Goose Island to bring back Big John and Night Stalker

Yep, got a sixth of each heading my way...

 

Beautiful! Both great beers.

 

yeah i heard from my beer buyer that night stalker would be back in 2 weeks the other day. i have a 02/19/10 release in my cellar now and a march 2011 release of big john in the cellar now. cant wait to add more of these!!!

 

For those in the area there seemed to be plenty of vintage Big John and Night Stalker in the to-go fridge at GI Clybourne when I was there last weekend.

 

Aahhh fuck yeah. I loved the one Nightstalker I had a few years ago. Wonder if it will make it out to Boston, seeing as we haven't even seen BCBS yet...

 

Have both Night Stalker & Big John in the cellar. I've tried NS, not BJ. However, was pretty unimpressed with NS. Hope it cellars better. Frankly as non apples to apples comparison, logistics, business standpoint, so on, I'd rather GI put their development energy elsewhere!

 

NS cellars very well, imho. We had a 2010 about a month ago, and 'twas deliciously smooth.

 

I'd buy Big John again!

 

Big John is/was awesome

 

NS is awesome fresh (so good that I have never aged it, lol). It has a super grapefruity nose etc. from the generous hopping Can't wait for NS to return!

 

Big John is basically unbourbon'd BCBS...

 

My buddy has about 2 cases of Night Stalker at his place. I completely forgot it was kinda retired.

 

big john is bcbs base stout aged on cocao nibs. night stalker is the same base beer, just dry hopped. bcbs is the same base beer barrel aged. so yes, you are somewhat correct

 

What were prices like though? Always seem to be pretty steep for to-go beer..

 

Hooray for more Night Stalker!

 

Ugh, I gotta say...I still stand morally opposed to a lot of what AB does....but damn...year round BCBS, the return of some other impressive beers, and another big barleywine in the making? I...want...to...stick...to...my...scruples....

Note: I do, on occassion, still buy GI products and generally love 'em...

 

Very nice! Big fan of those

 

I've never had Big John but Nightstalker was killer good and it ages with the best of them.

 

If I remember correctly they had 2010 NS and 2011 BJ and both were going for $20/bomber. They had a fairly decent vintage bottle list. No BCBS unfortunately but I wasn't really expecting it either.

 

Honestly I wasn't impressed by either of these beers. They were good beers but nothing great.

 

Haven't tried either myself, but what I'm thinking is... they must have been retired for a good reason, right? Was that good reason so they could maximize BCS production? Or weren't they selling well?

 

I believe it was to maximize BCBS production.

I'm still waiting for my Bourbon County Brand Chocolate Stout (Big John was supposedly released in the first place because they didn't have enough bourbon barrels, but I got to try it at Sheffields, and it was my favorite variation there).

 

Night Stalker sat on shelves collecting dust all year long in my area.

Big John has only been released once before, so without a long track record I'd guess that was dropped to make room for other beers.

 

I loved them both on release. I have 2010 and 2011 Night Stalker and Big John cellaring. Never understood why these were discontinued. Glad to see them coming back!

 

I assumed they were discontinued so that GI could focus on upping the production of its core beers and also introducing new or returning beers again.

 

Batch #1 Nigh Stalker, right now, is one of the best non BA stouts around. Thick as molass; a small amount of the hop bitterness persists; a slightly sweet, but balanced by an equally robust amount of roast.

 

nightstalker didn't sell very well. sat on shelves for years (still can find it in popular stores in NYC). big john took awhile to sell out but it's at least not easy to find anymore.

both are good beers.

 

Score, maybe I'll drink the bottle of Big John I have now!

 

Just bought a 2012 Night Stalker, so if you're interested be on the lookout.

 

where at?

 

Sent you a BM.

 

I agree man, once the Hop settled (which was great fresh), it really turned into one of the best Impy stouts I've ever had.

 

night stalker can stay retired but Big John was very underrated as a stout, very well done

 

Nightstalker was at South Loop Binny's as of Black Friday, near the checkout lanes.

 

Great news! Just in time for the TN release!

 

Only had Nightstalker at a tasting and never had Big John so if anyone sees any in the NW burbs shoot me a BM

 

Enjoying a Nightstalker with Sunday night football!

 

Looking forward to finding some Nightstalker around!!

 

Picked up a Nightstalker this weekend. Need to crack it open and see what all the excitement is about.