Chicago Stout Releases (2018)

No doubt IMHO BBB is one of the best if not THE best available at it's price point. Yes, I have to travel north to the infamous Frozen Tundra of Wisconsin to get it but so what? Worth the ride all the time every time. Now I need to get my hands on some DB Baptist!

 

Sure, dude, it has been covered but you need your take, right? Haha, just kickin' ya, dude, I appreciate your insight and comments.

 

This one is only for complaining about stout pricing!

 

I concur! Find it hard to think of another beer in it's style so good at that price point.

 

Yeah I know, I just can't pass up a chance to make sure I'm not misunderstood.


Also, they pay me by the BA comment here at work.

 

Bite the bullet and grab the EC12. It was very hot out the gates, but i could imagine a year on it would do wonders. I opened one a couple nights ago and will let the other sit for a year or two.

 

You'll retire early should that be the case.

 

BBB is all over NW Indiana as well.

 

FYI, the tasting room at LP Binny's has a pretty killer lineup currently, if anyone is in the area (at least according to Beer Menus).

 

That's good to know because the Apple Brandy was perfect that night (as was the Buffalo Trace).

 

Just cracked my first Drago from this year's batch. Really good - definitely not nearly as good as something like BCBS, but can see the "BCBS Lite" comment I've heard before. Considering I had a couple drain pours before this, it was a welcome drink.

 

I was hoping to get some Drago while up over the holidays. No luck though. Did drink my one lonely bottle of Big Hugs last night. What a really good coffee stout. Incredibly smooth and easy drinking. Usually with bombers I start to get tired of it near the end, or after one good glass I'll cork it for the next day. I could've drank another full pour of it and not felt gross.

Also, scored a bottle of Deth's Tar at my local Meijer today. I told myself I wouldn't buy any regular since I got a Cafe and regular is usually on tap here several times throughout the year. But it was just sitting there too long to pass up. Seeing a shelf full 3 times in one week did me in, not to mention you could see the bright red boxes half way across the store from the produce section. So I've got that going for me on a Tuesday. I'll probably be back for the shelf full of Ryeway too...

 

1) Drago is still around plenty, I think (at least in Chicago), so keep your eyes peeled if you want it.

2) I think I asked about Xocoveza: Charred in this thread (last month?), and it looks like it's hit Chicago again (Beer Menus had it popping up at one of the Loop-area Whole Foods a couple days back). I may be the only one who cares about this, but last year's version surprised me (underwhelming reviews, 3 months in a barrel), so I'm looking forward to drinking a bottle.

 

Ive had a lot of Stone BA beers and have felt this way about all of them (besides WOOT). A friend and I split a bottle last year and felt the same way. Stone over all has been less of my go-to when coming to beers in general. Although I've been very curious about thier Maui Magnum bottle. Might try to find a few people to try to split the cost and drinking duties just to see what it's like.

 

I think the issue with Stone, at least when it comes to their barrel-aged stuff, is that they don't give it what I'd consider "proper" barrel treatment; they only keep it in barrels for 6 months or less, it seems. That, combined with the fact that a lot of the beers being aged aren't stouts (so have a lighter body) makes the ensuing beer not line up with what I'm ideally looking for.

Charred was just really tasty to me. I would've loved a thicker beer with more time in barrels, but the product that came out still tasted great, so I'm hoping this year's version gives me the same good vibes.

I'd pick up that Maui collab in a sec if it weren't so big; I can't justify $50 on a bottle I won't finish before it goes flat.

 

Count another who would love a more 'proper' aging of this beer.

 

I didn't see Deth's Tar at my Oswego Meijer, but I saw Ryeway to Heaven there and laughed at how random it was. It was placed on the top shelf of the Holiday Gift Sets next to something like RumChata and and Baileys. At $18.99 it was a bit more than our local shops, which I would prefer to purchase from anyway. But nice to know it's widely available. (but now that probably means it won't taste as good if it's not hard to get...)

 

That's how all their beers are and its great. I find myself liking those beers a little more simply because I know that I can easily get another at the pub or something. They remind me a lot Goose in the way they hadle their beer (large quantities and lower prices on beer).

 

Are you talking about regular or BA'd, or both? Unfortunately not making the trip back up for the foreseeable future and I don't believe WO is distributed down here. It's nice to have things to look forward to in the future. Gotta have goals!