Totally fair! I don't disagree, just was wondering which perspective was yours.

I've not had anything from non-explicitly-infected dates (small sample) that has tasted wrong. I've had things from explicitly-infected dates that taste both fine and sour. As a person who has it in my house because I picked it up day or week of release, that's on me as a fan/hoarder. I would have a hard time justifying putting it on a menu as you've explained.

Cit,
Speaking of bcbs, I sorta reluctantly picked up an IMBIBE membership to guarantee sampling this year's bcbs variants and other goodies at FOBAB. (http://illinoisbeer.org/imbibe) I don't remember if you do this as well, but if you want to meet up this year for the early session or whole time (or any other 2p2ers as well), I'd be down as my traditional festival partner, my wife, will be skipping this year's FOBAB.

I've had one infected can't remember where I got it.....

Guys, midway through the week, I'm really rethinking this ">10% barrel aged stout after a day at the beach" strategy.

Is FOBAB worth it? I finally freed myself of the retail shackles and may be able to do it if I get tix

downtown,

Interesting. I hadn't really considered getting an IMBIBE membership because I kind of scoff at the $50 basically just being for an hour early admission to FOBAB. But, general admission time at FOBAB is kind of a ****show. A super fun ****show with amazing beers. But a ****show nonetheless. Not being able to buy other people tickets too (not even 1? really? I guess the vast majority of neckbearding beer people don't have wives who would consider going?) on the membership is kind of brutal.

I'll ponder this for a couple days and then probably just buy the membership. I'm sure the money goes to a great cause... I assume if I festival with you you will wheel me around in a chair?

KD,

Absolutely worth it.

Sorry if this is off topic but it's beer related. I'm doing a 4 day trip for my bachelor party in San Diego. 1 day will definitely consist of visiting all the best breweries. Anyone have suggestions/other ideas?

Also going to go to Tijuana for a day for a little debauchery.


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There's so much good beer in NJ right now to explore for bringing that much sand to the beach and doing >10% barrell aged stouts. What beach are you at? And where are you from?

Yes and I'd probably even travel a short distance for it, were I not already here.

UK folk,

At the Brewdog Bristol TTO for Unity.

Pleasantly surprised for a brewery who were totally new to me. Lots of Europe inspired styles pulled off really well.

Checked out the new tree house location. I thought I had it strategically timed.. Line was mellow and they were offering normal beers. I have some friends coming to town this weekend and figured why not. Not sure if I just hit an after work rush or the fact they announced they'd be doing on site pours, but goddamn waited in line an hour and it's a long ass walk from the lower lot to the brewery.

All in all it's still a **** show and they have some kinks to work out.

1 hour wait for some TH beers seems well worth it.

I second Union Lodge. Went for the first time a couple months ago and it was great. The owners also own Arvada Tavern which is near me and I regularly frequent, also great for cocktails.

I like Freshcraft and Hops and Pie a bit more than Falling Rock, but they're all good.

1 hour is about my limit now, and I have to feel the beer is likely really damn good. I've been burned too many times sitting in a line for 30-60 min only to have a beer that was good, but no better than a BA shelf stout or a good shelf sour.

I hope Black Project supply catches up with demand, people are starting to lineup the night before for their more hyped releases, and you need to get there a few hours before to even get bottles. Can't do that, even if I really enjoy the beer.

I just can't imagine waiting an hour for a beer. I feel it must be the case that most of the wait is a 'hype factor' issue. With that said, I've never had Trillium or Treehouse, and the Trillium event at Beavertown a couple of weeks ago apparently had hour-long queues in the UK as well. The breweries need to expand production and employ more customer service people, surely?

In the UK I could understand. If some west coast buzz brewery like a monkish did a pop up in Boston the wait would be long.

This was just their normal beers (green and eureka, which is one of their weaker draws tho one of their best beers, imo), but they're new to doing on-site pours on a nightly basis and they don't do that with a set schedule (which is a disaster imo, they just tweet out when it's not so busy and then people flock). And logistically they're ****ing up the pours. They don't have a tap room, so you wait in the can line to get a ticket at the cashier. Really dumb imo.

On the flip side they are nowhere near max brewing capacity in their new place. I suspect they'll ramp slowly and it'll eventually be like Trillium's spot in Canton where it's always busy, beers clear inventory within a week or so, but there's never a wait except for the occasional rare release.

I forgot if I mentioned it in the last post but they are serving their pours in plastic cups and I saw at least one guy road soda it. I'm sure a lot are.

Their brew schedule seems weird to me, Saturday is dedicated pours only day pretty much and I can't fathom driving put there for two pours.

Also it seems like they will add more days before they add more quantity in any given day but according to some dubious math on BA they are already out-producing Trillium so far and just have that much more demand than anywhere else. Kinda worried that nothing will change for a while and all they are doing is slightly suppressing the secondary market.

It is kind of comical to see the set up of this place and how they envisioned things going and still just having beer sell out days, long waits, full parking lots and fold up sales tables.

Kc and co,

East coast beer drinking sounds complicated!

Drinking Slurm Lord by Shorts Brewing a NE style ipa and it sucks. Drinking M-43 as well so maybe it didn't have a chance, but it tastes like a diet Fanta orange with some Bud Light added.

If its a NE IPA and brewed in Michigan and it's not M43 or juicy by Petoskey you're doing it wrong

Beer peeps,

Might have written about this one before but:

Wow is this almanac summer in the city ($9.99/bottle) great. Orange citrus tartness you'd expect in a sour like this, but also a creamy vanilla element that is delicious. Almanac just keeps getting better and better.

A couple of "regular" beers:


Luponic Distortion 6 ($8.99/6). First in this series I haven't really been into. Pretty good start, very smooth with nice slightly bitter hoppiness, but the finish is too malty for my taste. Not a bad beer, just not what I'm looking for in an IPA.

The mike Hess grapefruit solis ($10.99/6) is great. Classic west coast IPA with perfectly integrated grapefruit flavor. Really like it. And I love their can design! In case you didn't notice from the pic above:

They're not strictly a Mike Hess can design. They're called 360 degree cans and are produced by Crown. I've seen them in with a couple of breweries - some Mike Hess on import to the UK and now London Beer Factory is using them here. I think we'll see a lot more of them.

Is $9/6 a standard price for FW stuff where you are?

Rdh,

Yeah, that's normal pricing for their regular beers in the SF Bay Area.

Didn't love the "juicy". Oddside pineapple dank juice was pretty tasty.