I don’t know how the weather is out by you, but it’s getting downright Springy around the Boston area. Does this mean it’s time to put away the Porters and Stouts and move onto the Saisons and Marzens? Not so fast. Yes it’s early March and the temps are slowly rising, but we still have that beautiful shoulder season where we’re crossed between two beer worlds. It’s not Winter, that’s for damn sure, but it’s not quite Spring yet either (Assuming you live in a part of the world that actually has Seasons). This is the time of year where I might shelve The Old Rasputin but still reach for something like a Tröegs Java Head. Nothing wrong with switching up a Russian Imperial for an everyday coffee Stout when the frost has lifted. Sure, you’d have to pry a double IPA from my cold dead hands no matter what the season, but I might give up some of the Belgian Quads and Triples that I’ve been drinking for the past few months. It’s just time for a (slight)change in my beer selection.
Speaking of Tröegs, this is the perfect time of year to dive into the mixed 12 packs. If you don’t know what you want, it’s nice to have 4 different beers to choose from in a handy little carrying case. There’s no better place to start than Tröegs (I think they call their mixed 12 the “Anthology 3” this time of year). Tell me this isn’t the perfect mix – 3 Pale Ales, 3 Hopback Ambers, 3 Java Head Stouts, and 3 Tröegenator Double Bocks. I love it. When I get home tonight, I’m slamming down a Tröegenator to ignite the fires, then I’m killing a Pale Ale while I’m making dinner, 2 Hopbacks during dinner, and a Java Head to wash everything down. That’s how you start a weekend.
One caveat to mixed 12 packs that I’ll repeat over and over till’ I’m blue in the face. Do not, for any damn reason, grab the 12 pack by one handle. You will rip the handle and crush at least 2 to 3 beers as your poor little 12 pack drops precipitously to the ground. Sad day all around. Two hands folks. Or better yet, get two and stack them on top of each other. That way you’ll avoid the temptation to grab one by the side but you’ll still be able to push through the exit and reach your car. You’ve been warned.
Now that you know what I’ll be drinking…
What are you drinking tonight?
ALEHEADS 
Great advice on the sampler 12 pack stacking. Those baby beer schools go too quickly anyway.
As for me, I’ve got another Sam Adams Whitewater IPA lined up to greet me at the door (wasn’t too impressed with my first one so I’m going to give it another shot) and a Coronado Islander standing sentinel to back that one up.
Cheers!
@TheAlemomger
That 3rd paragraph wouldn’t be autobiographical, would it ?? btw – How about adding a box on the site listing the various brewery & blog links that you mention in the podcasts ? kinda hard to write things down when listening on the treadmill at the gym…
Glad Brother Barley is back on the podcasts, even if he does give craft brewers a pass on the sexist marketing (“Panty Peeler” couldn’t be sexist, could it ??)..
If we linked to all of the breweries and blogs we mentioned in the Podcasts, you’d need a titanium scroll-wheel to survive the downward spiral. Also, we’re suuuuuper-lazy.
For the record, I don’t condone the sexist craft beer labels. But I do prefer a blatant, sexist craft beer label like the Middle Ages Double Wench to the surreptitiously misogynistic, homophobic advertising used by Big Beer in their ads.
Oh, and Lost Abbey Judgment Day plus the remainder of our HopSlams.
No, lazy is waiting until the following Monday to respond to a very understandable reply. But, creating unfunded mandates is what I love to do the most… Oh, and in answer to the original question, I too was working on my dwindling supply of HopSlam… And MADW (label and contents) is definitely preferred to anything the macros can dream up..
Wait, people still write things down? Like, on paper?
Thanks for listening BeerBanker, we do try to list the stories we cover on All Beers Considered in the body of the post, and we’ll put your suggestion on the backburner until we get our first intern. That poor, poor bastard.
I thought I was the first intern.
The 3rd paragraph is indeed from personal experience. I used to work in a beer store with granite steps that emptied to cobblestones. I always warned of the impending smash but the customers never listened.
