Lagunitas is my current favorite brewery. Everything I've tried from them has been amazing.

Deschutes is another great brewery. Enjoyed everything I've tried from them. Hop in the Dark is a great dark IPA.

Since it's approaching the Holidays, you must try Anchors Christmas Ale. It's slightly different every year, but is OUTSTANDING.

local pub has Founders' Breakfast Stout, Canadian Breakfast Stout, and Kentucky Breakfast Stout coming up, but the prices are ridiculous...

also has Southern Tier's Pumking next week, which I've yet to try

tried sierra nevada torpeda and liked it but wasn't blown away
had a shipyard xxxx ipa and liked it a bunch...just a sucker for double ipa

The Sam Adams Pumpkin Ale was pretty subtle... good, but subtle. This Schlafly Pumpkin Ale smells just like pumpkin pie and it's definitely stronger than the Sam Adams.

:drool:

I may have to venture out for this pumpkin ale. Sounds good.

Screw that; fresh Nutcracker is awwwwwwwwwwwesome. If you like hoppy beers, that is. Fresh Nutcracker behaves so much like an IPA.

I have 3 bottles of 2011 Abyss in my cellar - great beer. Hope you are able to track some down...

By all means, crack one now. If he likes it great. I like a little age on my Nutcracker though.

Not a fan of SA's pumpkin. But the Lagunitas isn't bad. Schlafly's is just like eating a piece of mom's pumpkin pie except it tastes a lot better.

Lagunitas is definitely good but there is a very distinctive hoppy flavor to everything they do. I'm a fan but sometimes I can't tell the difference from one of their offerings to the next.

I'm a huge Avery fan. The Rev is probably in my all-time top 5.

Avery IPA has taken our town by storm. Seems like every good beer bar has it on tap and is pimping the hell out of it.

All worth the price.

I was disappointed by Sierra Nevada's Torpedo IPA. Most of what I've tried from Sierra has been quite excellent. Their Harvest/Estate series is outstanding, and they make the best barley wine (Bigfoot) I've tried.

Avery is an excellent brewery. You should try their Maharaja Imperial IPA, and pretty much anything else you see from them. I'm looking forward to their Old Jubilation, which is their Christmas ale.

You should try the Doppel Weizen that Lagunitas has out now, which is their September beer. Great, great beer. I know what you are talking about on Lagunitas with the hops (doesn't bother me as much), but if you try their stout offerings, you'll not be disappointed.

I haven't tried Abyss yet, but I'll see if I can find it and let you know how it is.

Drinking the Chocolate Bock now.... before tonight I hadn't tried the 3 on the right or the porter. Favorite time of the year for beer. :)

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r...113_221527.jpg

Probably already been mentioned but I tried an IPA on tap called Shipwrecked. Delicious

I love pretty much ANY IPA.

Question: I had some Kona Pipeline Porter at the EPCOT food and wine festival two weeks ago. So ****ing good. Where can I get it around KC?

You can't.

Mother****. You sure? They were selling it in bottles there, but no way was I going to pay $6/bottle for it.

Yup. Positive. Kona doesn't distribute to any state that borders MO. Texas might be the closest state with Kona distribution.

Ffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

Big ditto for me. I am a pretty regular buyer of Lakefront's IPA.

tried out 2 new beers last night

1. Boulevard's Tank 7 - holy shit, that's delicious, great rendition of a Belgian white
2. Southern tier pumpking - heavy on the nutmeg or something, but one of the better pumpkin beers I've had

after 4 beers I had a very solid buzz on, but that's ok they are 8% abv

Had some Lagunitas IPA last night. VERY good. I've had it before, but I forgot just how good it is. Even my wife ordered one, and she hates IPAs.

Also had 75th St. Brewery IPA. Not very good, IMO. Wasn't very hoppy, but didn't have any other flavors in it, either. Tasted sorta watery.

It's a terrible Belgian white, mostly because it doesn't try one bit to be a witbier. It's a ****ing fantastic Saison, though.

Crown Valley's Barnwood Blonde...awesome, just awesome.

Which one? They have 2 IPAs. One of them is like you describe. But the other one is awesome.

Good Hope IPA - meh

Summit St. IPA - ****in A Delicious! Very complex.

The problem is that the Summit St. is only available in limited quantities so it's not on the menu all the time.

Sorry, it was the Good Hope.

I've got it down here in the DFW area. You ship me a 6 pack of FreeState Oatmeal Stout, and I'll ship you the Kona Porter.

This.

I've been milking the shit out of the case I bought last month. Think I have 13 left.

Sam Adams Black and Brew coffee stout is really good. The first Chocolate Bock I had a few days ago was kind of 'meh', but this one is delicious.

Speaking of fantastic Saison's, have you tried North Coast Brewings Merle? Freaking great!

!! ****ing DEAL.

I've got a bottle of it in my fridge now, coincidentally.

Also, I really love how a beer trade just went down in this thread. Makes me happy.

Tried some new IPAs tonight.

Boulevard Double Wide IPA - It's been so long since I had this, I'd forgotten what it was like. I enjoyed it, but it pales in comparison to the Lagunitas.

Green Flash Brewing Co. (CA) Hop Head Red -- Red IPA. I didn't like it. Too bitter for me. If you enjoy reds, though, you'll probably enjoy it.

Green Flash Brewing Co. (CA) West Coast IPA -- Mediocre IPA. Not enough taste, and slightly acidic.

Breckenridge Brewey (CO) - Lucky U IPA -- Second best I've had all week. Not too bitter, with a good amount of flavor.

