The Bar Towel

Ceecee wrote:Now at the SAQ:

Chouffe N'Ice Bière Extra-Forte
Bière brune de type Ale, 330 ml
BELGIQUE

PRODUCTEUR Brasserie d'Achouffe SA
DEGRÉ D'ALCOOL 10 %
3,65 $

The SAQ may have it's flaws but they consistently provide good Belgian options. I've always been a La Chouffe fan, though not as much into McChouffe. I will keep an eye out for this one next time I'm in Quebec.

Stumbled on Driftwood Fat Tug at the LCBO on the weekend. Hadn't heard it was coming. Maybe not the most exciting beer to some here, but a fine one none the less. A nice surprise and at $6, I think it's cheaper than I recall in B.C.!

Also, I don't usually pay much attention to graphics, but their new label is awesome.

the fat tug was quite nice. somewhat Stone-y in character... but, better.
and, yeah, the metallic/pearlescent custom die cut label makes you feel like you're getting a real deal for your $6!

ddc ba peche mortel. anyone have any info on this release?

new at the SAQ

Fuller's Black Cab Stout

this sounds good.. from Hill Farmstead

On Wednesday, October 12, we are excited to release

Clover

375ml, $22, 2 bottles per person (credit card and matching ID required, please see our bottle release policy).

Clover (2005-2014) was a grey cat. Simple. Yet, a few moments with her quickly revealed an independent, playful, occasionally subdued and reflective personality, one that held sway where she might roam. Clover was our compatriot, our guardian of grain, our huntress and our muse. We did not own Clover; she graced our presence.

In her honor, we mindfully blended barrels of Ann, Art, and Flora that had been aged for 12 to 22 months—guided by her lingering spirit towards a beer of elegance, grace and patience. As often as our Clover would, this beer took its own path and its own time to become what it is now; an effervescent, refined reflection of both our melancholy for her departure but, most importantly, our joy in traveling with her for a while.

Great Lakes is releasing Solstice Imperial Stout again today.

Bellwoods released Ghost Orchid, a pale ale. They also said:

Coming down the pipeline we've got 5 hits from the past -- 3 of them are barrel-aged, 2 contain cherries, and 2 are imperial stouts.

All coming before the end of the year.

Craig wrote:Great Lakes is releasing Solstice Imperial Stout again today.

Bellwoods released Ghost Orchid, a pale ale. They also said:

Coming down the pipeline we've got 5 hits from the past -- 3 of them are barrel-aged, 2 contain cherries, and 2 are imperial stouts.

All coming before the end of the year.

I hope they did Montmorency Farmageddon again. I missed the first round.

Double Tempest is selling at the Queen's Quay Amsterdam tomorrow morning. Yes Saturday, bitches.

They have a bottle check service so if you want to snag yor 2-4 bottles and then go in to have a quaff of beer you are likewise well accommodated.

I went over to the Amsterdam Brewhouse bottle shop on Queen's Quay around 2:30 in hopes of picking up some Double Tempest. Not even close - apparently it sold out within an hour and a half. So I settled for having a sample on draft at the Brewhouse. It was very nice but the Coup de Grace which I also sampled was a complete showstopper for me. A nice viscous mouthfeel with tons of chocolate and a bit of raisin; it was almost like drinking some glosettes with the booze cranked up. Bourbon was present, but not overpowering, in both beers which is in line with my personal preferences. I missed Coup de Grace at Cask Days so very please that I got to try it today.

I also picked up a bottle of Amsterdam's Brush Fire smoked porter. This one I did try at Cask Days and frankly didn't like all that much, but it was towards the end of the evening and I feel that owe this beer a fair chance with a cleansed palate.

Sounds amazing still!

You made me go look, I still have a 2014 Double Tempest, and of the regular Tempest three 2012 and just one 2011. Those latter ones are probably late matured. I will have to break out a 11 and 12 at the same time.

I really liked Calm Before The Storm which was like a super steroids dark mild ale - it was made using the 'second runnings' of the big, chocolately Tempest malt bill, so it was like a small beer extracting the remaining malt goodness. Had good texture, loads of flavor, I've only seen it once in 2012 so perhaps the process for the result wasn't commercially worth the effort.

I liked calm before the storm a lot too. It's a shame that the session style that gained the most popularity is session IPAs. I've always found them to taste mostly like watery IPAs, where a nice mild is actually a beer I like on its own merits.

Provost Drunk wrote:I went over to the Amsterdam Brewhouse bottle shop on Queen's Quay around 2:30 in hopes of picking up some Double Tempest. Not even close - apparently it sold out within an hour and a half.

apparently double tempest was a really small batch. they even lowered the bottle limit from 6 to 4 but it still disappeared quickly. i got there around 12:30 with 2 others and there was ~20 bottles left, we got 4 each and it was sold out 20 seconds later. i'd probably part with a bottle if someone missed out and really wants one.

does anyone know what actually happened to normal tempest?? will it ever come back? is the double tempest really a 'double' if there's nothing for it to be a double of ?

distr0 wrote:apparently double tempest was a really small batch

Damn, l was hoping to pick some up on Monday. Last year they still had bottles on Monday or Tuesday after the release.

Craig wrote:Great Lakes is releasing Solstice Imperial Stout again today.

Bellwoods released Ghost Orchid, a pale ale. They also said:

Coming down the pipeline we've got 5 hits from the past -- 3 of them are barrel-aged, 2 contain cherries, and 2 are imperial stouts.

All coming before the end of the year.

It sounded to me like it wasn't a new batch of Solstice, rather just bottles that they've saved from the last release. Also I'm almost 100% sure one of those Bellwoods releases will be Grandma's Boy, sometime mid-December.