Mean Manalishi by Hoppin' Frog Brewery

Yes I had to share :(

Mean Manalishi by Hoppin' Frog is a Double IPA weighing in at an "alleged" whopping 168 IBUs.  I say "alleged" only because a number of people argue that the International Bitterness Unit Scale can not realistically exceed 100 units.  However, IBUs shall be discussed another time.

Tasting Notes:
Poured slightly orange with a one finger head.  The nose had a sweet smell with a slight hint of pine and citrus.  An  earthy and grassy taste up front and back with a very strong hop presence.  The initial taste makes you think you grabbed a barleywine by mistake.  Medium bodied and moderately carbonated a beer that goes down, but not one you can drink over and over.  Beers like Mean Manalishi and Ruination IPA have such high IBUs that your palate can only sustain one beer in an evening.  I am not saying this is a bad beer, in fact I think it is excellent, just not as a session beer.

Bodacious Black & Tan from Hoppin' Frog Brewery

Bodacious Black & Tan by Hoppin' Frog Brewery of Akron, Ohio takes a draft treat and puts it in a bottle.  Typically requesting a black and tan results in Guinness Stout poured on top of Harp Lager.  However, over the years many local brews have taken the combination of a stout and lager and made it their own.  Bodacious is a bit different because Hoppin' Frog did not follow the typical pattern of stout over lager.  In  Bodacious the brewers took the brewery's GABF gold medal winning B.O.R.I.S the Crusher (Bodacious Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout) and blended it with their Hoppin' To Heaven IPA.  The use of an oatmeal stout and IPA bucks the usual decision of using an Irish Dry Stout and Lager.  This creates a beer with 65 IBUs, much higher than a typical black and tan.  If you are a fan of the layering effect created by a draft version of the black and tan, you are not going to get that in a bottle.  The two beers are throughly mixed together which means there is no beginning and no end to each beer.

Tasting Notes:
Pours a dark chocolate color and lacks the color definition in typical black and tan.  A medium bodied tan head forms from the pour.  Aromas of chocolate and, more unusual for the style, hops come to the nose.  A medium bodied, moderately carbonated beer with flavors of roasted coffee, chocolate, molasses and citrus.  The 2/3 IPA and 1/3 stout come out perfectly resulting in a very balanced beer.  Definitely a beer I would drink again.

Brew Masters: Bitches Brew Episode

Last Sunday Discovery Channel aired the first episode of Brew Masters.  The show follows Sam Calagione as he makes some of Dogfish Head's 31 annual brews.  The first episode followed Sam as he collaborated with Sony Music on Bitches Brew.  Bitches Brew is both a album and now a beer.  The album Bitches Brew was Miles Davis's first Gold Record, and is considered a highly influential piece by the music community.

The beer Bitches Brew is a blend of an African beer and a Russian Imperial Stout.  The African beer, Tej, was described by Calagione as coyingly sweet, and more like wine than beer. Tej is also higher in alcohol content.  The Russian Imperial Stout is lower in alcohol content and has a chocolate base.

I drank a bottle of this as I watched the show.  I found the show informative, but wished it would go deeper into some of the processes behind brewing.  For instance a deep explanation of the benefits and reasons why someone would want to blend beer would of been excellent.  A bottling line malfunction provided a useless distraction to the plot of the show.  I found it annoying that they made a big deal over having to throw out $7,000 worth of beer.  Which, by the way, was a false alarm.  While that is a lot of money, it is a drop in the bucket for an operation like Dogfish Head.

I know this was only the first episode so I do hope and believe a lot more about craft beer will be explained in future episodes.   For instance tonight Sam explores Chicha, also known as Spit Beer.  So please tune in tonight and get grossed out.

Tasting Notes:

Poured from a large format bottle into a Dogfish off-centered glass creating a thick, dark tan head that stuck around, yet created little lacing.  The aroma was sweet with very subtle hops, and at 9% ABV I could smell some alcohol.  The body was full with a velvety feel, and notes of roasted coffee and chocolate and a trace of smoke.  Wish I had some dark chocolate to pair with it.

Great Divide's Fresh Hop Pale Ale

We only see fresh hop or wet hop beers twice a year during the fall in the northern and southern hemisphere harvests.  To be a wet hopped beer the whole hop cones are used instead of the processed pellets in making the beer.  Unfortunately, hops are highly perishable.  In order to successfully make a wet hop beer the hops are picked, overnighted and used within hours.  This requires a bit of timing on behalf of the brewery in order to make sure they have a tank ready to go.

