Hey all, I got back from Abraxas Day, and it was a blast! As a neophyte to the beer community, I was thinking to myself, "man, I am seriously driving 2 hours to stand in line for beer", but after the experience, am now counting down the days for next year. The bottle sharing experience was unlike any other. I am in a small community with no real way besides trading to get a hold of some really good, shareable stuff, so I won't even comment on what I brought. Here is a list of what I got to sample(or what I remember..to be honest, there were some beers that people came down the line and poured a sample, I didn't have a time to mentally note what it was)... Chocolate Sombrero Even Less Jesus 2012 Bourbon County Barleywine 2014 Darkness Zombie Dust Psuedo Sue(literally 10 minutes after Zombie Dust, which gave me such a good comparison) 2012 Big John Not Your Father's Root Beer Then a few minutes before 12, Phil comes out(like a boss) on the roof and talks to the crowd how things are going to go down. I went inside, and was poured 2 glasses of heaven. Then, because I was on a bit of a time constraint, went outside to wait for the goods. While standing in line, I got to talk to some locals(1-2 miles away), and gushed about how lucky they were to be so close to a great brewery like Perennial. I then asked one of the guys what his favorite Perennial was, and he tells me about Peace Offering. At that moment, I feel a tapping on my shoulder, and one of the guys from Chicago who I was in the original line with is standing there, with a brew in hand. It was Peace Offering. Amazing! For me, I cannot thank everyone enough. You all were amazing. Mike from Chicago, Zach from Davenport, Joe C., and especially the Perennial Artisan staff.
Agreed, the bottle share was epic. In the space of 5 minutes I had samples of CCB Double-Barrel Hunahpu, Westbrook Mexican Cake, and Prairie Pirate Bomb. I feel sorry for the individuals who purchased VIP Tix and didn't show up for the best part of the release, which was sharing beers and conversation with everyone else in line. Hell of a time.
Shame on me for not writing it down. Could've sworn he said it was 2012. Shows you how little I know, lol
As one of the VIP ticket people, don't feel sorry for us. Aside from one of the lines leaking in the box emptying the keg, everything went perfect and we got to try 8 tremendous beers. The highlight for me was Side Project One Candle, which after reading today is a smoked RIS aged 18 months in Knob Creek and served uncarbed. Simply amazing. That being said, I usually appreciate a bottle share, but this really allowed me to use my Saturday morning in a productive way at home and still get amazing beer. I was a little concerned a couple weeks ago when the VIP tickets went on sale on a Wednesday afternoon and a bottle share broke out though. Seemed like 2pm on a Wednesday was a little excessive.
Here's a list of some of the stuff I was able to get a taste of and a few others that I saw when I was in line on Saturday: Funky Buddah Blueberry Cobbler OMG by Rapp Heady Topper New Glarus Unplugged Big Bad Baptist DB Hunahpu On the Shoulders of Giants by The Rare Barrel Central Waters 16 Lagunitas Born Yesterday Not Your Father’s Root beer New Glarus Sour Ale New Glarus Raspberry Tart 2006 Behemoth Cultivateur by Deschutes Good Gourd by Cigar City Cran-bic by New Glarus Venus by Bells Orange Truffle Abduction by Pipeworks Apple Ale by New Glarus Devil Over a Barrel by Tyranena Brewing Company Trappist Westvleteren 12 (XII) New Glarus - Very Wild Peach Space Ghost by Central Waters Almanac - Golden Gate Geueze Grandis (Blend #1) by OEC Brewing Special Herbs by Upright Brewing BA Arrogant Bastard by Stone BA Narwhal
This was the best beer I had all day, possibly the best beer I've ever had. Who makes the best beer? bevoduz! BTW, I did not take any photos of the beer line up or the festivities, anyone have any to share or know where I can find some?
