Shared a few beers with some friends on Sunday:
Mikkeller "It's Alive"
Victory "Wild Devil"
Monk's Cafe "Flemish Sour Ale"
Weyerbacher "Double Simcoe IPA (bottle conditioned)"
Otter Creek "Imperial IPA"
Stone "13th Anniversary"
Orkney "Dark Island Reserve"
The "It's Alive" was fantastic and reminiscent of Orval. Wild Devil was funkier, though, and it is definitely a cool offering from Victory who normally sticks to more traditional styles. If you've had Duchesse and Rodenbach, the Flemish Sour Ale seems to be a compromise of the two, but never a replacement for Rodenbach in the Flemish Red category. The Double Simcoe IPA was a real stand-out for the day. I am not always a fan of the grassiness of simcoe hops, but this beer was lovely. Following such a strong beer with the Imperial IPA from Otter Creek wasn't the best of planning, because it also featured simcoe hops, but the beer was just decent in comparison and dwarfed by Weyerbacher. I enjoyed the 13th Anniversary for the second time, and I have yet to be disappointed by Stone. But the Dark Island Reserve was monumental, and definitely the best stout I've ever had. Apparently, only 300 of these bottles came to the United States, and I was lucky enough to get one. It had the Grolsch type of cap, so we will keep the bottle. They aged this beer in oak casks, and you'd never guess that it was 10% alcohol because of the rich velvety smoothness of it. The only thing that is comparable is the Ola Dubh from Old Harviestoun Brewing. Definitely pricey but totally worth it.