Once a year Russian River releases a beer that is now so famous that El Guapo himself may elevate this to the category of in-famous. Beer heathens from all over the U.S. and abroad travel great lengths for the chance to taste and fill growlers of Pliny the Younger, a triple IPA that packs a serious wallop at 10% plus and “gobs” of IBU’s. What took a week last year to finish off was gone in less than 8 hours. Insanity. This is one man’s point of view of the experience. All photos courtesy of Chad, aka cpferris on BeerAdvocate.

The day started as I arrived at the Travelodge Downtown Santa Rosa around 10:30 after flying into Oakland and renting a pretty spiffy little car for the drive up. The Travelodge is a good place to puke and pass out, but certainly the holes in the walls, piss-stained carpet and the fact that they were doing construction throughout the day trying to keep this hotel from falling down told me that I was certainly not in Kansas anymore. I wouldn’t be spending much time there anyway with all the good beer soon to come.

Walked to Russian River at 10:45 and met Jeff, ColonelForbin and Chad in the back parking lot. The line was already crazy to get in the front door, but when you meet up with the locals, there is no time for busy lines or shenanigans. We went in the back door with the employees to the side room that Vinnie had reserved for us. Took a look at the beer offerings for the day. Good stuff. Of course, we toted in a giant cooler of beer that Jeff had slowly been compiling over the course of the past couple of weeks; beer generously donated by other BeerAdvocate attendees. You may ask what kind of sick assholes bring rare, high abv brew to the Younger release? Well we certainly did. Here is a picture of the cooler.

Soon after, people came piling in through the doors and the bar filled up until people were sardines in a can, immovable objects lost amid a sea of drooling cretins waiting for a chance to savor the flavor of a pint or to fill up a maximum of 4 growlers. At 11:00 some people waited at the bar for over an hour to get a pint, and that was once they were inside. Those left outside, sadly looking in, waited up to three hours just to get in as the line wrapped up the block. Of course, for the sake of entertainment, I pressed my ball sack against the window and waved pint after pint of Younger at them to provoke their ire. Schadenfreude. Our room had bartenders rushing in and out bringing us tray after tray of Younger. After a while, they got so sick of us plowing through beer, that they started bringing pitchers of Younger. This is where things start to get a little hazy.

After my third pint of Younger, I thought it would be a good idea to dive into the cooler as most of the BA attendees had arrived and were on the verge of being unable to distinguish some of the more subtle nuances of the bottles that were in store. All of the members in the room were experienced drunks and it was great to finally put some names to faces and online pseudonyms. First up, Kuhnhenn Bourbon Barrel Barleywine vintage 2005. This was a bottle that was re-released after a keg was discovered at the brewery and it’s contents were then put into bottles and reconditioned. Amazing. The label got destroyed from the ice in the cooler. The labels looked like they were printed off someone’s home computer, so no big loss there.

Next we sampled more Younger, then it was on to a growler of Bells Bourbon Barrel Aged Double Cream Stout. Eyebrews (pictured with Jeff aka ipa247) on BA was turning 50 today and he graciously shipped out a ton of rare beer to celebrate the moment with friends. This particular beer was amazing and really well balanced for a big BA Stout. I had a few of the sample glasses and a couple good laughs with berkey and mjl21.

After this, I felt the need to pace myself, so I had a glass of water and a couple pieces of pizza. After not eating anything all day, the pizza was excellent. Something with vegetables on it if I vaguely remember correctly. To wash down the pizza, we thought it wise to open not one but two bottles of Barrel Aged Old Dipsea Barleywine. One was barreled in Heaven Hill barrels while the other in Old Fitzgerald Barrels. I preferred the Old Fitz, but both were tributes to the excellence that sometimes occurs when brewers stick a decent barleywine in a bourbon barrel. Good stuff. Next up was Canadian Breakfast Stout, another growler sent out from the bar “HopCat” by the BA eyebrews. Currently ranked in the top ten on BeerAdvocate, this Founders creation is a tough brew to get out here on the West Coast. Delicious stuff and really reminiscent of Founders Breakfast Stout with a little maple added to it. MMMMM.

