What BEER are you drinking?

[Mel Hill]

Lots of fruit on this one from my nephew

[Brian Lynch]

And it’s here! Round 1: At Long Last - MT/Societe DIPA collab. No description on the can.

They had just canned that when I was there, but they wouldn't budge when I begged for them to release a four pack. How was it?

[Paul Miller]

Went to the Goose Island "Black Friday" tasting for the new BCBS lineup. Actually got VIP tickets for the grand tasting with food and tchotkes. Got a tote bag, a glass, and a fancy book.

Also included were two bottles of the variants, in which we got lucky. I expected the coffee and the cherry. Instead, we got a Proprietor and a Double Barrel. Then on the way out the door, got a second bottle of the Double Barrel!

Food included a pate made from goose liver, and instead of using brandy, they used the wheated beer. Then a half chicken on mushroom/tomato ragu, also made with BCBS. And then, some rib that looked like it came off of a dinosaur - was delicious, but over the top. Finally a decadent molten lava cake.

The pours were almost each a full size pour. Maybe first time in my life I walked away leaving so much highly sought after beers behind. Everyone did except for the guy to my left, who drank his and his wife's beers! And ate all the food.

The eight beers (I took notes, then left the notes behind, so from a hazy memory, and in order we drank):

1) Wheatwine Ale - Last year this was included instead of a barleywine. Highest alcohol among the group (outside the Double Barrel). Aged in a Larceny barrel, which is a wheated bourbon from Heaven Hill (their "partner" this year). Was probably the easiest to drink. Tended to butterscotch and toffee flavors.
2) Original - Not as sweet as previous years. More leather and earth, with lots of caramel, some vanilla. Lots of cocoa. Easy to drink as well. All from Heaven Hill barrels.
3) Reserve Rye - From what different people have said, this seems to be the one people are going after (in general). Used Rittenhouse barrels. Tended to be more spicy (duh!). To me, it tended to be more tight. Probably my least favorite. Did have some banana flavor to it.
4) 2-Year Reserve - So this one is not from Heaven Hill as it's two years in the making. Used Knob Creek barrels. Had more caramel and vanilla. Was also a little tight still. Seemed and felt stronger.
5) Double Barrel - This is a new one. Aged in a barrel, and then aged again in a second barrel. This is the most limited. They had a lottery to buy these a week ago, that I lost out on. Was surprised we got one in our gift bag, and shocked when we got another one on the way out the door. The Prop is going for about $50 ea. Not sure the list price on these. That said, it was my favorite. Just had more intensity of flavors. Was intense all the way around. And it should be clocking in at 18%. Was aged in Elijah Craig barrels.
6) Proprietors - This year it's full of coconut and vanilla. Decadent, but tasty. Also has cocoa and pecans. Not sure I picked up on the pecan notes, although they said that flavor would probably be the first to dissipate. The coconut and vanilla dominated to me. I found this one enjoyable.
7) Mon Cheri - A cherry version. I liked it, although a bit syrupy. This was the most polarizing one. Also, they said this one they felt would age the best. They also used granola in this variant. Going for a cherry cobbler profile.
8) Cafe de Olla - They no longer make a true coffee BCBS. This one also had orange in it. Last year they made an orange variant, that was also polarizing, and one I actually liked. I generally do not like beers with coffee in them, even though I love coffee. I find it makes the beer too acidic, and I feel like I am burping coffee for two days afterwards. This one I liked. This one is more like a coffee dessert, rather than a coffee beer.

[Scott Butler]

Amazing experience Paul I wish I could have been there. The double barrel sounds up my alley. I was in Detroit all weekend and searched everywhere for any bourbon county beers and only found one bottle of the regular. KBS and CBS were all around but no BCBS. I got back home to Greenville today and stopped up at my local store. They had case after case of the regular, and a large supply of the three year vertical. Crazy how you just need to be in the right spot. Would have been fun to get some specialty bottles but I’m happy to get a few regulars.

[Andrew Kotowski]

And Paul wins the internet today, while I sit at work and realize I'm going home to hazy IPA.

Well freaking done; all I have is this in response...

[Andrew Kotowski]

And it’s here! Round 1: At Long Last - MT/Societe DIPA collab. No description on the can.

They had just canned that when I was there, but they wouldn't budge when I begged for them to release a four pack. How was it?

Exactly what you’d expect for an MT DIPA. Fairly well balanced with the malt on the edge of going sideways, light bite on the finish and orange juice. It’s a good can of beer and I enjoy it, but it’s getting hard to differentiate, given the mass of new DIPAs in MT’s portfolio.