Great Divide's Fresh Hop gives off a grassy, citrus pine aroma.  Not as pungent as I expected, but not lacking.  The beer is amber in color with a thick white head that resulted in lacing as time went on.  There were hops up front and at the finish, with a resiny feel.  The malt balanced the beer out nicely.  Fresh Hop is very light on the tongue to the point the beer was almost gulp-able.  Bud Light could learn about "drinkability" from this beer.  I do regret only buying one, but hey, there is always next year.

Hemp Ale Update

Wednesday I posted that Nectar Ales has the only Hemp beer.  I was wrong.  I was promptly informed by a reader of O'Fallon Hemp Hop Rye.   This beer is also made with hemp seeds.  A six pack has been obtained and I hope to have a review and a comparison out to you all next week.

Happy Thanksgiving

Today Americans pause and remember what we are thankful for.  About a year after landing at Plymouth Rock and a successful harvest, the Pilgrims celebrated by holding the first Thanksgiving.  Beer played a role in getting them there.  They intended to settle farther south, but a lack of beer on board was one of the reasons the ship laid anchor at Plymouth Rock.  Beer in those times was lower in alcohol content and used as a way to keep water clean of disease.  

So in keeping with the spirit of the holiday I am thankful for:

• Beer Bitch
• A Bro
• A family to drink with
• My readers over 1,500 of you
• Finally, being sappy, all the other good things in life.   

#13 of 1001 Hemp Ale by Nectar Ales

Poster From Sampling Event 

Nectar Ales is a Brand of Firestone Walker.  According to the brewery rep who served this at the recent Motley Brews event in Las Vegas, Hemp Ale is the only hemp beer in production.  The ironic thing was as I asked for a sample the rep seemed to be unimpressed with the beer.  I seriously have never tried weed or weed brownies.  The closest comparison for me is the smell of a college roommate.  I can assure you this did not smell like cannabis, but I have no clue on the taste.  The seeds used in brewing this beer lack THC, the intoxicating compound in cannabis.  This beer lacks anything that screams special except that it is one of a kind.

Tasting Note:

Bottle into rinsed sample glass at Motley Brews event.

Malty with some hops.  Clean finish, and remarkably forgettable.

What I Am Bringing For Thanksgiving

Well Thanksgiving is upon us and I know many of you have been asked to bring something to a gathering.  Skip the kitchen; bring beer.  This year I decided to take home a brown ale.  Why a brown ale?  Brown ale have a complicated malty aroma, and a toasty caramel flavor.  This flavor/ aroma combination will go well with roasted meats and hearty foods.  Come to think of it, what is on your table?  More than likely a roasted turkey, although I think the combination would still work well for fans of deep fried turkey.

In selecting which beer I would bring I considered a couple factors.  First, I wanted a conversation starter.  I wanted a beer that my non-beer geek family members would be intrigued enough to try and talk about.  Second, I wanted a seriously good beer.

I decided on Flossmoor's Pullman Brown.  To be honest I did get the beer for free from my bottling day, but Pullman Brown was underconsideration prior to that.  This is my conversation starter.  I can look at family and say, "Hey! I helped get that in the bottle."  This fact alone may intrigue my crazy Uncle Jim who hates beer to give it a try.  Or he may not, he is crazy.  Secondly, Pullman Brown is without a doubt a good beer.  Multiple medals at GABF and WBC make it a solid contender.  Finally, on my bottling day I was telling Flossmoor's Brewer Bryan that I planned on a brown for the meal.  He agreed it would work.  

Please consider a unique beer for the holiday, and if your in Illinois you can look here for a list of places to buy a bottle, and if you live elsewhere find a good brown ale in your neighborhood.

Happy Thanksgiving, and of course please drink responsibly!

Everyone Should Try New Beer

Everyone should try new beer everyday.  I honestly believe that.  Unfortunately, we cannot all have a different beer everyday of our lives.  Most people however are creatures of habit.  We exhibit habitual behaviors because our brains are hard wired to do so.

For instance, I tend to avoid Belgian beers.  Why?  Esters (Aroma).  However, once in a while I try one and think, "this is pretty good."  I still do tend to shy away from the six packs of Belgians, but when there is a chance to take a sample I usually give it an open mind.

