What if...?

I'll defer to your better knowledge of that era, but the two beers were both owned by Coors simultaneously at one point. I may be inferring a lot, but it would seem to me that there might have been concerns of them competing with one another to the point where the parent company would choose to only go with the one that was more profitable for them. I get that these decisions are always more complicated than that, but that sort of concern would have to at least creep into the decision making. Especially considering just how successful Celis was prior to being bought out.

 

What if I’d ordered a cocktail at PDT in 2007 like everyone else, instead of ordering the Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

 

Can't imagine how. The Blue Moon line (which included Honey Blonde Ale and Nut Brown Ale in addition to the Belgian White Ale) was created by Coors and first released in 1995 (coincidentally, the same year Miller bought controlling interest in Celis). After Miller, the Celis brand was owned by Michigan Brewing Co. from 2002 - 2012. The Miller-Coors merger happened in 2008, well after Miller's Celis ownership period of 1995-2000.

Celis did have a pretty wide distribution area but their barrelage in '94 (year before the partial Miller buy-in) was a mere 16k bbl. and then 19.6k bbl. in '95, but in those early days that was large enough to make them the 27th largest "Craft Brewing Company" with 0.5% of the craft market, according to the AoB (pre-Brewers Association), which, at the time, allowed subsidiaries of the large brewers to be listed as "Craft".

 

What if Ken Grossman's parents never met?

 

I paid $50 for a 2 oz. pour at a bar yesterday. 7 oz. would have been sweet.

What if the Big Bang never happened?

 

I don't suppose that bar was in eastern Iowa, by some remote chance..?

 

You’re half right.

Eastern Massachusetts. Specifically, Boston.

 

What If Mackeson was the most popular Stout and Guinness was rarely heard of?

 

Of what?!?!!!! No fucking beer worth that cray cray cash.

 

For that money it would have to be Pappy 23, even then I’d regret it after realizing I couldn’t tell the difference. It would have to be a tick and I’m not a ticker. Pappy goes for like $100 an oz id say. .

 

I'm a ticker (thus, Billy), but $50/2oz? That would have to be my christmas present to myself, and, I'd rather just put the money towards a new knife.

 

I’d go for a hooker and a quickie. Hey my birthday is coming up too.

 

I'll get more use out of the knife....

 

Ouch. The Sam Adams Cincinnati taproom was selling 1oz. pours all weekend for $20 which included a Utopias branded taster glass. Boston markup, perhaps? Either example is too pricey for me.

 

You

An ounce isn’t nearly enough, I need at least 3-4 oz to fairly judge most anything.

 

Or more, lol.

 

The only time I had Utopias was a bottleshare. It was a sour themed share, and just before we started, the host was: wait a minute. Poured us all a shot to start the day.

Basically the same thing as handing each of us ten bucks.

 

Nice, a very generous friend. I’ve never had it, I’m thinking resembling a rich dark Port.

 

Yeah, sorta, but different. Kinda hard to splain, especially when it's been 6+ years.

 

Utopias (as I'm sure you figured out after reading the comments after yours )

I have a bottle of the 15 year at home. That was $100 for the bottle, but yeah, the 23 is a different story. I went to a bar after I had the Utopias that had 15 year Pappy. I would have had it except as I said, I have a bottle at home.

I went with the Makers Mark RC6 instead. Good stuff.

If I had known it was that expensive I wouldn't have got it. I've had it plenty of times before, but the bar was so busy (plus the 20 minute wait to get in) that I just wanted a beer at that point.

Sad part is, I've had it at Extreme Beerfests in the past, unlimited amounts too...for only ~$60 for the ticket. Plus you know, all the other awesome beer you get with that ticket.

I had it at a local beer fest as well (again, had multiple pours) for about $40 for the ticket.

Oh well, you live and you learn. I had a rare IPA there though that was worth the hype. So there's that.

Bear in mind it's basically hard alcohol. It's 27% ABV.

I haven't had a Port in awhile. I remembered it being more like Cognac. The 2 oz. pour I had Saturday was quite sweet, really good. No kick whatsoever like hard alcohol has.

Not worth $250 a bottle, if I'm spending that much, I'm getting a REALLY nice bottle of Scotch.