[Paul Miller]

And Paul wins the internet today, while I sit at work and realize I'm going home to hazy IPA.

Well freaking done; all I have is this in response...

Well, if we can get enough people together in Chicago for a beer dinner, I’ll bring the Double. Because I sure as hell can’t drink one of those by myself!

[Steve Eisenhauer]

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale

https://untappd.com/b/czig-meister-blacksmith/1594830

[Andrew Kotowski]

Totally recognize there's a "Commerce" thread, but given aged beer ask... I'll throw out here with people I know.

Anybody have Dogfish 120 stashed away that they're looking to trade? Interested in 10, 12, 13, 15, 18 if you have available. Could go definitely go older, but that's the sweet spot given I'm helping a friend fill a vertical for a tasting. Would consider flat out purchase, trading aged BBA Stouts (Abyss, etc) or if you want to wait to receive in early Feb... I'll be back in Paris and likely bringing more Cantillon back. Dice role there on what, if anything, is available.

[Brian G r a f s t r o m]

Wish I had some yo trade with you; alas. I don't.

[Brian G r a f s t r o m]

MT - Space Ways IPA
MT - Mega Space Ways DIPA
RIIP / Brouwerij West - Space Criisp IPA
Bell's - IV To A Locomotive In Winter smoked porter
Founders - KBS
Monkish - Bon Bon NEIIPA
Monkish - Dribble Dreams NEIIPA

[Steve Eisenhauer]

My local joint is killing it right now. Besides having stocked several Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale kegs, they have Neshaminy Creek County Leon Russian Imperial Stout and Troeg's Mad Elf on tap at the moment. I'm also interested in the Flying Monkeys Killer Cupcake Panda (IPA) and the Rusty Rail Snow Flyer (Hazlenut Chocolate Porter).

[ClarkstonMark]

Totally recognize there's a "Commerce" thread, but given aged beer ask... I'll throw out here with people I know.

Anybody have Dogfish 120 stashed away that they're looking to trade? Interested in 10, 12, 13, 15, 18 if you have available. Could go definitely go older, but that's the sweet spot given I'm helping a friend fill a vertical for a tasting. Would consider flat out purchase, trading aged BBA Stouts (Abyss, etc) or if you want to wait to receive in early Feb... I'll be back in Paris and likely bringing more Cantillon back. Dice role there on what, if anything, is available.

I have a bottle dated April 2016. Be happy to ship it to you if you want it (I know it's not a year you put out there)

[Andrew Kotowski]

@Mark - thanks for responding! The guy running the tasting already has that year :/

[William Segui]

Had heard that Grapefruit Sculpin was a shadow of its former self. Can confirm. Sad as this was great

[C Chen]

Had heard that Grapefruit Sculpin was a shadow of its former self. Can confirm. Sad as this was great

Lol. Haven't bought anything from Ballast Point in almost a decade.

[Steve Eisenhauer]

Happy to report that the Flying Monkeys Killer Cupcake Panda lives up to its name. Killer. A rich and creamy style of IPA, good for colder weather.

[Mark Y]

Easter island brewery - Marina pale ale and ipa.

Hmm let’s just say beer isn’t the reason why you would come to the most remote inhibited island in the world

[Rick Allen]

We are "gifted" beer at the Brewery all the time. Usually the really good stuff gets taken home and drunk immediately. The rest tends to accumulate and take up cooler space. Last Sunday the younger folks drank through about 40 bottles of various things that had collected - mostly sours (no one at the Brewery particularly cares for these) and stouts. Most of these had a bit of age on them - most had been collected over the past year, and most came from well regarded breweries from around the country.

We decided that beer should be allowed only to have one level of bullshit - one flavor that was un-beerlike. So a chocolate stout is OK, but a coconut chocolate stout has one too many layers of bullshit. A barrel-aged coconut chocolate stout (three layers of bullshit) is undrinkable. Many of the beers we tried had too many layers of bullshit to be enjoyable and many of the sours were just too sour for me to enjoy. One beer of note was a Schlenkerla Oaked-smoked Dopplebock that for me was close to the edge between campfire and ashtray, but still on the good side of things.

[JDavisRoby]

Had my first (likely only) Prairie Christmas Bomb Tuesday night. On tap at a local pub. Was good but a little more nutmeg than I was prefer.

The original Prairie Bomb is still one of my favorite stouts.