BEER FUKU 1 - THE REVEALENING

@cbilyak yay! Photos are easy. Just go to imgur.com, upload them, and post the link.

Or, email them to me.

A few words about the selections. The Dragons Milk is from 2014. The bean flicker is a blonde but i promise you'll dig it. Scotty Karate is my second favorite Scotch Ale, next to the one created three miles from you in Munster. Bellaire Brown is probably the best brown I've had ever. Hope you love them as much I do!

@cbilyak not a bad beer on that list. You got a winner of a box

@marklog I like the selection, for an overachiever. That being said I can't wait to see what everyone else got! Hopefully mine will ship out tomorrow...if UPS decides to deliver my package of packaging tape only one day late.

Also I just picked up a Scotty Karate today, they just hit the west side of the state. As did my favorite milk stout, but that's a story for another day.

@marklog and the photo finally http://imgur.com/XhYTHwg

allow me :)

@marklog you owe me a coke! (or a beer) HA!

@cbilyak cool! i was hoping the speaker dock box was going to make the photo... :)

@marklog @zdunklee had a CEO stout tonight...to quote a song from back in my day...I think I'm in love. So good!!!!!! Thank you!!!!!!!

@marklog I only drank one of these over the weekend, knew there would be a lot of consumption and I wanted to chug the more common beer for me (Three Floyds) and save this stuff for the nights I drink just 1 or 2. That being said I had the milkshake stout, it was yummy, delicious, but CEO stout is still holding the #1 spot at the moment. At this pace I will still be posting my tasting comments when Fuku #2 rolls around!

@cbilyak but have you tried the Perrin?

@zdunklee not yet...I am drinking slowly to draw this out.

@marklog tried the Mackinac Island fudge stout...yummy. Nice and full with a strong flavor and smooth, very good. I think this is hubby's fave so far, I am still stuck on the CEO stout but this is a close second. Still have more to go from you and @zdunklee.

@marklog I tried the Dragon's Milk today, it was good albeit high bourbon taste, definitely a beer I would only drink one of at any given seating. Then I also tried the Widow Maker Black Ale and that one was really good...CEO Stout is still in #1, but so far not a bad beer in the batch!

@marklog Had the dragonmead tonight and I really enjoyed it. Excellent flavor with great body...an all around good, bold complex flavored beer.

@Starblind get out of here, old goat. your yellow fizzy piss water and gifted copy writing abilities are not welcome. move along.

@marklog If @Starblind actually sent someone Bud Light I say we ALL send real piss water along as a payback. Bud Light...that is a swear word in a beer exchange.

@cbilyak I wish he would.

@cbilyak Woah there, I specifically said I didn't just send Bud Light. I also sent two bottles of Natural Ice, which is a special beer made with ice somehow. I would have sent more but I couldn't get any more bottles in the Priority Mail flat-rate padded bubble mailer.

@Starblind

@Starblind Some years ago, my cousin and I were sent off by my uncle to pick up beer for a BBQ. When asked if he wanted anything in particular, he said he'd drink anything.

We had DFH and Harpoon.

He had Natural Ice…
…warmed up on the grill.

@brhfl HARPOON... which ones? :) And what's DFH?

@sohmageek Think it was just the basic UFO Hefe; DFH=Dogfish Head.

Edit: is the Gingerland UFO any good? Have to start thinking about my winter-spice beer tasting in a few months…

@brhfl sounds better than it is

@becca all I needed to hear — thanks!

@brhfl I think it was good... Harpoon, I tend to stick to UFO. I either loved it... or didn't have it yet. I haven't had a UFO I didn't like... Harpoon, yes... but I think it was their leviathan series. Very cool Vermont Brewery. They have a bigger one in Boston. They have an outdoor fire pit with oversized adirondack chairs.

@hollboll I spy a whale cake...

To all those that haven't shipped- THIS IS WHY YOU WRAP IN PLASTIC! If that were to happen without the garbage bag, it likely would not have been delivered.

@marklog you are correct about the whale cake (and the plastic too)! I'm not quite sure what it means that it's a whale cake though.

@hollboll Strawberry Whale Cake is a specific beer. It tastes like Strawberries. And Cake. And Whales.

@marklog Ahhh that sounds amazing!

@marklog It's @sohmageek's fault. Stupid Goat!

@hollboll It looks like it's time to play slapbag! Don't let it go to waste.

@hollboll Just poke a hole and chug it out of the bag.

@MrMark Maybe, if there wasn't things floating around in the bag haha.

@hollboll filter it through a sock, duh.

@hollboll just have @JonT do it. Then he won't be as disappointed for not being around to join the fun.

@marklog I bagged each bottle/can, is this still recommended?

@evbarnstormer Hopefully mine make it okay. There's a trashbag surrounding everything else but pretty much everything else is wrapped in paper. All but 1 are smaller cans.

@hollboll You're welcome, I'll ship another bottle/can of something soon, to replace the casulty I take full responsibility, was there damage to the boxes? I may end up waiting a little bit if you're ok with that so I Can ship a few extras :) (other than wet?) I have a feeling that cider doesn't ship well. as it looks like those 2 were the only ones that were a bit damaged. They also tasted like they were a little extra carbonated, or that they used thin aluminum when I had one.

@sohmageek You're so sweet! No other damage to the boxes, everything looked good! Thanks again, super stoked. @dalek is going to be super stoked to try that ale too!

@hollboll The ale I just recently found out how good it is... It's like a coffee stout in brown ale form... Very good... may have had a little bit of chocolate flavor too, but I can't remember.

Let me know what you liked I'll wait for reviews before I send a replacement... if you really liked that one, I can try to find a better way to repackage...

@marklog I didn't wrap mine in plastic. I'm just praying it all arrives intact now.