By then it was time to get a little wild. Popped Ithaca’s new blueberry wild ale aptly named LeBleu. And it sure did! Gusher! This beer was way too carbonated, but still pretty tasty. Nothing like the vinegary funk of Cantillon’s Blabaer, but still fun. After that, Arbitrator cracked his bottle of “Dave,” followed by the Bruery’s Oude Tart and Cantillon’s 50 degrees North 40 degrees East. All were excellent, except Dave, which was just a bad joke gone really bad. More Younger, more Younger, more Younger. Then someone cracked a 1.5L Anchor Our Barrel Ale. A fucking fantastic old ale that is pretty hard to come by. At this point I was getting more than a little fired up for beer! As were others who had been there since 11:00 am.

By this time RR was a madhouse. Hundreds of beer junkies stoned out of their brains on Younger were breaking glasses, spilling on strangers, vomiting in the general vicinity of the toilet. Night of the living drunks. Scary beer zombies with a penchant for buggery and, of course, more Younger.

And I was proudly one of them. A few hours later the announcement. RR had run out of growlers. Chaos ensued. Pandemonium. Three hours later, Younger was gone. People still waiting in line cried. People that showed up Saturday cried harder. Vinnie escaped to the confines to a bunker at his home built specially for this occasion to keep from being strung up by the angry lynch mob that demanded more Younger! We were still in the room at this point opening bottles of Odonata’s Rorie’s Ale, Bourbon and Rye Papier, Midnight Sun’s Sloth, 07 BA Decadence, an infected Short’s Brew and others I can’t even remember, but must have been delicious.

What I do remember vaguely is trying to walk home. I can’t tell you what time it was, how I found my way back to the hotel in the dark while being unable to read street signs, or how I woke up the next morning with little to no hangover even after not eating anything all day but two pieces of pizza. I was ready for more. And yes, the Travelodge was still a dump. I headed over to Flavor where I had three Moonlight beers on tap: Reality Czeck, Toast, and Lunatic Lager. What a treat! These rival anything that Russian River does, albeit these are much lower, more sessionable abv beers. Just what the doctor ordered. I had a burger and fries to go with it. Good food and great beer! Met up with some other BA’s that told me about the other happenings from the night before. Tales of broken bottles, stolen growlers, missing money, and man on man love. Shortly after, I drove up a couple exits on the 101 to Bottle Barn and perused their selection. Eh. So-so. Nothing really notable that I can’t get back home. From there, went back to the hotel and boxed up some brews to ship out to people that I’ve been trading with for a couple years. Then on to UPS to ship. Back to Flavor for Dinner and another three Moonlight beers: Death and Taxes Amber Lager, Bombay by Boat IPA and Twist of Fate, an English bitter. I missed out on Young Pale Ale from Moonlight, a beer that I was hoping I’d find, but no luck there. I’ll live.

After dinner, back to Russian River for a nightcap of Benediction, Rejection, and more Supplication. Good shit. Talked with an Orange County Beechwood regular and a table of guys from Washington D.C. Stumbled back to the hotel again, woke up, checked out, and off to the airport for the hour plus drive to Oakland. Good thing I got the GPS for 10 extra bucks a day. Those freeways near the city are confusing. Managed to not get lost once with it.

Overall, I’m going to call this trip silly-stupid-fabulous. And only my liver would disagree.

Hopefully the crew can make this an annual event!

Good beer from Mexico?  Yes, there really is such a thing.  Now I’m not talking about Tecate, Corona, Dos Equis, Bohemia, Negro Modelo, or any of the great summertime thirst quenchers.  I’m talking big, bold, highly flavored, brew straight out of B.C.. We’ll just call it “grandote” for now and leave it at that.

