The Beer Thread

mekmad wrote:
Missed this, sold out in Laurel and Towson:

Beer aficionados are pouncing at the rare opportunity to buy one of the world's most elusive and revered beers for the first - and perhaps only - time in the United States.

It is called Westvleteren XII, and it is often hailed as the "world's best beer" by reviewers and fans.

Westvleteren XII is produced by Trappist monks in Belgium and sold at the abbey of Saint Sixtus in the Belgian countryside. The beer can usually only be purchased by reservation at the abbey - and reservations are extremely hard to come by.

But when the abbey found itself hurting for money for an expensive renovation, the monks reluctantly made the decision to sell the beer outside of the walls of the monastery on a one-time-only basis.

"I think it will be the last [time]," Westvleteren Brewery spokesman Mark Bode told NPR. "They say, 'We are monks, we don't want to be too commercial. We needed some money to help us buy the new abbey and that's it,' Back to normal again."

Beginning today, limited quantities of the beer are being sold in the U.S. and abroad. A number of stores have been sent "bricks" of the beer, which include six bottles and two glasses from the monastery. The gift box retails for $84.99.

"The phone has been ringing off the hook," Megan McBrayer, manager at New York City's Beer Table Pantry, told ABCNews.com. She said the store received 24 cases of the beer and has already sold many of them.

McBrayer said beer lovers are taken with "the whole mystique about it and the rarity of it."

"It consistently rates as one of the best beers in the world," she said. "It's been something that [beer lovers] have wanted for a long time, but it's been completely unattainable."

just read an article about this . . . one of the best beer tales ever.  i met an older gentleman once, whose son tried to get into the abbey once with their lists and such, but could not.  this beer is worshipped like liquid indie music over there.  even i think they take beer too seriously.

Tis the fuckin' season… Shipments from the great state of VT.

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

My secret location doesn't have any coffee, but they still have some regular BCBS and some Bolt Cutter.

Yada wrote:

BrettnotBritt wrote:
Anybody seen any BCS Coffee around the area?

Magruders had some… James Ford won't tell you his secret location.

Yada wrote:
Tis the fuckin' season… Shipments from the great state of VT.

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

WHERE?!?

James wrote:
My secret location doesn't have any coffee, but they still have some regular BCBS and some Bolt Cutter.

Yada wrote:

BrettnotBritt wrote:
Anybody seen any BCS Coffee around the area?

Magruders had some… James Ford won't tell you his secret location.

BCS = brewed by communists!

Someone has a kind relative or friend!

sweetcell wrote:

Yada wrote:
Tis the fuckin' season… Shipments from the great state of VT.

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

WHERE?!?

James wrote:
My secret location doesn't have any coffee, but they still have some regular BCBS and some Bolt Cutter.

I can't find BCBS but found (and paid an obscene price for) coffee.

Does anyone know of a place in MD or near DC line that still has BCBS?  Perfect Pour has 2 bottles and want a laughable price for them.  Haven't seen it anywhere else.  I figured I was SOL.

Perfect Pour also had coffee for a God-awful price.  Quickly losing faith in those folks.

At Meridian Pint tonight:

To celebrate this year's Christmas Ale from Goose Island we are tapping a keg of Bourbon County Stout from our secret stash. Enjoy both of these great beers on draft, as well as Matilda and Sofie, with a $2 discount all night.

James wrote:
Someone has a kind relative or friend!

obviously!

Yada - please drink those up quickly.  if you can, keep them in a fridge or on ice in a cooler.  that hop magic really starts to fade after 2 weeks if not kept cold.

better yet, share the wealth… lemme know if you need volunteers :-)  

seriously tho: i'd like to culture the yeast from HT, the brewery uses a proprietary strain called Conan.  The Alchemist is one of the few breweries that have been ID'ed as using this elusive strain.  it's responsible for a good part of the beer's flavor.  if you're going to pour out a can into a glass, please let me know - i'd be most grateful for the dregs.  yes, i come begging for your dregs ;D  

sweetcell wrote:

James wrote:
Someone has a kind relative or friend!

obviously!