@smyle or arrives at all. If a bottle/can breaks and the package is wet it usually gets junked by the shipping companies.

@zdunklee You're not helping. ;-)

@hollboll was there any cider consumption last night? DETAILS PLZ.

@sohmageek I told @dalek about the ale, he's realllllly excited to try it this weekend.

@marklog—not yet. Went right after work to a meeting and didn't get home till late. Should be happening tonight or this weekend. Will post details!

@hollboll Well... How is it??? DETAILS!!!

@hollboll I hate to be a pain... but have you tried it? :)

@sohmageek You aren't being a pain. @hollboll is falling down on the job. DETAILS PLZ.

@marklog @sohmageek, sorry, we got a fair few emails this weekend and I'm still catching up. Will post soon. I was able to have one this weekend!

@sohmageek Okay. I had the Citizen Cider Unified Press first.

I really liked the logo:

It was delicious! It was probably the lightest cider I've ever had. It had a great sweet/ tart balance, and was super easy to drink I'd give it an 8.5-9 out of 10.

Thanks again @sohmageek!

@hollboll nice pint glass! I find citizen's cider more like wine than beer. But there are a few that have hops added :)

@hollboll Guess where I went today???

@sohmageek SO jealous!!

@hollboll It's a nice facility, but it's lacking in options. I mean they have just about every flavor (including 1 that was exclusive to the tasting room that was damn good...) But They don't have a lot in cans. :( What flavors of woodchuck have you had? It looks like it's distributed near you.

@cbilyak Yea in my experience if it makes it on to a truck for delivery they will deliver it. However it it happens between you shipping and it getting on that truck your chances are pretty high of it being pulled.

@zdunklee Mine says "out for delivery" now, so I'm hopeful.

@escowhat what's up here! photos stat!

@marklog imgur messed up on the upload via mi telefono...waiting till I get time on the laptop this weekend

@escowhat BRING THE PHOTOZ

@escowhat Photo Time!

@escowhat Photos!

@sohmageek I'm breaking it up so I don't flood with images. :)

@sohmageek I fast forwarded a bit... So... it's now unpacked......
ingenious idea with the wine diapers! I'm going to look into ordering some of these... They would be great to send some things out! :) THANK you, very much!




Whoops, I already opened them all... But that was the last one opened! :)
Smaller bottles:

@sohmageek Larger bottles:


"save for last" is next.

@sohmageek it was just too good to post images, You'll have to click the link to see the images. http://imgur.com/a/2WVnF

@cbilyak Wow... I didn't know anything about these breweries... I've just googled around. You really shouldn't have. Thank you very much!

I know quite a bit about Vermont breweries... but as soon as I look outside of the state, I get to a lot of unknown. This one looks like it takes the crown of all of the beers that I've owned.

@sohmageek the Dark Lord is a beer that is available 1 day a year and you have to go to their Dark Lord Day festival. That bottle is a 2015 brew...much better than the 2014 in my opinion.

@cbilyak Thank you, I just read up about it. It looks like one of the top rated beers! If there's ever anything that you want from Vermont, let me now. :)

@sohmageek it got a lot of pull
Because of the rarity. They have a release party once a year. Pretty crazy from what I hear.

@abrakke @sohmageek just getting the damn tickets is like trying to get tickets to a Grateful Dead show...we had several devices trying to pull tickets simultaneously.

@sohmageek hey most of that looks familiar! Minus the dark lord, I'm jealous!

@sohmageek Ho. Ly. Shit.

@sohmageek Wow. Dark Lord. I have friends that sell bottles of that for hundreds of dollars. That's crazy. 2015 is supposed to be great. Three Floyds makes one of my top 3 beers - Zombie Dust.

@ChadP why in the world weren't you a part of this?

@marklog @moose would say something along the lines of "because I don't post of the forum" but I just didn't commit. Probably should have.

@ChadP @marklog I probably should have too. I'm sure there should be BEER FUKU 2?

@galmaegi @chadp @jont no doubt about it.

@ChadP it was my way of making the fuku along the lines of @sohmageek getting the large screen tv that actually works or some such other desirable item without the Meh drawstring backpack. Plus I could.

@cbilyak please send zombie dust. Please. Pretty please. And some Albanese watermelon rings. :)

@ChadP there may be a package en route to you @JonT and @hollboll which may have some Zombie dust...however the Albanese portion will need to be in the next shipment as this one is already at UPS.

@cbilyak I just....I....wow. More Indiana treats!

@cbilyak if you have an over abundance of Zombie Dust feel free to ship some my way. I guarantee it won't go bad. I think i should have slipped @marklog a $20 to rig it so you got my name. Nice box you sent out. Top notch

@abrakke I only have 2 left but a liquor store very close to me just got a shipment yesterday. If it is not sold out already I can stop in for a 6 pack for you. Send me an email at yodas_mommy@hotmail.com with your address.

@ChadP UPS is showing delivery scheduled for Thursday. Tracking http://wwwapps.ups.com/WebTracking/processRequest?HTMLVersion=5.0&Requester=NES&AgreeToTermsAndConditions=yes&loc=en_US&tracknum=1ZT9M674P295018019&WT.z_eCTAid=ct1_eml_Tracking

@cbilyak What is this Zombie Dust? When I said the brewery name to my co-worker he automatically went to that. Then he was completely shocked when I told him what it was that you had sent.

@cbilyak OK... just opened Space station... OMFG... it's so smooth... not too overly hoppy. Just amazing. :) Great way to end the night... :)

@sohmageek I got a bottle of the middle finger myself today, pretty good! Zombie Dust is billed as an America pale ale, kind of hard to find at times. A liquor store I have recently started frequenting had some hidden in the back of the store that they were willing to part with for the asking, they did not have it out on the shelves. But in the process of this fuku i have become well known at the store because they have more Three Floyds than Three Floyds has (aside from what they have on tap).