Oh yes. The worst sound in the English language involving beer is a loud wet glassy *smash*, followed by a plaintive “Somebody get a mop.”
*also works in the industry*
Half Acre Double Daisy Cutter!! mmmmmmmm!
CURSE YOU I HAVE NEVER HAD IT RAAAAGGHHHHHH
Getting fruity- thinking of busting open the Odell Friek and probably some of my Brandon’s Graff homebrew.
Is Brandon’s Graff your cider?
Yep. Good stuff and easy… 1000+ posts in the thread on the Homebrew talk forums can’t be wrong:
http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f81/graff-malty-slightly-hopped-cider-117117/
It is 83 damn degrees here in LA and Hoppa needs something sour to sip on while I swat flies in my underpants all weekend while sitting by the swamp cooler. Hordeum send me an Odell Friek a few months ago so I think that will do just fine.
Cheers to you Hoppa, let me know what you think. I’ve been saving as well.
I’m in my original home state of Alabama for the week, so I’ve got a growler (actually a plastic milk jug) of the Yellowhammer Hop Revival DIPA. It’s pretty awesome, with tons of grassy and sweet malt notes to balance with the strong hoppy flavors. It’s almost like a hybrid pilsner/DIPA. It makes me happy. ;->
Welcome back, Daniel. If you make it down to Birmingham (I’m assuming you’re in Huntsville), let me know!
I’ll be in Birmingham seeing my sister on Sunday, but probably only for a couple of hours and won’t have the opportunity to see any beer-related stuff. I’ll definitely keep in touch the next time I’m in the area, though.
(Way to go FTH, right? I moved about two months before the 6% ABV cap was lifted, and I joined back in 2004 when the T-shirt was the old-style white one with a foamy mug. On a good day I can still fit into my black one.)
I’ve been on vacay with the wife in VT for the past few days … Hill Farmstead did a takeover at one of the spots in town. Had some Galaxy single hop IPA, Abner, Twilight of the Idols and Daybreak …. Abner was far and away the best of the night …..
Got back to the cabin and now I’m plugging my way through some Heady Topper … I love vacays!
BTW .. who wrote this post? I like in Worcester so I’m assuming we’re in rather close proximity.
Anywho … CHEERS BREH!!!
It’s me bro, Doc. I live on the North Shore, not too far from Boston. There are 4 or 5 Masshole contributors on the site so you’re in good company.
Good call with the Heady Topper. I’ve had a fairly steady stream of that coming out my way since they started canning (from a friend that heads up to VT). So damn good.
I must get in good with you so I too can have a steady stream of this obnoxious beer. Once Prohibition Pig opens up, we should get a group together to go enjoy it on cask. I could only imagine how amazing this would be on tap.
Drinking a Grand Teton Black Cauldron Imperial Stout. Good GOD, they crammed a lot of flavor into this, for “only” 8%. This is ridiculous.
Put down some Sierra Nevada Hoptimum – wow what a hop slap in the mouth…. at 10.5 ABV it will drop you to one knee… first slurp is a hop-splosion but then it lures you into it’s hop web of floral goodness. Give it a go… but get a loan first.. at $ 10.50 a 4 pack it ann’t cheap…but then again.. the kids can skip a meal for the cause… kidding about the kid thing.. please don’t have me go viral on you-tube…ha, ha!
I had a Dogfish Head World Wide Stout last night, and it kicked my ass (but I really liked it).
Also, I now want to vacation in Vermont. I’m very jealous Brandon!
Lagunitas Cappuchino Stout on Cask; Avery Maharaja; too many Green Flash IPAs….
Lost Abbey
Deliverence
Green flash rayon vert
Backlash declaration
Lagunitas imperial red
Lagunitas little sumpin sumpin
Lagunitas sucks holiday leftovers
Lagunitas pils
Port Santa’s little helper
21st amendment/Ninkasi allies win the war
Goose island Bourbon county stout
Slumbrew Porter square porter
Alesmith yulesmith holiday winter
DFH raison d’etre
Ballast Point Sea Monster Imperial Stout
There may have been others. Twas a good weekend with the Commander.