681. Weyerbacher – Heresy Imperial Stout aged in Oak Barrels
Mar08

681. Weyerbacher – Heresy Imperial Stout aged in Oak Barrels

We’re sitting down to watch the second Hunger Games movie and having dinner. I’ve already had New Glarus Cherry Stout earlier today, so I thought I’d stick with the stouts, and go a bit bigger. I believe this is one of the beers my friend Travis gave me in a mixed 6-pack he brought back from his trip to Virginia Beach last year. Location: Poured into a snifter glass at my home in Bloomington, IL. Numbers: 8% ABV,...

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680. New  Glarus – Unplugged Cherry Stout
Mar08

680. New Glarus – Unplugged Cherry Stout

We’ve got our home on the market, and we had an open house this morning. This afternoon has been pretty relaxing, catching up on several beer reviews. After editing a few, I had a craving for one. So as I sit here during halftime of the Mizzou basketball game, I went out to the garage to grab a beer. I forgot to mention that the beer fridge is now gone, in storage while we move. So, all the beer is boxed up in the cold garage...

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679. Port Brewing Co. – Shark Attack Double Red Ale
Mar06

679. Port Brewing Co. – Shark Attack Double Red Ale

As I keep mentioning, things are pretty stressful right now with everything we have going on. Both my wife and I really needed a beer, so we headed to Firehouse Pizza Pub in Normal. They usually have some pretty good beers on tap, and their NY style pizza is decent (avoid their normal pizza, as the sauce is super sweet). Location: On tap and served in a tumbler style pint glass at Firehouse Pizza Pub in Normal. Numbers: 9% ABV, ~270...

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679. Olde Hickory Brewery – Daniel Boone Ale aged in Oak Barrels
Mar01

679. Olde Hickory Brewery – Daniel Boone Ale aged in Oak Barrels

It’s been a long, tough day, cleaning, prepping the house, and meeting with our realtor. But today, we now have a for sale sign in our yard. We’re nervous as hell about moving, and to take the edge off, I decided to open up this big beer. This is another beer my sister brought me from her trip to Asheville, NC. It had a price tag of $8 on it. The label is a bit cheesy, but I hope you can’t judge this beer by its...

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678.  Samuel Adams – Thirteenth Hour Belgian Style Stout
Feb28

678. Samuel Adams – Thirteenth Hour Belgian Style Stout

I finished the Goose Island Night Stalker and was feeling pretty good. So, I thought I’d go out to the beer fridge and find another big Stout to finish off the night. It’s been that kind of week, and I think I deserve it. And, since were moving soon, I thought I’d get rid of some of the bigger bottles out of the beer fridge. I picked up this beer as part of a special three pack at Sam’s Club right before...

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677. Goose Island – 2012 Night Stalker Imperial Stout
Feb28

677. Goose Island – 2012 Night Stalker Imperial Stout

The last couple weeks have been insane – between buying a new house, trying to get ours ready to sell, and work being crazy busy. I haven’t had much time just to sit down and enjoy a beer. But now that it’s Friday night, I’ve got a chance to enjoy one. So, I thought I grabbed the best one I could see in the beer fridge. I picked up this brew at the liquor store probably about a year ago because I’m a big...

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676. Green Man Brewing – IPA
Feb18

676. Green Man Brewing – IPA

Well, we agreed on an offer on a new house today! It’s exciting and nerve racking all at the same time. So, to take the edge off, I thought I’d grab a beer. This is another one of the group of beers my sister brought back for me from her trip to Asheville, NC this past fall. The bottle says, “Green man India pale ale is delectably hoppy with a properly balanced body. Generous hop additions give it a wonderful...

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675. Bell’s Brewing – Porter
Feb14

675. Bell’s Brewing – Porter

It’s Valentines Day and with everything we have going on, we’re having dinner at home. I went into the fridge to find something to enjoy and found this one hiding in back. I’m not quite sure when I got it, but it is a bottle with batch number 10212 on it. Location: Poured into a curved pint glass at my home in Bloomington, IL. Numbers: 5.6% ABV, 1.055 OG, ~140 Calories Appearance & Aroma: It’s dark brown,...

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674. Avery Brewing – 2009 Mephistopheles’ Stout
Feb12

674. Avery Brewing – 2009 Mephistopheles’ Stout

It’s Wednesday night, and my wife and kids are out at a class, so I sat down to really take time and enjoy this one. I was working on the review earlier for number 666 Lucifer, and remembered I had this one stashed away in the beer fridge. I picked it up at the local liquor store, because I couldn’t believe that it was actually 16.83% ABV. I had to give it a try, but I knew I should probably give it some time to mellow....

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673. Lost Abbey – Double Red Poppy
Feb08

673. Lost Abbey – Double Red Poppy

My dad is in town for the weekend, and we decided to go out to dinner with him tonight. We’d been to Firehouse Pizza Pub in Normal, IL once and I thought the pizza sauce was way too sweet. However, since they had some pretty good beers on tap, I thought I’d give it another chance. We had their New York style pizza and it was actually pretty good (less sauce). After hearing the beer selection, I decided to go for this one,...

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672. Kona Brewing – Big Wave Golden Ale
Feb07

672. Kona Brewing – Big Wave Golden Ale

We picked up Buffalo Wild Wings dinner and I sat down with this beer to watch the Olympics opening ceremonies. This beer was given to me by my wife as part of a mixed 6-pack she bought me for my birthday. Since my birthday was back in September, I figured I’d better have this lighter beer soon. Location: Poured into a chalice glass at my home in Bloomington, IL. Numbers: 4.4% ABV, 21 IBUs, 10.3° Plato OG, ~110 Calories...

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671. Asheville Brewer’s Alliance / Green Man – 2013 Hoppy Saison
Feb06

671. Asheville Brewer’s Alliance / Green Man – 2013 Hoppy Saison

We just got back from looking at a house we might buy and now we’re making pizza and settling in to watch the first night of the Olympics. Home buying is stressful and so I needed a beer when I got home. My sister brought this beer back for me from her vacation in Asheville, NC. It’s a collaboration beer from all the breweries in Asheville. It’s a limited release of only 999 bottles, so my sister felt this would be a...

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