They carry Spaten Optimator @ BevMo's... hit'em up.

A couple quick and dirty notes:

Had Founders Centennial IPA today. Was very nicely balanced, good bitterness and citrusy aroma/taste, but lacked a little something. It didn't have an aroma that blew my socks off or a hoppy flavor that wowed me. Still a really good drink and zero regrets - quite the contrary! - about having five more bottles.

Also grabbed Sierra Nevada's Porter for the first time in about forever and had a chance to drink it next to Bell's Porter, which I've never had, and my own homebrewed Porter. Obviously Sierra's was well-made, but it was decidedly less roasty and less chocolately than I'd been expecting. I like porters that are roasty, I like porters that are chocolately, but I'm not sure I've ever come across a porter that was neither that I really loved. I didn't taste the beers side-by-side; I drank the SN, then the Bell's, then my own. I was meh on the SN, and then with the first sip of Bell's I thought, "Yup, that's a good porter," and then the taste of the homebrew reinforced it.

Both the Founders and Bell's were bottle conditioned, or unfiltered at the least.

^ Have yet to be let down by a Bells beer. Haven't tried their Stouts/Porters yet but I swear by their IPA and their Pale Ale.

Tried Stone's new Cali Belgie IPA. Allegedly it's a Belgian/IPA blend, but I didn't really believe them. It tasted like a good IPA, but there wasn't anything I could discern that was all that Belgian about it. You should buy either Stone's original IPA or Green Flash's Le Freak. This was tasty, but not worth $9 for a 22 oz, and it didn't deliver on the flavors advertised.

If you ever come to Romania try Timisoreana - medium priced, good quality

Father Spoon seems to enjoy the 120 in the following video;

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kGAcF6Awcs

i CLEAND out the shelf at ranco cucamunga only had 18 bottles left in the store

almost every stone is for sale at von's in barstow....

arrogant basterd is pretty good

Just picked this guy up tonight. Straight outta Kazna Russia.



Smells like a triple or and a saison. Not very smooth, very yeasty with a bitter front, and a weird finish. Beats the heck out of a ****ty domestic macro though.

(C)

I love the holidays!

I've got few general questions.

One, I'll be going to Vegas in February and am hoping to be able to pick up and bring back some beer I cant get in Indiana. Can I find Bear Republic, Deschutes, or Russian River to name a few out there?

Also, why do bombers cost more per/oz than 12oz bottles? Maybe its just a regional thing, but I cant figure it out.

^ my best guess would be bottle cost (larger, more expensive) as well as lower demand, most people just buy a six pack rather than a bomber. So companies need to make up for selling fewer by pricing a bit higher per ounce.

I would guess because they are selling less product.

40s are more expensive per ounce than 24s, though I think the difference is more drastic for bombers vs 6 packs compared to say 6 packs vs 24 packs.

I should probably just delete this and let RDH reply though, so I'll stop here.

If it's not Canadian beer....it's not beer.

Jaques orchard pear cider


Ok it isnt beer but it nerli is.. right.

Seriously its amazing stuff

First, my brewery doesn't sell bombers so I'm not real sure. But I think a lot just depends on what kind of setup the particular brewery has. If they're hand-filling the bombers while normal 12oz bottles get filled by a 70 case/hour bottling line, the labor costs for the bombers skyrockets. While my brewery's bottler is height adjustable to a certain extent - think long necks v. stubbies - there's no way we could fit bombers into it, so we'd have to either hand fill or get a machine to do bombers. And since bombers typically move in lower volumes than cases - 6 bombers/case of bombers, 4 sixers/case of 12oz, and do you know anyone who will buy two bombers instead of one sixer if the price per ounce is the same? - you're looking at a longer timeline to recoup your capital investment in the bomber line. Since we don't do bombers I have no idea what the difference in glass costs are, though I don't think it would be significant.

Notice to IPA lovers!!!

Lagunitas Hop Stoopid is an excellent IPA, highly reccommend.

uhhhh, i just discovered this thread. it maybe wins teh internets

That stuff barely reaching NY? Man I love Cali!

Hopstoopid is pretty darn good, have had it a bunch. Search high and low for some Pliny The Elder or Blind Pig from RR... you'll enjoy these too if you like Lag's Hopstoopid.

I just picked up some Hop Stoopid for $2.99 for a 22oz, which makes me wonder if it was marked down because of age.

Last night I tried Dogfish Head's World Wide Stout. I purchased a bottle at the DFH brewpub last week and could wait no longer.

While pouring into a snifter I noticed that there was minimal to no head at all. As I drank it there was no lacing either. The liquid was almost jet black.

The 18% ABV was the first thing I noticed during the initial sniff. After I think that I noticed the smell of plums, raisins, smoke, cherries, chocolate and a little coffee (not as much as their Chicory Stout). It was really quite a nosefull.

With all of that going for it I was surprised at the taste. It was quite sweet yet cloyingly smooth. The texture was creamy, slightly chewy and lent itself to being subtly swished about in the mouth before swallowing. Alcohol was much more present in the aroma than on the taste buds. For a full bodied beer it was very well balanced and the aftertaste was minimal.

This was a fun beer to drink but I would likely only drink it again with someone who had not yet tried it and was curious. One bottle would be the perfect amount for two people to share. Unlike typical stouts this is not suitable for extended drinking. It's drinkability is deceptive. If someone were to drink this blind not knowing the ABV they could be lulled into a false sense of security by the taste. The alcohol smell would be the only thing that might give it away.

For curious stout lovers, give it a try.

I'm going to get some beer today. Mothership Wit I really want...also maybe some Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout...we'll see what they have at Whole Foods.

I know I can get it in NY.

I saw hopstoopid in NYC also. Thought about it but didn't grab it tho.