Top 100 Beers

Another Westvleteren 12 Label

Westvleteren 12 isn’t labeled when you buy it in Europe.  The only mark of the beer is the cap.  For those of you that don’t know, Westvleteren 12 – considered one of the best beers on planet earth, only sold Continue Reading →

Westvleteren XII: The American Label

You know it’s coming: Westie XII gift packs in America.   One time only.  The gift packs are being imported by Shelton Brothers.  Details on sales dates and areas have yet to be announced.

Style: Quadrupel

10.2% ABV

PICS: Cigar City Barrel Aged Hunahpu Day

These are a little delayed, but hopefully interesting nonetheless.  Cigar City Brewing released barrel-aged Hunahpu for the first time in the brewery’s young history.  The regular edition of Hunahpu, and imperial stout brewed with Peruvian cacao nibs, ancho & pasilla chiles, Continue Reading →

2011 Bourbon County Stout Bottled

Goose Island Brewing (Chicago, IL) bottled the years edition of Bourbon County Stout today.  As if this bourbon barrel aged imperial stout isn’t enough of  teaser, be sure you check out pictures from sampling day a few weeks back.

Arrival: Late Continue Reading →

Posted in Beer News, Bell's Brewing, Seasonal Return

Bell’s Eccentric Day: December 9th. Don’t Dress Normal

Bell’s Brewing’s Eccentric Ale release is 4 days away.  It goes on sale at the Eccentric Cafe at 9 am.  You dress “non eccentrically?” No beer for you..  From Bell’s:

Bell’s 13th annual Eccentric Day is one week from today. Here is what you need to know.

– Doors will open at 9 a.m. on Dec. 9.

– Eccentric attire is required
— come as you aren’t. If you are not dressed for the occasion, you will be turned away at the door.

– There is no cover.

– There will be eccentric food.

– DJ Bowser will provide the tunes.

– Both the front and back bar will be open.

35 beers will be on tap plus a firkin of Special Double Cream Stout. Here’s the lineup:

– Two Hearted Ale

– Kalamazoo Stout

– Porter

– Special Double Cream Stout

– Amber Ale

– Java Stout

– Pale Ale

– Cherry Stout

– Winter White Ale

– Expedition Stout

– Christmas Ale

– Rye Stout

– Best Brown Ale

– Oatmeal Stout

– Third Coast Beer

– Smoked Stout

– Third Coast Old Ale

– Harry Magill’s Spiced Stout

– Oarsman Ale

– Sweet Potato Stout

– Bell’s Lager Beer

– Trumpeters Stout

– Hell Hath No Fury … Ale

– Milk Stout

– Sparkling Ale

– Dagger Stout

– The Oracle DIPA

– Black Note Bourbon Barrel-Aged Stout

– Hopsoulution

– Eccentric Ale (bottles will also be available for sale at the Bell’s General Store)

– Golden Rye

– Exp Hop 2011-1 (an IPA brewed with experimental hops)

– Rye-ghteous Ale

– Harvest Ale

– Raspberry Ale

Posted in Beer News, Coming Soon, Westvleteren

Another Westvleteren 12 Label

Westvleteren 12 Label Westvleteren 12 isn’t labeled when you buy it in Europe.  The only mark of the beer is the cap.  For those of you that don’t know, Westvleteren 12 – considered one of the best beers on planet earth, only sold at the Abbey in Belgium.  The monks there only brew enough to support the monastery, end of story.  Recently, it was discovered in a building inspection that the Abbey needs a good bit of structural renovation and repair.  So, they will be producing more beer to pay for it until it’s completed.

For the 1st time ever, the beer will be (legally) sold in America.  Because it’s coming stateside, it needs some form of “minmal” labeling for it’s one time engagement on our soil. Above is 1 of 2 labels we’ve seen.

Ad aedificandam abbatiam adiuvi translates from Latin to “I Helped Build The Abbey”

Westie 12 will be sold in gift packs in early 2012.

Posted in Brooklyn Brewing

Brooklyn Black Ops. It Doesn’t Exist. But If It Did, It Has Shipped

Brooklyn Black Ops, a bourbon barrel aged imperial stout has just left the brewery.  The very limited, and hardly talked about beer’s recipe is apparently only known by 2 people.  (Like Coca-Cola.)  Each years recipe & flavor is just a little different.  What you do need to know — it’s a Russian imperial stout aged in bourbon oak barrels.  Bottled flat, and bottle conditioned with champagne yeast.

Brooklyn Black Ops does not exist. However, if it did exist, it would be a robust stout concocted by the Brooklyn brewing team under cover of secrecy and hidden from everyone else at the brewery. Supposedly “Black ops” was aged for four months in bourbon barrels, bottled flat, and re-fermented with Champagne yeast, creating big chocolate and coffee flavors with a rich underpinning of vanilla-like oat notes. They say there are only 1,000 cases. We have no idea what they’re talking about.”

Style: Russian Imperial Stout (Barrel aged)
Availability: 750ml bottles, corked & caged. 1,000 cases total production.

10% ABV

Posted in Coming Soon, Portsmouth Brewing

Kate The Great To Be Released In Smaller Bottles

Portsmouth Brewing has selected a day for their Kate The Great release.  Coming March 5, 2012, know as Casimir Pulaski Day. (A Revolutionary War officer.)   New this year are smaller 300ml “stenie bottles” pictured below.  They are brewing it today as you read this…

Per the brewery:

This year’s Kate release will take place on Monday, March 5, 2012 ( Casimir Pulaski Day) and scratch tickets will again be used to raise money for local non-profits and to determine bottle allocations.  We’re particularly excited to have more bottles available this year, as we’ll be using a new, smaller bottle shape called the Steinie bottle (see below).

Early Details For Kate The Great Day:

– We plan to open our doors at 11:00AM and will serve Kate till the taps run dry.
– The same volume of Kate will be brewed as in years past. (Sorry, folks, that’s all we can do!)
– Scratch tickets will again be used to distribute bottled Kate.
– This year’s Kate will be put into smaller bottles (330ml/11.2oz) to increase availability.
Posted in Coming Soon, Westvleteren

Westvleteren XII: The American Label

You know it’s coming: Westie XII gift packs in America.   One time only.  The gift packs are being imported by Shelton Brothers.  Details on sales dates and areas have yet to be announced.

Style: Quadrupel

10.2% ABV

Posted in Cigar City Brewing, Event Pics

PICS: Cigar City Barrel Aged Hunahpu Day

These are a little delayed, but hopefully interesting nonetheless.  Cigar City Brewing released barrel-aged Hunahpu for the first time in the brewery’s young history.  The regular edition of Hunahpu, and imperial stout brewed with Peruvian cacao nibs, ancho & pasilla chiles, Madagascar vanilla beans, and cinnamon. For this release, 4 editions were available.  Rum, Bourbon, Whiskey, and bourbon oak.  Also bourbon & rum editions of Big Sound were sold. Over 2,000 people showed up Hunahpu, limited to a mere 167-170 bottles per edition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted in Coming Soon, Goose Island Brewing

2011 Bourbon County Stout Bottled

Goose Island Brewing (Chicago, IL) bottled the years edition of Bourbon County Stout today.  As if this bourbon barrel aged imperial stout isn’t enough of  teaser, be sure you check out pictures from sampling day a few weeks back.

Arrival: Late November, 2011