Sour Beers to My Doorstep? Yes Please!

Last Wednesday (9/24) while on Twitter I saw a posting from Inside the Cellar about some new beers  they'd acquired and had available for purchase on their website. Emily and I have never bought beers online before, but since these were beers I couldn't acquire locally, I figured why not try it out and  see how the process goes. Nine days later and my shipment of 5 bottles has arrived! I'm going downstairs to drink one in just a minute...

The process of ordering the beer through the Inside the Cellar website was easy. Make an account, go though the store and pick your products, checkout and pick your shipping preference, pay, and done. I received multiple emails along the way, detailing, account registration, purchase, and shipping.  It was really nice to get the status updates, in large part so we could figure out when to be home to sign for the Fed-Ex package. The beers, as you see above, came well-packed and all the bottles were intact with no issues.

Also included in the box were receipts and shipping information, a hand written thank you note (nice touch!), and tasting notes. These people seem thorough!

So what did we order? Here it is: from The Bruery Oude Tart and Atomic Kangarue, from Prairie Artisian Ales  two bottles of Cherry Funk, and one bottle of Heirloom Pumpkin from Almanac Beer Co.

With my first online beer shipment done, I'm very happy with how the process went. I'll definitely be doing online beer shopping again, especially for those hard to find beers.

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Sierra Nevada Releasing Snowpack A Mixed Seasonal 12-Pack.

SIERRA NEVADA FENDS OFF THE COLD WITH BRAND NEW “SNOWPACK”

Press Release:
Chico, CA—October 1, 2014—Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. filled its third and final seasonal mixed 12-pack of the year with beers that ward off winter’s bite. Aptly named, Snowpack features two brand new beers and two steadfast recipes. The variety pack starts heading to distributors this week and will be available through January 2015. Whether harnessing the comfort of coffee or borrowing a little bit of summer from the Southern Hemisphere, Snowpack helps uplift those hunkering down for the storm.

• Boomerang IPA is a blend of American brewing style with Southern Hemisphere flavor. Sierra Nevada added heaps of vibrant Australian hops to this bold beer. With a light, balanced malt body and compelling floral and fruity hop aromas, Boomerang is an intriguing international spin on the classic IPA.
• Coffee Stout combines the best of Sierra Nevada’s two favorite brews—coffee and beer. The brewery blended the hearty flavors of coffee with dark roasted malts to create a complex and layered mix of dark chocolate, caramel and light fruity notes punctuated with a roasty, dry finish for the perfect cold-weather drink.
• Porter was part of Sierra Nevada’s inaugural lineup decades ago. Its big malt flavor earned it permanence, and craft drinkers continue to relish the rich, bittersweet and roasted gem. Medium bodied and balanced by crisp American hops, Porter is a great finale to a long winter’s day of work.
• Pale Ale began as a home brewer’s dream, grew into an icon, and inspired countless brewers to follow a passion of their own. Its unique piney and grapefruit aromas from the use of whole-cone American hops have fascinated beer drinkers for decades and made this beer a classic, yet it remains new, complex and surprising to beer drinkers every day. It is—as it always has been—all natural, bottle conditioned and refreshingly bold. 

“This mixed pack is a fun cross section of our brewery, a bit of a timeline” said Ken Grossman, Sierra Nevada’s founder. “I remember roasting malted barley in my own kitchen in the early days of Porter, and today we’re using coffee to create really complex flavors. I took road trips in the 70s to get my hands on Cascade hops, and here we are teaming up with friends in Australia who are growing new and exciting varieties. Snowpack shows how fun of a ride craft beer continues to be.”

As Snowpack makes its way into stores, folks can track down the variety pack using Sierra Nevada’s Beer Locator. The brewery is dialing in its 2015 lineup, which will weave in a fourth seasonal variety 12-pack to fill the calendar with even more diversity for craft drinkers

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Lompoc Brewing Monster Mash Imperial Porter Release Party this Wednesday.

 

 

Lompoc is releasing its perennial October favorite, Monster Mash Imperial Porter, this Wednesday, October 1st from 4pm to close at 5th Quadrant (3901 N Williams Ave). No graveyard bash is complete without a batch of this monster brew, a full-bodied, full-flavored mash up of a half dozen dark specialty malts. Chocolate, rauch smoked and kiln coffee grains hint at this big brew's profile. The malty sweetness is balanced nicely with the bitter notes of dark chocolate and coffee, alongside Centennial, Cascade and Willamette hops. At 8.1%, it's a monster indeed! Available on draft and in 22 oz bottles. 

Sir Pamplemousse will be in attendance.

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