For a beer lover, there is no better thrill than wandering the beer aisle and suddenly spotting a bottle of some elusive, seasonally available, or otherwise un-find-able beer. It’s cause for a minor, and sometimes major, celebration. Here are five beers we’ve had on our “Love to Try” list for quite some time - what’s on yours?
1. Pliny the Elder from Russian River Brewing Company - This one always gets mentioned whenever Double IPAs come up in conversation. We hear that the hop flavors are out of this world. It’s made year round, but bottles get snatched up incredibly quickly. Russian River also makes a Pliny the Younger, a triple IPA that’s even harder to find!
2. Curieux from Allagash Brewing Company - Aged in Jim Beam barrels, this rich and fruity Belgian-style tripel received top marks from Beer Advocate’s Alstrom brothers last year. It’s produced seasonally but is well-distributed nationally. It’s just a matter of finding it in the store at the right time.
3. Brute from Ithaca Beer Company - This is one of those truly American beers that’s really pushing all the boundaries. It’s a sour ale, similar to Belgian wild-fermented beers, but...different. It uses local New York hops, gets aged in oak barrels, and then has some champagne yeast added during bottling. Amazing stuff, but produced in understandably small batches with limited distribution.
4. Immort Ale from Dogfish Head Craft Brewery - The combination maple syrup, peat-smoked barley, juniper berries, and vanilla in this beer just sounds too good to pass up. Dogfish is known for producing incredibly unique and top-notched beers. If anyone can pull off a beer like this, it’s them. It’s a released in late spring (dependent on the maple season), so mark your calendars now.
5. Dreadnaught IPA from Three Floyds Brewing Company - Another double IPA that we keep hearing about. It’s described as having a lot of fruity and citrusy hops balanced with sweet caramel malts. Sounds good to us. It’s available year-round, but is still hard to find.
What beers do you really really really want to try?
Related: Half-Time Beverage: A Place to Buy Beer Online
(Image: Flickr member mccun934 licensed under Creative Commons)
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Hubby and I want to try Pliny too. Luckily, a cafe that we frequent (Magpie) is one of the lucky establishments on their distribution list. Their latest facebook post mentioned that they have access to a keg of the stuff. We just haven't had an opportunity to visit yet.
Dreadnaught is not hard to find at all. It is delicious. Now, 3Floyds' Dark Lord is much harder to find, unless you look in my basement.
I'm fortunate to have had 3 of the ones on your list (Pliny, Curieux and Dreadnaught).
I'm sure San Diego and Portland have plenty of beers that are hard to come by but they are so limited I don't even hear about them.
Pliny is my husband's favorite IPA, it's so tasty! We live in Portland and our favorite bottle shop Belmont Station has a three-bottle-per-person limit for Pliny when it's in stock.
I really want to try this: http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/287/2511
Pliny the Elder and Curieux are both available on tap all over San Diego pretty often. Pliny the Younger is a real treat though. Yum...
I've also had Dreadnaught. I love beer too much.
Pliny the Elder is the best IPA I've ever had. Fragrant floral and citrus hops, with a small note of pine, and very drinkable for being a double IPA. It's not too hard to find in California as most good beer stores will try to stock it regularly.
Dreadnaught is also pretty good and worth seeking out, but the malts are a little too heavy handed for an IPA.
I have a bottle of Curieux sitting in a dark corner of my garage that is about year old. Probably opening it soon.
Currently waiting on a special order of 21st Amendment Brewing Hell or High Watermelon. Best summer beer ever.
We also love our Surly here in MN.
Since I live in Texas almost all of the beers you mention go onto my "Love to Try" list. :-(
Pliny the Elder is a fantastic beer. I have friends who go crazy every year for Pliny the Younger (which for me is too extreme.)
Allagash Curieux is one of my very favourite beers. My fiance and I rasted our Thanksgiving turkey with the sediment from a cuple of bottle of the stuff last year, it was awesome!
*roasted...