OK this dark time of the year gives time for reflection ,....i was thinking of 15 years ago. Maybe 20 he i used to drive up from Salem to Tigard. And then Oregon City to shop at Liquid Solutions. Matt, the owner was always helpful and the choices of European beers was awesome. Especially considering today we have nothing . Does anyone else remember this place?
Yes! While living back east, I ordered from Matt once, maybe twice. They'd unfortunately closed by the time we moved here, though...
I ordered beer from there once or twice. Pretty sure it was back in 2007, maybe 2008. I'm quite certain I bought bottles of Abyss.
I never stopped by, but did place an order over the phone once. Customer service was good, placing an order was easy, and I thought their prices were fair. It was a sad day when they closed up.
I got to try Blue Dot for the first time because of them. This was probably 2006, before BD saw distribution to WA. That experience was mind blowing and I've never forgotten it. I don't even remember what else I ordered because the Blue Dot was THAT good.
Which makes it all the more sad, what that beer has become (Blue Dot). I remember grabbing several bottles of it at a HOTD FFTW release back in 08, which I brought back to Baltimore with me. I brought a bottle to a large share up in the Philly area, and you wouldn't believe how well it was received. A number of participants acknowledged that it was probably the best IPA/DIPA they'd ever had, and one guy even pleaded with me to let him just have the empty bottle. Sigh... I know a lot has changed since 2008 and 2009, but needless to say, a bottle of Blue Dot wouldn't get that kind of reaction today.
Blue Dot was still good around 2012. I remember the first time I had Heady Topper my response was "This is just like Blue Dot."
I actually had my first Blue Dot in several years about two months ago and it was a drain pour. So sad.
I wish I could tell you it might have been a bad bottle, but it's every bit as lousy on tap in the tasting room, most of the time. I still order a taster glass every now and again, just for old times sake. Every once in a while it will be half way decent, but most of the time it's pretty nearly undrinkable.
