The Bar Towel

@Bakagaijin - fair enough. All your points are valid. Sometimes it can just get really tiring around here to see the same people post the same things over and over and over. Didn't mean to single you out as you are certainly not the only person guilty of this. Hell, I have probably been guilty of it in the past ...

While TO certainly has an embarrassment of craft beer riches compared to 5 years ago, agree, there's nothing with the same mix of great beer, location and atmosphere that Bellwoods has.

When Rotate This moves into Ossington, that's going to be one expressive street (not commenting on cost, but how much I'll inevitably spend each time I visit).

Anyone catch staff say today how long they expect Skeleton Key to last?

Belgian wrote:

having 3 "sours" (Farmageddon, the dry-hopped sour and Motley) plus 2 barrel-aged stouts on tap? 5 years ago, we'd be flagellating ourselves...

Exactly, some effing perspective. Thank you.

Had al three of those yesterday, along with some others. Was great...hope the dry-hopped sour becomes a more regular option / bottled brew down the road.

El Pinguino wrote:

Belgian wrote:

having 3 "sours" (Farmageddon, the dry-hopped sour and Motley) plus 2 barrel-aged stouts on tap? 5 years ago, we'd be flagellating ourselves...

Exactly, some effing perspective. Thank you.

Had al three of those yesterday, along with some others. Was great...hope the dry-hopped sour becomes a more regular option / bottled brew down the road.

I asked about bottling the sour.. I was told they are trying to get the ABV a bit lower so it's more of a 'session' sour and put it in bottles after that. Plus they need a name for it.

boney wrote:While TO certainly has an embarrassment of craft beer riches compared to 5 years ago, agree, there's nothing with the same mix of great beer, location and atmosphere that Bellwoods has.

When Rotate This moves into Ossington, that's going to be one expressive street (not commenting on cost, but how much I'll inevitably spend each time I visit).

Anyone catch staff say today how long they expect Skeleton Key to last?

Still listed in bottleshop.

So I cracked my bottle of Three Minutes to Midnight 2016. Sorry, but I really don't like it at all. In fact, had it cost two dollars, not twelve, I might be pouring it down the drain. I find the cherry/raspberry flavour, primarily at the start but continuing throughout, to be overwhelmingly strong, and to have an unpleasant, "cough medicine" aspect. I think perhaps I would have liked this better had i aged it for a couple of years in the hopes that this would die down and the fruit might integrate more. The lovely chocolatey and Black Forest cake aspect does appear on the finish, but for me it is very much diminished by the very strong cough medicine aspect that persists throughout.

midlife crisis wrote:So I cracked my bottle of Three Minutes to Midnight 2016. Sorry, but I really don't like it at all. In fact, had it cost two dollars, not twelve, I might be pouring it down the drain. I find the cherry/raspberry flavour, primarily at the start but continuing throughout, to be overwhelmingly strong, and to have an unpleasant, "cough medicine" aspect. I think perhaps I would have liked this better had i aged it for a couple of years in the hopes that this would die down and the fruit might integrate more. The lovely chocolatey and Black Forest cake aspect does appear on the finish, but for me it is very much diminished by the very strong cough medicine aspect that persists throughout.

Ditto. I thought the regular cherry version was one of the best stouts I've ever tasted, but this raspberry addition was terrible for me. I am trying to trade my remaining bottles. Some have posted they loved the raspberry version best.

I too got a bit of an acrid bitterness from the raspberry version but I found that went away as the beer warmed and opened up.

I really enjoyed the raspberry version, but can see how it may turn off some people. I've also met many people who just don't like raspberry flavoured beers, but do enjoy other fruit flavoured brews.

FEUO wrote:

boney wrote:While TO certainly has an embarrassment of craft beer riches compared to 5 years ago, agree, there's nothing with the same mix of great beer, location and atmosphere that Bellwoods has.

When Rotate This moves into Ossington, that's going to be one expressive street (not commenting on cost, but how much I'll inevitably spend each time I visit).

Anyone catch staff say today how long they expect Skeleton Key to last?

Still listed in bottleshop.

Picked up Skeleton Key today. I was really surprised to see it last this long. I know Bellwoods is happy to have bottles of special releases linger around a little longer and so am I. I wonder if this is the new status quo or just mid-winter lulls?

I have a sort of theory that whenever Josh Rubin mentions special release beers in his Star Beer column people come out of the woodwork and they dispensary too quickly.
Now maybe he did mention this one and my theory is worthless...

....I also think some people assume the Bellwoods beers will sell out over a weekend, and if they can't normally get there on the Fri-Sun, they don't bother trying.

I think there are a lot of things that go into demand for special releases. Saturation is probably a lot to do with why stuff is staying in stock longer. Back in the day they only did a few releases a year, now it's more like one a month.

Another reason, for me in particular, is a lot of their releases aren't one-offs any more, they're seasonals. First go around I'd be out there in line for Skeleton Key because I've never had it before. This go around, I know what it is and I know I don't want to bother to go get it or spend the $ on it, because it's not my favourite beer. I'll still go out for BOYD though, because I know what it is and I love it.

I'm actually really glad stuff isn't selling out instantly any more. It takes a lot of the pressure off to rush out on a Friday at noon or whatever to get your allotment. So long as the stuff still moves relatively quickly, BW are still making their money so I guess it's just better for everybody.

Skeleton Key is still around because it is not that good. Spiced brews don't do anywhere near as well as a BBA or Cognac barrel aged good imperial stout. This spiced brew was pretty bad. I won't try another but that is my personal taste though. BOYD is more up most people's alley so it sells quicker. At 80% a Bourbon County you will get a brisk movement of stock.

Yeah. I can see all those reasons.....regularity, novelty, and beer characteristics.

As for the spiced impy rum barrel of Skeleton Key, I can totally see the spice turning some off. I didn't mind it at all last year and I like Rum barrel aged beers, so I was excited for this release. I totally get how people love bourbon barrels, but I'm totally burnt out on any kind of whisky barrel right now. Cognac barrels are not my jam but I still love BOYD.