It is only fitting that Sam Adams is the beer for Massachusetts. I went for their latest creation on the market.
Tactical Nuclear Penguin + Tokyo
First, big shout out to Josh at FoodGPS who purchased not only the famed Tokyo from BrewDog in Scotland but also TACTICAL NUCLEAR PENGUIN!!
That’s right. The highest alcohol beer on the entire PLANET! Alot of all caps, I know but this beer costs a good 37 pounds in England.
This was one hell of a beer. Big whiskey aromas almost assault your nose. A sip burns the tongue and anything else it comes into contact with warming alcohol. A big roasty, peat taste dominates. It comes in a 12 oz bottle but can easily be shared by six people. This is a sipper to slowly enjoy.
Help me reach my goal
The 50 Beers from 50 States challenge is now 1 month old. As you can see from the stats, the progress is good. But due to a combination of the arcane and sometimes bizarre liquor laws in some states and the limited distribution scope of some breweries, I forsee some states falling into the cracks. This is where YOU come into the picture.
If you have access to a beer from a state that I have not crossed off my list and you are willing to ship (1) bottle or can to California then I will make a donation of $15.00 to a food bank in your area of the country. You will also earn my gratitude and a shout-out on the website.
If you have a question or want to make sure that I don’t have something in my ‘fridge already then e-mail me at beersearchparty@gmail.com.
Lost Abbey – Framboise de Amarosa
As opposed to quite a few beer geeks, I like fruit beers. When done well they are (heresy) better than high abv Stout bombs. So as I perused the Lost Abbey 2010 release schedule, this beer really stood out…
“Framboise de Amarosa. This is a barrel aged raspberry beer that has been aging in our distribution warehouse since last summer. In July, we had farm fresh raspberries delivered to our brewery and they went directly into all manners of barrels. And because it didn’t have enough Raspberry character, we added more fruit to the barrels in November.”
FoodGPS + Ladyface Alehouse =
50 from 50 – Texas
Texas is scratched off the list! I get the feeling from beer afficionados that Shiner and the Spoetzel Brewery is somewhat unloved. As is most Texas beer, unless you are in Austin. Same theory holds for music and culture. This black lager was not as good as Full Sail’s Session Black, I must say. It’s OK, just a little thin for my taste.
Captain Lawrence – Golden Delicious
from New York comes this new release news….
Release: January 30th, 2010
“There’s nothing quite likes Mom’s apple pie…But I am willing to bet this beer is pretty darn close. An American Tripel, dry-hoped with Amarillo hops and aged in Apple Brandy barrels from one of this country’s oldest distilleries. The tropical aroma of the hops and the delicate apple aroma from the barrels are a perfect match. Straight from the Captain’s cellar to yours, we hope you enjoy.”
Review – Dale Brothers Winter Haze
50 from 50 – Vermont
Out here in Los Angeles, we have just started getting Magic Hat. Actually, all I have seen is #9. I had that in 2009 so it was verboten for the challenge. But thanks to Bruisin’ Ales, check Vermont off. I had their fall seasonal, Roxy Rolles
Here is the review…
2010 collaborations
I have heard through the grapevine of the interwebs that there are two planned collaboration brews coming up this year so far from Stone Brewing: one at the end of this month with 21st Amendment and Firestone Walker (Camino Un-Real), and another coming up in March, with Dogfish Head and Victory.
At this point, I need a website that tracks all of these projects and what there status is at any given point in time. In the past, you could easily keep up with the few “brewing get togethers” that happened but 2009 was the tipping point and it appears the floodgates have opened.
Here is what I would like to see…..
Brewers involved – where brewed – bottled or tap only – where available – name of beer.
It might also be cool to have a list of mythical collaborations that never came to be.