fuuuuuuck they had that there on the menu when I went. I could say this about 14 other beers too but "I really wish I'd had one."

I know the feeling. I've probably had just about half of their beers now but I want to try them all. I probably wouldn't have looked twice at Row 2, Hill 56 on the tap menu either but seeing it available by the bottle I bought the max 3 they'd sell me. It's been sitting in my fridge for about 3-5 months. If i'd tried it sooner, I probably could have figured a way to buy more other than by driving all the way up to the brewpub where I see it's still available by the bottle.

Recents:


Cisco - Tripel

Cisco tries their hand at Big Belgian, and it's pretty good but not magical. I love a lot of what they do and this was pretty good, but not aaaamazing. Their usual spicey hard water profile comes through here too, where it's a little odd. Still, a great desert beer on the roof deck with friends and ice cream.

Wormtown - Birthday Brew #2 Imperial Red Rye

Their quote:

This shit was GOOD. I don't generally truck with anything from stinky old Worcester, but fuck me this was great. Bloor, this is what I was having while we talked.


Boulevard - Unfiltered Wheat

I needed something refreshing - it was hot out, and I was about to pick up the kid from daycare via bicycle. MAN was this good, for a wheat. Not much to it, but still the perfect blend of spice and sweet from the wheat. For a session beer, this was killer. Once again Boulevard displays how to get it done right.

Cisco - Summer Of Lager

Aged for something like 8 months, it's mellow and sweet and smooth. Not the BEST canned summer beer but absolutely interesting-yet-crushable as a good summer should be. Another good showing from Cisco, closer to their center of gravity.

I can probably (maybe) fit 2 bottles in my suitcase and I'm taking a train to Redlands tomorrow... anything I should try to bring him?

Goose Island Matilda?

You can't get matilda down there? Somehow I thought you could.

No GI to be found anywhere.

Actually not true, I found something at 5 Points Bottle in Athens once but I've found several things you "can't get" in GA there. I'm positive they operate on the sly outside of state distribution deals.

I'll swing by a shop or two on the commute home, see what I can scratch up.

You'd think they'd be be everywhere now since the buy-out by Anheuser Busch. That's just strange. We get GI beers out here. Just saw Matilda, Sofie, Pepe Nero and Pere Jacques at Whole Foods the other day.

I'll go by Cardullo's in Hvd Sq, they have great shit. If they don't have Matilda then they WILL have something from Night Shift, that great tiny new brewery I visited and wrote up here, a month+ ago.

Having an odd duck of a beer right now, a Boulevard tap only limited release called Tripel julep. Over 12%, burb barrel aged, with peppermint added. I taste a lot more whiskey than mint. This is intense. My father in law would puke. Between the barrel ageing and the high content, it feels and tastes closer to liqour than beer. I am enjoying it, but it is not a repeat purchase like similarly intense GI Burb Co Stout is, for example. Or maybe St Bernardus abt 12.

Odd, but good. But more odd than good.

I picked this up last week and manged to make it through the weekend without drinking it so I guess we'll have to split it when you get down here, Squirg:



I did drink this:



Fairly new to the Atlanta area brewery out of North Carolina. It was a good, not great APA but fairly poundable at 5%. Probably wouldn't buy iy again despite the can-ness. A little pricey.

Considering the other shit they bring in on the sly, I'd bet they have some kind of massive Indian Mafia deal going.

I'd get Pepe Nero over Matilda.

I had that Linch Pin a month or two back. Was goog.

I got him a Quad Reserve from Night Shift. Best thing I could find, and I KNOW it isn't sold outside boston.

Had a couple of new things last night



Stiegl Radler

Basically an Austrian Shandy made with half and half Stiegl-Goldbräu and natural lemon soda. Nothing all that special but pretty refreshing on a hot summer night



New Belgium Tart Lychee

I don't think I've had many New Belgium beers before other than Fat Tire and some of their collaborations with other brewers. This might even be my first. I like Fat Tire fine for a pretty large production beer, but I don't love it so I guess I wasn't in that much of a hurry to try anything else by them. I love sours though so I'll give a chance to just about any that I can find. Part of their lips of faith series, this is a barrel aged sour with lychee fruit puree and a little bit of cinnamon spice. The fruit doesn't overwhelm the beer and the spice is really just a subtle flavor enhancer. It didn't blow me away but it's a pretty good beer that I'd be happy to drink more of. I'd give it a good B+.


