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I've always enjoyed going to Darkness Day Eve there... but will not make it tonight. The Liftbridge Silhouette is the most under the radar good imperial stout out there in my mind. That Mole Darkness... surprisingly good as I haven't liked that style until this one came about.

Pro tip is to order a 'flight' of beers if you don't want to miss out on one. They taste better as they warm up anyway.

In the past, when I went to New Bohemia's Big Bad Beer day, they would limit one beer per person, so at the Golden Valley location, I'd order one at the counter as you walk in, grab a seat, then go to the bar and order another. Letting them warm up as I alternated sipping the two.

Tried this year's Central Waters Black Gold, and it was quite tasty, as always. Thankfully I still have 2 more bombers, plus the choc/marshmallow variant left.

Actually had a couple beers at OC in Duluth before and after the game. Tried the PBR Hard Coffee beer after the game... this a great coffee/dessert type beer. Tried the Cherry Sour from Revelation Ale Works in Hallock, MN for pregame and good as well. My wife even took a couple of sips, liked it and she's not a drinker.

Surly Darkness has hit the shelves. Hopefully it's not the raisin-bomb that it was last year (although after a few months, last year's version balanced out quite a bit).

[mention]The Rube[/mention], Surly Darkness must be the same concept as Schell's Snowstorm. The name the same, but the recipe is different every year. Some years it's a homerun and some years it's just ok.

Pretty much every special release is like that. Hops/yeasts/malts vary a little from year to year, depending on weather/crops/etc, even though they use the same types every year. They can mute or enhance the different flavors that the beer has. Given how complex a Russian Imperial Stout is, that is not surprising. It also makes having a vertical of said beers quite interesting, to taste the "arc" of how aging the beer changes things. A year or three of aging can make all the difference.

Mine last year tastes like a bitter licorice bomb. I just had a bottle again a few weeks ago and agree it balanced out really nice...much like what you'd expect from Darkness.

Snowstorm isn't really a good comparison though because it's an entirely different style every year.

[mention]davescharf[/mention] I must have misunderstood, cause I've never had the Darkness that I recall. I thought the Surly Darkness was entirely different each year. As is the Snowstorm. The Surly Darkenss is Russian Imperial Stout all the time.

Hit up Back Channel today...Red Spoon imperial stout (18.75%). WHOA. Had a 5oz, for obvious reasons, but man oh man was it delicious. Dangerously delicious. Does NOT taste as strong as it is...

I’m going Sunday for Trunk or Treat and I hope this is still around. I really want to try it

Should be. Only 20~ people have checked it in so far on Untappd. Lots of heavy beers on tap right now at BC.

Cracked this year's tonight. Less raisin, a little more cherry. BUT, this is officially a beer you need to let sit. This is 4 years in a row now where it's too (insert taste) fresh, and the last 3 years have mellowed nicely (obviously don't know about this year's). Next year, unless I find it on tap, I won't even bother opening a fresh bottle.

Thanks for letting me know. I bought two bottles yesterday and thought about cracking one tonight. Maybe I’ll crack one of my older ones instead

You definitely need the big boy pants for it. It still tastes strong but I really like it as well.

Edit - the Strokes (Wee Heavy) is also excellent

Per the membership email I received yesterday:

Lastly, because we love you all so much, as a BONUS bottle - we are filling up another special .375mL bottle of one of our big dogs that has been received so well by everyone. Red Spoon - Imperial Stout (18.75%) is the ultimate fat guy in a little coat, and it'll be all yours in a tiny bottle soon.

:dance:

.375mL? That is a TINY bottle... Don't drink it all at once! I think you'd need a syringe.

Pretty sure that decimal point was a typo in the email.

Last night I tried this year's Schells Snowstorm since someone blew the Oktoberfest keg last weekend at The Loose Moose...wasn't me this year. Anyway this year Snowstorm is a confusing beer if you read their description on their website.

That's the description on the heading above that it is listing as an Oat Stout. After doing a quick Google search about what a starkbier is, the interwebs list that starkbiers are mostly bocks.

So, here is my confusion. They list it as a stout, describe it as a dark lager, but market it as a oat starkbier which is a bock. So then when the glass of beer comes to me it doesn't look like a stout or a dark lager, it's lighter in color than Firebrick. Now it does drink similar to Firebrick but has a different finish to it but not better than Firebrick.

I am very underwhelmed with this Snowstorm. I have truly liked their darker versions of this in the past over this version. It's not a drain pour but when faced with the choice of Firebrick or Snowstorm this winter, I will choose Firebrick 9 out of 10 times over Snowstorm.

I now will be eagerly waiting the arrival of Bock season.

Hmm. Google says Starkbier is brewed for early spring consumption. :conf2:

I'm gonna buy some anyway just because.

Got lucky this week and found a bottle of Sam Adams Utopias. Had a small sample the other night, and it is once again glorious.

The description:

This vintage is a blend of batches, some aged up to 28 years in a variety of barrels. The '21 recipe includes Utopias aged in Buffalo Trace, Carcavelos, Madeira, Ruby Port, Scotch, Sherry Oloroso, Sauternes casks, finished on Balaton Cherries.

The cherries really make this version pop.

I know of a store that may have a bottle available for sale if you’re interested, let me know

I do NOT need to spend $$ for another bottle.

Went to LynLake yesterday, and they have an insanely good raspberry/coffee/lactose sour. Heavy coffee on the nose, but then drinks like a chocolate-covered raspberry. Their peanut butter porter was unfortunately a dud.

Tried this last night. I concur. It's purely meh.

Anyone tried 2021 Darkness yet? Grabbed one on a whim while I was at the liquor store this morning.

