Foothills Bourbon Barrel Sexual Chocolate 2017

and age a beer longer than four months, this might have been the worst version yet. Foothills seems complacent but if your making money...

 

You're sayin' this years BBA Sexual Chocolate was the worst? Work killed my plans to get out there over the weekend, but I was gonna give it a go Monday or Tuesday after checkin' with the brewery to see if they still had bottles.

 

Heard from multiple of my friends that were there that they liked it much better than 2016, either fresh last year or having it on draft this year.

 

The mouthfeel was watery, the bourbon was present but tasted a little harsh and overpowered the base beer. I drove 2 hours and paid $20 per bottle and Lindley Park and Event Horizon are sitting on the shelves.

 

This was the second year in a row that a friend of mine brought aged Event Horizon (2015 this time, 2014 I think last year) to the morning bottle share and no one wanted any. 2 year old Event Horizon is where its at... I try not to directly compare them too much, there's room for both.

 

I thought the '17 was thinner than the '16, but '17 was more bourbon forward (which is a good thing for me). The 4mo comment is correct, but BASC has always been aged for 4mo; nothing new. Regarding variants, at this point, it's safe to say it's never gonna happen. Had they began doing that several years ago, the beer would have stayed relevant and there would continue to be long lines for it. Ignoring the customers and all the hype has been sucked out of it. They haven't 'killed' the brand, but certainly changed it. Kinda sad, really. Really sad sitting in that nearly empty taproom the morning of the release, reminiscing about how awesome and packed it used to be.

And yes, that habanero, cinnamon and vanilla randall BASC was fantastic. Name it Mexican Sexual Chocolate and bottle it. It's not that hard.

 

It was 150. I strolled in around 9:30 AM and grabbed the last wristband as they called the last group of numbers.

 

Oh yeah the hype is gone. Whole front of the restaurant was near empty. The back had some tables and people packing up. I went to the Friday night share and it was better. Much more cozy and intimate. Saw some old regulars and met some new people but since no one had tables we went around pouring and getting random pours. It was the first time I enjoyed the Friday night more than the Saturday morning.

 

Four months is plenty of time. It's the beer that goes into the barrels that matters. Cycle Brewing in Florida ages almost all of their stuff for 6 months or less and their stouts are world class.

 

I showed up at noon and the wife and I both walked out with a case. No line whatsoever and they were selling cases behind the bar. The hype is done.

 

I think they're pretty lazy and complacent in general. They have an excellent base recipe, but just don't do anything with it. They clearly have the brewing chops, but it seems like they don't care to improve. Their refusal to do a hazy IPA is astounding. They could be raking in the money and accolades if they just put in a little effort.

 

TL's been asked publicly if they will brew a hazy IPA and his comment was, "Never. You can have a juicy IPA without the haze. Try our new new recipe for Seeing Double, it's super juicy."

They just have a different goal/focus. Maybe it's time I change my avatar...

 

Picked up a couple of bottles today (Monday) around 1:30pm. I have some great (fuzzy) memories of this release from years past and I'd second the comments regarding variants. They could absolutely kill it but for some reason, choose not to. Love fresh Jade, and I get nostalgic about SC/BASC but this brewery has gotten a bit stale. They could really benefit from doing what Highland has done in the last two years and do a whole-scale brand makeover. They're probably making money hand over fist selling Cottonwood Pumpkin but can't see the forest for the trees. They're two years from being irrelevant if they stay the course.

 

P.S. Keep the avatar. It's $.

 

The new Seeing Double is not very good. Neither are most of their IPAs. Some are solid, but nothing close to great. Jade is a shade of its former self. I like the food at the brewpub, but almost always leave disappointed by the beer.

 

Someone that actually likes the food at the brewpub?! That's got to be a first!

 

They have good smoked wings. And nachos.

 

A lot of hate here for a place that's been pioneering, consistent, and pretty customer friendly.