Best Variety/Mixed packs you're seeing now

Tröegs Most Wonderful Beer of the Year Sampler

 

A lot of the best mixed packs I’m seeing now are either Holiday or season related. Check them out here: https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/share-your-holiday-packs-2022.669801/

 

Real Ale Brewing in Blanco TX does good mixed six packs. My favorite is their so called "bomber pack" They still do three bombers, Black Quad, Real Heavy Scotch Ale, and Commissar RIS.

Every once in a while they will release a six pack with 2x of each, 12oz of coarse. For around $10. I always pick that up when I see it, as they are all very good examples of the style. I never see the actual bombers for sale anywhere now, and if I did, I can't remember the last time I bought a bomber. So this pack is great.

 

The Boulevard 6er of the 3x2... Holiday flavored Impy brown, stout and barleywine. Very good brews, wish each were in a 4pack of their own

 

I am drinking through the Allagash pack as well. I paid $22, buy two and it was $20. Love the stout and the IPA, nice to reconnect with white and still up in the air on the river trip, it’s not that it’s bad but still not sure what it’s supposed to truly be.

I want to grab the Schlafly stout box and also the Clown shoes pack. I’m sure there are others as well.

Enjoy

 

The Stone 12 Days of IPA is waiting for me to make up my mind. Want the 26th Anniversary Triple and Ruination. Less enthusiastic about some of the others like the Green Tea IPA.

Saw and passed on the Best of Belgium. Stella, Hoegaarden and Leffe doesn't scream 'best' to me.

Settled on the Sam Adams Cheers 12pk for me and the Harpoon holiday12pk as a gift for a relative (yeah, know I'm cheap).

 

Founders used to have a mix case of Porter, Bastard, Pale Ale and Centennial. That was a good pack. I still really like the Yards pack, IPA, Brawler, Pale Ale and Lager. It used to have Love Stout but not seen that in a while. I was also buying the Oskar Blues 15 pack last few months for $13.49. Pils, Dales, Mutant IPA , Lager and a Hazy….the other mix they had was Lager, Dales and Double Dales.

Does Saranac make a mix anymore?

Enjoy

 

Did see a Winter seasonal mix. Remember it had a Winter Lager and a Porter plus two others that I can't think of.

 

What!?!

I thought you lived in Malta.

Cheers!

 

I don't have a 'current' mix-pack to discuss but I am a BIG fan of the Elysian Pumpkin beer mixed 12-pack:


I discussed the Coffee Pumpkin Ale yesterday in the NBW thread:



https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-weekend-124.670206/#post-7659099

Cheers!

 

That doesnt sound too bad. The Winter Storm ESB is worth it because not many people in the US make a imperial ESB but you can get that in 6 packs also. However, this variety pack here from them is total ass. These IPA's taste like artificial chemicals. I couldnt believe how bad they were. They were literally undrinkable.

 

Clown Shoes 12 Beers of Christmas. 24.99 isnt cheap but you get such a wide variety of styes that its worth it imo.

 

Sam Adams and as stated above, Boulevard are the best varieties I've seen. I'd like to see more of these especially around the more festive seasons.

 

$12.49 a six is not horrible. That’s right about what a grocery store make a six is around here and I bet the clown shoes is better beer.

Enjoy

 

I don't even look at the Sierra Nevada and Firestone Walker variety packs these days as they are all IPA affairs. A local variety pack I would buy if it was made is Anchor Steam with a couple of their Our Special Ales, a Porter, a Liberty Ale, an Old Foghorn and a Steam Beer, just because.

 

I miss the Sierra Nevada Beer Camp Mixed 12 packs.

 

The FW variety packs used to be one of my regular purchases, but like you, when they decided to go all IPA I have no interest in them anymore.

The Beer Camp variety packs were great. And they lived up to the name, as they had a wide variety of styles and thankfully only a few of them were IPAs.

 

Or maybe we are talking:

 

Feels like the concept is dying, which is too bad. I like 'em. Most of the ones I see are all IPA's of varying strength levels, potentially with one oddball other style tossed in for posterity. Probably the best one I've bought lately is the Sweetwater pack that includes 420, Almond Milk Stout, High Light, and Broken Coast. Even though they aren't necessarily what they once were, Boston Beer still probably rules the category.

 

This caught my eye today at WF while I was in line to pay for some garlic and coffee. This counts as a mix pack I think. Not sure I’m going to buy this but the beers are interesting and priced right for what they are.

Enjoy

 

These are the 15 Packs I have been drinking of late.

I’m drinking an Allagash White from a different mix pack.


Enjoy

 

"Strawberry Banana IPA" sounds like absolute ass

 

Is it safe to say you aren't a fan of Grapefruit Sculpin IPA?

Cheers!

 

Was $15.99 at the PriceChopper in Keene, NH.

But most of them sucked to a greater or lesser extent.

 

I got the Sam Adams "wicked" mix pack last week. I generally like SA brews but all of these were subpar.
On a positive note I got a mix pack by Rougue at Costco and all of those were above par!

 

This variety 12pk from Zero Gravity is way excellent. In fact, Madonna DIPA is one of the smoothest brews I've had.

 

Just saw a Samuel Smith variety 6-pack at my local--going to grab one for the holidays next time I'm in. It has what I would consider an all-star lineup: pale ale, nut brown ale, oatmeal stout, taddy porter, imperial stout, and chocolate stout. Pretty much perfect for my tastes. As someone who doesn't like anything more hop-forward than an English-style pale ale, and doesn't like dessert beers, there is always at least one item in variety packs that ends up going into the gift/visitor's section of the fridge. Not so with this one.

 

Please report back the bottle dates for those beers.

Cheers!

 

I can guess without looking: 6-8 months old. I don't have any concerns in this age range for these styles (maybe a little for the pale ale). Would they be better fresher and not having sat in a shipping container? Absolutely. But SS's brewing quality combined with the traditional taste of their ales isn't something that I can find locally.

In September I had an oatmeal stout and taddy porter that were bottled in January. Both were great.

That said, 90-95% of my purchases are from New England Brewers, as I like to keep my dollars local and support these brewers in their continued improvement.

 

Yes, beers brewed with dark malts hold up well with age, and in the near-mid term even improve.

I brewed a Robust Porter which I bottled 11/2/22. I have tasted one just to check that it carbonated and there were no fermentation byproducts (it was well carbonated and no off flavors from fermentation). Those two cases of Porter are in my cellar and I will start drinking them in February.

My Oatmeal Stouts were bottled 7/5/22 and are in peak form right now.

Cheers!

 

Tree House usually executes them pretty well, particularly when they use KJ as a base