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Review – Costco and Deschutes Vintage Ale 2024

There are not to many beers nowadays that get the social media talking, but one that has bucked that trend is the Costco Vintage Ale brewed by Deschutes Brewery.

I am lucky enough to know someone with the magic card and so I got to get the boxed barrel-aged beer to try.

I am amazed to see an old school 22oz bomber bottle when I wrestle the bottle out of the packaging. In the first few sips, I am getting a woody bitterness that hides the light bourbon note underneath. The aroma has a green almost peppery note to it which is at some odds to the flavor. That and the viscosity belie the 12% abv. It is almost like a coffee cocktail.

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Pirate’s Booty

Blackbeard’s Crafts in West LA on Sawtelle was brought to my attention as a potential craft beer shoppe and a quick perusal of their online offerings showed a tilt to foreign beers which if holds true in store could make this a good stop.  They also carry exotic snacks so it seems akin to Replicant in Pasadena.  I will schedule a visit and see if it is worth a detour.

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Only 80?

Around the World in 80 Beers by Martyn Cornell is on my Christmas list for sure not a funny giant chocolate advent calendar wish.  

My first thought when seeing the book title was, how many of these beers have I had? If this part of the description is any indication, not many. “The range of different beers covered is astonishing: not just the well-known, such as IPA, pilsner, and Imperial stout, but the rare and little-heard-of, such as Norwegian kveik ale, or Jopejskie, the thick, black, amazingly strong beer recently revived in Poland.”

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Christmas Beer Time – Day 5

Our next gift is from your brewing friends at New Glory Brewing in Sacramento. We have Frosty Delight a hot cocoa marshmallow stout.

“This chocolate-forward stout delivers a decadent blend of rich cacao nibs, perfectly balanced with creamy vanilla and marshmallow flavors. Subtle notes of toffee linger in the background, bringing a rich, caramelized depth to every sip. It’s the perfect frosty delight for those who prefer their hot cocoa cold, and in a can!”

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Footsie

Untappd the ticking app for craft beer fans is known for badges that you can accumulate with each beer you taste.  And now those badges are immortalized in footwear in time for the holidays.  How many of them have you achieved?

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Best Beers of November 2024

Despite the Fall, IPAs dominated this month’s Best of List though not the Best beer of the month. That was garnered by a chain brewery.

First though, the bitterness…

Lagunitas Lil’ Sumpin, Sumpin Wheat IPA surprised me with the toned down from their 19.2 oz flavoring bombs IPA in a 12oz can. There was another gem in the Short Lived series from MadeWest Brewing pairing with Highland Park for their rotating IPA and then another collaboration as Beachwood and Green Cheek came together for Adventures of Lucky and Cheeky IPA.

The winner, for me, was BJ’s Brewhouse 25th Anniversary Grand Cru. Maybe I am a sucker for that number since I leveled up to that this year as well but this was a well done Belgian styled beer that really showcased the yeast.