you've gone and made Nick pull out his big plank references.


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## bignath (4/4/11)

Robbo2234 said:


> Ok it doesn't have the usual lager flavour




????????


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## Nick JD (4/4/11)

If I were asked to define a usual lager flavour, I'd say _noble hops_. 

Not NZ hops named after a wine for bitches and their wives.  

Lagers aremade by chaps who seriously thought they could defeat the British ... fools with good taste.


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## pbrosnan (4/4/11)

Yes it is too expensive. but hey, that's craft beer in Australia. At least in this particular case you are buying a high quality product, not like some of the dross ...


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## pbrosnan (4/4/11)

Nick JD said:


> Not NZ hops named after a wine for bitches and their wives.


It's a pity we have to let f'wits have a voice, but it's a free country I suppose ...


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## JestersDarts (5/4/11)

Robbo2234 said:


> Ok it doesn't have the usual lager flavour
> 
> hey if you like picking up on typos try here
> http://www.englishclub.com/



Excuse me pal - It's not that I like picking out typos - in this case, it wasnt one anyway. You thought lager ws spelt "larger". You also think that a lager is meant to taste a "usual" way. What taste that "usual" taste is for you is probably VB or the like. Yes, I'm making assumptions here, but from what you post, I feel i'm on the right track.
Thirdly, you create a topic that states WTF $18 A FOUR PACK???!! as if people on here would cry outrage at any craft beer costing that much. Well- I for one am not going to agree with you, perhaps you would find a better reception for your ignorace somewhere else.


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## Robbo2234 (5/4/11)

yeah $18 bucks is steep!

can the bottle shops sell it at 18 bucks? looks like it, good on them!

I was opening a thread to discussion the beer not stir an outrage, if people are prepared to buy it and like it cool.


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## Nick JD (5/4/11)

pbrosnan said:


> It's a pity we have to let f'wits have a voice, but it's a free country I suppose ...



Sense of humour is something that even in free countries must be expensive. People like yourself seem unable to afford one. 

Now, just so you can understand the significance of a little yellow face with its tongue out, here's four of them:

    

(hint: they mean _joking) _


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## DanRayner (5/4/11)

Robbo2234 said:


> Ok it doesn't have the usual lager flavour



Many lagers do use noble hops as someone else here mentioned and many others (like Fosters) use PoR hops

I think, though, that the defining feature of a lager is the use of a yeast (like _Saccharomyces pastorianus_) that is able to happily ferment at lower-than-ale temperatures and that can break down melibiose aiding in a "cleaner" and drier character than ales.

Other than that anything goes in terms of the generic term "lager". But I kinda/sorta get what you are saying. The super-fruity American-style hops would suggest a beer that is more like an APA.



Robbo2234 said:


> yeah $18 bucks is steep!
> 
> can the bottle shops sell it at 18 bucks? looks like it, good on them!
> 
> I was opening a thread to discussion the beer not stir an outrage, if people are prepared to buy it and like it cool.



Most bottle shops (or at least, the good ones) just put a standard gross profit (GP) margin across all of their products. This might be say, 33% for individual bottles, 25% for 6-packs (and if you're lucky; mixed six-packs) and 12-15-18% for cases of 24. And so the price on the shelf directly reflects the cost to the bottle shop.

So, if a 6-pack of VB is priced at $13.50 and a 4-pack of Knappstein Lager is priced at $18 then it is Toohey's fault for selling the latter beer at such a high cost to the bottle shop - bottleshops generally don't just jack up the price because they think punters will pay that price without question. They will put a fairly consistant GP across their beers - especially the fairly easy-to-find ones.

(ps - Plonk in Canberra does mixed six-packs and mixed cases for the same rates at straight six-packs and straight cases - yay!)

(pps - last time I checked Plonk was selling a four-pack of Knappstein for $15.90)


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## Nick JD (5/4/11)

"Knappstein" probably signifies the other activities of the caveman who buys it. Banging rocks together.


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## DanRayner (5/4/11)

Nick JD said:


> "Knappstein" probably signifies the other activities of the caveman who buys it. Banging rocks together.



Who doesn't love a bit of , eh?

And who you calling a caveman? Just cos I lived and worked in a very pleasant tropical mountain rock shelter in Sri Lanka doesn't make me a caveman! 

also, the most recent cavemen were anatomically modern _Homo sapiens_ with comparable brain sizes to us and produced quite complex stone tool technology


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## flano (7/4/11)

I went to Dan Murphys today .
I went to get a couple of stone and wood pacific ales to see what it is all about.
naturally theydidn't have them ...so I got.
1 knappstein reserve lager = $4.60
1 HEF = $3.60
1 wicked elf pale ale = 4.99

see how they go.


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## Lord Raja Goomba I (7/4/11)

beernorks said:


> I went to Dan Murphys today .
> I went to get a couple of stone and wood pacific ales to see what it is all about.
> naturally theydidn't have them ...so I got.
> 1 knappstein reserve lager = $4.60
> ...



I got a first choice (coles - they are really becoming aggressive) catalogue - $15.99 for S&W PA. I'm going to take that baby into my local dan's and see how cheap I can get it.

Goomba


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## Malted (7/4/11)

Lord Raja Goomba I said:


> I got a first choice (coles - they are really becoming aggressive) catalogue - $15.99 for S&W PA. I'm going to take that baby into my local dan's and see how cheap I can get it.
> 
> Goomba




As beernorks said, the Dans he went to didn't have it. 
The one I went to didn't have it either. 

Dans, on another note, seem to have reduced the amount of international beers they have on the shelves


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## Lord Raja Goomba I (7/4/11)

Malted said:


> As beernorks said, the Dans he went to didn't have it.
> The one I went to didn't have it either.
> 
> Dans, on another note, seem to have reduced the amount of international beers they have on the shelves



I live between 3 of them, and they all have it. Seems strange you guys don't.

The only thing may be the fact that Byron is fairly close to me.

You could try First Choice Liquor Savers Superstore (or whatever ridiculous moniker they've given it at the moment).

Goomba


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## Nick JD (7/4/11)

All Dans are not created equal. 

I went to one the other day that was not much better than a lickerland.

The one I usually go to has such a huge range the buds on my tongue threaten to revolt if I don't hurry and choose. Staff think I'm shoplifting because I'm there for fifteen minutes and I only buy one stubbie.


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## fat matt (7/4/11)

If you get to Clare try it on tap so much better.


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## flano (8/4/11)

out of the 3 I got 


_1 knappstein reserve lager = $4.60
1 HEF = $3.60
1 wicked elf pale ale = 4.99_

I thought the Knappstien was actually pretty good.
However the more I drank the less I liked it...it sort of tastes like wine.
The wicked elf was pretty full on at first , but the more I drank the more I liked it.
the HEF...um yeah ...glad I tried it but not for me.

I probably couldn't have a big session on any of them.


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## Pollux (8/4/11)

Just as a heads up, Vintage Cellars have included Knappstein Lager in their discount range this month. 2 * 4pk for $32, there's also a few other beers under the same system. Grabbed a 6pk of LCPA and a 4pk of KL today.


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