Can't really say that I LOVED any of them. Nothing like the Free State IPA or the Lagunitas (I seriously spoiled my taste buds with that one). Any of these are worth a drink, but I can't see anyone adopting them as a favorite beer or anything.

I've been on an IPA kick as of late as well. I'm really loving the Avery as my goto.

Maybe you got an old bottle of West Coast IPA? I've never heard someone say that it lacked taste.

ok, my bad. It's a Saison, good to know. Either way, delicious.

also had some Lagunitas "sucks" Holiday Ale brown sugar substitute. Not that great, honestly. Not much flavor, mild hops and I didn't really get any brown sugar. Pass next time.

Also tried Dogfish Head Raison, now that is a nice beer! Anybody could enjoy that beer I think.

Also had a Southern Tier 2XIPA, got that great for what's supposed to be an imperial IPA.

Finally had a chance to try Saison Brett at the 3 Floyds 15th Anniversary party - great beer! I wish I remembered it a little better, as that day got progressively hazy, but I do remember really liking it. A buddy recently found a bottle of that locally, so I should have another chance to try it soon - looking forward to it.

And Baller Stout (blend of Darkness, Dark Lord, Beer Geek Brunch, and Black Albert) was pretty outstanding. Being able to blend those 4 beers is alone worth some serious props, but the final product turned out quite well. Looking forward to cracking a bottle after some aging...

I tried the Lagunitas Sucks recently, too - thought it was decent, but not great. Made for a funny exchange with the waitress, though:

Her: "Can I get you something to drink?"
Me: "Lagunitas Sucks"
Her: "Uh...well, you don't have to drink that. We have lots of other beer."
Me: "..."

Made for a good laugh...

3 Floyds need to come to KC.

Understatement of the day.

Agreed, the time I tried it it was pretty darn good, and everything an IPA should be.

Perhaps. I'll try it again.

I picked up a few of the Trader Joe's Vintage Ale 2011 bombers yesterday.

I know, I know, Trader Joe's, but hey, they have good outfits brewing their beer. In this case, it's Unibroue.

Should be interesting.

They need to come to MN, too. Fortunately, I can get their stuff in WI...

Lagunitas Sucks.

False. Which one did you have?

Hooray! Someone fell for it!

Trying the Anchor Porter while taking in the game. Pretty good. I love when the weather gets cold and the store shelves start filling with the darker stuff.

Boo! I was browsing on my iPhone. Didn't see the second capital letter :(

Drinking Zombie Dust from 3 Floyds tonight. Awesome APA, that would probably be classified as an IPA by most breweries. Tons of citrus in the nose and the taste, and super well balanced. The aroma is absolutely fantastic. Awesome beer - wish I had more. I'm hoping they make this a regular release...

Austrian black lager from Old Chicago.

Since 1270... that's a long time.

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r...122_221413.jpg

Boulevard Harvest Dance.

Ghey Death.

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/8897/harvestdance.jpg

Was it any good? I saw it in the store last time and was curious.....

It's not just good, it's great. There isn't a better wheatwine in the world.

I enjoyed it. I probably would've enjoyed it more in September, but with the KC temps approaching 60, it was a nice beer to consume while disposing of my leafs.

Went to Yard House today... tried Warsteiner Dunkel, which was excellent. Had a sample of a Schlafly coffee stout, which I didn't care for... it was pretty weak. And for dessert, Young's Double Chocolate Stout.

I've heard Young's Chocolate Stout + SA Cherry Wheat is really good... they have both on tap, but I didn't try it.

Can I lay that down for a while?

Absolutely. I'm curious to see how it plays out long-term. I've still two bottles of the original, 2009 vintage. I expect the hoppiness that makes the beer so delicious when fresh will have faded out, but the maltiness to have become richer with the slight oxidation.

https://www.facebook.com/Boulevard/p...50432631334765

Drank one of those last New Year's Eve. Potent. Definitely one to split with a friend.

BBQ day!

http://i143.photobucket.com/albums/r...213_104222.jpg

Dear ruthless, merciless God,

Please let there still be some bottles of BBQ in the KC area when I get back into KC on Thursday afternoon.

I can't imagine it will sell out that quickly. I can still find bottles of Saison Bret limited in Topeka.

Jesus. Where? I'ma go visit my brother in Topeka and stock up.

In KC, it WILL sell out quickly. I don't expect you'll see them too much by the end of the week.

I'm going over to Hy-Vee right now in Lee's Summit for mine.

I'll check to see if Meyers Retail Liquor still has some today (because i'm going there to see if they have the BBQ).

I'd reserve a 6'er but I have a bad feeling you'd dip yer' nuts in 'em first...

A near certainty.

We still have Saison Brett here as well. May still have BBQ from last year.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.slashfood...06/33-beer.jpgGotta try Ba Moui Ba Beer from Viet Nam...loaded with formaldyhyde...mmmmmm mmmm

Let me know, there's a place on the way up just by the Ark border that should still have some when I come through next week some time. I know last year they had a ton when I came back through a week after it came out.

If I run into another bottle, I can grab one for you. We went to Bubbles in the Northland... they had 3 cases and were limiting it to one per person. We went to Hy-Vee twice and the Boulevard man hasn't been there yet... I might try it again after work.

I'll let y'all know if my searches on Thursday turn up empty. Between my usual three secret stash type stores I'm sure I'll be able to pick up a few bottles.

FYI....

Get a free Stella Artois chalice by calling 1-800-692-4254. While supplies last, through 1/31/2012.

http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/5...heroonlyv2.jpg