Bottled the Hoppy Tripel last night. It was a deep, clear ruby red color, smelled like heaven and tasted pretty good. ABV was around 9% I think, and the hop smell / taste was less than the DIPA, which is good. Didn't really taste the small amount of charred oak I put into the secondary, which is fine, the point was to find out what amount you need to use to begin to be able to taste it. May come through in the finished aroma. Either way it tasted pretty damned good for an unconditioned, warm beer. I am optimistic.

Gonna try to put 3 of them in the mail today to Redlands, so Bloor and Derris and Loog should be able to sample it with me in about 3 weeks.

Awesome. When are you gonna do the next beer?

Don't know. And I cannot get to the post office today to send that beer, there's no way. Major shitstorm at work. Will try to get it out tomorrow and rush delivery to make it by the weekend.

I got my bottles and priming sugar today, but I won't even consider bottling for another three weeks. I'll need to dry hop it here in about two weeks and start recruiting some help for bottling day.

Ok I have the beer and I have my wallet (forgot it yesterday). So the bottles should go out today to Chez Bloor.

Packed up, cold, and ready for Georgia. They will show up Saturday. Bloor, Derris, and Loog get to sample these in a few weeks, after I've made sure they're ready. Hope they don't suck.

Also the Double IPA I brewed first has changed a little, which is predictable but still interesting to taste as it happens. It's a little less creamy tasting now, and some of the big hop smell has faded. Those hop aroma compounds are indeed volatile, and I see now why the big hoppy beers generally tell you to Drink It Fresh. You're on a serious ticking clock.

Oh yeah, bitches - ALABAMA just raised it's maximum bottle size to 25.4 oz aka 750ML - the size that many good beers come in.

I helped get it sponsored, on the calendar (hardest part of any legislation that no one knows about) and passed. We thought it was dead on Tuesday and it passed yesterday.

Sponsor is aforementioned semi-right wing R beer freak who happens to be one of my best friends down there.

That's awesome especially because y'all get Boulevard over there.

Hell yeah - your quality of life just improved dramatically.

I went to a tapping party for the New Belgium Lips of Faith Tart Lychee tonight. It is a sour ale/wild ale that is pretty damn good. I would have liked it more if it was a true sour, but I still thought it was really tasty.

Rate beer gave it a 98 overall rating.

this might be my new session choice. better than i expected.

I tried a few new beers last night after purchasing a mix and match six pack, they were:
Great River Farmer Brown Ale
Summit Unchained Series Dunkel Weizen
Del Norte Orale

The Summit was probably the best overall beer, but I was really impressed with the Brown Ale and thought that Del Norte did a great job of producing a decent cerveza clara that exceeds traditional Mexican beer quality.

Pretty low hurdle to clear

So Bloor did the shipment make it in time for whichever guest was there this weekend?

Sir, I have a Hoppy Tripel in my fridge right now conditioning away.

You make the call as to when it should be enjoyed and I'll post my thoughts here.

And THANKS!

I forgot mine in his fridge, but me and Bloor and Dumpjack are doing a monger-thon through Bama this weekend, so he can bring it to me.

Derris also gave us a pretty sweet selection of beers, and a Sweetwater bottle opener that is apparently so new that I can't find a picture of it on teh innernets.

Oh Sweet! I'll give it a few more weeks, crack one open and see where it's gotten to. So glad everything worked out.

They're brand new. I actually went to the Brewery to get them and the girl in the schwag shop said they'd only had 'em in about a week.

My bottle opener game is on some next shit. FEMGAR gave me a fine wood grain, engraved waiter's key, and now this one.

Step up!

I texted you a picture of the box on Friday after I picked it up from the PO. Superlative effort on your part, sir.

Somehow I did not get that. Hopefully it was still cool.

It was. The corners of the outer box were a little mangled but the inner box and beers were cool and a-ok.

I picked this up the other day. It tastes like a saison. I guess they marketed it as their summer ale but I really don't think I could drink more than 1 or 2 of these on a hot day.

Nice write-up on the best brewery (in my humble) in MA:

Here