I'm always wondering what people are drinking, or going to drink so I thought I'd start a thread for people to post what they are buying......I'll be first, here is what I picked up today for this weekend not muich because I'm brewing a Pumpkin Porter this weekend and a Belgian Dubbel the follwoing sat.

Tuckerman Brewing-6288 Stout (new offering to bring their current portfolio to 3)
Ipswich-Harvest Ale

I'm running over to CBC to pick up a Growler of Pumpkin Ale, then prob gonna be drinking some combination of these. Btw the stout from tuckermans is good. I tried it when I was at the brewery. Very tasty.

Damn, that's two good posts in a row! I'll be with Devon and some other friends tonight, so probably drinking similar to him. Also, I have a small growler of 2004 Magic Hat Imperial Stout aged in Buffalo Trace barrels, I believe it was (some type of bourbon or whiskey barrel), which I received as a gift from a friend. Then who knows... May be going to the Salem Beer Works tomorrow for dinner, that'd be fun!

Also, the Tuckermans Stout is very good! Had it at the brewery as well before it was released in bottles.

Did you end up hitting the Salem Beer works? Mike Roy is the head brewer their now formerly of Milly's Tavern in Manchester, NH. Was at the Salem Beer works about a month ago and picked up their Belgian Saison in a growler and it was amazing, a lot of great beer to found there......let me know your thoughts if you were able to go......P.S. your both right the Tuckerman's is a great stout, smooth and simple on the palate..

I did indeed hit up Beer Works in Salem on Saturday! I was driving shortly afterwards, so only had 2, but they were good. The Black Bat Stout and the IPA. The IPA was quite hoppy! I'm always surprised when they have a hoppy IPA as I figured they cater to a more middle of the road audience. It was during the Sox game 6, so it was packed. They definitely ran out of light beer.

I had heard about Mike Roy being there now. I'm always a little worried about good brewers going there, though, as how much creative freedom are they really going to get in that kind of corporate brewpub set up? I feel like a lot of recipes and stuff are set, especially with the changes in ownership.

Also, how was the Ipswich Harvest Ale? I've never had it.

Yeah, I wonder sometimes about good brewers losing their "stuff" when they go to corporate brewpub type places. But Mike told me that Salem and the other beer works have a few standard recipes but allow their brewers to create a bunch of new stuff. I just hope that I can have some more Imperial Death March Stout and Hopnoxious from Milly's those beers alone are worth heading to the brewpub.

BTW the Harvest Ale was delcicious, fresh hops, slightly balanced with a caramel sweetness and finished nicely with another bite of bitterness and a biscuit undertone. I'm always looking for new Ipswich beers I think they are vastly underrated imo. No one ever talks about them really, but they put out quality session brews time after time. Stonecat has vastly improved since Mercury started brewing their beers, as well as Farmington. I guess they are overlooked because they don't brew extreme beers which is sad, but I was very excited to see their Harvest Ale in a 6 pack.

How phenominal is the Gumballhead! I tasted that about 2 years ago, seeing this pic makes me think, man it sucks that I have to go this long without some great beers. I think of all the beers I had to travel for or have shipped and I just wish that I could have them at my finger tips. Oh well, I guess that is part of the fun of this hobby.........not being able to taste everything so you must travel. The beer road trips/vacations are fun, although my wife thinks I wont go anywhere unless I can stop at a beer destination . The funny thing is I usually don't have to plan it, if were going somewhere other than a beer wasteland which is now getting rarer, there is always a beer destination sometimes you have to look harder than others but there usually there.

Franchise wrote:
How phenominal is the Gumballhead! I tasted that about 2 years ago, seeing this pic makes me think, man it sucks that I have to go this long without some great beers. I think of all the beers I had to travel for or have shipped and I just wish that I could have them at my finger tips. Oh well, I guess that is part of the fun of this hobby.........not being able to taste everything so you must travel. The beer road trips/vacations are fun, although my wife thinks I wont go anywhere unless I can stop at a beer destination . The funny thing is I usually don't have to plan it, if were going somewhere other than a beer wasteland which is now getting rarer, there is always a beer destination sometimes you have to look harder than others but there usually there.

Gumballhead rocks my socks! Each time I open a bottle it's this amazing surprise to me at how good it is. I think I only have one or two left now...so sad.

If you want any more of Mike Roy's beers from Milly's, you'll have to go back to Milly's. The recipes are (unless the brewer had a really strange contract) the intellectual property of the brewery.

I agree, Ipswich is vastly underrated! Their stout is great! Stonecat IPA is a good session beer. And their Pumpkin Porter is pretty excellent. I'm also with you on the breweries being underrated without extreme beers tip. I think there are some great breweries that do session beers and nobody ever mentions them. Yet a few places do one or two great extreme beers, and the rest is only OK, and suddenly they're world class.

By the way... speaking of places you'd expect to be beer waste lands, I'm in Minneapolis as I type this. I drank Surly Bender and Furious tonight, as well as Town Hall. All I've got to say is "wow!" I'm bringing home some tasty stuff! I'm psyched! Also got some great Ethiopian food here.

