Donkey Sighting Today @ Sweetwater

Very glad to see these 22oz bottles rolling! Had a 6oz pour today, and gave it a solid A on BeerAdvocate:

On tap @ the brewery today, 2009 edition. Bright copper appearance with some orange highlights. Head is super creamy & frothy, near white in color. Quite the tangy citrus aroma- tangerine, navel orange. First sip was surprisingly malty, sourdough bread followed by a big citric hop flavor. But not overwhelming at all...very big and very balanced. Good 10.2 vapor to remind you where you are. Noticeable punch of floral, bitterness in the back of the throat. Finishes very nice...some bitterness, some citrus yet not too dry.
All in all, I enjoyed this more than last year's version. Very big, bad, and worthy of the barleywine tag.

Brick Store Pub- Over The Top

Lincoln Hawk would be proud. Starting tomorrow to celebrate their 12 anniversary, Brick Store Pub will be tapping 14 special/unique/XXX kegs at 12pm over 11 days. Saturday June 27th is the Finale- 13 kegs tapped throughout the day starting at Noon.

Looking at this list, I am particularly interested in the Sweetwater oaked IPAs and the Cigar City Brewing's Guava IPA firkin. Folks are raving about this newcomer from Tampa on BeerAdvocate. On the 27th, I am looking forward to the wild ales from Allagash, the Stranahan Whisky beers from Oskar Blues, the Pappy Van Winkle Red Brick Winter and the offering from Ballast Point. BP hails from the craft brewing mecca of San Diego, and simply does not make an average beer.

6/16- 2006 Wooden Pin J.W.Lees Lagavulin cask
6/17- Founders Curmudgeon Old Ale
6/18- 2006 Terrapin Big Sloppy Monster (Jack Daniels barrel for 9 months)
6/19- Victory V-12 (Downstairs) Victory Wild Devil (Upstairs)
6/20- 2007 t'Smisje Kerst Wooden Cask(down) Pisgah Solstice Tripel (up)
6/21- Duck Rabbit Dopplebock
6/22- Ola Dubh 30 yr.
6/23- SweetWater Double IPA (Bordeaux barrel 1st run)
6/24- Avery Maharaja (Firkin)
6/25- Lagunitas Barrel Aged Brown Shugga
6/26- Cigar City Guava IPA (Firkin) (down) Hansens Kriek Lambic (Firkin) (up)

6/27- The Finale
noon- Duck Rabbit "Paul's Day Off"
1:00- SweetWater Oak Aged Creeper Belgian IPA (Bordeaux barrel 2nd run)
2:00- Highland Cattail Wheat (dosed with Trappist yeast)
3:00- Allagash Interlude
4:00- 2008 Red Brick Winter (Pappy Van Winkle barrel 1st run)
5:00- Allagash Confluence
6:00- Ballast Point Victory at Sea Coffee Vanilla Imperial Porter
7:00- Allagash Victor
8:00- Oskar Blues Stranahan Whisky Barrel Aged Gordon
9:00- Allagash Victoria
Also at 9:00- Terrapin Substance Abuse! (Wake & Bake Coffee Imperial Stout aged in a Jack Daniels whisky barrel)
10:00- O.B. Stranahan Barrel Aged Ten FIDY
11:00- Allagash Hugh Malone
12:00- O.B. Stranahan Barrel Aged Dale's Pale Ale

The Coolest Brother Outlaw Evah!

Well I only have one, but that doesn't matter. Just got a box in the mail from my favorite brother in-law, Darren. Two North Coast Old Rasputin XI and a Twentieth Anniversary Ale, which I haven't even heard of yet. While Old Rasputin is easily available in Decatur, the special edition XI is aged in "12 year-old oak bourbon barrels for nine months. Released only at the brewery's retail store in Fort Bragg." Cannot wait to try this one!

The label on 20 says, "67% Ale Aged in Oak Barrels, 33% Ale Brewed with Agave Nectar." I know that the XI was only available at the brewery in Ft. Bragg, Ca and can only imagine that the 20th was the same deal. While I was in the Bay Area for SF Beer Week this past February, I gave serious thought to making the 360 mile round trip to Ft. Bragg to grab some of the Old Raspy 11. The farthest north I have been in California is Boonville, home to Anderson Valley Brewing Company. But Ft. Bragg is 50 miles north of Boonville, on pretty windy 2-lane roads, from what I have heard.

Anyway, thanks for the ultra rare beers Darren and just remember...payback is a bitch! Cheers Brother