I never thought I would ever say this, I am getting fed up with Pale ales.

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When I am stuck and need to figure something out I always remember the Immortal words of Socrates when he said:"I just drank what?"

Then stop drinking them?

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Just got back from a brief trip to glorious Portland, Maine, which remains a phenomenal eating and drinking city, especially for its modest size.

Top beers consumed during my visit:

1)Neverender, Austin St. Brewery--Really nice NEIPA with a great balance of juice and funk. Comparable to some of the better beers by Foam or Other Half. Worth trading for.
2)Prime, Goodfire--Super Prime and Prime are two of the best beers going in Portland. Both Goodfire and Austin St. have surpassed Bissell Brothers for Portland supremacy.
3)DDH Patina, Austin St--Extremely complex, multilayered IPA that is so much better than the regular flagship version of this beer.
4)Swish, Bissell Brothers--Still a very good beer, but no longer tops in an increasingly competitive Portland beer landscape.
5)Tilted Barn Watermelon--Remarkably easy-drinking at 8.5%, lots of tropical fruit in this juicy IPA from the legendary Rhode Island brewery.

Disappointments: Everything I had from the Veil (VA) and Transient (MI).

Brought home a bunch of cans from Definitive, which is ascending the ranks in Portland. Looking forward to trying their stuff.

While Portland is a great beer town, it still has a way to go before it equals the magic of the Burlington, VT, area (I include Stowe-Waterbury in this category.). Restaurants are generally way better, though.

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I don’t know who is buying Transient here. The beer is mediocre usually and checks in at $19/4-pack.

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-- source

I had never had anything by them before. Novare Res had a few of their beers on draught, and the tap list there is generally very well curated. This was a big miss, though. Lucky I was just sampling!

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The Barrel Aged No Cake is phenomenal.

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Um where I live the stores don't stock much else. If any of the other QC people can point me to a place to get something else.

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When I am stuck and need to figure something out I always remember the Immortal words of Socrates when he said:"I just drank what?"

My wife got me some Burl by Half Acre. Double Dry Hopped Double IPA. Really smooth and a nice clean finish. To be honest, Half Acre has never steered me wrong.

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I've been drinking a lot of beer from Definitive in Portland, ME, this weekend. Very good new brewery, possibly the best currently operating in the Portland area. Not quite as good as the elite breweries in Vermont (Hill Farmstead, River Roost, and Foam are my top three in that order) just yet, but they seem to be headed in that direction. Incidentally, Definitive is run by guys from Trillium, Maine Beer Co., and, I think, Bissell Brothers.

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Pollyanna just opened up their 3rd tap room this weekend in St Charles. Two Brothers can get fucked.

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Two Brothers sux.

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Riverlands in St Charles does a reputable NEIPA. I think.

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Riverlands is top notch.

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Had a couple Alaskan Brewing 'Husky' IPAs over the weekend. Absolutely delicious.

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Tried the IPA Bomb by Short Fuse Brewery out of Schiller Park. They had a handful of flavors from them as well as a number of the Milkshake styles which I have never tried at my local liquor store . The IPA was not too bad. Was nice to try something different.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

I suspect Short Fuse is delibertly trying to trick people into thinking that they are Alarmist Brewing.

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Riverlands impressed me. I just wish their prices were a Tad Cheaper. All the IPAs were $18.99 across the board when I visited.

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-- source

Twisted Galaxy DIPA by Toppling Goliath. I think these guys make some of the best beer in the Midwest. Just crazy good stuff. Expensive at $16 for a 4 pack but just delicious

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

Is anyone going to the Mother Truckin’ beer fest tomorrow? I’ll be there!

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-- source

Jingle Java from Bent River is out for the holidays. One of my favorite Christmas beers.

Something called Kings and Convicts just bought Ballast Point so that Constellation Brands could focus more attention on bringing Corona hard seltzer to market.

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That purchase is insane. It’s like Keeping Score’s shit site buying this site. Then again, I’m sure there are MANY details we aren’t privy to. On the surface, though, it shocked me.

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-- source

Whoa that’s interesting. Kings and Convicts is going to be building a large brewpub up here in Pleasant Prairie. That would be the 5th brewery in the area.

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Flew too close to the sun on wings of pastrami

If Kings and Convicts was a jean company, they would have embroidered pockets.

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I don't remember half the time if I'm hiding or I'm lost

Last night, there was a tapping of Lagunitas Willettized Coffee Stout at Poplar Creek Bowl. Solid beer. I actually liked it a lot more than the last few years of Bourbon County Stout

https://lagunitas.com/beer/willett

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The company actually has two owners. One is referred to as the King even though he has no royal blood. The other is called the Convict even though he has never been to jail.

These two people just bought a business that sold for 1 billion four years ago. Life isn't fair.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Have the updated the interior of Officials Timeout. Please tell me they still have that Taquiza sign hanging in the bar.

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Completely remodeled 2 years ago. Now called Bar Down. Same layout for the most part...added some loungy couches and shit. Slot machines where the dart boards were.

https://bardownsportsgrill.com/

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Lame!

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Guess I should have looked in here first. A Brit (Kings) and an Australian (Convicts) own it. Local Lake Forest/Lake Bluff guys.

I'll probably have more details soon. Even if they paid $.10 on the $1, that's still $100million...sheesh.

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