You'd def have to head up to Milly's to get any of the previous beers I mentioned because as Jeff stated brewers can't take recipes with them as part of a non-compete agreement. My buddies wife is actually from Minnesota and he got married this summer. There really isn't much going on in Minn outside of the mall of America but it is def not a beer wasteland, a lot of good beer to be found from a lot of midwest breweries. Make sure to try the Town Hall Brewery Masala mamma IPA which I'm sure you already have by now, fantastic.

Picked up the following at Julio's, I've had all these before but not in awhile. I like to revisit old friends sometimes:

Southern Tier-Jav-ah Imperial Stout
The Tap-Whittier White
Abbaye De Rocs-Grand Cru
Stone-Old Guardian
Weyerbacher-Blasphemy
Ommegang-Three Philosophers
Boulder Beer Company-Cold Hop British Style Ale
Smuttynose-Big A IPA
Unibroue-La Seigneuriale
Southampton-Abbot 12
Brouwerij Het Anker-Gouden Carolus Carolus D'Or "Grand Cru Of The Emperor"
Dogfish Head-Festina Peche

Yup, had the Masala Mama IPA and their cask coffee stout. WOW! I happened to stumble in on the first day of their tenth anniversary party week. NICE!

Julio's has Big A by the way?!?!?! I didn't think there was any left in the state! I'll have to get down there quick-like. Although I don't really need beer for a while with the haul I'm bringing back from Minnesota. I'll brag later, I want to surprise a few people with some stuff.

Man I'm def jealous about that, no more Big A to be had at Julio's but I've seen at a few places in particular Japser's in Nashua, NH. I went there last week for some homebrew supplies and of course stopped off at Martha's exchange for a few pints. A great 2 for 1 trip for anyone looking to take a drive Japser's has some great homebrew supplies as well as those hard to find NH beers. Also saw they had some 2006 Bigfoot and 2007 for anyone looking to stock up before this years release. The Belgian Dubbel, Golden Perch, and whatever is on cask is worth the trip alone.
http://www.marthas-exchange.com/brewery.php

Beer run to Julio's some call it a hobby my wife calls it a problem, hahaha. Not really luckily I pick up some nice wine as well as beer for my wife and I to enjoy.....keeps her happy

Ipswich mixed 12 pack
Lagunitas-Kill Ugly Radio
Maredsous Tripel
Ommegang-Chocolate Indulgence
Rock Art-Vermonster
Saranac-Imperial IPA
Southampton-Tripel
Stone Coast-Jamaican Stout

Anchor-Christmas Ale
Arcadia-Dicks Old Ale
Berkshire Brewing Co.-Scotch Ale
Brooklyn Choc Stout
Konings-Quadrupel
Left Hand-Snowbound
Otter Creek-Winter Ale
Port Brewing-High Tide
Port Brewing-Hop 15
Port Brewing-Santa's Little Helper
Sierra Nevada-Harvest
Sierra Nevada-Celebration
Smuttynose-Scotch Ale
Sam Adams-Winter Pack
Fonseca Port
A couple bottles of Wine

Franchise wrote:
Anchor-Christmas Ale
Arcadia-Dicks Old Ale
Berkshire Brewing Co.-Scotch Ale
Brooklyn Choc Stout
Konings-Quadrupel
Left Hand-Snowbound
Otter Creek-Winter Ale
Port Brewing-High Tide
Port Brewing-Hop 15
Port Brewing-Santa's Little Helper
Sierra Nevada-Harvest
Sierra Nevada-Celebration
Smuttynose-Scotch Ale
Sam Adams-Winter Pack
Fonseca Port
A couple bottles of Wine

Nice little haul there! The Berkshire is delicious! As is the Konings, Port Hop-15 and Santa's Little Helper... Harvest, obviously, haha and Celebration... I'm stoked to try the Smutty Scotch ale. But, yeah, well done man!

I want to try the lefthand winter, let us know how it is.

I'll be trying that Lefthand soon and will report back, also picked up a few other goodies at lunch today, I'll be nice and stocked for awhile.

Schneider Weizenbock
Monk's Cafe-Flemish Sour Ale
Cape Ann Brewing-Pumpkin Stout
Le Coq-Imperial extra double stout
Ridgeway-Foriegn Extra Stout
Coniston Brewing-Old Man Ale

Franchise wrote:
I'll be trying that Lefthand soon and will report back, also picked up a few other goodies at lunch today, I'll be nice and stocked for awhile.

Schneider Weizenbock
Monk's Cafe-Flemish Sour Ale
Cape Ann Brewing-Pumpkin Stout
Le Coq-Imperial extra double stout
Ridgeway-Foriegn Extra Stout
Coniston Brewing-Old Man Ale

Oh man I love Monk's Cafe Flemish sour, can't drink it all the time, but damn is that good. Sour awesome goodness