Tasting #5

Small Intimate tasting to end the year with 6 people: Big Dave, Dave, Aaron, Shawn, Megan and I. Higlights include Founders CBS, FW Parabola, Abacus and 14, Ballast Sea Monster, Kern River Just Outstanding and Class V Stout, Goose Island Big John.

1 Year BA Anniversary



From Steve (MrHirschybar) in Riverside, CA he was kind enough to pick up my Black Tuesday I ordered online! Also 2x Kern River Just Outstanding and Class V Stout, a Citra IPA, Ballast Sea Monster and Victory at Sea, and HOD Adam and Doggie Claws.

Great box from Keith (McNuts) in Raleigh: Pelican Mother of All Storms Barleywine (#2 English Barleywine behind Dry Dock's Bligh's), 3x Brooklyn BCS (1 '10), Laughing Dog The Dogfather Imperial Stout, FBS, Wake n Bake, Harpoon Barleywine and a Sweetwater Brewing Happy Ending Imperial Stout! Really knocked off some random wants here!

 

Courtesy of Morgan (Msquared2) from Mineral Springs, NC
Terrapin Wake N Bake is probably my favorite breakfast stout!!



Courtesy from Tom (trxxpaxxs) from Buffalo, NY

My final trades of the year! Have made over 40 trades in the last year (probably closer to 50)!!!
Tom sent the mix 5 pack of Sixpoint beer as well, great trader!!  He also sent a good serving of some of my favorites: FBS,  Blackout Stout, Flower Power, Expedition Stout and Brooklyn BCS in addition to a few I haven't had: Goose Island Big John Imperial Stout and Middle Ages Dragonslayer Imperial Stout out of Syracuse, NY.

Midwest hauls

Dave and I combined to make a trade with Chris (Kgristoff) of Rochester Hills, MI. We sent 2x BA Yeti, '10 Abyss+ extras and in retrun got a Founders CBS, Kuhnhenn Bourbon Barrel 4D, 4x Bell's Expedition Stout, 4x Backwoods Bastard + extras.



Dan (CaptCleveland) out of Ohio sent 4x GL Blackout Stout***1/2, Backwoods Bastard+ Flower Power, GL Christmas Ale, and Expedition Stout! I sent 2x Dry Dock DIPA + Just Outstanding, 2x Mountain Standard.



Ft. Collins Tasting #4

Had a great tasting with 7 people in attendance (6 BA's). Really knowledgable brew consumers. Beers had: Hunahpu's, Surly 5, Hellshire I, Zhukov's, Bligh's, KBS, Blackout Stout, Speedway Stout, Pumpking with Choklat, Voodoo beer from Rogue, BCBCS, Old Rasputin XXII, Good Gourd + more......

November hauls

Haul sent by Josh (jjcote) from Dover, NH. Sent Odell Bourbon Barrel Stout, Friek, 4x Mountain Standard and 4x Myrcenary+ Bell's Third Coast Ale and Ten Fidy in return 4x Weyerbacher Insanity (barleywine), Portsmouth Bottle Rocket IPA, Berkshire Coffeehouse Porter and Lost Sailor IPA, Cadillac Mountain Stout, Maine Beer Co. Zoe and Lunch+ Gandhi Bot, DH Double Crooked Tree, Harpoon Triticus (wheat wine) and Hop'solutely. Nice haul!!

 Trade #1 with Todd (beerwolf77) out of Milwaukee. Simple, quick, great little trade. Sent BA Yeti, Friek and Rumpkin for New Glarus Black Top, Cigar City Marshal Zhukov's Imperial Stout, Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Coffee Stout and 2011 Surly Darkness .

 Trade #2 with Gregory (TheBandit1) from Birmingham, Michigan. Not real sure where that is? Sent 4x Ten Fidy and a Mountain Standard in return for 4x Founders Breakfast Stout, 2011 Backwoods Bastard + Dark Horse Oatmeal Stout Ale (I know thought those were 2 different styles) and Bell's Third Coast Ale.

 Trade #3 with Matt (monkeymagic72) from Chino, CA. I sent Rumpkin, BA Yeti, Friek and 2x Mountain Standard in return Ballast Big Eye IPA, Sculpin IPA and Starlin Porter, Bootlegger's Black Phoenix**1/2, Just Oustanding and Alesmith Wee Heavy

Trade #4 and my third trade with this individual was with Vince out of Philly. Don't have what I sent out, because it was a long time ago. He sent out a package that was LOST! So unfortuanetly he had to re buy and re send beer! Vince is the man! He sent Cigar City Zhukov's and Jai Alai IPA, Ballast Sea Monster, Troegs Perpetual IPA **1/2, Founders Breakfast Stout, Allentown Brew Works Hop'solutely an imperial IPA weighing in at 11.5 abv!, Flying Fish Exit 13 Chocolate Stout out of New Jersey, Long Trail Coffee Stout out of Vermont and they were effected some by the flooding, Big Black Voodoo Daddy! and New Holland Rye P.A. Hatter.