BJR tried to kill JDavid and me with this bottle by busting it out minutes before starting the long walk home. This certainly turned what would have been a slightly intoxicated walk into a downright stumble.  All I remember is that the sidewalk was playing tricks on me by moving back and forth while I was walking in a perfectly straight line.  Fucking sidewalk…
When we poured the beer, the color was reddish brown with little to no head. A bit undercarbonated, even for the style. When I stuck my big Jew nose in the glass there was caramel, alcohol, malt, and a bit of sweetness. Some leathery notes in the background.
Dark fruit and alcohol are the biggest players in the taste of this beer. Although there is a bit of a hop presence, the candied raisins, toffee, and brown sugar are present in the finish as well.
Mouthfeel is a bit stagnant; the carbonation could be pumped up a little in this bottle, which , coupled with mucho alcohol, make the drinkability almost nonexistent.

Great to see a great style of beer coming from our friends down south.  A good example of the style, and well done at that!  De puta madre!

Official BoozeReviews Score: 85/100

L’Chaim!

Lagunitas has been producing some quality brew lately. Hop Stoopid, Old Gnarleywine, and now 2009 Correction Ale, although it might be better named “erection ale” as this is one pants-raising beer. Although this beer marks the end of the Zappa line of beers it was brewed in the spirit of celebrating the financial turmoil that Americans are currently experiencing. “Live to party” is the motto inscribed on the side of the bottle, and I wholeheartedly agree with this philosophy.

2009 bottle from Windmill Farms in Del Cerro. Well deservedly consumed after a mountain bike ride at Mission Trails with JDavid. My balls and inner thighs paid the price for this one.  Clocking in at 6.3%, this beer rests squarely in the category of a lighter West Coast IPA, or APA.
Poured a light orange with a fluffy IPA head that one would expect. There is some good lacing around the glass as the beer is consumed.
Smell is tropical, floral, and hoppy. Reminiscent of Kill Ugly Radio and Hop Stoopid on a smaller scale. Some mango, pineapple, fresh flowers, and hops round out the aroma.
The taste imbibes all of the tropical notes that one would want out of a fruity IPA. The hop bitterness is present in the finish, but not overwhelming. Although this isn’t the typical “balanced” IPA, it does conform to the West Coast style of being overly hopped, and lacking a malt backbone. The dryness of the finish is pleasant and cleanses the palate before the next quaff, making this a perfect summertime beer.  Clean, refreshing, fruity, hoppy, and dry.  These are the qualities that a good APA should have!

Official BoozeReviews Score: 90/100

L’Chaim!

Fate, destiny, love of beer;  all on the same wondrous collision course into the realm of my alcohol-infused reality.  I keep asking myself, did I find this great IPA from Georgia, or did it find me?  But what’s with the rainbow trout on the label? Now think about this, although the label is extremely bad ass, do trout really live in Georgia?  It’s fucking hot there.  I’ll leave this question up to those more knowlegeable than myself on Georgian specifics. Chaos.  Madness. The journey continues.

Pours golden with a nice creamy head into my shaped pint glass. Color is on the darker side of the IPA spectrum.  Smells of tropical fruit. Pineapple, mango, guava. Hops, hops, and hops.
Taste is everything that I hoped it would be and more. Fruity, hoppy, dry, bitter, all of the elements are here that make a great IPA. And still manages to carry less than seven percent alcohol. As I drink this and it warms a bit it keeps getting more and more flavorful. Like eating a pineapple while drinking a Stone IPA. I respect this beer.  Mouthfeel is creamy and the carbonation elevates this beer to another level. I would like a keg of this little sister of Sculpin and Pure Hoppiness.

The whole time I’m drinking this beer I’m thinking “is this really what they’re doing down there a?”  Fantastic.  Wonderful.  Thank God for fate!