@sohmageek I like the Space Station as well, but it doesn't even hold a candle to their Gumballhead or Alpha King.

@cbilyak IT was a busy weekend… I finished off the stuff that @marklog sent me earlier, and started on the stuff from @cbilyak, So I wanted to let you know how I liked the stuff from the Fuku… Here we go:
Three Floyds Jinx-proof Lager
It was good, Reminded me of the stuff from The Von Trapp lodge in Stowe. (they have a brewery there) This one was a little more mellow, good sipping beer, not something I’d just sit down normally with, out of everything I’ve had I’d say this was my least favorite, but by no means was it bad. It was very good, just when you have so much awesome, there has to be something in last place.
Alpha King three Floyds. I LOVED this. Let me repeat I loved this. It was very smooth, it’s a pale ale, but it doesn’t seem to have citra hops, almost everything in Vermont highlights citra hops. Very good, So far this is the best… Well Ok… I’d say it’s tied with…
Three Floyds Space Station Middle Finger. Very good. I can’t remember much of this one… other than it was amazing. My wife and I were busy with the beers this weekend… The reason I Can’t remember much wasn’t that I was drunk, it was just I savored it and it was late. Definitely have stopped drinking good stuff past 8 now so I can remember how it was. (Shit you want to go to bed way too early when you have kids)
One of the surprising ones was the Thirsty Dog Siberian night.
Why are you saying Surprising? I love Stouts. I’m not big on Bourbon barrel aged… But between this and W00t Stout, I’m starting to reconsider. It was smooth it smelled like straight up bourbon, but you got the vanilla from the barrel, and the scent, but it was so smooth I couldn’t believe it was done in a barrel. I’d like to call this one an adult milkshake if it were a little thicker… but there wasn’t milk… so I’ll leave that alone.

@cbilyak I'm saving the dark lord for a special occasion... and the special occasion could just be that I'm drinking Dark lord... but that remains to be seen.

@ChadP @JonT @hollboll package delivered today at 11:57am signed for by Cory at the dock...just sayin', might want to refrigerate that Zombie Dust.

@cbilyak Received. Report back soon.

@ChadP @JonT kinda bummed I never heard what you thought of the beer I sent you...although the saying is no news is good news I will assume I should not randomly send people beer in the future.

@cbilyak I loved mine. Zombie is one of my personal favorites. Thanks again.

@cbilyak @ChadP has had it before but immediately said Zombie Dust is in his top 3 beers of all time and he was ecstatic.

It was my first time trying it and I found it absolutely delightful. Probably the best Pale Ale I've ever had. I want more.

Thank you so much!!!

@JonT did you like the other three I sent? Tried for a Three Floyds combo case.

@cbilyak I actually haven't had a chance to try the rest out! Normally Fridays would be our "start drinking some beers around lunch time" day but we were so busy destroying speaker docks that it didn't end up happening.

Next week we're doing beer tasting and judging of the homebrews we were sent so I'm hoping to try the other Three Floyds beers then. :)

@cbilyak Amazing box. Thanks for sending it. Sorry I didn't post anything. Dust was amazing. Can't wait for the others to try the rest of the Three Floyds stuff.

@JonT

@JonT

@JonT

@JonT two words: Yellow Rose. That is all.

@connorbush still better than me. Mine are all packed and will see if I can get it out tomorrow. Might be Mon. though.

@mfladd you mean Tuesday?

@sohmageek If it is I blame YOU! That is so much fun. I love no longer being goat.

@mfladd Which one is your Goat... like my comments? :) And I'm sorry, Monday is a federal holiday.

@sohmageek Oh god, I blame you for the Holiday! But thanks for reminding me.

@mfladd IT's ok, I'm here for you like that :)

@marklog I know I'm shocked!

Meh. Fuck scope. Photos incoming.

@marklog and periscope turns into a 2 person Hangouts call with judging wives and curious children

@brhfl Glad it arrived intact. Hopefully you having had the majority at least. Your area is a bit tricky, you get a lot of beer in your area, and the ones your state doesn't get you are pretty Damn close to a state or District that has it.

@MrMark Yeah, it's tricky, DC has a bunch of weird loopholes, so we get quite a few things that no nearby states seem to. But, without giving too much away until I get my unboxening up, the only one that I've had was the AV. Exciting haul!

@marklog 40 minutes, not bad at all! :D Glad everything made it safely…

@marklog is that a mash tun and hot liquid tank i see?

@soomass yessir. They're going to get a workout tomorrow.

@marklog what are you brewing?

@soomass 10 gallons of a chocolate milk stout. very likely five of those gallons will end up some sort of java mint chip or something.

@marklog Make yourself some vanilla ice cream while you're at it, have all the most delicious I-made-this floats ever…!

@smyle nice job! Having only one brewery to work with gave you some challenges, but you did great.

@stardate I've had the Buffalo Sweat and liked it a lot. Wish it was available nearer to me.

@stardate820926 Right after I shipped, I realize I forgot to tell you that if you don't like the Halcyon with the first sip, you can squeeze a lemon in it, which gives it even more of a shandy-type flavor.

@stardate820926 let me know how the ginger peach is, it sounds great!

@sohmageek will do! I was hoping to try some of them out this past weekend but we weren't home very much. When I was home, I was busy taking pictures of random shit for some hoofed animal ;)

@smyle I had the Pub Ale tonight with dinner. Very good! I see why it's your go to beer. I can't wait to try the rest!

@sohmageek @smyle I had the Ginger Peach Saison today. It's a very light, refreshing flavor. It starts off when just a hint of sweetness (though I wouldn't necessarily say it's peach) and has a slight ginger aftertaste. I was afraid it might be too strong on the ginger side but I ended up really liking it. Great beer!