Fall 2011 Trades

Avery Rumpkin, pumpkin beer aged in rum barrels

Ummm, Heady Topper!!!

Trade #1 with Matt (Miamilice) from Norfolk , VA
2010 Brooklyn Black OPS. 2x FBS, Surly Furious, Bell's The Oracle DIPA
Trade #2 with Cory (DarthKostrizer) from Palmdale, CA
Speedway Stout, Kern Citra DIPA, Kern Just Outstanding IPA, PTE,  Heady Topper, Jester King Black Metal Stout, Marin Breakout Stout (sent: BA Yeti, Odell BBS, Dark Truth Stout, Double Crooked Tree, Ska Ten Pin Porter)
Trade #3 with Clint (DeutschesBier) from Easton, Maryland
Canadian Breakfast Stout!!! Weyerbacher Blasphemy, Troegs Perpetual IPA, Sixpoint Crisp Pilsner, Great Lakes Nosferatu (sent: BA Yeti, 2x Myrcenary, Odell IPA, Hibernation, Avery Beast)
Trade #4 with Mike(surlytheduff) from Flint, MI
Dark Lord!!2x KBS!!2xFBS!Short's Key Lime Pie and Bloody Beer (just in time for Halloween!), Two Hearted, Founders Imperial Stout (sent: BA Yeti, Abyss '10, Odell 90 Shilling)

First Brew!!!!

 Megan and I decided to attempt to become homebrewers. We started with a extract Porter that we purchased at Hops and Berries! What an experience, more on it later!!!

GABF

GABF 2011. What a great time on a Thursday night in late September. This event sold out in less than a week!! Had a blast with Megan and was able to try many top notch brews! Stuff that might be too expensive, seasonal, rare or hard to get or just something worth trying.

Had my fair fills of Abyss '11. Maybe 3? Heck there was no line, and it's easily one of my favorite brews. Was very impressed with Cigar City out of Florida, Ballast and Alesmith from Cali, Short's in Michigan (very unique styles), Troegs in PA, and Olde Hickory from N. Carolina.

Favorite tastes: Hunahpu's, Sculpin, The Event Horizon, Black OPs, Goose Island BCBCS, Knuckle Sandwich, and BORIS.
Honorable mention: Victory at Sea, Double Simcoe, Flower Power, Armored Fist, Oil of Aphrodite, Duck Rabbit Barleywine, Alesmith Wee Heavy
Had many other great beers!!!! Then also missed many, to many for 4 hours!! After awhile your sense of taste just isn't the same anyway.

Had the opportunity to get a photo with Sam from Dogfish Head and also with the owner of Alesmith Brewery out of San Diego who Beer Advocate ranked the #1 brewery in the US.

Three Floyd's

Baker City to Beervana to Bend!

I want to say we visited 21 breweries in 13 days?! Barley Brown's in Baker City, Full Sail, Double Mountain and Big Horse in Hood River, Laurelwood, Hair of the Dog, Hopworks, Cascade, Lucky Lab, and Burnside in Portland, Rogue in Newport, Ninkasi, Oakshire, Eugene City, and Hop Valley in Eugene, Deschutes, Boneyard, Bend, Silver Moon, and 10 Barrel in Bend, and finally (but the hidden gem of the trip) Beer Valley in Ontario, not Canada but OREGON!
TOP 5:,
Laurelwood, HOD, Hopworks, Deschutes, Beer Valley (no specific order)
Honestly other spots were just as much fun: Belmont Station, Horse Brass, Beer Mongers, Bier One, food cart, OBF, the Brew Stein, etc..
Although you can get Deshcutes anytime, still visited the place 3 times in a day and a half! Great food and close to 25 taps, all their own brew! Laurelwood, visited twice; happened to be the first and last brewery we visited. Got lost both times!
more later.....?

Oregon Pics



Full Sail patio overlooking the Columbia River, amazing view and fun watching the wind surfers!




Great little brewery in Hood River




Very tasty brew at Hair of the Dog in Portland





Oakshire Brewery in Eugene



Finally, the pouring is over and time for a drink



Great Divide 17th Anniversary Party