Beer!

Backwoods Bastard gets better with age; the bourbon-y taste blends with the beer better if you let it sit for about a year. I've got a case that's been in my "beer cellar" for almost TWO years.

I like the bourbon-y taste

tohostudios wrote:

Backwoods Bastard gets better with age; the bourbon-y taste blends with the beer better if you let it sit for about a year.  I've got a case that's been in my "beer cellar" for almost TWO years.

I may just do that. However, it will have to wait because the store where I found it is out. They have a different one, CBS:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1199/47658/

Just not willing to spend $22-23 on a four pack of something I'm not guaranteed to like.

CBS is good but it's overrated IMO.  And I agree, not worth the price.

One that you might be able to find and I highly recommend is this year's Goose Island Bourbon County Stout. In past years you actually had to register to buy this stuff and then there was almost always a limit. But AB Inbev bought out Goose Island several years back and for once that's turned out to be a good thing. This year's BCS is outstanding and I've bought over 3 cases of it - two of which I'm aging - because it's available almost everywhere this year with no limits at most places. I assume the abundant availability is due to AB's distribution network and because of the beer's reputation AB is looking to make a hefty profit (this stuff is still pricey at 12.99 for a 16oz bottle but it weighs in at a hefty 14.7% ABV so one is all you'll need).

If you see it, I'd recommend trying one. And skip the variants (there's a wheatwine, one aged in rye barrels and a coffee one); the coffee one is great but waaaaaay too expensive at 21.99 for a 16 oz bottle.

I found several 2016 vintage North Coast Old Stock four-packs in my beer cellar last night. Drinking one now; this stuff gets soooooo much better with age.

tohostudios wrote:

CBS is good but it's overrated IMO.  And I agree, not worth the price.

One that you might be able to find and I highly recommend is this year's Goose Island Bourbon County Stout.  In past years you actually had to register to buy this stuff and then there was almost always a limit.  But AB Inbev bought out Goose Island several years back and for once that's turned out to be a good thing.  This year's BCS is outstanding and I've bought over 3 cases of it - two of which I'm aging - because it's available almost everywhere this year with no limits at most places.  I assume the abundant availability is due to AB's distribution network and because of the beer's reputation AB is looking to make a hefty profit (this stuff is still pricey at 12.99 for a 16oz bottle but it weighs in at a hefty 14.7% ABV so one is all you'll need).  

If you see it, I'd recommend trying one.  And skip the variants (there's a wheatwine, one aged in rye barrels and a coffee one); the coffee one is great but waaaaaay too expensive at 21.99 for a 16 oz bottle.  

I will look into it, thanks!

I went to the local liquor store and found some Backwoods Bastard which I will seller for a year or so. I also picked up an old favorite:

I bought 6 more Goose Island Bourbon County Stouts during my weekly grocery store shopping trip today. Hey, it was just sitting there in the beer aisle pleading "Please buy me..." so I had to. I've lost track of how much of this beer I have now; it's at least 48 bottles.

I actually had a Maudite the other night too for "old times' sake". I found a 4pk of it in the beer cellar when I was making room for more Goose Island BCS so I brought some up to the fridge.

I had my last of a six of Yeungling Black and Tan earlier and I really enjoyed it. It seems to go well with a burger or a slice of pizza.

Picked up 2 four packs of barrel-aged Ten Fiddy stout from Oskar Blues. BA gives this a 99% rating. I was looking for the year on the can to figure out what vintage this is. I finally found it stamped on the bottom. This was canned on 12/16/19. What's funny is that underneath the date stamp it also says "Ba (sic) humbug, Krampus blood".

I'm drinking some Samuel Adams Winter Lager. Pretty good stuff.

Yeah I like the SA Winter Lager.

tohostudios wrote:

CBS is good but it's overrated IMO.  And I agree, not worth the price.

One that you might be able to find and I highly recommend is this year's Goose Island Bourbon County Stout.  In past years you actually had to register to buy this stuff and then there was almost always a limit.  But AB Inbev bought out Goose Island several years back and for once that's turned out to be a good thing.  This year's BCS is outstanding and I've bought over 3 cases of it - two of which I'm aging - because it's available almost everywhere this year with no limits at most places.  I assume the abundant availability is due to AB's distribution network and because of the beer's reputation AB is looking to make a hefty profit (this stuff is still pricey at 12.99 for a 16oz bottle but it weighs in at a hefty 14.7% ABV so one is all you'll need).  

