Epic Bottle Share

Last weekend, I participated in perhaps the best bottle share I've ever been a part of (see picture 1). This lineup to this share was as follows:

1. 2014 Rum Barrel Black Tuesday (The Bruery)

2. 2015 Eclipse Vanilla (50/50)

3. 2016 Imperial Smells Like Bean Spirit (Mikerphone Brewing)

4. 2016 Woodford Reserve Barrel Aged Victory at Sea (Ballast Point)

5. 2016 Rye Double DBA (Firestone Walker)

6. 2015 Parabajava (Firestone Walker)

7. 2016 Dark Lord (3 Floyds)

8. 2014 Port Barrel Sucre (The Bruery)

These were by far some of the tastiest beers I've ever had, with Dark Lord, Rum Black Tuesday, Rye Double DBA, and Port Sucre standing out as my clear favorites (I would rate all 4 of these 9.9 or higher out of 10 - though every beer I had would be above an 8.5). All of these beers were a bit strong, between 10.5% and 19% ABV, so I don't recommend drinking any of them on your own. A bottle share like this is a great way of trying a bunch of world class, high alcohol beers without getting completely shitfaced.

Additionally, I added my most expensive bottle to date to my collection:

Goose Island King Henry is perhaps the best beer I've ever tried. An American style Barleywine ale, this was aged in barrels that had previously held the original Bourbon County Rare Stout, and before that Pappy Van Winkle 23 year aged bourbon (which is apparently one of the top bourbons out there). The best word I could probably use to describe this beer is decadent. It is safe to say that this will be saved for a very, very special occasion.

Pipeworks Ninja vs. Unicorn

16 oz. can

There are a couple of times in my beer drinking experiences that I've tried a beer solely based on the name, and this is one of the times where the beer has genuinely lived up to the name.

Ninja vs. Unicorn is an 8% Double IPA from Pipeworks Brewing out of Chicago, Illinois.

The first thing I noticed about this beer is the smell: bright tropical flavors - pineapple, mango, peach. Wow. Flavors are similar on the taste, all of these fruits are so bright and strong even though this can is 2 months old (though they probably faded a bit). Refreshing bitterness at the end that fades into juicy fruit again. The 8% is completely hidden. This is a really enjoyable beer.

The beer is completely clear yellow (almost bud light-ish, but slightly paler) - but that's refreshing, considering most of the IPAs I've had recently  (and the biggest craze as of late) have been unfiltered and hazy as fuck.

The first time I had this beer (at Rattle N Hum in NYC, about 2 years ago) I was blown away by the flavors: they were so bright and vibrant. In fact, this beer left such a impression on my palate that I wasn't sure I'd find an IPA I'd like better (I since have found 2 or 3, but this is still sublime). Still, this is a beer that I'm sure to grab a 4-pack or 2 whenever I see it (though this is rare thanks to the albeit well-deserved hype).

Overall Rating: 9.2*/10

(* = rating the 2 month old can. Fresh, this beer is probably about a 9.7)