An excellent example of why people should try different beer recently happed to me at The Pub inside the Monte Carlo Hotel in Las Vegas.  I struck up a conversation with a gentleman a few barstools over.  He was telling me his style preferences and his favorite beers.  I asked him if he had ever had Kona's Pipeline Porter.  He indicated he had not, and that he had his beer comfort zone.  I asked the bartender to give him a sample off the tap.  A fingers worth of beer and a fingers worth of foam sat in front of the man from Detroit.  He took a look at it as if to say "Here goes nothing," and took a sip.  As the glass came from his lips he exclaimed "Holy Shit!"

For the first time in this guy's life he tried a porter he loved.  He thought it was an excellent beer and would look for it again.  His son joined him a short time later and he told his son about the beer.  When presented with the chance to try something new, he took the plunge.  I give him credit.  All to often I have seen people turn their head up at a sample.

For those beer novices out there, the cheapest way to try something new is ask for a sip.  I can not tell you how many times I have had a bartender slide over a few ounces of an unfamiliar beer.  Please do not abuse this though.  Make sure you order a drink as well, and it is nice to tip a bartender for the sip as well.  He/ she did not have to give you a sample on the house and in some situations could get in some serious trouble.

If you want to be a little more adventurous try a sampler.  Typically you will see samplers in bars that have numerous taps of craft beer.  Brewpubs almost always have some sort of sampler.  Samplers run the gamut on price from free for four samples at Great Divide, a few dollars at Goose Island, to $20 at Vegas bars.  Some places have a preset sampler, but many places will let you make your own.  When the menu shows a preset option, and a polite request for substitution is normally honored.  Try and pick a good group of beer.  Consider ordering some beers that have won medals and taste the beers lightest to darkest in color.  If your in a pub, I try to either stick to one style or one brewery.  Either way, you can never have too much fun running though a sampler.

Fire Up The DVR; It Is Time For Beer TV

That is right folks, tonight on the Discovery Channel two shows will have beer as a prominent focus. At 8:00/ 7:00 CST Dirty Jobs is airing an episode titled Beer Processing.  My DVR says the episode is new, but chicken sexer is listed as being the other half of the episode of the show.  My presumption is this is a repeat of a season one episode.  I recall that this episode gives a pretty thorough review of the brewing process, and of course focuses on sanitation.  I love the irony of a show called Dirty Jobs talking about sanitation.

Then at 10:00/ 9:00 CST is the main event, Brew Masters.  This is a new series on the Discovery Channel and will follow Dogfish Head founder Sam Calagione around the world.  The promos of the show seem to lean towards Sam's more exotic brews.  I wish the show would cast a wider net.  I think people would be fascinated by more typical styles like porter and IPA.  Also, the series will only follow Sam around.  If the show continues into a second season it seems it should start featuring other brewers.  Either way, I am excited.  This will not just be a show for beer geeks, but will also start exposing a wider audience to craft beer.  Finally, if Discovery Channel is putting this on TV they must really think craft beer has a supportive audience.  This makes me wonder when we will see TV commercials for craft beer.

Tune in tonight to see what happens!

Post Road Pumpkin Ale by Brooklyn Brewery

Although not prevalent from the marketing, Post Road Pumpkin Ale is a product of Brooklyn Brewery.  I have often wondered why such a fine beer does not proudly proclaim the Brooklyn name.  The rumor is that Post Road was the name of the brewery bought by Brooklyn that owned this recipe.  However, I still do not understand the lack of updated packaging.

Post Road is a beer I must buy each fall.  I only have a couple beers each season that I insist on having and this one makes the cut.  When poured from a bottle into a pint glass you should see a medium white head that will dissipate.  The beer has an orange tinge to the normal amber color and has solid pumpkin pie aroma. When drinking Post Road, you taste a distinct maltiness coupled with bitterness and a light body.  The beer finishes crisp and dry.

With a 5% ABV this is a beer you can sit around and drink all night.  I recommend serving Post Road between dinner and dessert if your the host separates the two.  Either way, Post Road Pumpkin Ale is a must have for the fall season.

#12 of 1001 90 Shilling by Odell Brewing Co.

Another in the Series based off of the book 1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die (1001 (Universe)).

Odell Brewing Co. named their amber ale 90 Shilling after a Scotish tax.  Tax authorities there at one time taxed the highest quality beer at 90 Shillings.  The owners and brewers of Odell must of thought they had something special when they named this beer.  This was a well done, solid amber, but not fantastic.  Maybe it was the high expectation of the name, but I was slightly disappointed.  Of all the Odell beers I have had this year, this one lacked the POW, BAM, and BOOM of the others.

