Winterfest 2014

$100! I had to talk myself out of it for that price. It was hard because it's so damn good.

 

I probably would have done it. I might have regretted it later, but it is that good!

 

Is Barley John's still going to have Rosie's available on tap for a while? Why are their growlers always so expensive? Even Town Halls barrel-aged offerings are far less expensive.

 

Happy for Barley John's to win again, extra glad to see they won with something that wasn't tied to Dark Knight. Hopefully this is the next step to get them on the map a bit more like Town Hall.

My 2 cents: Surly's 2010 Darkness & Abrasive out of the citrus firkin aged barrel. Also was a fan of the Peaches & Cream variant of Lift Bridge's Farm Girl. I'm always a sucker for Bent Paddle's Black Ale with too many adjectives (had it once in the tap room before this) and also partial to TH's Jack Frost. I admire Indeed swinging for the fences. Can't say I'm a fan of many of thier beers but the fact that they're willing to try things that put them out there further than their competitors will always get a tip of the hat from me. 612 had a nice gimmick with the donuts early on but still not gonna sway me.

Totally non-beer related side note, does anyone know what those non-brownie dessert bars were? I probably demolished about a half a tray of those suckers before leaving and would love to get my hands on those again.

 

Some of my favorites: Tea bagged Abrasive, Jack Frost, Rum King & BA Silhouette. I didn't care that much for USA 25/25 but my palate could have been shot. I didn't have Rosie but I hope Barley John's wasn't stuffing the ballot box again this year. Great time!

 

I don't know enough about the business to answer this, but I share your thoughts. They seem just ridiculously high priced. Maybe they charge that much because (some people) will pay it. Seems (waaaay) out of line with what other places charge.

 

I'm assuming they did again this year. Rosie is a good beer but IMO it didnt deserve the best beer award.

On a side note, I'm surprised nobody is talking about the fact that Barely John's is opening a brewery in New Richmond, WI.

 

Technically Rosie's is tied to Dark Knight... Rosie's comes around every 3 years. Year 1 is Dark Knight, Year 2 is Dark Knight Returns which is basically Dark Knight aged in the barrels the prior year's Dark Knight was and Year 3 is Rosie's which is aged in the Dark Knight Returns barrels.

But that's just me being "that guy". I hope to go to BJ tomorrow to throw down some Rosies, I tried it unbarreled and it was amazing then, I haven't tried the BA version yet.

 

All true.
Thanks for the post.

Rosie's is an amazing beer.
$9 for a 5 oz pour at the pub.
They made 200 + gallons.
You can get a growler for $105, but I wouldn't recommend it. I had some that spent about a month the bottle, and it just isn't the same.

Do yourself a favor; bite the bullet - and get a pour.
Just don't be clumsy like me and spill the last ounce...lol

 

Haha, oh I have no problems with the price. Unbarreled I thought was worth $9 a pour so barreled it seems like a steal

 

I saw the article today. Pretty aggressive to try and produce 7,000 barrels in the first year. Great people...I wish them nothing but success.

http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/news/2014/02/03/barley-johns-dominates-awards-plots.html

 

This is just ridiculous and I hope leads to changes. Won't be able to buy bottles or cans or BJ in MN but you can visit our brewpub for a pint in MN.

 

Damn, it might be just me, but what exactly are you advocating 'buying' here?

 

So I went to Barley John's today and tried Rosie, and I'm embarrassed to say that I've been having an internal debate about buying a growler since I left. I'm having a very hard time justifying to myself (let alone my wife) spending that kind of money on a growler of beer, but it's actually that damn good. I liked it far better than The Dark Knight or The Dark Knight Rises, and is instantly in my top 5, if not higher.

It's amazing that it wasn't that long ago that I picked up a single bottle of Surly Four thinking how outrageous it was to spend $15 on a single bottle of beer. Now I would give almost anything to go back in time and buy more of Four, and am actually considering (probably still won't do it) spending over $100 on a single beer. Times have definitely changed perception.

 

Ha don't be embarrassed! I had that exact same debate with myself. If I wasn't going on vacation this Thursday I would definitely have walked out of there with a $100 growler.

 

Ya know, if it is that good and you can preserve that growler once opened (like, by putting pitch around the mouth and cap) go for it man. Seriously. Look at the money we spend at bars. Today, buying rounds for a buddy and myself, I've paid, with tips, around $40 for a couple of each; Galacticas, Snowstorms, and Enjoy Bys. At a store I could buy TWO 12ers of Snowstorms, TWO 4s of Galactia, and TWO 22 oz of Enjoy By for about ten bucks more.

Look at me rambling again...

 

Well you're just flat out being logical!

 

I'm not going to lie, I'm actually starting to lean towards getting it now. If nothing else I can tell myself it will be the last time I can get it for 3 years. Can you elaborate on how to keep the growler sealed once it's been opened?