Saturday was a good day, and I didn’t even need the Fed to mail me a check to move the economy forward (just my employer: note to those collecting welfare).
Went to BillyBob’s Offroad to lay down the green on the Jeep lift parts (aka: my pirate ship).
Took a swing through a local “Jewelry and Coin Shop” and found that while he didn’t carry a whole lot of coin, I was able to pry a few pieces of eight from his fingers to add to my collection (aka: my pirate treasure)
Culled Morgans are relatively easy to find, relatively cheap and rather easy to stack.
I also got a lead as to where I can sail the ship for local gold coinage.
My last stop was at a new (to me) ye olde ale shoppe.
99 Bottles is the specialty beer retailer I spoke of yesterday. A coworker had raved about them and I arrived to find out that he had understated his case.
Fourteen doors of brews from all over the world.
And a corner of even more specialty brews.
Now y’all don’t even have an excuse not to visit!
I spoke to the owner about my favorite brew of all time: Sam Adams’ Old Fezziwig Ale. It is an October through December special edition beer that I have somehow already run out of. He pointed me to a couple of possible replacements and I went and made up a mixed sixpack of a few bottles of “tasty”, two of which got toasted to Chad’s new addition. The store also has empty cases so that folks can make up a “mixed case”.
From left to right:
Left Handed Brewery’s Snowbound Winter Ale. The first selection pointed out by the store owner.
A pint of 8.6% ale does one hell of a number on your ability to balance. Made in Longmont, CO., it too is seasonal. But I can buy it in quantity if necessary.
Obolon Porter from Fastov, Ukraine. Only in pints, but I don’t mind.
Maritime Pacific Brewery of (Ballard) Seattle delivers their Nightwatch Dark Ale, which is the closest to the Old Fezziwig I’ve had and was also pointed to me by the shop owner. I’ll be grabbing a case of this next payday.
Arrogant Bastard Oaked Ale (Escondido, CA). Yes, another dark ale. Per the description card (all beers on hand have a description card below their place in the cooler) this one should be very tasty.
Scuttlebutt Brewery of Everett, WA. has this wicked little Porter.
I wouldn’t mind one bit if Western Washington/Seattle begins to be known for their beers instead of that demon piss drink “coffee”.
Sinebrychoff Brewery of Kerava, Finland and their heavy Porter. At 7.2%, I imagine only a couple of these will do.
Hit the ye olde ale shoppe’s link and take a look around. No shipping, but he’s got all kinds of links.
Jealous of that LeftHand! We can’t get the Colorado seasonal brews here in the Philthadelphia area, I like LeftHand’s, but if you ever get your hands on it, Odell’s “Isolation” Ale is my favorite seasonal brew from CO.
I don’t indulge in the Euro beers simply because there are so many good local brews. Take heart, Phil! Seattle WAS the start of the Northwestern Microbrew Revolution. Yes, the Easties had their Sam Adams, and Frisco had it’s Anchor Steam, but Seattle had Red Hook long before the other excellent microbreweries were a twinkle in their progenitors’ eye. Blitz-Weinhart (a local big brewery in Stumptown) used to brew a dark ale and it powered me through college, but it was still bilge, just dark bilge.
Portland doesn’t do bad. Widmer USED to be very good, is only average now since they bumped up their production of Hefeweizen to suit the Big Bland Brewery which bought them out. Same with Full Sail out of Hood River. Deschutes Brewery in Bend is the home of the EXCELLENT Black Butte Porter, and their Mirror Pond IPA is also fantastic. Their brews are $30/case over their dock in Bend, but can be had for a deeper discount in the big chain supermarkets. They don’t date their beer, and I suspect that some of these door-buster offerings are getting long in the tooth.
I’m thinking that we should explore testing of heavy ales as a survival food, Phil. Couple of racks in the jumper-jeep and head for snow country (backyard, today).
PS, The ‘ol Rivrdog is equipped to make his own with a full brewing kit (haven’t “reloaded” any of my several cases of bail-top bottles in 5 or 6 years, but’s it’s all carefully stored away, and I still have the recipe for Swedish Chocolate Stout, at 9.0% a real zinger, AND THE WIMMEN LOVED IT! Candy is Dandy, but Liquor is Quicker (and liquor that tastes like candy is the quickest of all!)
I remember seeing a cover of Homebrewing Aficionado (or something similar) boasting that Kathy Ireland (mmm) is a homebrewer. That almost got me going, but sadly I never took the plunge.
Agreed on the power of candied liquor. Now that I’ve got the wife hooked on Bacardi Special with heaping dollops of honey as The Very Thing for winter coughs and sniffles, “not tonide, honey, I (hack) hab a code” hasn’t been heard around our household. 🙂