@stardate820926 sounds awesome! Last year we had a peach that I detested... I'll have to look up which one it was from which brewery... I was really upset that it was that horrible.

@smyle I tried the Buffalo Sweat last night and it's amazing!
I honestly didn't think I would like it because I'm not usually a fan of stouts and your note made me a bit nervous. It has a coffee-like flavor at the end (I'm also not a fan of coffee so...ok) but I think it could easily become one of my favorites.

I saved the Bourbon Barrel one for last and I let you know once I try it :)

@brhfl Moose Drool is good stuff.

@smyle With a name like that, it has to be!

@brhfl I think your head disappeared for a second.

@hallmike That's what happens when you unwrap

@brhfl Sweet Box! Plus I loved your head disappearing.

@mfladd I preferred it when my head came back… whew!

@brhfl that's a great lineup, now I have to find Undertaker

@evbarnstormer my place has cases of it in four packs. I love that beer. Quite a theme, though. Undertaker, Ichabod, Jolly Pumpkin...

@MrMark Drinking the Sticky Icky Icky right now… hot damn, that is good!

@hallmike I knew it was possible you had KBS, but I also knew it was good enough to send anyway. My personal favorite is that Mackinac Fudge Stout. Also as far as ambers go Hawk Owl is my go to brew. Glad to see they all made it in one piece.

@zdunklee nice box. Like the KBS included. Bean flicker is one of our favorites.

@hallmike @zdunklee that dunnage is awesome!!!!

@mfladd egg cartons make awesome beer shipping protectors. Plus it's a great way to reuse those plastic bags. I save both for that reason.

@mfladd @zdunklee I'm saving all the dunnage for Beer Fuku 2. None of the beers will survive that long.

@zdunklee I loved the milkshake and fudge stouts! Cracking open the Honey Amber Ale now.

@hallmike Glad to hear you enjoyed them. I think both are great!

@glindagw Your Secret Santa was @Humper. He forgot to put his name on the box.

@glindagw I hope you enjoy it! The Allagash was delicious when I tried it for the 1st time a month ago at a restaurant, and the Davidson's is brewed less than a mile from our house. And the Light in the Window is a very smooth IPA, I have another 4 pack in the fridge that I think is calling my name :)

@Humper Way to give people our neighborhood. ಠ_ಠ

@Thumperchick maybe @mfladd will come visit and you can have a goat reunion!

@zdunklee I told @Humper
"Damnit, now we're gonna have random goats showing up!"

@Thumperchick Be on the look out for me...

@Thumperchick As long as it doesn't involve the current goat I think you will be ok.

@mfladd If only I were willing to share a picture of @Humper from when he shaved his head and beard at the same time. It's not that far off, though my husband is better looking... imo.

@zdunklee Oddly enough, the current goat is also the most likely.

@Thumperchick don't worry I will see him when I arrive.

@Humper That explains the Burlington Beer company :) It's pretty good... I tend to like a few of their beers... I wish they would do a can release club, they do limited edition bottle club and growler club.

@glindagw Maine is ME not MN...pay more attention!

@Humper Ok, I finally tried the Burlington this weekend. What a selection! Love the spice balance in the Allagash. The Davidson Brown was the perfect choice on a hot day. The Burlington was perfect to crack open after a day on the trail (I'd been saving it for just that...I admit that I was a bit quiet about what I was drinking...I didn't want to share). Surprisingly, the Kuka Coffee Stout was a nice surprise. I expected it to be overly sweet (I often mix ESB with my Coffee Stout) but it was very enjoyable on it's own. THANK YOU AGAIN!!!

@glindagw WOAH! Did someone come to Vermont or is Burlington Beer company distributing now? I see a lot of them aren't Vermont beers... Other than the one...

@sohmageek I just realized that Burlington isn't even on SeekABrew...looks like it is definitely a locals' option. I'm pleased, the description looks like something that I will really enjoy. I didn't think too much about it...all of the beers are from spots that aren't too far apart from a midwesterner's perspective.

@glindagw Yeah. Most of the staff at Burlington Beer Company know me. I go every now and then to get growler fills or cans. The last time I was there they were canning Light in the window... I'll see if I have the picture of the canning line, it was pretty amazing. I took a panorama of it.
They like me there. I ordered a flight and they were like, have you tried light in the window? No... ok here let me get you some. They took a can popped it open and poured me a sample.

(brought to you by the re-goat the goat campaign ;)

@mfladd You wanted to be this month's goat again? ;)

@sohmageek

@mfladd Tennant... but not doctor! :)

@mfladd So were you talking about @marklog's attempt at goat again with wonderful things like this?

@sohmageek but of course, but he is still going to try and pull the immunity idol out. He is probably safe for the time being.

@shells hope you still feel that way when yours is the last box to arrive...im so ashamed 🙈

@escowhat no worries. Life happens :-)

@escowhat make up for it by signing up next time and being first!

@smyle This looks like a GREAT haul! I wouldn't have gone to work, for sure. Nice job, @glindagw!

@smyle Enjoy! I was disappointed when it wasn't delivered on Saturday. Hopefully the anticipation will make it that much better. Please let me know if the Civil Life didn't travel well & I'll send you a replacement. I purchased a new bottle just for you so hopefully the seal was tight enough.

@smyle @glindagw Mmmm, Saison de Lis… Fine choice!

@glindagw It was at the post office Saturday, but I don't get home mail delivery, and I didn't get there before it closed. I think they all traveled well - I'm not at all concerned. First one is getting sampled as soon as I get home.

