Tonight's drinking - two incredibly disappointing Flying Dog beers out of the variety pack that I rated generously because my sinuses were congested, and Samuel Smith's Cherry Ale, which blew my mind - it isn't a beer with fruit added, it isn't a beer made with fruit, it is very fresh fruit juice with a variety of beer yeast and malts designed around it to make it a beer. While is is very fruity, it is just enough of an ale to be a beer, and it is like nothing I have had before. I will try this again and re-review it to compensate for beer-shock.
Samuel Smith's Organic Cherry Fruit Beer Samuel Smith Old Brewery (Tadcaster) Fruit / Vegetable Beer 5.10 A+ / 4.95 +24%
Old Scratch Amber Lager Flying Dog Brewery American Amber / Red Lager 5.50 C / 3 -13.7%
Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale Flying Dog Brewery American Pale Ale (APA) 5.50 C+ / 3.15 -16.2%
Quote (xstakemx @ Thu - Aug 5 2010 - 21:01:14)
Quote (Zodijackyl @ Thu - Aug 5 2010 - 21:52:29)
Reviewed each of the Heavy Seas variety pack, plus a random tallboy of some German pils that was in the fridge, thus drinkable as someone else was driving. Heavy Seas Loose Cannon is probably my favorite IPA, especially because it always seems to be extremely fresh.
http://beeradvocate.com/user/beer_reviews?ba=ZodijackylLoose cannon is probably the single most under rated east cost ipa
I can't find it much, I found the variety pack mixed in with an odd stock - most of the macros in 30s + 6s, a handful of common micros like Sam Adams, and a ton of lesser seen breweries - they had the entire line of Samuel Smith beers, quite a few from Rogue, and a very odd selection of lower end foreign beers like Zywiec and Bitburger (the latter of which I enjoyed quite a bit), plus some fairly exotic and hard to find beers. They have three locations and a friend who lives near another one has gotten a ton of good beers there that I have never seen otherwise. They also have a massive selection of wine. Stew Leonard's Wines and Spirits - the booze counterpart to Stew Leonard's grocery stores, the world's largest dairy and a fixture of the area, the only family owned megastore (in size, but with a local market feel) that is almost entirely supplied by local farms and always has top notch fresh food at reasonable prices. I love that place and wish it wasn't so out of the way from home/work/school.
Quote (___ @ Fri - Aug 6 2010 - 01:16:42)
Quote (xstakemx @ Thu - Aug 5 2010 - 22:01:14)
Quote (Zodijackyl @ Thu - Aug 5 2010 - 21:52:29)
Reviewed each of the Heavy Seas variety pack, plus a random tallboy of some German pils that was in the fridge, thus drinkable as someone else was driving. Heavy Seas Loose Cannon is probably my favorite IPA, especially because it always seems to be extremely fresh.
http://beeradvocate.com/user/beer_reviews?ba=ZodijackylLoose cannon is probably the single most under rated east cost ipa
shame the variety pack didnt have their "mutiny fleet" barlywine... DELIC
Asked about the barley wine because you suggested it, still can't find it