I haven't yet but I have two bottles in my cellar. I wasn't a big fan of the 2020 when I had it right when released, but it really good when I had a bottle about a month ago. Rube mentioned he thought the 2021 needed to sit for a little bit like the 2020 but when he sees this he could probably share more.

There ya go.

So, yesterday at the liquor store where I work as a side gig, bought some 2014 Fulton Worthy Adversary (a co-worker and I split a 4 pack, $20 for it). Cracked one just now, and it fell off, by JUST a hair. I am thinking 1-2 months ago, it would have been hanging on, by JUST a hair. Still, 7 years for this beer, and it tastes like this? That's rather impressive for a non-BA beer.

I’ve always thought Worthy Adversary was a very underrated beer. One of my favorite non BA stouts made in MN

I usually try to seek it out on tap to try fresh rather than open a bottle. Blue Door Pub usually does a Winter Solstice tapping for 'fresh' darkness or I'll swing by the brewery for a pour. I usually let the bottle sit for at least a year or more.

My Father in Law passed away earlier this week so I took it upon myself to buy some beer for the Visitation/Funeral this week. He'd drink anything you gave him but if you were at his house it was either MGD, Mich Golden Light, or Hamms...and most of the time it was a good couple months after the 'best drink by' date. Since he played baseball for the Miesville Mudhens and they were sponsored by Hamms in the day that's the route I went.

I went to get some after grocery shopping at Hy-Vee today. The smallest size was a 30-pack and it was still $6 cheaper than the 4-pack of a Humble Forager Stout that I found there. The woman ringing it up at Hy-Vee liquor was confused for a good 30 seconds thinking something was wrong and that gave me a good laugh.

Sorry to hear that, hope everyone enjoyed a beer in his honor.

We will once everything starts tomorrow.

Pub 819 has 2015 Surly Darkness on tap. $9 for 12oz. That's a very good price, and yes, it is tasty.

While it's great for the wallet, the fact that they discontinued Hamm's Light has not been great for the waistline.

Tried the Schell's Snowstorm. It's not what you'd expect from the description, tastes more like an Okctoberfest to me. But I liked the taste so that's the main thing.

Drinking a 2020 - Double Vanilla Darkness tonight. Not that impressed. I taste almost no vanilla and a ton of Rye and it tastes boozy. I used to really enjoy a darkness and these last few iterations just aren't that enjoyable. I didn't pick up this years at all, and probably won't (it is still on shelves on my local stores).

On the other had "Amarillo by Morning" form Blackstack is awesome! Best IPA I have had in awhile, and a welcome break from all the hazy IPAs around. Also happy they took a pause from all the triple IPAs they were putting out at $22/4-pk. This one was more palatable at $12 and a great beer to boot.

Agreed on the Double Vanilla. The Mole was awesome, though.

Regular Darkness for the past 3-4 years, you can still find, they upped production that much.

This year's Schell's Cave Aged is fantastic. Came out last week, and man, it's deceptively smooth. Comes in at 10.9%...for a dark lager (granted, BA, but still).

Blackstack is insane with their IPAs. The newest one is Disintegration, a quad IPA. It doesn't mess around. 12.5%, IIRC, very odd color for a hazy, but also smooth and delicious. Gotta watch yourself with this one.

Stopped at Invictus today. Won’t be back. Had two beers and they were both awful. Didn’t finish either one.

So they haven't changed, lol. Pre-pandemic, LuckyGirl13 and I ate at Smokey's up that way, and the bartender gave us some samples of Invictus.

1. She was describing what they were using the correct words...BUT

2. They tasted nothing like it was supposed to be, and they were not good.

Stopped by MGM Hopkins Crossroad on the way home from LTD today. Got Bourbon County Double Barrel, the 14, the Cola, the Cherry Wood, and the regular. Two of each except for the Double Barrel. That's a win. And they still had more of everything except the Double Barrel.

That's an impressive haul on the variants for a place here in the Cities given it's 2 days after the release.

I was sort of expecting to see a couple of the regular, but was VERY surprised to see the rest.

Although, after yesterday's Back Channel Soviet Slayer release (reg, and 3 variants)...my wallet hates me right now.

Christmas Cookie Cream Ale by Bent Paddle is out this week, apparently first time available outside of Duluth. Hard to find, from what I hear. It's a little over-rated. Average beer.

Drinking Schell's Snowstorm tonight. Couldn't decide if I should post in the Beer thread or the Weather thread! Or maybe Simple Pleasure thread?

Back Channel has more stout releases. The next two weeks, but VERY limited. I think it's 36 bottles this week for the public, limit one per person. But members get their bottle.

Ansari's also has their 12 beers of Christmas starting up here pretty soon. All Toppling Goliath beers, there are some darn good ones. New keg tapped each day.

The Rube wrote:

Back Channel has more stout releases. The next two weeks, but VERY limited. I think it's 36 bottles this week for the public, limit one per person. But members get their bottle.

Ansari's also has their 12 beers of Christmas starting up here pretty soon. All Toppling Goliath beers, there are some darn good ones. New keg tapped each day.

I’ve skipped out on trying to get their stouts because they are so limited. I may have to go get a present for my wife from there so I’ll could likely try one or two on tap at least

They will have them on tap. The Soviet Slayer release was the most available to the public. One bonus is, they don't have the hype, really, like Forager and TG. However, I had already committed to my side gig at noon, so no chance of getting an extra bottle. C'est la vie.

Macallan A Night on Earth in Scotland. All I can say is don't bother. This would be a great whisky to introduce someone to single malts if you could have it for closer to $70 or less. If you're more familiar stay away from it at any price unless you plan to flip it somewhere down the road. Ugh.

I would say that is a line in the sand that is now drawn. I am not familiar with it, but knowing you and your tastes...that is a statement to be heard, and I'll second it simply on our knowledge of such things.