In The Fridge

I recently stopped by Pizza Port's bottle shop and bought a Devotion and Moylan's Hopsickle. Hopsickle is a triple IPA, judging from its label, and has received positive reviews on BeerAdvocate. The guy at the bottle shop was anxious to help customers choose beers and recommended the Hopsickle. The bottle shop is incredible and warrants a post in itself.

A local grocery store, Barons, has ramped up its beer selection (among other items). It stocks a number of Belgians and a wide selection of local breweries. I picked up a New Belgium 1554, a dark Belgian ale. I am not a fan of New Belgium's Fat Tire - too macro for me - but liked its seasonal 2 Degree Below. I am looking forward to drinking 1554 with a stew or some other hot dish. I like the low alcohol of about 5.5%. I also picked up Deschutes' Hop Trip, a fresh hopped ale. I had a Sierra Nevada fresh hopped ale a Stone's Tenth Anniversary and it stuck in my mind, so I am hoping Hop Trip is as memorable.

Stone X Anniversary Ale - Fading

I had one of my Stone X Anniversary Ales the other night. This was one hell of a beer when it was released in September 2006. It was heavy on the hops and high on the alcohol - a slow sipping wonder. Almost a year and a half later, it has lost some edge. The strong hop presence has faded making the alcohol more pronounced. This ephemeral ale, which has reached legendary status on BeerAdvocate, was a marvel of flavor that needed to be drunk young.

Redhook IPA

I had this beer last week at a local Italian restaurant. Not a very hoppy IPA. I guess I am too used to the San Diego-style "hop bombs" and anything less is boring or just a pale ale.

Lost Abbey Shirt

I put my order in for my Lost Abbey shirt yesterday. It is a Dickey work-style shirt. I am not sure of the design, hopefully it is cool. I get this shirt as part of my Patron Saint membership. I get my first order of beer next month.

Avery 14th Anniversary

I shared an Avery 14th Anniversary last week. Interesting beer and I'm not sure if I cared for it. Maybe it would be better alone rather than in an indiscriminate tasting. No real style, but it sure had a lot of flavors. I am not that big an Avery fan. Defaulted to an Alesmith Summer Yulesmith and that sure was good. I have an Majaraha (?), Alesmith Summer Yulesmith and a Ballast Point Dorado in my cellar - all from summer 2007. These will be good for a tasting and will either confirm my feeling on Avery or raise some doubts.

Celebration Ale

This is my favorite Sierra Nevada offering. (Although I did have a wet-hop beer (don't remember its name) at Stone Brewery's 10 Anniversary that was outstanding.) It comes out around Halloween but I don't usually get it until near Christmas. I have a couple left to help through January. It's an IPA and I've read that it is a DIPA, but its flavor profile is more IPA than DIPA. It is hoppy but doesn't have that bitter yet sweet, sharp hop taste and floral aroma of a DIPA. Many brewers load their Holiday beers with so many spices that to me they are undrinkable. Not so with Celebration as it is crafted to drink, not to spark conversation and contorted faces