Tasting notes:
Poured from a bottle into a pint glass, this copper colored beer formed a medium head.  Malty, caramel aromas wafted to the nose.  Medium bodied it went down somewhat fruity, with a trace of chocolate and a nutty aftertaste.

Hey Scientists! Of Course Cavemen Had Beer!

This week both Fox News and MSNBC report on how beer may have "lubricated" civilization.  Scientists now believe that early Neolithic people drank beer at celebrations. Scientists also believe early man likely spent considerable time making and procuring ingredients for beer.  It is no coincidence that beer has a big role in history. Fermented beverages show up in virtually every culture.  There is a Sumerian poem to Ninkasi the patron goddess of brewing.  Dogfish Head has a beer based on an archeological dig in present day Honduras.  It is further appropriate to note the role beer played in early American history.

September, 1620 a group of individuals left England for a New World on board the Mayflower.  Those individuals, the Pilgrims, ran out of beer on their voyage.  Beer was not just a drink of celebration, but also one of survival.  It is believed many people for a better part of history have received vital nutrition from grain through beer.  Additionally, weak beer was used to keep water from being contaminated on ships.  If the Pilgrims had more beer many theorize they would of continued to sail south to the Mid-Atlantic, instead of Plymouth Rock.  That decision would of delayed settlement of the Northeast, and possibly meant that each November millions of Americans would not stuff themselves full of turkey and drink beer while watching football.

Beer has without a doubt played huge roles in history.  Its precursor, Mead, was prominent in the Old English poem Beowulf the bane of existence of modern high school students.   German beer purity laws are the oldest food purity laws recorded.  Common American Macro Lager was established as a way to satisfy desires of German immigrants.  Prohibitionists used Anti-German immigrant feelings to establish prohibition in the United States.  Guinness has become the identifying drink of Ireland.

Beer has woven itself into everyday life.  No ball game or holiday seems complete for many without a beer around.  Watch a TV, show many times characters walk in the door from work and simply grab a beer.  My point is beer is nothing new, and I am surprised science is just now figuring out how integral beer has been to the human race from the beginning.

Huffington Post Asks Users For Ridiculous Beer Names

The Huffington Post is currently asking readers to submit photos to a series titled: The Most Ridiculous Beer Names Of All Time.  Unfortunately, there is no discussion regarding why some brewers use unusual or offensive names.  I think there are two main reasons: attitude and marketing. Often these two work together.  Take a look at Arrogant Bastard.  The beer is so bold that when it was initially made it would have been called an arrogant bastard by acquaintances.  Seriously, who has not meet a bold, ignorant offensive guy and not at least muttered arrogant bastard under your breath.  At the same time though a name like this is guaranteed to capture the eye of a young man pursuing the beer aisle.  Other beers I think are named purely for publicity.  Polygamy Porter from Wasatch Brewpub and Brewery in Park City, Utah had to know this name was going to stir up a debate when released.  More than once reports have surfaced about the advertising of their beer.  This generates so much free publicity that if you have the creative mind to name the beer a crazy name why not?

Head over to Huffington Post check out the photos and have a good laugh.  Also, maybe it is just me, but I think most of the naughty names come out over the holiday season so go get a drink too!

#11 of 1001 Arrogant Bastard by Stone Brewing Co.

Another in the Series based off of the book 1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die (1001 (Universe)).


Yes I know I been drinking a lot of Stone lately, but Beer Bitch got me the glassware and I felt like the glasses needed to be used properly.  Arrogant Bastard according to my 1001 book is the best selling craft beer.  I like Stone for a couple of reasons.  One, Stone does not use cascade hops making them the outcast of brewing.  I love cascade hops, but Stone is crafty enough to produce some great hoppy flavors without it.  Secondly, they make beer, well that is arrogant.  Stone makes beer with flavor, and their phoilosphy is if you dont like it, don't drink it.


Tasting notes
Poured with a good head, deep red in color with solid lacing.  Big Bold flavor with hops saying "How do you do?"  Actually leaves a tingle on the roof of the mouth.  A rich maltiness is also present.

Sweet Potato Ale by Hamburger Mary's

Sweet Potato Ale from Hamburger Mary's is one of those fruit/ vegetable beers you do not expect to see when walking into a bar. Bro gave me the heads up on this one and she said I really needed to try it.  We headed over recently and ordered a couple bottles.  Bro really liked the beer, I did not.  Then again I think sweet potatoes are icky so it was a long shot.