I’ve been getting into barley wine lately. Had twenty or so samples of the style in the past year, both on tap and bottles. Barrel aged and not. I’d say after the experience of these tastings, that I really love a good barrel aged barley wine. Something about the aging really makes the smell and taste pop while maintaing a good balance of flavor.
I obtained a 2008 bottle of HOTD Fred From the Wood (the wood aged version of their normal Fred) and split it three ways with my cousins, who are fine conisseurs of many things, but don’t know much about good beer.

This one was consumed immediately upon waking from a night of debauchery in Las Vegas. Just opened my eyes, wiped off some of the crust from all parts of my body, and cracked this to help wash the cigar taste out of my mouth from the previous night of playing Monica Lewinsky with strippers. Now, a beer of this caliber and rarity normally requires the appropriate glassware, but on this occasion, the beer was poured into a previously-used-for-some-unnamed-cocktail, hotel wine glass that I found resting on the table next to the tallest stack of ones that I have ever seen and a barette. Not too sure how either of these items got there, but if anyone hears about a dead stripper missing a hair barette in the future, please email me so that I can delete this post.

Appearance is an amber color (the beer, not the barette). Perhaps a bit hazy, but not much. A bit of disinterested head that you would expect from a barrel aged barley wine.
Smells of dark fruit, oak, alcohol, stripper perfume, taxi cab air freshener, stale Jack Daniels, and perhaps cranberry juice? Damn strippers. Some notes of spice and caramel help to round it out.
Taste is magnificent. Notes of fig, raisin, oak, light tobacco (or was that my breath?) and just the right amount of alcohol on the finish to warm the insides. Well balanced with a mouthfeel that begs for more.

I could drink this until the end of time. One of the best beers that I’ve had in my life, and one that, like Vegas, I hope to experience again, and again, and again.

Official BoozeReviews Score: 98/100!

I leave you with five pieces of advice for your next trip to Vegas.

1. If a stripper asks you “Do you want to have a FUCKING good time?” and she speaks perfect English, just say yes.

2. Don’t ever eat a day old lollipop, gummy bear, or red vine that you find stuck to the inside of your pocket. Unless someone dares you to, then just say yes and chew really fast.

3. If two of your shitfaced-wasted male friends are freaking on each other to the beat of some techno crap while you are getting a lapdance and your stripper asks you if they are gay, just say yes.

4. If a cocktail host asks you if you would like a bottle of Jack Daniels for the table and you reply that “I’m not buying shit for these assholes, but bring one for me” you know you are already fucked up and probably don’t need to drink the whole thing yourself. But in any case, just say yes.

5. If your name is P.J. and everyone starts calling you “Pussy Juice” because you threw up in a cab outside of a strip club and you’re the only one who doesn’t get in, it’s time to rethink Vegas. Maybe hold off on saying yes.

If you need more advice about Vegas, email me at: justsayyesvegas@stripperholes.edu

L’Chaim!

There are times when my curiosity gets the better of me. I remember back in high school when “a friend” brought over a porno and exclaimed, “this one has chicks with dicks!” I was pleasantly disgusted by this announcement and sat for an hour mesmerized by these well-endowed shemales.

Saturday at Toronado my curiosity was again piqued by the hype surrounding a now infamous beer, Cable Car, brewed by Tomme Arthur of Port Brewing/Lost Abbey fame. Apparently there were only 1000 bottles of this produced, and I’m just clever enough to know where to find one. Split with BJR, J David, and SOB Steve (thanks for the pic!). I plopped 45 bucks on this bottle (the most expensive I’ve had to date) and it was worth every penny. You just can’t put a price on something like this. Not that the taste was so outrageously good (which it was), but the overall experience of drinking one of my “white whale” beers on the first day of spring break with great friends made all the difference. Now if only Juanote lived a little closer…