If you see it, I'd recommend trying one.  And skip the variants (there's a wheatwine, one aged in rye barrels and a coffee one); the coffee one is great but waaaaaay too expensive at 21.99 for a 16 oz bottle.  

The only Goose Island beers I found are an IPA and something called an Urban wheat beer. I did find this:



Tastes great! Normally I find many milk stouts to be too much on the bitter side for me. The caramel leans it more toward the sweet side. Too bad it's only a limited edition, I could drink this on a regular basis.

I don't know what milk stouts you had that were bitter but milk stouts generally are notoriously SWEET.

tohostudios wrote:

I don't know what milk stouts you had that were bitter but milk stouts generally are notoriously SWEET.  

Maybe bitter isn't the right word for it. They have a strong coffee flavor is probably what I should have said.

I picked up 6 more Goose island BCS bottles today. I've lost track of how much of this I've got on hand now; probably something like 60 bottles. It's insanely abundant this year after being a beer-geek "unicorn" in previous years. Fortunately I think this year's version is also really great whereas some of the previous years' versions were underwhelming.

But since I really enjoy this year's BCS and since it's so abundantly available AND since at 14.7 ABV I'm sure it cellars excellently I just keep stocking up on it.

tohostudios wrote:

I picked up 6 more Goose island BCS bottles today.  I've lost track of how much of this I've got on hand now; probably something like 60 bottles.  It's insanely abundant this year after being a beer-geek "unicorn" in previous years.   Fortunately I think this year's version is also really great whereas some of the previous years' versions were underwhelming.

But since I really enjoy this year's BCS and since it's so abundantly available AND since at 14.7 ABV I'm sure it cellars excellently I just keep stocking up on it.

There are a few more places I can check for it so I will continue looking out for some.

Currently enjoying a bottle of Boulevard's "Plaid Habit". It's a brown ale aged in Canadian whiskey barrels. I'm not a fan of the taste of whiskey generally but this is quite tasty.

Anyone interested in this?:

https://www.myrecipes.com/news/rainbow-smiggles

The label art is interesting, but as for the beer itself:

I'd try it if the base beer wasn't a "sour".  I can't stand sours so piling Trix, Skittles, Lucky Charms or any other damn flavors into one isn't going to make me like it.

But when Evil Twin comes out with the "Trix-infused" stout or imperial IPA I'll be all over that.

tohostudios wrote:

I'd try it if the base beer wasn't a "sour".  I can't stand sours so piling Trix, Skittles, Lucky Charms or any other damn flavors into one isn't going to make me like it.

I'm with you on sours. I was at the beer section at our local grocery store and the vendor stocking the beer section mentioned one and I told her the two kinds of beer I just can't do are sours and IPAs.

You might re-think IPAs. I know I have. I still can't do regular IPAs but start with an imperial (like Maharaja from Avery) or a triple IPA and you might change your opinion. There's still that strong hop presence but imperial, triple and double IPAs add a malty backbone that offsets the bitterness and makes for an interesting taste IMO.

tohostudios wrote:

You might re-think IPAs.  I know I have.  I still can't do regular IPAs but start with an imperial (like Maharaja from Avery) or a triple IPA and you might change your opinion.  There's still that strong hop presence but imperial, triple and double IPAs add a malty backbone that offsets the bitterness and makes for an interesting taste IMO.

Yeah, I've tried a double IPA and it was still too bitter for me. I guess I'm just too picky.

Sucks because Texas seems to be IPA country.

I'm probably the only person on here would like this, but I found a nice cream ale. Best of this style I've had. Sweet for sure but just enough malt to let me know I'm still drinking a beer:


https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/31272/380468/

I'd give that a shot.  Just about the only beer style I won't even try is a sour.

This weekend it was a tale of two stouts.

Saturday it was the Caucasian, a white Russian imperial stout:


https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/37947/211445/?ba=celina4beer

I've mentioned my problem with some stouts where the coffee bitterness overpowers the sweetness. This is definitely that kind. Could have been some hops in there because not only was this coffee bitterness, this was burnt coffee bitterness. There was a small hint of sweetness but not enough. 3-4 sips and I was done with this one.

Today (which is early Monday, but for me Sunday night), I'm having this:


https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/31850/460336/

Now this is more like it! Only a faint bit of coffee bitterness in this one, balances with some nice creamy but not too cloying sweetness. A dessert beer that won't go to waste with me.