Like all Mary's Special Reserves it was poured from a bottle resulting in a deep amber color as it filled a globe glass with a thick head.  The beer had a sweet aroma with cinnamon, nutmeg, and sweet potato.  The sweet potato carried through in the flavor with a bit of brown sugar and caramel.  A fizzy medium bodied beer is not one that could be drank all night,  but could easily be enjoyed by a person who likes sweet potatoes.

I tried to find out what type of base beer it was and the ingredients.  The server politely explained that since he was not the brewer he can not tell me anything about the beer.  I though this was a shame.  If the brewer took the time to write a short spiel on house beer and kept it at the serving station it would enhance the brand.  In reality I tip better when servers know their stuff.  Instead, the beer drinker leaves feeling a bit left short.

In conclusion, if you like sweet potato and you are in the neighborhood this is a beer worth sitting down to, and if your like me and you think it icky they have plenty of others to choose from.

Why Cascadian Dark Ale is confusing.

Yesterdays Brewers Association newsletter had a story by brewer Matt Van Wyk on the Black IPA name debate.  Van Wyk currently of Oakshire Brewing, and formally of Flossmoor Station Brewing Company where I bottled earlier this week is an excellent brewer.  Please stop go read his article here and come back.  Thank you.

He raises six points towards the end of his article on why all the other names suck.  While agree with him.  Cascadian is wrong for a very similar reason.  He points out that many of the assumptions in the other names are confusing to the novice drinker.  His argument for the Cascadian name relies heavily on the Cascadian region being the cradle of this beer.  While a decent point, he forgets that most drinkers from novice to expert will likely assume Cascade Hops must be an ingredient.  It is a common ingredient, but not a required ingredient.  A decision to go with this name may confuse a number of people, and in the end may force the style into requiring cascade hops.

While a number of names have been thrown out there, and none seem to suffice. I propose four alternatives:

1. Hopped Black Ale 
2. Hopped Dark Ale.  
3. American Black Ale
4. American Dark Ale

I know you will likely think it sounds stupid, but do you have a better idea?

My Bottling Day At Flossmoor

Flossmoor Station Brewing Co. is one of my favorite breweries.  Yesterday, their brewer Bryan Shimkos sent out an SOS that he needed help ASAP on his bottling line.  Like a firefighter running to his truck, I was on my way.  He offered beer and lunch as a reward.  To be honest, I wanted material for the blog and a chance to pick the brain of a young brewer.  Bryan answered every question I asked him from the brewing process to beer trends.  I can honestly say I enjoyed my day.  Here is an in-depth look at bottling the Flossmoor way.

Bright Tank

Before I arrived, Bryan had already pumped the Pullman Brown Ale (Previous Review) over to a bright tank located in a basement cooler.  A bright tank is  where secondary fermentation occurs and can also serve as a serving tank.

Phil Connors

At this point, I should introduce you to Phil Connors.  Phil is a nice guy, but somewhat temperamental and has a slight handicap.  Oh, and by the way, Phil is the bottling machine.  Yes, like all good breweries Flossmoor named their bottling machine.  Phil Connors is the character Bill Murray played in the movie Groundhog Day.  He should be able to fill four bottles at once, but today was only able to handle three.  Before filling the bottles the bottling machine needed to be sterilized.  This is done by flushing it with sterilizer.  A very painless process.  To be honest I was expecting a little more dirt, grime and struggle here.

When Bryan was satisfied that Phil had bathed adequately we went over to Flossmoor's other basement and hauled over a plastic wrapped pallet of boxes and empty bottles.  Flossmoor has their label screen-printed directly on the bottle.  I think this is classy.  The downside to being classy is not mentioning your age therefore no date codes exist on Flossmoor bottles.  Once the plastic is off the pallet we placed adhesive labels and stamped the date code on the boxes.  This date code is the only way to track a batch of beer back to the source.

We then set up the tables for bottling.  One table is for the rinsed bottles and a second is for packaging.  Bryan also set up the bottle rinser.  Now this is a fancy piece of equipment.  The bottle rinser is composed of a large trash can filled with sanitizer and a PVC tube grid laid across the top.  Twelve small pipes stick out of the PVC each with a hole drilled in the end.  Placing the bottles on the pipes and turning the pump on would squirt sanitizer to the bottom of the upside down bottle and rinse the sides on the as it ran down.  Each round of bottles are washed for two minutes.  The bottles are then moved to a rack where they wait upside down.

Hanging Bottles

Hanging the bottles upside down accomplishes two main goals.  First, the sanitizer drains.  Second, nothing can fall into an upside down bottle.  To ensure sanitation only 48 bottles are out at a time.  If sanitation is moving along faster than filing bottles with beer, it is temporarily stopped.

