Monday, December 2, 2013

Beer Friday and a Writing Update

It's Friday again (well actually Monday) and I have a new beer review.  It would have been sooner but I was busy sleeping off my Thanksgiving turkey.

Today's beer is a real treat, a limited release, an expensiove one at that, and last but not least, a damn fine beer.

The beer is Goose Island's Bourbon County Brand Stout.  This Imperial Stout, aged in bourbon barrels, is high octane--almost 30 proof, or nearly 15% ABV, three timers higher than the average beer.  Where to start?

The 4-pack of 12 ounce bottles aren't cheap.  They retail for about $23, but are so limited that if a store has them then chances are they aren't sitting on a shelf.  Instead, a valued customer might receive a psst and then a few whispered words.  That's how I came to buy the beer.

The bottle was sampled at a Tipplers Beer Society meeting on November 30th.  The beer pours a thick black and aromas of coffee, chocolate, and molasses burst forth, with a strong scent of bourbon never too far behind.  The head is thin, but rich in tannish color.  The first taste...ah, bourbon and chocolate stout.  The beer reminded me of Stone's Russian Imperial Stout, after someone poured a shot of bourbon in it.  The aftertaste is of roasted chocolate and coffee with the tang of bourbon lingering.

It's a big beer, but easy enough to drink.  Would you sit around and drink a 4-pack by yourself?  Probably not.  Especially at over $5 a bottle.  And for the first time, I will give a beer a number rating.  This beer is a solid 4.

I rate beers 1-5.  Here is how the scale works: a 1 is a horrific beer that I probably wouldn't drink even if it was free.  A 5 would indicate an all-time favorite, a beer that I would actively seek out whenever possible.  An example of a 1 beer is Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy (tastes like a lemon cleaner) and a 5 would be Anchor Steam's Christmas Beer.

On a writing note, I am in the final stages of (finally) releasing '9 of a Kind' and I also have a story anthologized in a book just released last week.  The link is here.  My story is 'Bernice.'  Support your independent authors and enjoy the creepy stories.

http://www.amazon.com/Stalkers-A-Collection-Thriller-Stories-ebook/dp/B00GX9VVWI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386012158&sr=8-1&keywords=stalkers+anthology

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