Poured into one of the Lost Abbey wine tulips. Proper glassware is always a plus, and Toronado has the best variety of glassware that I’ve seen anywhere.
Appearance is a clear golden hue with excellent carbonation The label states 08. San Francisco is misspelled three times on the back of this bottle, which makes me chuckle quietly to myself (cqtm). The color is yellow and the beer pours a bit syrupy. It just looks sour.
Smell is candy sourness. I start salivating the moment the aromas hit my nose. Light musky overtones as well. The bartender at Toronado is drooling and staring at me as I taste this for the first time.
Taste is similar to RR Beatification with a bit more musk due to the oak aging of this beer, although the oak is more of a background flavor. Delicious.
Mouthfeel balloons and fills most of the palate with sour goodness. I love this and feel like if anyone loves sour, bellicose beers, this would be the best of the bunch.
Drinkability is excellent, although for the price, I can’t see doing this again. However, compared pricewise to the 90 dollar bottles of Toronado 20th, Cable Car pales in comparison.

One of the top ten beers that I’ve ever had, and in the top two as far as sours go. I loved it!

On a side note, the bartender was talking about the kegs of Toronado 20th that they have been saving for their anniversary party. This is going to be my only shot at trying another impossible to find beer, so I’m super-pumped to get down there for that occasion. I’ll post up when I know the exact date for this.

Oh the fine state of Alaska: Can 11,236 Eskimos really be wrong? For a state that lives in perpetual darkness for most of the year and whose official sport is dog-sledding, they make a damn good barley wine. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not encouraging anyone to move to a state that borders on three seas and is twice the size of Texas (thanks middle-school geography report), but considering the quality brew that is coming out of Alaska, it might not be all that bad.

Split this bottle with JDavid. In the glass this beer is the standard barley wine brown/orange. Not syrupy, but very little head, as expected with this style of beer. Aromas waft caramel, sugar, slight grain alcohol in the background, but not much burn for 10.4 percent. Definitely doesn’t sting the nostrils Mr. Burgundy.
On first sip, I declare the taste to be magnificent. As it warmed it got even better. Finally a barley wine with a sweetness that doesn’t dominate the other more subtle flavors. Leather, buckwheat, brown sugar and a hint of rye contribute a wonderful balance and complexity. I love it.
Unlike more syrupy barley wines, this isn’t so thick that it must be choked down. Rather light and lively on the tastebuds. A nice carbonation that makes this easy to drink today and for at least a couple of years if socked away in the cellar.
Drinkability is good, as this doesn’t have the pucker or the pinch that some heavier and bigger barley wines carry. As far as the buzz, half of a bomber dented my melon like a runaway moose.
One of the best non barrel-aged BW’s that I’ve had, and the price isn’t overwhelming either. Now if only the igloo in my backyard wouldn’t melt in less than five minutes, I could really enjoy this beer with the proper ambiance.

I’ve really been getting my feet wet with this style of beer lately, and it seems to be growing on me faster than what the doctors keep calling “genital warts.” What once was a disgusting malty-sweet lick the bottom of your own nutsack type beer is now a disgusting malty-sweet lick the bottom of your own nutsack type beer that I like. Hopefully this sort of flexibility can be sustained as I further explore the diverse style of barley wine.

Official BoozeReviews Score: 90/100

L’Chaim!

I can think of a lot of stupid shit that I’ve done over the course of 30 years. Whether it was throwing my own shit at the neighbor’s house, lighting the backyard on fire with M80’s smuggled from Mexico, anal chugging a 40 of King Cobra, or sneakily busting out the shocker on unsuspecting victims…I think that I’ve lived long enough to recognize stupid. At least long enough to know that there is nothing stupid about this beer.

Picked up a day-of-delivery bottle of this from Windmill Farms. Less than 5 bucks a bomber. Now that is nice! The freshness really made a difference. The dudes at Lagunitas must have changed the recipe slightly on the newest batch of Hop Stoopid. It’s just ridiculously good compared to the previous batches that I’ve tried.

Appearance is golden with a nice finger and a half head poured into a pint glass. A shade of orange that makes it the color more copper than straw.
Smell is of fresh fruit, pine, citrus. Reminds me of Sculpin on a smaller scale and brings back memories of Kill Ugly Radio. There is that magical smell that an IPA gets when it’s in that 7 percent abv range. The bottle states 7.7% abv.