Phil has three available pucks that bottles are placed in.  The puck pulls the bottle back where the dispenser comes down.  Phil creates an airtight seal on the bottle and begins a multi-step process.

1. Double evacuation of oxygen using two bursts of carbon dioxide
2. Pressurization of the bottle 
3. Beer is pumped in through a tube that runs to the bottom of the bottle

Filling the bottles.

As Phil is filling bottles Bryan slid caps into the capper at the front of Phil.  After filled with beer the pucks push forward and the capper drops down to seal the bottle.  This is followed by a quick visual check of the fill level and cap placement and a quick dunk in sanitizer.  The first round of filled bottles are considered less than ideal.  These beers were our "quality control" bottles as we worked.  Yes, quality control in quotation marks means we drank them as we worked.  Additionally, bottle breakage is a danger.  As the bottles pressurize, damaged or defective bottles can explode.  In fact we had two.  One bottle had a quarter size piece blow out the side and another bottle had a full explosion.  In all reality, breakage can be dangerous.  Bryan recounted stories of how flying glass has pierced his shirt.  Finally, a second assitant packs the bottles into cases of 12 and stores in a cooler until picked up or sold to customers at the brewery.  

Finished pallet with my case missing!

Bottling took the whole day.  I showed up about 10:30 and stayed until about 5:00.  A day in a dark cold basement is likely not the glamorous lifestyle we all think brewers have.  However, I did get to take a case home.  While I can not claim to be anymore than a cellarman I took pride in finishing my day with this beer at home.

And what am I doing with my beer?  Well that is another post.

Porters and Stouts

Every fall people start asking me to explain the difference between a porter and stout.  The answer not much, but a whole lot.  The history of these two beers have crossed paths, and I am sure someone could write a book on the history of porter alone.  Here is a quick summation of the difference and the similarity.

• Both are dark, bitter and have roasted coffee and chocolate flavors.
• Stouts will be darker and more intense.
• Porters will have a lighter body.
• Stouts will have a bigger head.

How is that for a crash course?  Now you should know there are variations of both these styles, but for today I think you have learned enough.  If you really want to know more, drink a porter then drink a stout.  Get a sampler and try them side by side.  The only way to really begin to know beer is not by instruction, but by living it.  Now please, go drink some beer!

More Beer Coming To Evanston?

Yesterday TribLocal ran a story on how distillers and brewers have their eye on Evanston, IL as a new home.  Evanston is the former home of Frances Willard, a champion of this pesky thing called Prohibition.  Evanston has residually embraced a certain degree of anti-alcohol mentality.  More than once I have heard, "You think Chicago's liquor laws are bad head up to Evanston."  Distillers and brewers alike point out this is an excellent way to create a few jobs, but more likely to drive visitors to the city.

Read the full article here.  Please if your a resident of Evanston make sure you tell your elected officials how you feel about this.

Sam Adams Changes the Chocolate Bock

The pewter label was such a nice touch.

On a Friday afternoon grocery run I came across the Sam Adams Winter Classics Sampler Pack.  The Chocolate Bock has replaced the Cranberry Lambic.  While I am not sad to see the Cranberry Lambic go, I was sad to see the Chocolate Bock exclusively in a sampler.

Up until this year, the Chocolate Bock has been released in a 750ml bottle.  In  the past I would enjoy one and put a few away to age.  I just do not normally see the value in cellaring a 12 oz bottle.  Typically, I share the beer I cellar and I find it a pain to manage a large number of 12 oz bottles.  Furthermore, I am not going to buy several sampler packs to have enough Chocolate Bock to cellar.

I am also afraid this decision will change the perception of this beer.  When Chocolate Bock was in a big fancy bottle you knew it was special.  I wonder if people will just pass over it now like it is not as good of a beer anymore.  On the upside, it will likely mean more people will be exposed to this great beer.  Most people I know who like good beer do not take the time to invest in the large format bottles.  I really wish Sam Adams went the extra mile and pushed this beer into four or six packs.  Alternatively, Sam Adams could keep the large format bottle with the hope people try it in a sampler and then go to the store and buy more.  Sam Adams is the only brewery I know of that releases beers only as a sampler and not as a full blown release.

In the end, it is not horrible that the 12 oz bottle was released, I just want this beer to be more accessible.  Sam Adams seasonals are among my favorite beers I only wish  I could drink them more often.