oh and THIS. No shit. I know the smaller breweries in WI don't ship outside the midwest just because they can't produce enough to satisfy the home market as-is, but Bell's? Surely...

Yeah, I wish more American craft breweries could produce enough beer to meet the overall demand for their products throughout this country. It just doesn't seem right that Mikkeller or Dieu De Ciel products are more prevalent than Bell's, Dogfish Head, Russian River, Cigar City, etc. in my state and others throughout the country.

I would cut a bitch for some Pliny the Elder or Two Hearted right now.

This I can get.

And I was just giving you the business about the beers - but when you get it figured out, I'm down for the shipment. I'll even Paypal you the $$ for the brews, shipping and handling.

What's sad is i still have four two-hearted ale's in my beer fridge from the summer of 2008. Can't imagine they've aged that well but i'm not tossing them.

No they're probably notsogood anymore.

On a happier note, they carry Racer 5 in 12 packs at the store now! Fucking rules (he says as he sips one).

Jesus man. This is above and beyond the call of duty. That stuff you listed is MORE than enough to make me happy as a pig in shit.

You're a goddamn prince Cap.

truth.

I had some really good beers I'd never even heard of last night. Allagash Vrienden, which is a collaboration between them and New Belgium. It was kind of a sour ale but not too crazy and I wish I could've had more than one but I had to drive. I also had a collaboration between Green Flash and St. Fueillien. I'm gonna have to go back to this place when someone else is dd.

Recents


Goose Island - Sophie

I've had it before but it's been awhile. This is 80% belgian farmhouse, 20% belgian ale with orange peel. The balance between the two is just about perfect... the orange is there but it does NOT dominate things. There's a lesson in subtlety here for others. Notice the gigantor head on this thing... jesus h christ I had to wait 5 minutes for it to settle-down-now. But it's an incredibly happy, refreshing beer. I remember having these with Busty like 6 years ago and not getting what the fuss was about. Either it's changed, or I have. Solid A-


Tyranena - Shaggin' In The Woods (BBL aged Scotch Ale)

Last thing I had kickin' around the house from the Chicago trip. Went down easy, starts off pretty unimpressively but builds slowly over the glass to finally be substantial. Still, it pales in comparison to Dirty Bastard or Lake Louie's scotch ale (Warped Speed). Good beer, well made, but not enough malt to knock you on your ass with one sip, and that's a deal breaker for me with a scotch ale. I want a SHOW, not an essay on restraint. B+


Blue Hills - Imperial Red IPA

Smaller local brewery I've never tried. Beer was *exactly* what you're picturing... an imperial IPA with reddish color and a more Killian's-like malt taste. It was perfectly ok, and got a mental boost from my low expectations, but it didn't do anything amazing. I'll get more of their stuff if I run across it. B


Lagunitas - WTF

Big, red, strong, clear, hoppy, everything the Blue Hills beer could've been. No odd or really commentable flavors to this, for me. It wound up being just a big bottle of booze. It was pleasant but I had the hardest time recalling what it tasted like even 30 minutes after it was gone. Should've called it "Mike Echo Hotel" instead. B


Allagash - Victor

Belgian with grapes, eh? I was curious enough to cough up their exorbitant prices and wade in. And in retrospect, I think Shiv and I are both right... once again they're really fucking delicious, AND they're over-priced. I think this was $16. Old dude in the grocery checkout line:
"This is beer, yes?"
Yep. Good beer.
"Expensive, no?"
Yes, very. Feel free to knock it down to $8 for me.
"...heh heh..."
This does not taste like beer aged in wine barrels. This tastes like beer and grapes, plain and simple. It's a good flavor, but you should know what the deal is, going into it. The complimentary flavor isn't "wine" or "wood" but "fresh grapes," to my tongue anyway. If you're still intrigued you will not be let down - it was a delicate, full-flavored, unique bottle of beer and I enjoyed every drop of it. That first whiff, though, hit me almost like "grape bubblegum" flavor, and it surprised me. Don't let me talk you out of it though, it was very good. A-

Allllrighty then, it's all over but the cryin' now. Box should arrive at Chez Derris on Saturday. Hope it all makes it intact, but I like your odds... that was no ordinary "brown box" dealy.

That's no moon...............................it's a space station

Thanks man.

I need to check on the shipping laws in TN and NC. If either allows shipping alcohol, I can repay this generosity as I'll be in both states sometime in the next couple months.

Also, not to get off topic, but, what do you use to upload your pics again?

1. If you box up your shot at home you *need not* tell The Man what you're shipping.

2. Imageshack.us for uploading. Providing an email address gives you the right to direct link photos.

Oh and

3. You don't need to return the favor.

Ooh, I had one of those tonight at Tap Room 307. It was delicious; so was the foie gras poutine.

And,

TN has fucked up shipping laws. I *think* they've been updated in the last couple of years, but I do know that only last year a co-worker had a case shipped from Coppola's winery and Coppola's people had to have a courier delivery it directly to the co-worker's home.

I went to a Great Divide Double tapping party last night. The featured beers were the "Colette" Saison and the 17th Anniversary Wood Aged Double IPA. The Saison was remarkably good on a warm evening, but I'm not sure if the 17th Anniversary version of the DIPA was up to last year's standards. I also had a Hacker Pschorr Muncher Gold Helles, which is a perfect Spring season beer.

This weekend I will be consuming the Samuel Adams Latitude 48 IPA Deconstructed series.

Yazoo Rye Saison is finally back in Nashville supermarkets (they do a seasonal "Brewmaster's" series of 4-packs)



Next to their Sly Rye Porter and Hefeweizen, it's my favorite of their ales. In taste, it's like an earthier version of a spiced white ale like Allagash's White Ale. Reviews at BA

Sidenote: has anyone heard of Untappd? It's sort of a beer-based Foursquare.

Kyle, there's a way to still do the direct link w/o an email address, but damned if I can remember right now.

Also, Mike Echo Hotel = *chortle*

I've been enjoying those bizarro Allagashes - and since we have so little alternative, I barely noticed the price. The one in bourbon barrels almost feels like a Boilermaker at first. My buddy the Rep. Who is big into beer was real curious to try those, so I'm going to make an effort to get over there to CBus and get some more this week.

Shiv and FemShiv just came by for the saturday BBQ / Good Beer run. 'Twas good, even though we had to talk quietly, as MiniCap'n was sleeping.

Yes, good times. Sorry we had to eat and run.



this is that beer I was telling you about. I might pick up another one for later tonight.

Not to nitpick, but shouldnt she be "Ensign Squirg" or midshipman Squirg or something for continuity in the ranks?

This beer actually tastes better with some age on it. Grab another and sit on it for a year.

had a few of these last night and today. I love Golden Ale, but these had a little too much of that tongue-coating after taste that with some Golden Ales just lingers while I can still taste the Pranqster hours later (not a good thing)

Deck Hand? Bosun?

Wenchlette is already taken...

Had some of this over the weekend.
6% ABV and really drinkable. It's surprisingly complex. Like, at first, it just slides down the gullet, but then reveals itself, little by little, when you really pay attention. Kinda like an Eno ambient record. There is a lot to it, but it's easy to overlook. Highly delicious, and I think that I may buy a few to cellar and see how they develop over time. This one was a gift from Squirggle when we hung out in Chicago a month or so ago. Thanks for the bottle, Cap! This one may be my favorite of the bunch.