@glindagw Tasting notes (as I have them so far - I'm not the kind of guy who would down all these at once, so I'm taking my time):

First I tried the Holy Moly. My first taste I thought ugh - too bitter. But the finish was good enough to try more. Second sip was "really, this isn't too bad", and by the third I was thoroughly enjoying it. I didn't drink it all at one setting (9% ABV and a bottle that size? Holy moly is a fitting description)

Next I went with the Big American Stout. I think I probably would have liked it better had I not started with the Holy Moly. It was good, but not as impressive.

@glindagw Last night - Saison de Lis. Wow! That is fantastic - a wonderful blend of sweet and bitter that balance each other perfectly.

@glindagw I just realized upon seeing the 2nd Beer Fuku that I hadn't ever updated with the last two of your beers. They were both amazing.

The Cast Iron is almost thick enough to have it as a meal. I'd have to be in the right mood to have something like that. Fortunately, I was, and I enjoyed every moment of it.

The Pierre's Wit was also fantastic. I'm a big fan of wheat beers and this one did not disappoint. You could certainly taste the orange, and it complemented the beer well.

So, for the record, that's 6 beers I'd never heard of before, and 6 winners. Thank you so much!

@zdunklee Nice score! I need to drink some Allagash and Tree House for SURE. I'll give the sender a moment to speak up, but in the event that we don't hear from them shortly I'll rat them out.

@zdunklee Forgot to include a note. Glad it all made it there safely! @marklog You've heard of Tree House?! I was hoping to get one of their more well known beers but was limited to what they had the day I visited the brewery.

@soomass The Ma sounds good to me. I too have heard of tree house. Along with Jack's Abby and Allegash, I'm happy to be able to try something from all three!

@soomass Yes, in fact my selfish reason for putting this thing together was to farm trading partners from the contact spreadsheet. If I wasn't having so much fun with the randomness of this exchange I would have already reached out to you personally.

@zdunklee @soomass Grey Lady very underappreciated, IMO. Looks like a very nice haul!

@marklog Sounds good to me. I have access to Trillium as well, in addition to Treehouse and Jack's Abby. Just couldn't get down there this time around. But I would be very interested in future trading.

@hollboll Mine too!

@hollboll I received a mysterious package from meh. in an amazon box today. Lots of pictures to come. Probably tonight - I have a pay league draft at 6:45 so I am getting ready. Cant wait to open it!

@Humper "witness!!"

@Humper also my guess is this came from beer trader @abrakke as two of those aren't available in MI

@Humper correct, this was @abrakke. Notice all of the folks who got Bean Flicker?

@Humper Congrats! That is a cornucopia of Beer - enjoy!

@Humper enjoy. Yes the New Glarus and the 3 Flyods were extras for you. Please let me know how you enjoy them. If you are on Untappd look me up. Abrakke. Cheers

@abrakke I'm jealous of a few of those. I wondered how you had the New Glarus. Also Final Absolution FTW!

@zdunklee yeah that was a killer box... @abrakke. nice job.

@marklog I'm having a rough time this week. I keep seeing Bell's Funvitational tickets for sale on the facebook page of a beer group I'm in and I know I can't go. So this fuku will have to do as my replacement, so glad I got some stuff I've never tried!

@zdunklee are they reasonable? I want to do and didn't know it was happening until you just posted about it.

@marklog Most I've seen are going for face value of $45 each. A few are in the $50-60 range.

@zdunklee if you could aim me at some of those folks i would really appreciate it. all of my normal channels are dry.

@zdunklee j have a friend that lives in WI. He brought me two cases of spotted cow and a couple samplers. Can you not get Final Absolution over there?

@abrakke We can get Final Absolution, I was just making a statement on how good it was.

@marklog How many tickets are you looking for?

Also I missed this today $#@$%!! https://www.facebook.com/events/521831441302582/

@zdunklee 2 or 4. preferably 4 but that's only if @evbarnstormer or @abrakke or someone else wants to go. 2 is fine. :)

@marklog what is the date.

@abrakke this coming saturday in Kzoo

@marklog I'll put out some feelers and if I see some that aren't spoken for on my usual sites I will claim them for you and get you in contact with them.

@marklog Check your email.

@marklog I'll be at New Glarus

@zdunklee i'm going to the Funvitational! tickets confirmed (as much as they can be anyway.. I have trust issues), and airbnb reserved. this is going to be SWEET.

@marklog I'm jealous. I will be spending the day developing an 8th grade math curriculum. I really wish I could go, but I guess I have to follow through on my commitment to show up on a Saturday.

@abrakke ROOKIE! CALLING @JONT @MEHCUS @HOLLBOLL to fix this mess.

@marklog I don't have moderator powers, it'll have to be @jont @mehcus or @moose

@shells nice job! Love to see CCB, but I really like seeing less known breweries (that I can scope out in feb when I'm down there) @abrakke, let's schedule some time to taste!

Jai Alai Cigar City Brewing, Tampa FL
Bimini Twist IPA, 3 Daughter, St Petersburg FL
Quackalope IPA, Barley Mow, Largo FL
American Golden Ale, Barley Mow
Florida Cracker, CCB
Maduro Brown, CCB
Mad Manatee, Bold City, Jacksonville, FL
Arcus IPA, Big Storm, Odessa FL

@marklog I got you @abrakke!

@abrakke Yay! Glad you received it and hope you enjoy it. Of course if you and @marklog are in the area, let's meet so we can raise a glass together!

@marklog Thanks Mark! I really do enjoy beer and things have gone crazy around here. I live near Copper Tail Brewing co, Angry Chair Brewing Co, Southern Brewing Co, and Florida Ave Brewing co..plus many others. I see others sent bottles, I was hesitant to do that. But I would have had more options if I'd done that. Maybe Fuku 2? :-)

@shells I love the setup at 3 daughters. My kids loved it, and I loved talking to the brewer who was in the middle of a pilot batch while playing cornhole. I also really liked the viewable yeast lab... not that anything was going on.