I just bought a ticket to go the 4th anniversary of a local Brewpub which is just 2 metro stops away from me on Sunday. Here's a partial list of what they are going to be pouring:

Russian River Sanctification
Drakes Special Sour
Russian River Redemption
Russian River Supplication
Karl Strauss 22
Tart Lychee
New Belgium / Lost Abbey Brett
New Belgium Cocao Mole
Sierra Nevada Beer Camp “ The Dude”
Speakeasy Massacre
21st Amendment Hop Crisis
21st Watermelon Wheat
Rodenbach Grand Cru
Golden Road Buffalo Trace Brown Ale
Firestone Union Jack
Pliny the Elder
Blind Pig
Fathom Lager
Trummer Pils
Firestone Pivo Pils
Drie Fonteinen Zwet.be
Gentleman Scholar batch #1
Stone Debut 16th Annv.
Stone 09 09 09
Bourbon Barrel Stone IRS
Avery Liliko’I Kepolo
Coronado DIPA Sock Knocker
Lost Abbey Bourbon Angel Share
Big Sky Ivan the Terrible
4 calling Bird
Cuir
White Oak
Oude Tart
Tart of Darkness
Bourbon Barrel Ten Fidy Nitro
Parabola
Firestone Special Sour
Oaked Sculpin Cask
Eagle Rock Equinox
Sierra Nevada Fresh Saison
Monkey Paw Cask Buffalo Trace Chip Oaked Imperial Choco Porter
Monkey Paw Gose
Pizza Port Re-ox Pale Ale
PP OB Chronic
PP Capt. Farrell’s Revenge Irish Red
PP El Camino
PP Dusk till Dawn
DogFish 120

Plus Special Beers from
Lost Abbey
Drakes
Triple Rock
Green Flash
Firestone
And some show stoppers you will have to come to see!!!

It's a pretty west coast centric list but if anyone has recommendations for things to try I'm listening.

Billy G,
You are pretty knowlegable about beer and have easily consumed just as many great beers as the rest of us.
If I was making suggestions from that list that are must haves or highly advisable, they would be:
Supplication
Cuir
Tart of Darkness
Parabola

I haven't had these beers, and you have consumed a few of them, but don't pass up the:
Blind Pig
Pliny the Elder
Union Jack

I myself consumed a Petrus Oud Bruin tonight. It was a little pricey for a tapping party, but damn it was delicious for a sour beer.

Oaked Sculpin and BB Ten Fidy are both amazing. Anything hoppy Pizza Port OB does is worth your while too.

Today marks the second year in a row I'm missing Great Taste of the Midwest.

I tried Boulevard 80 Acre Hoppy Wheat and Fox Barrel Pacific Pear Cider tonight, they were both excellent.
I'm looking forward to the 80 Acre being a part of the regular rotation. It was a wonderful mix of melon/tropical fruit and citrus.

Here are the things I remember having yesterday:

The Bruery - 4 Calling Birds
The Bruery - Cuir
The Bruery - Tart of Darkness
The Bruery - Oude Tart
Alpine Brewing Company - Alpine Nelson IPA
LadyFace - Guillotine Sour
Southern Tier - XXIPA
Founders - Centennial IPA
New Holland Barrel Aged Dragons Milk Ale
Pizza Port - Dusk Till Dawn
Monkey Paw Gose Bananas
Monkey Paw Buffalo Trace Oaked Imperial Chocolate Porter
Dogfish 120 Minutes

I had a few more but don't remember what they were. All of them were at least pretty good. Highlighted ones were my favorites.

With a name like Pizza Port it HAD to be good to get highlighted.


Having a dogfish 120 on an amtrak train right now, just north of Stamford Conn.

Just realized I typed 120 instead of 90, which is what I'm having.

Wishfull typing.

Do you know Port Brewing? It's the same ownership. They basically started as a pizza place and added a brewery to it. Then opened Port Brewing for more brewing capacity and then spun Port Brewing out of the Pizza company. I think Pizza Port is the label for the beers still made out of the original Pizza/Brewery locations. I know their Santa's Little Helper has some fans here. The Dusk Till Dawn was a coffee porter and was really awesome.

First time I had anything from Founders. It was good but not one of the better beers of the day. I would have rather been able to try the KBS though.

I had 15 minutes in Five Points Bottle Shop, so here's what I grabbed:


L -R: Evil Twin Saison, Bruery Saison, Nøgne Ø + Terrapin Imperial Rye Porter, Beer Here Nordic Rye, Traquair House Ale, Founders Red Rye Ale

Yeah Centennial is a solid good, but not great IPA--I prefer it on tap actually. (which isnt often the case for me)