Got Beer?

Haven't seen that one, but from a value perspective, as good as some older Macallans are, they're pretty much all very over-priced for what they deliver.

I have a line on some Sam Adams Utopias BA World Wide Stout from Dogfish Head. If it pans out, I'm a happy camper.

Did buy and try two of the Surly Darkness Variants this year:

Gimme S'mores: solid beer, really mellow in taste, doesn't overpower your taste buds.

Manhattan: The exact opposite of the S'mores; it crushes your mouth with rye, cherry, and orange. Quite good, but man, it's a punch in the face with flavor.

The Rube wrote:

I have a line on some Sam Adams Utopias BA World Wide Stout from Dogfish Head. If it pans out, I'm a happy camper.

Did buy and try two of the Surly Darkness Variants this year:

Gimme S'mores: solid beer, really mellow in taste, doesn't overpower your taste buds.

Manhattan: The exact opposite of the S'mores; it crushes your mouth with rye, cherry, and orange. Quite good, but man, it's a punch in the face with flavor.

I saw the WW Stout at TW about a week ago when I needed to find something for my wife. If I cou,d have bought a single I’d have gotten one to try,

I agree for the most part - I think there's better buys out there and for anyone wanting to explore find your nearest provider and ask around. I know some people are adverse to it but since I was only in MN for 2 months I spent a lot of time talking to a guy at the Minnetonka Total Wine. I have a lot of history with single malts dating back to my days of working at Tonka Bottle and Wayzata W&S, but it's never a bad thing to learn more.

Surly "And The Devil Makes Three"

Advertised as a triple IPA, it is straight up a coffee stout (that is abnormally thin) at worst, and a coffee black ale at best. Not even close to what they say it is. It was right from the can, black as night, all the coffee. My co-workers and I at the liquor store all agreed, "WTF?" Surly done f*ed this beer up, whether it was description or a brewing failure, we don't know.

IF they described it correctly, that would be one thing. This was SO far off, to paraphrase Johnny Paycheck, "Take this can and shove it."

I don't love that Blackstack cranks out different IPA after different IPA... I mean I get it, but I'm not going to buy every single one that comes out. BUT... I did get this one and also thought it was delicious--not at all like a 12.5% ABV beer.

I tried the Darkness Blueberry Crumble tonight... not my thing. Only rum ba beer I've liked has been Rum King and I think it's because they brewed a brown sugar bomb imperial stout, maybe the only way it works? I've tried maybe four or five and I might be done even trying it going forward as the flavors don't mix right for me.

The Back Channel Rum BA Soviet Slayer RIS is awesome, but that sold out in about 30 minutes. IIRC, something like 2 dozen bottles released to the public? I got my 2, plus my free member bottle.

I love a good rum barrel aged beer but there just aren’t many around it seems like

We opened a 2014 Old Friend tonight that my neighbor gave me before he moved. It is a lot of ginger now but it’s actually held up well and I didn’t mind drinking it at all

There is not, and I am disappointed in that. I wish more did that. This might be blasphemy to some BA beer drinkers, but I prefer a rum BA over a bourbon BA. I know! I will say, I don't know if it's because the bourbon BA is too common, and the rum BA is rarer, but I think I like the taste/blend/etc flavor more.

The Utopias BA World Wide Stout is quite good. I will say it's not mind-blowing, but very much worth the purchase.

The Rube wrote:

I have a line on some Sam Adams Utopias BA World Wide Stout from Dogfish Head. If it pans out, I'm a happy camper.

Did buy and try two of the Surly Darkness Variants this year:

Gimme S'mores: solid beer, really mellow in taste, doesn't overpower your taste buds.

Manhattan: The exact opposite of the S'mores; it crushes your mouth with rye, cherry, and orange. Quite good, but man, it's a punch in the face with flavor.

I really loved the s’mores. Good balance of flavor but it’s still Darkness. I’m glad I found another can of this because it’s excellent

The tap list at Ansari’s is really good right now. We met friends there for lunch after a trip to the zoo yesterday.

This is redundant.

2014 and 2015 Central Waters Bourbon Barrel stouts still holding up tonight during the FB game. Very pleased.

Relatively speaking to the normal standard

Addendum accepted.

We are without kids for a couple days this week so we went out for dinner last night and stopped at Falling Knife and Modist. We hadn’t been to Falling Knife since shortly after they opened, but I was a little disappointed in both the stouts they had on tap. Their other stuff was good but I didn’t realize everything We ordered outside of the stouts all were heavy on passion fruit. I don’t need any more of that for awhile.

Modist was about what is always is. Their Amaretto Sour beer was interesting and I liked their Oatmeal Stout quite a bit. The people watching was most interesting though between the guy (in that snowfall mind you) wearing heels taller than anything my wife owns. He was with a woman (at least it looked like a woman) wearing a pair of sweats that read “stop staring at my dick” across the crotch. I left fairly confused by all of that

Falling Knife Barleywine is excellent, but their calling card is the hazy IPAs. I think I've had one stout by them, but it was middling. Good, but didn't blow my mind.

We had our Christmas with my wife’s family. My mother in law got me a bunch of Forager beer, a gift card for the brewery and a t-shirt. I guess she still likes me and I still have to admit I won the MIL lottery

Since I'm finally able to drink again, it's time to start working on the cellar before things get over aged. Cracked open a 2014 Bourbon County Brand Stout. It held up quite well. Actually still a little boozy on the first couple of drinks.