@marklog Next time you come down check out Rapp Brewing. It's about 1/10th the size of 3 Daughters but he also has a super cool viewable yeast lab and makes some amazingly good brews. Especially if you love revival styles and/or sours.

@Bingo Rapp is awesome. Visited there and Pair o Dice on our first trip to St Pete's a year ago. Love that area. We too loved the set up at 3 Daughters. Also went to Seventh Sun when we were down in April. Great place.

@shells thanks again. Loved it. That area is a beer oasis now. If you haven't gotten out that way Two Henry's is in Lakeland. Also a winery. They had some great beer. Worth the drive to check it out. It was a cool place.

@abrakke My eyes are fixated on that spruce pils pack... how is that? Yards has a spruce beer that I enjoy, but wish was sprucier, and I've heard good things about a personally unobtainable Alaskan spruce beer… need one more spruce review to live vicariously through…

@brhfl Definitely replied to the wrong thread. Whoops.

@brhfl I think I can still find that spruce floating around here. It's like licking a spruce tree if that helps.

@zdunklee Dang, sounds right up my alley. I was going to break out one of the aforementioned not-very-sprucy Yards tonight, but turns out I'm out.

@brhfl I can go look this weekend if you want me to. I'm sure we can figure something out.

@zdunklee If you're willing to take the risk on MD beer, I'm up for it… I'm going to be on vacation this weekend, but I'll mull over what I can put on the table.

@brhfl sorry just saw this. I have actually never had it. So I can't help you with that one. But yes to echo I can also still get it

@abrakke it's almost three hours away.

@marklog 2 hours 3 hours. Not much difference to me. If I will be in Orlando already then it's only about 90 min. Which is totally doable.

@abrakke If it makes you feel better, I've been a "computer professional" for over 20 years, and the first two times I tried to post pictures here, I screwed it up.

@Bingo You're welcome!

@hallmike nice haul! great job @bingo!

@Bingo chocolate milk stout... sounds AMAZING!

@mfladd uh... Did you get anything yet?

@hollboll I did :) You didn't see my reply to you earlier? Transferring many pics. Damn Meh notifications. Had another FFL draft tonight. The Texas reveal is happening soon!

@mfladd maybe you did? I didn't get a tagged email if you tagged me. Either way no worries glad it made it safely!

@hollboll way to go! For a rookie, you did very w....

Is that a galdurnd MANG-O-RITA?

@mfladd lol at @hollboll including a bud light. That's hilarious.

@Bingo @mfladd I can take a Woodchuck. That's cute. "Aww... @hollboll wanted to send a cider to mess with @mfladd...

Mang-O-Rita might be crossing the line a bit. The rest of the box is great :)

@marklog that's ok, my wife said she drank in Woodchuck back in college (CT). So she may have her eye on it. But I want to try it too. I am sending the bud light to you. Thanks again for everything @hollboll :)

@mfladd Seamonkey brewery, idea noted. I actually don't drink beer, only cider. My favorite is Samuel Smith's Organic Cider. If you see it, grab some and make your mouth happy.

@mfladd Yay glad you liked it, especially the Mang-O-Rita! Also, super glad nothing exploded. I as worried about that. Thanks speaker dock packaging!

@hollboll You sent Vermont cider! ;)

@marklog ... or explodes in transit

@hallmike Like a mango-piss-flavored game of hot potato. Excellent.

@marklog I feel like I may start a new trend with BF2. Just be glad you won't have me. Also I already have a few pick ups I have made of beer that is single release only out here. I don't even know if it left West Michigan honestly, kind of like the Perrin cans coming out next week won't for a little while.

@zdunklee why wouldn't i want single release w mi bottles??

@zdunklee @marklog. I also like limited release bottles. I also like west michigan beer. 😜

@connorbush I have not forgotten my unboxing next week slows down for me (ditching my second job).

@connorbush Any unboxing pictures yet?

@christinewas Ooh, a mini cider-fuku ! I'd be down.

@jaremelz @christinewas me too!

@christinewas Did someone say cider?

@mcvick

@mcvick glad it arrived safely, enjoy!

@mcvick nice haul, way to go @evbarnstormer! You forgot to write about Oktoberfest!

@marklog it's on the hand written afterthought "good lager"

@evbarnstormer Yes, a big Thank You to you, my Secret Santa.

@mcvick I was at the release party for that beer sort of by accident. They had the worst Ommpah band I've ever heard. It was awesome.

@marklog Here is the full note. The Rochester Mills Oktoberfest is the "Bonus Good Lager" and the Tree Bucket is the "Rare-ish IPA"

@marklog Ziggy Zaggy, Ziggy Zaggy, Oi Oi Oi!

@evbarnstormer

@evbarnstormer @mcvick i think that tree bucket is my favorite MI IPA right now.

@marklog I have to say for me its between that and shorts sticky icky icky. But those are my top two right now for sure. Also, you're welcome.

@marklog @abrakke Prairie Artistian Ales are now available semi near you guys. I know for a fact The Wine Seller in AA got them today. They had photos on their FB page of BOMB, Gold, Funky Gold, and Tulsa Rugby.

@marklog @evbarnstormer I have tried a couple of the beers so far. At this exact moment I am drinking the Bellaire Brown. It is a nice example of a brown ale that has some carbonation but not too much.

The Tree Bucket was... interesting. I cannot say that I have had a belgian-style double IPA before. I was thrown off by the sweetness of Tree Bucket; I am used to the citrusy/hoppy dIPA's from New England and the West Coast hop bombs. However, I thought that Tree Bucket was delightful.

I was surprised by the Milkshake Stout. I have had some milk stouts before, but that was an easy-drinking can. I could see myself having more than one in a sitting, which I would not normally do with a milk stout.