Yada - please drink those up quickly.  if you can, keep them in a fridge or on ice in a cooler.  that hop magic really starts to fade after 2 weeks if not kept cold.

better yet, share the wealth… lemme know if you need volunteers :-)  

seriously tho: i'd like to culture the yeast from HT, the brewery uses a proprietary strain called Conan.  The Alchemist is one of the few breweries that have been ID'ed as using this elusive strain.  it's responsible for a good part of the beer's flavor.  if you're going to pour out a can into a glass, please let me know - i'd be most grateful for the dregs.  yes, i come begging for your dregs ;D  

Phish tickets make amazing trade bait.

At least a case will be gifted to friends and family, the rest I'll be drinkin in the very near future.  :D

Margruders was sold out.

My friend bought a bottle of Coffee at Perfect Pour for $25. Eff that noise.

I drank the last of my Heady stash at about the three month mark, and it still tasted better than most DIPA's.

I'm headed to Ohio/Indiana/Chicago over Xmas. This is my shopping list of stuff I can't get here. Am I missing any must-haves?

Brew Kettle: White Rajah
Three Floyds: Zombie Dust, Alpha King, Dreadnaught
Half Acre: Daisy Cutter
Revolution: Going to brewpub, will see if anything is worth taking home
Ska: Modus Hoperandi
Dark Horse: Scotty Karate

Yada wrote:
Phish tickets make amazing trade bait.

At least a case will be gifted to friends and family, the rest I'll be drinkin in the very near future.  :D

a phish ticket for a case of heady?  sounds about right… ;D

same me those dregs…

James wrote:
At Meridian Pint tonight:

Saw that.  Website said Friday the 18th but I presumed that was tonight.  Would love to go but can't.

It later said Tues the 18th on the page.

I'll be at a happy hour somewhere, but not there.

StoneTheCrow wrote:

James wrote:
At Meridian Pint tonight:

Saw that.  Website said Friday the 18th but I presumed that was tonight.  Would love to go but can't.

Great news regarding Lagunitas Sucks. Copied and pasted from a Beer Advocate forum:


Sent an email to Lagunitas about the format rumors for Sucks, here's what I got:


You heard right! Lagunitas Sucks returns in the 6ers under a different label design - less holiday cookie, more "we suck". The rumors of 32's are true as well. Although standard bottles are better for the home fridge, the 32's will be good for splitting into two pints everywhere else (restaurants, tail-gating, parties, parks, the moon, wherever). More than that though, the 32's will be good for homebrewers. Since the design is a crown-top, rather than the traditional twist-off style of the 32oz malt liquors on the shelves, the homebrewers will be able to bottle/harvest their brews in quicker and cheaper fashion (homebrewers almost always use the cleaned-out bottles of those beers they buy and drink in the brewing interim and tend to lean towards 22oz bombers for the same quicker/cheaper harvesting end). We'll have both packages available at different times and in different areas - no worries. Enjoy and please remember - we suck.

James wrote:
Great news regarding Lagunitas Sucks. Copied and pasted from a Beer Advocate forum:


Sent an email to Lagunitas about the format rumors for Sucks, here's what I got:


You heard right! Lagunitas Sucks returns in the 6ers under a different label design - less holiday cookie, more "we suck". The rumors of 32's are true as well. Although standard bottles are better for the home fridge, the 32's will be good for splitting into two pints everywhere else (restaurants, tail-gating, parties, parks, the moon, wherever). More than that though, the 32's will be good for homebrewers. Since the design is a crown-top, rather than the traditional twist-off style of the 32oz malt liquors on the shelves, the homebrewers will be able to bottle/harvest their brews in quicker and cheaper fashion (homebrewers almost always use the cleaned-out bottles of those beers they buy and drink in the brewing interim and tend to lean towards 22oz bombers for the same quicker/cheaper harvesting end). We'll have both packages available at different times and in different areas - no worries. Enjoy and please remember - we suck.

Nice.  I had my first Sucks of the season last night actually.  On tap at Iota.  Just as good as I remembered it.

James wrote:
Great news regarding Lagunitas Sucks. Copied and pasted from a Beer Advocate forum:


less holiday cookie, more "we suck"

Not since Primus has anyone gone so far to acknowledge their awfulness.

I do like this beer (a lot) and look forward to getting my hands on some.

everything lagunitas does is pure fucking gold.

from the quality of beer, price, marketing, and there outspoken owner, it's all just great. 

speaking of which.. what's the price point for a 6-pack of sucks?