The taste is even better. Smooth and creamy with a burst of hops and citrus. A completely unbalanced beer in such a great way. Look out tastebuds; try not to flinch! This one busts out a second finger and shocks the palate with hops. No malt backbone to bring this one down.

Nice bitter bite at the end and a finish that’s drier than 80 year old beef lips add to the greatness of this beer. Critics may argue that this beer is made entirely from hop extract, but if so, consider me a fan of hop extract. I’m not one to poo poo adjuncts or preservatives. I’d eat the asshole out of a dead hooker (I’d be too crude to hyperlink this one) if it tasted good.

Mouthfeel is medium with just the right amount of carbonation to keep this one on its feet. Resinous yet well carbonated with a great oily texture. Drinkability is fantastic. Make a mental note: 7% is the magic number for IPA’s.

My second favorite beer of the year so far behind Consecration.

Official BoozeReviews Score: 93/100

L’Chaim!

It is not the case that this big, 10% ABV Stout should ever be consumed for breakfast. Not unless you have most of the rest of the day to take a nap. They call this one a breakfast stout since it has the best coffee flavor that you’ve ever had in a beer. That, plus it’s full of some mellower whiskey flavors from being stuck in barrels for a time before being bottled.

This one came in a 12 ouncer. I got three, and enjoyed them all equally. If you’re looking to get into coffee flavored beers, this is definitely one that you need to seek out and cross off of the list. I’ve never been particularly partial to coffee in beer (or coffee in general), but I can down one of these masterpieces without blinking an eye.

Poured into my little tulip. Nice color; black with a lighter red ring around the top of the glass when held up to the light. Oily. Good head retention lasted for roughly a minute before it dissipated into some smaller, swirling bubbles.
Smell was of COFFEE, bourbon, oak, and alcohol. Delicious.
First taste delivered a silky smooth mouthfeel, perhaps in the top five of silky smooth beers (think FW12 meets Abyss). Very tasty, and although I’m not normally a fan of coffee flavored beers, this one is extremely enjoyable.
This beer needs the attention of time in order to divulge all of its characteristics to the drinker. Not overly aged, the bourbon seems to take a back seat here to the more powerful flavors of dark chocolate and coffee.
A stout that will be remembered for years to come and a great one to enjoy with breakfast.

Official BoozeReviews Score 95/100. Nice coffee beer that really couldn’t be much better considering all aspects of the beer.

L’Chaim!

Another beer that I’ve trader for lately; this one arrived as a six pack that was shared with the entire crew.I like the name of this beer.  Any time that a company can alliterate the name of a beer so that it flows easily off the tongue when you’re drunk, I feel blessed. That, and it beats the hell out of calling it testicle juice.

Initial color is orange, burnt amber with a nice three finger, fluffy white head. Very pretty beer that reminds me more of an IPA than an amber or red ale as it is classified here.
Smell is of hops, citrus and a slight floral smell lingers in the background.

The first taste went well, and this beer really grew on me as the night progressed. I feel like I could get through six bottles of this without realizing where they all went so fast. This beer is really easy to drink. The flavors remind me of some of the San Diego Pale Ales that are available here, but without the uber bitter hop bite that one would get at the end. Kind of a Two Hearted meets Sierra Nevada Pale Ale. I like that the beer isn’t overly malty, but still has loads of fruit and citrus flavors. Would like to see a little more bitterness on the finish, but the lack of bitterness also makes this beer extremely drinkable.
Word to the wise. Have at least six of these if you plan on drinking them; they are so easy that you’ll want more and more…
A nice beer that isn’t from California. Cool!

Official BoozeReviews Score:  92/100.  A great IPA that isn’t from California.  Way to change my mind about the hops factor with this Michiganian offering.

L’Chaim!