I really liked the Diabolical. I thought it was a nice, drinkable IPA. I am glad to see that this is one of @evbarnstormer 's favorites from up north. Also, I really dig the short squat bottles.

And, the Oktoberfest. Thank you @evbarnstormer for including these. I like this time of year for the maerzen style beers, and this one did not disappoint.

@evbarnstormer As an update, I have tried everything besides the Left Hand Black Jack. The most recent one I had was the Short's Soft Parade. I liked the melange of fruits used to make the beer. And boy was it pink! Out of all of the beers so far, it was the one that my wife did not want to share (which was a good sign). I liked the tartness of the beer, which I could imagine as a nice refreshing option in the summertime. Unfortunately, I did not sake it vigorously enough to express any kind of pink foam.

Again, I liked what North Peak did with the Hooligan. If I were up in Michigan, I think I would put North Peak in my primary beer rotation.

The Violin Monster was quite the beast, and I think if I had more than a couple then I might find myself in a heap of trouble.

In closing, I will leave it up to Mr. Bart Scott to express my feelings towards the next Beer Fuku:

@mcvick I like almost everything North Peak has done. Their brew pub is pretty nice and of course they have weird seasonals on tap that don't get bottled.

@soomass Yes, of course I have records.

@marklog I can confirm your records are at least 16.66% correct....according to my records.

@marklog 45's?

@sohmageek I have that 45!

There were a few bonus items in as well:
1) Rubber/Vinyl Sponge Bob wallet. Will be given to the wife who will make one of her student's day by giving it to them. Guessing there will be a random drawing as more than one will want it.
2) 1.75 Readers - Everything is very blurry with them. Think I'm still good. Saved me a trip for an eye exam
3) Spiderman plastic tumbler
4) The Applebutter Express "One of the Home Team" CD. Never heard but will take a listen in the car one day
5) Jlab ear buds - Pink - Taken by wife, believe for herself
6) Really long Micro usb Cable - Because who doesn't want to charge their device from across the room. Estimate at 10'

A few close ups:

The good news, as slow as I am making this post (to be fair I am watching the Ducks vs Spartans (GO MSU)) The couple I put in the fridge are probably getting close to cold. Think I may have on of the Cigar City Maduro tonight. Again big thanks to @Bingo, when above and beyond.

@MrMark the Maduro is amazing. A staple of CCB and one of the best Browns you will ever have.

@MrMark Glad they made it safe and that the selection was good for you. The CD is a local band as well so I felt it was fitting. They are a lot of fun. I hope you like them

@MrMark Holy crap I just realized I shorted you a beer. There was another bottle that was supposed to go in there. The idea was to be a 12 pack. How the hell did I do that? Sorry about shorting you.

@Bingo I Apologize as it was my fault... I shouldn't have said your name 3 times while looking at the bathroom mirror.... I just got so excited when I was cleaning the glass... I guess I momentarily summoned your consciousness and threw you off your A game... but is bingo really your name-o? ;)

@MrMark @Bingo Love the illustrations on those Coppertails!

@MrMark I'm curious if you had a chance to listen to that CD yet and what you thought of it

@ABitterWoman ask @marklog to put you on the notify list for next time?

@Thumperchick Just saw this. Good idea, thanks!

@mfladd just need a confirmation from the receiver.....

@shells

@marklog ok thanks, I'll do the same but let me say I'm doing this from my ipad and it gives the mobile device address if I copy that URL. I guess I'm going to have to do it from my iMac. It may have to wait till later though dammit! I ran out of time. I'll try to finish the tale.

I have it all ready :-/

Sorry for the delay... above you'll see box in box.. here it is opened (with Sebastian in background. Little did he know there was a gift for the dogs in it too)

Next we see all the goodies! @escowhat did quite the extremely thorough packaging effort, as you can see. Each item arrived unharmed. You'll also see the thoughtful note and extra gifts that were included! (and Sebastian leaving since he's camera shy)

This next photo shows the beer, the goodies and the good dog with the beer... sometimes, I call him SeBeerStian

Final Picture of my Haul! Fantastic BEERKU!

One bottle of:

Texas Red - American Amber. Rahr & Sons Brewery. Ft. Worth, Tx

Kölsch - Franconia Brewery. McKinney, Tx.
Wheat - Franconia Brewery

Hop Trapp - Belgian Style - Lakewood Brewery. Garland, Tx

And these cans from 903 Brewers in Sherman, Tx

Citra on Top - IPA 4 cans (3 of which I drank yesterday they were so dang delicious. I'm sad that I can't get that beer around Tampa)

And 2 of:
Trot Line - Saison
903 Blonde
Chosen One - toasted coconut ale
Roo's Red Ale

Thanks again @escowhat! I appreciate your package so much. Part of why I am so late posting was because I had a meeting on Saturday which was a very big deal. And I worked all weekend, doing massage, which is strenuous...yes that's a massage table in my pics :-)

Your package was a very bright spot. Thanks again and hugs to you and Jarvis. Bella and Sebastian appreciate their extra package you sent for them. I tried to get Bella in a pic, but she is shy and shadowy. I know they could smell your dog, they had to check it all out the whole time.

Oh and thanks @hollboll for sweet gift in mail ;-)

@shells nice haul, great job @escowhat! Only a few more to go! Let's get those pictures up!

@sohmageek

@marklog @sohmageek agreed!

@sohmageek holy shit. That's amazing.

@abrakke @evbarnstormer @marklog Which is why when I hear everyone wants to get heady I'm like... I can usually get some whenever I want (within reason) Recently its been a 4 pack or 2 whenever I want... instead of a whole case. Summer is harder to get it. Either way... I don't tend to consume large quantities of it so a 4 pack a week (or less) is good enough for me. :)

To be honest, I don't drink it that much... However with Switchback recently going up in price... it is starting to be about the same price to drink beer that isn't heady and heady...

