Chicago Stout Releases (2018)

Rye Hipster was good when I had it last year. Lots of hazelnut in this, but I like hazelnut coffee so I'm not put off by it.

Don't get the rubbing alcohol thing, though. Get lots of hazelnut on the nose. Like I just brewed a cup of hazelnut coffee in the Keurig.

 

Yeah, I was surprised too. It was noticeable to me as it came up to temp. I'm usually not someone who is sensitive to barrel notes in that way.

 

I enjoyed Hazel the other night though the hazelnut kinda drowned out the barrel. I was wondering why Founders was pushing everyone to finish their CBS by December and then the new release was announced shortly later....

 

Out of towner in Chicago for the VSOJ release this weekend.

Any good IPAs or stouts to look out for?

Will probably hit a store downtown, likely LP Binnys.

 

Corridor has a can release of one of their best IPAs: Cosmic Juice Box tomorrow at 11 A.M. One 4-pack per person and I think there are a 100 4packs available. There might be some line but you should be able to get through it pretty quick.

 

Hop Butcher just dropped 3 beers this week. You should be able to find some at Binnys

 

Has Lagunitas said anything about High Westified or any BA stout yet this year? If I remember correctly that was November 2017?

 

Im drinking a 2017 High Westified now. The coffee is completely gone, but its still a great smokey bourbony beer

 

Willettized will probably get bottled right after their next run of Newcastle Brown.

EDIT: Okay, that response was true internet snarkiness at it's best (worst?). Sorry. Let's try that again. No more Westified anymore. I assume it will be Willett barrels again this year, but haven't heard anything. And yeah, they're making Newkie Brown now. Welcome to the family I suppose.

 

The BA Barrel Roll At Buckledown is pretty tasty. The sweetness of the milk stout rounds out the BA character and makes it a pretty smooth drinker.

 

That’s the exact same reason I love BA fun size from Pollyanna. Taproom only I’m guessing?

 

18th St currently has We’ve Been Out There by Other Half on draft if anyone is nearby. Great stuff.

 

As far as I know it is taproom only. Had cans to go as of Friday afternoon.

 

I didnt see any yesterday but I may have missed them. Had some on draft

 

Enjoying a Perrin Malted Milk Ball now; not brewed in Chicago, obviously, but available here.

Semantic argument: they call this an "Imperial Porter"; to me such a thing doesn't exist. All stouts are porters; however, the bigger, thicker, higher ABV porters are, by definition, "stout porters" and should be referred to in our current nomenclature as stouts or imperial stouts. But for a brewery that touts "No Rules", fuck the world, I guess!

That said...not bad! Pretty sweet, but they are going for a malted milk ball flavor, so this isn't a bad thing...and there's enough earthy ballast to keep this drinkable. I'm not going to buy a second bomber but I don't regret this at all.

 

Isn't 2017 Willettized? 2016 was High Westified I'm pretty sure. The High West barrels went to Ballast Point last year, and were used in their BA Victory at Sea, IIRC. (Which is now hitting shelves btw).

 

There was a final High Westified release that was very small and was gone quickly. It may have been 2017 early in the year and Willetized came out later. I'm having a hard time remembering right now though. I just remember I was able to snag a few bottles of that last Westified release, and then cried a little. They were just cleaning out the last of their High West barrels. HIgh West victory at sea is good, but often inconsistent, and Willetized is a little less of a beer than High Westified in my opinion. All amazing for the price point and availability though!.

 

Didn't realize there was a small High Westified release, actually. Although I wasn't following the beer scene/BA scene the same way then as I do now.

I thought Willettized was better than High West, personally. /shrug

And didn't actually run into consistency issues with the High West V@S last year. I picked up 4x4 packs all at once, I believe, though. So that may be why?

 

I look forward to Westified/Willetized (whatever we're calling it) every year. I absolutely love that I can go into Jewel and pick up a case of it for under $60.

Then there are the liquor stores that smell like price gouge when you walk in, who sell single bottles of it for $6.99, and tell me to get out of the store when I ask them why they're charging half of the 6-pack price for one bottle.

 

surprised to hear that, Willettized was very scarce around me it seemed like my local Jewel only got about 2-3 cases total.