On Thursday another try of the seasonal brews:

Samuel Adams Winter Lager is labeled as 'Festive Bock with Spices', is brewed in either Boston, Cincinnati or Breingsville PA. A fairly balanced spicy taste with citrus and ginger, but also some sweetness, with a distinct toffee hint. The aroma surprised me with fresh dates. I'm normally no Samuel Adams fan, but this seasonal brew is passable, although no winner

Thirsty Dog Brewing Co in Akron OH has a Bernese Barley Wine for the seasons festivities. A well balanced taste, slightly overpowered with an ABV of 10.5 %, but having all the sweet and bitter aromas playing well together. Sultanas, apricots and citrus peels in the lingering aftertaste. Close, but no cigar.

Has anyone tried Lagunitas' Hi Fi Hops beverage? I like the idea of a zero calorie drink with an IPA flavor.

You do know those are THC-infused right? https://hifihops.com/

I had one in my fridge and it exploded...was pretty annoyed, I wanted to try it

Yes, am aware of the intoxicant involved. Figured asking about an IPA flavored beverage by a reputable brewery was best posted in this thread, for a beer drinkers perspective.

Shame about your loss, as a bottle of the HiFi seems to cost almost as much as a conventional 6er.

Funky Buddha Florida Hefewiezer at MIA. I used to love Hefies but now I have trouble finishing them. Shift in taste I guess.

Resident Culture Full Stop (collab with Equilibrium Brewing). Great TIPA


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Wicked Week holiday release
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Wicked Weed released a 4 pack of dessert beers for the holidays. I liked them all. There wasn’t that much difference between them but I did taste the coconut in the German Chocolate Cake.

Allusion Brewing Ready Kafka

Crappy Club Colombia Roja. I'm in Bogota and I grabbed a couple room beers at the grocery store across the street from my hotel but neither did much for me.

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I do this maybe twice a year. It brings back memories of living in Denver in 76-77. Not to mention the 3,000 mile round trip drive from MA to KS in ‘75 to fill the trunk. Believe it or not, in an era before craft brewing, it had cachet on the East coast where it was unobtainable and commanded a sufficient premium to pay for the trip with a little profit to boot.

Over the Edge IPA by The Unknown Brewing Co.

This is a nice, unfiltered, assertively hopped IPA. Wish I had some chips and a spicy salsa to enjoy alongside

Equilibrium/Trillium Climb the Ballmer Peak

Quite a beer, clocks in at a crazy 10.5%, on the sweeter side (some cotton candy??) but very good. Also enjoyed reading about what the "Ballmer Peak" is: https://www.urbandictionary.com/defi...Ballmer%20Peak (yep used an Urban Dictionary link)


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Untitled Art/Parish Brewing Gulf Coast IIPA Collaboration. First time I've had Untitled Art, cool can, solid beer, but doesn't come close to Parish Brewing Ghost in the Machine (one of my top 3 DIPAs, wish that would make it up here)


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I got a couple nice Parish pint glasses when they did a tap takeover at World of Beer in Pensacola a couple years ago. I love Ghost in the Machine.

Untitled Art does some very nice beers, although I associate them more with stouts than IPAs.