Worked on the store cooler today at work, reorganizing all the random crap we have in the back, because it was DEAD. Found a 2014 BCS Coffee Stout, so I put it out on the shelf. Good to hear that year is still boozy, but I'm guessing the coffee flavor is gone from this one.

Really good to hear you’re able to. I’ve been trying to work mine down too but now my wife is buying all kinds of stuff.

I do have BCBS back to 2013 so I may have to start doing small verticals as part of the cellar clean ip

The booziness went away as it has warmed up. I still have the 2014 Coffee. Might have that tomorrow watching some football game.

I was at Vinafera the other day and was surprised to see they had some of Kings' other offerings like the Peated Bourbon. After we had talked about this a few months ago I was curious and this was the first time I saw any of them in any liquor store.

I always preface comments like that by saying I don't wander into liquor stores as much as I used to and it may now be everywhere, so take the comment for what it's worth.

I actually ran across the Peated at Haskells in White Bear a while back and picked up a bottle. I think they've got at least one other Kings County's offerings as well, but been a couple weeks, so don't know for sure.

Grizzly's in Plymouth still has 6 special Toppling Goliaths on tap, as of 11am this morning. Some incredible stuff, with 2021 Mornin' Delight leading the way. Highly recommend checking it out. Bonus: they have 5oz OR 10oz pours.

I had the MD and their Cinnamon Roll stouts, 5oz of each. Ordered both at the same time, drank half of each, then made a blend. The blend was better than I thought it would be.

…and Monday you’ll have to declare bankruptcy.

The MD was $15 for a 10oz. IF you win the lottery to buy a 2 12oz bottle set from the brewery, that was $100. Just saying....

Do they have the dragon fandango?

They do not, but Shorewood Liquor (my side gig) does!

Neither are super close. But if you want to snag some and let me know next time you’re at ansaris….

Dec 17, I will prob be at Ansari's. I will see if we have any left next Sat.

$25/4 pack for the Fandango, just let me know how many you want.

That's a loooooooooong time to wait!!

One is enough for the pocketbook. ?

If it is still there, you got it.

I found one left in my fridge. Makes your tastebuds pucker!

Ansaris was doing the TG-Central Waters collab and Assassin at $15 for a 4 oz pour. Ramses’ dad (at least I think it was his dad) said a few of their kegs cost well over $1,000 each

If it was Pasha, that is Ramsey's dad. Clark (TG owner) will get every penny he thinks he can get from you. Guaranteed.

Junkyard Brewing expanding distro a little, now doing 16oz 4pks. No more crowlers.

Bear Cave in Hopkins has delayed their opening again, due to one of the three co-owners dying. Widow is all-in, though. Instead of opening this month, new projected date is St Pat's Day this year. Personally, not holding my breath. It was supposed to open Fall 2019.

Stacked Deck being sued for future rent, on a lease that the owners terminated. This should be fun.

https://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2022/01/21/downtown-st-paul-brewery-sued-for-1-3m-in-rent.html?ana=TRUEANTHEMFB_MN&csrc ="6398&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A%20Trending%20Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=facebook&fbclid=IwAR03q4rXvPAWQx3kU966YRaXQoUN0YlUFmkuThnssWJzkQVpYwP7UdwYMxs"

Nothing like scouting out the liquor store near your future office, realizing it's bigger than Surdyk's (and probably most Binny's), and then randomly finding a case of Heady Topper.

Have tried La Dona's Mexican Lager and their Mole Stout. I really liked both. The lager is crisp and clean, and the mole has a nice bite of heat to it.

Manager cracked a gift bottle today at the store, a collab between Moksa Brewing (CA) and Weathered Souls (TX), "Maple Magic."

Pastry stout, with vanilla beans, real maple syrup, cacao nibs. 12%, and it was fire. Manager and I agree there was almost no way one would completely enjoy a full bottle of it. It's a banger of a beer, but very rich and sweet.

Funny enough, [mention]davescharf[/mention] happened to randomly stop in today when the bottle was open, so he got a sample of it, and he loved it. I kinda figured he would.

I’d give it the old college try on a whole bottle because it was phenomenal. I’ve only recently come around to heavy maple syrup flavors in these stouts but this was totally different than most I’ve had.

It was fun catching up for a bit. My wife was thrilled you still had the Earliest Light (one I’ve been searching for awhile on for her) and a couple of those Salted Caramel FSBs. It’s a fun store to go look around for old gems so I’m sure I’ll be back in.

Schell's Cave Aged/Barrel Aged is other worldly. 10.9% abv and smooth as a baby's bottom.

This year's batch is sick. The store I work at sold out of the first case we ordered in 2 days. Re-ordered 4 cases, and only have 3 sixers left. As you said, so smooth. The high ABV took me by surprise. The beer hides that well.

Restocked our Wall Of Stouts today, annnnnnnd at the end of my shift I may possibly have bought a couple things.

BA Old Rasputin XVI, XVII, XIX, and XX, and a 2017 BA Darkness.

Also had a tasting today, Stearns Rye Whiskey, going to be based in Avon, MN. It was quite good, and somewhat affordable for a bottle. I picked one up, and I am not a big rye guy, so that is saying something.

BA Old Raspy is always one of the best BA stouts, doesn’t get enough love but it’s also very expensive

The above post, on all accounts, is accurate. When the manager busted those out from the back, I flat out told him, if they don't sell by the end of the day, I'm buying them. Almost sold them, customer was wavering on it, but went in a different direction. I will admit, the employee discount helped that decision. 15% discount.