Full Sail Top Sail is Back!

Just swung by my favorite local beer spot and found my favorite bourbon barrel aged porter is back! Full Sail's Top Sail is back in stock. It's a bit pricier than it was two years ago but it's still worth it. Pick up a couple bottles. One to drink now and one to keep. I'll probably pick up a case. I'll report back with a review soon!

Flying Dog Barrel-Aged Gonzo Imperial Porter

Whiskey can do wonders for beer.  When you take an outstanding beer, such as Flying Dog's Gonzo Imperial Porter, and hand it too a great brewer, which would be Flying Dog, and barrel age it in oak whiskey barrels, you get the excellence that is this beer.  I was impressed with the value of it.  At $7 for a 12 oz. bottle, that's a bargain, considering some of the other barrel aged prices out there.  And you can probably actually find this beer somewhere.

Jester King Craft Brewery Black Metal Review

A recent addition to the family of stouts I have consumed is Jester King Craft Brewery's Black Metal Farmhouse Imperial Stout.  If that's a lot for one to say, just know that you are dealing with a beer that is itself a handful.  First of all, you've gotta love the bottle. It's black with heavy metal-type Gothic lettering, as if this is the dark occult-favored beer at sacrifices, as the endless 12-string guitar solos blast away around the towering pyre in the night.  A cartoon drawing of a black haired man draped in chains who's a cross between Ozzie and Kiss with serpentine eyes is showcased on the bottle.  This dude does not look happy.  Perhaps he hasn't had his share of this beer, which is one that would brighten even the angriest metal rocker's disposition.

Shaun Pops an '09 Hair of The Dog Doggie Claws - Why HOD is Awesome

Well it's the cold dark winter Doldrums out here in Seattle. The sun is starting to stay up longer but spring is a long way away and the grey is starting to weigh on your soul. It's perfect weather for something strong, hearty and special to bring you out of the funk while sitting in front of your full spectrum light. I rummaged through my stash and found a 2009 Doggie Claws Barley-wine from Hair of the Dog. Perfect!

Pliny the Younger is in Town

Most of you in the know already know Russian River's Triple IPA, Pliny The Younger, has been floating around Seattle the past few weeks. It's being served up at your favorite beer bar so go out and talk to your bartender and find out when they're tapping it. It is worth getting a glass of. I know where I'll be...

Valentine's Day Double IPA Event at Jerry's Sandwiches

As I post here, Jerry's Sandwiches, an unusual Chicago spot located in Wicker Park, is having a Valentine's Day - or, perhaps, Valentine's Night - event called Double IPA's for Single People.  More information is included behind the link to Chicago Foodies, but Jerry's is letting it all hang out, imperial IPA-style, with some absolute gems on tap.  Most of the top IPA's you can get in Chicago will be featured.  Actually being single is optional for admittance.

Lagunitas Imperial Red Ale: Is It Really You?

It was November 2008.  We were at the Village Tap in Roscoe Village watching the Bears blow coverages to ex-Bear receivers and get pummeled by the Vikings.  Easing our pain was my buddy's having purchased a pitcher of Lagunitas Imperial Red Ale.  For the first and only time, I was trying Laggie Red on tap, never having previously seen it on a Chicago tap.  Somebody pinch me.  We were getting it on tap via pitcher.  I believe that to be a pitcher of 8% beer.  Shaun would say, "Are you kidding me!!!"

But if I had only known at the time that this would be my last ever Laggie Red.  In the prior years Red had become a given.  Bottles of it were a Chicago summer tradition easily taken for granted.  Lush Wine and Spirits routinely stocked it cold.  Then, just like that it disappeared into the ether. That is, until now.

Half Acre Brewing Night at Northdown Cafe and Taproom - January 31st

Always an inviting spot for a beer event, Norhtdown Cafe and Taproom is having Half Acre Brewery Night Tuesday, January 31st, at 6:00pm.

Half Acre is helping lead the local Chicago brewing charge.  Their beers are loaded with personality, and even if they have yet to mind-erase me with an outright stunner, almost all of their beers are memorable with distinct and unforgettable tastes and aromas.  As they keep pushing the boundaries it's only a matter of time before they stumble upon greatness. 

 

Three Floyds Cimmerian Sabertooth Berzerker

Why that name, I have no clue.  That's Three Floyds for you.  And thanks to Northdown Cafe, which continues to deliver the freshest selection of unusual, unique, rare, and interesting craft brews in town, I got to try some "CSB", a pub-only imperial IPA from Three Floyds.  Northdown tapped their small barrel of this last night which I'm sure will be gone in a few hours.

Ale Asylum Ballistic IPA Review

I got some new glassware from Victory in the mail recently and thought I'd use it to try out the latest IPA to cross my path, Madison, WI's, Ballistic IPA.  I've never heard of Ale Asylum but the word on the street is that they're putting a lot of product in Madison tap rooms these days.  Ballistic has been reviewed at Beer Advocate over 60 times, and that is since 2009. It's been out there for a while.   I received a sixer of it from a friend of mine and used my new Victory Hop Devil English style pint for evaluating it.  I love the way the top of the glass sharply curves out.  It has the coolest Hop Devil logo on it with the word "Victory" in gold block lettering.  The Hopdevil himself is pictured, and the word "Hopdevil" appears in red.  This glass is going to present many a beer nicely for me.  Anyway, on with the review.