@sohmageek @marklog called me out when he noticed I saved the can and put it on a shelf, so uh...I liked it

@sohmageek I'd love to get my hands on any of heady/focal banger/SoS (preferably from a goat). Have you had On the Wings of Armageddon from DC Brau?

@hashybrown OMG, I'm just seeing this... Sorry for the delay... I'm no longer a goat. I haven't had wings of Armageddon, how is it what is it? also Heady, SOS easy peasy... Focal I can't get anymore. I can get others that are similar however. I think there may be a mastermind drop soon... I'll check. Also there is Space juice from longtrail that is similar to SOS, but boozier and a little juicer (0% juice, contains alcohol.) I also think that my notifications weren't completely working last month... I didn't get a lot of @ mentions when I was a goat...

@marklog I have your box all sealed up... then I find another new one... maybe next box? If you're interested let me know... http://longtrail.com/beers/space-juice Think Sip of sunshine, but boozier... But I don't think I sent that already, I think it's in this box... oh dear.

@hashybrown Hey, either you're local or someone shipped you a bunch of Wings, that stuff doesn't really get distributed! Been meaning to get out to the brewery to pick some up myself…

@sohmageek hey, no worries. OTWOA is one of the best beers coming out of DC (it's a DIPA with a citrus hops profile). If you're interested, I would love to trade it for some Heady (6-pack of OTWOA for a 4-pack of HT seems to be the going rate) since I've only had it once on a chance happening. My friend's neighbor had some and brought it over to share at a BBQ when we started talking craft brews. Here's the ratebeer review: http://www.ratebeer.com/beer/dc-brau-on-the-wings-of-armageddon/165803/

I should be able to get access to Port City beers too. They just won best small brewery at GABF.

@brhfl Yup, I'm local. I live in Bethesda so it is a little bit of a trek to get out to the brewery but it's worth it for OTWOA.

@hashybrown I'd love to try that, but I'm going to need a few weeks before I can send anything. I have 2 boxes to send out this week... and I'll need another paycheck or 2 before I'll be ready to send things again. It's a tough time of the year. :( I married into 6 birthdays before christmas...

@sohmageek Oof, that's rough. I'm not in any hurry anyway and I think DC Brau is brewing + canning OTWOA year-round now. Might give me some time to try those Port City beers actually.
I'll follow-up with you in a month or so. Cheers!

@hashybrown is it: heady, Sip of sunshine, double dose, Lawson's super session #2 or one of the other popular ones you're looking for?

unfortunately shortly after I found space juice... it was no longer able to be found easily... Rolling production or some crazy crap like that...

@sohmageek definitely Heady and SoS, plus anything by Hill Farmstead.

Anything on these lists interest you?
http://www.beeradvocate.com/lists/state/dc/
http://www.beeradvocate.com/lists/state/md/
http://www.beeradvocate.com/lists/state/va/

@hashybrown Have you had DC Brau's Solar Abyss? Also only available (in cans) at the brewery, Mosaic DIPA. Haven't found it on tap anywhere yet, myself, nor tried to snag any at the brewery. Just had a Wings on tap earlier this week, impresses me every time…

Port City should be easy-peasy to find. All over the DMV. Tidings is probably my favorite winter holiday beer, and Optimal Wit is one of the safest things you can reliably find in bars/restaurants in the area.

@brhfl yeah I had a friend share a few cans of Solar Abyss when he picked some up. He described it as the "little brother" to On the Wings, which I definitely agree with (definitely a solid beer). I saw Wings was on tap at GBD last week after stopping by for a friend's shindig at Mad Hatter - which reminded me why I don't go to clubs/bars like that anymore.

Which stores do you go to pick up beer? I usually drive into Friendship Heights to hit up Rodman's, but last year when I was first getting into craft beers I would stop by Conn Ave in Dupont Circle. 1 West Dupont is also the best place to get price gouged for rare beers (a bottle of Pliny for $30).

@brhfl @somehgeek. Had space juice yesterday. Not anywhere close to heady. Getting some do Brau wings this week. Looking forward to it. I thinki liked mastermind and focal banger better than space juice

yo @sohmageek, interested in talking trades? I can still try to get OTWOA from the brewery when it drops. I also have some Hardywood Gingerbread Stout which is delicious (+barrel aged variant) if you're interested.

@sohmageek Just confirming what @hashybrown is saying - Hardywood GBS is a must-try. And if you live in this area, it's an annual must-buy.

@hashybrown, sorry I never answered you about where I shop, missed that one. Usually when I'm shopping in DC, I go to Conn Ave and hit up Glen's while I'm in Dupont. Occasionally I'll check a WF or TJ's if I have grocery shopping to do as well, or if I'm specifically on the hunt for something; about the best I can manage on a lunch break. I visited 1 West once, on a HopSlam hunt w/ a coworker. Laughed our asses off walking out of that place after asking the price.

I had yet another DC Brau DIPA at The Partisan about a week ago, 'Alpha Domina Mellis', which they say 'is [their] latest attempt in seeing how many hops [they] can fit into a DIPA.' Meh, I'll still take OTWOA.

@soomass Oh no, the East Coast was no problem at all! I was stating a fact with no emphasis (more like, hey I shipped to east coast). It is $2-3 more if that and such a non-issue.

I really hope you like them. The Valencia is super local and tiny distribution field. My favorite is the modern times coffee stout. If you like it, I will gladly send more.

Mission IPA is my go-to for night time ocean fishing. It sneaks up on you and is a HUGE can.

@connorbush That is a huge can — what's the volume?

@brhfl 32oz can

@soomass cute dog! What a great face :-) nice haul on the beer too

@marklog

@marklog

@marklog

@marklog