1485. Avery Brewing Coconut Porter

This was a gift from my buddy Garrett Miller.

He knows my love of coconut beers, and he saw this one and picked it up for me.

Oddly, I thought I had drank it before - but Garrett even went so far as to check this website before he bought it, and this beer was not on the website.  So, if I have drank it - I never recorded it.

Until now.

Tonight, Garrett and his brother Ryan, and their female counterparts all came over to join Caitlin and I on the patio for a Double Feature of "Halloween" (1978) and "Halloween" (2018).  

It was a wonderful evening, and this was a wonderful beer.  It was big and powerful, and had a sleight and subtle hint of coconut flavor.  It was very delicious, and I really enjoyed it.

1484. 3 Floyd's Dark Lord (2019 Magenta with Glitter Wax Variant)

 This beer was a birthday present from my buddy, Ryan Miller.

I was originally holding onto it to drink with him for a special occasion.

However, my Three-Year Wedding Anniversary with Caitlin came along, and it was the perfect time to break this out.  I got Ryan's blessing to drink it without him, and Caitlin and I busted it open to enjoy on our anniversary.

We paired with Pizza from Giordano's and in the spirit of Halloween, I showed Caitlin "Urban Legend" for the first time.

1483. Taxman Cherry Citrus Spin-Off

 Last Year, Jason brought over Beer #1317 which was the Blackberry version of Spin-Off.

Today, I found this season's version is Cherry - and as much I liked last year's version, the cherry is AMAZING!  Nice and tart sour.  Great flavor.  Yummy!

1482. Indiana City Robot Jungle

 Not my jam, I didn't really care any of the Artist Series that I've had from Indiana City.

They are Double Dry Hopped.

They are Hazy.

They are blargh.

Not for me.

1299 Revisited. Sun King Cherry Busey

This beer was original Beer #1299 - but I've drank it before it was documented.

I really enjoy this beer, and was happy to have some given to Jason and I to drink during a Shane Talks Podcast.  The beer still holds up, and I still really love the sour cherry tart flavors that you get from this beer.  One of my favorite beers from Sun King.

Watch Shane Talks Episode XIX: As '99 Razzies Go By - where Shane and Jason enjoy this beer while discussing the 2000 Golden Raspberry Awards.

1481. Lexington Mammoth

 This tastes like a better version of Blue Moon.

The flavors are the same, but this one is much lighter and drinks easier. 

It's good flavors, and enjoyable.  I wouldn't mind drinking more of these.

This particular can was from Caitlin and I's trip to Jungle Jim's back in July.

1480. Sun King Eis Nine

This bock is pretty standard, and not much stands out.

The flavors are perfect, and exactly what I was expecting.

So, it's good.  It's fine.  But, it's nothing special.

1479. Sun King Oktoberfest (Apple Strudel Variant)

Well, sadly...  This beer is not at tasty as the German Chocolate Cake Variant.

It's not terrible, but it is very lacking.  There is some apple-like flavor to it, but then it tries to finish with some kind of dry/bread-like flavor?  It was hard to place, but it was not enjoyable.

I had really just hoped for a nice Apple Beer with some malty flavors on the end.

I don't expect to ever drink this one again.

1478. Sun King Oktoberfest (German Chocolate Cake Variant)

 OH WOW!  This is fantastic!

This beer is delicious.

The coconut flavor is very subtle upfront, and even tastes a little creamy (like the coconut in a German Chocolate Cake!) and then the beer finishes with a wonderful taste of creamy chocolate.  It's absolutely amazing and delicious.  I can't wait to get my hands on more of this!

Quaff On! PB&J

 So, this beer isn't going to get a number, but I have a story to go with it.

Back in July, while my family was down in Nashville, Indiana - I found myself drinking in The Original Big Woods bar, while my wife and stepdaughter went shopping.

I was enjoying Peanut Butter Buster Knuckle by itself, when I eavesdropped on my server telling another table about mixing this beer with Six Foot Strawberry Blonde, for a Peanut Butter and Jelly taste.

The next time she came over to me, I admitted to overhearing her pitch, and told her I would like to try that.  And so, I drank many of them over the next few hours.

This morning, I happened to be at the liquor store, saw both of these beer together, and decided that's what I wanted to drink tonight.  So, I'm mixing these two beers together and enjoying the delicious flavor I learned about down in Brown County.

1477. Taxman Spiced Rum Barrel Pina Collateral

 This beer is super delicious, but it's also something that I only want one of at a time.

It's a tasty light ale, that starts off with a very subtle aroma of coconut, and then a very strong flavor of pineapple and rum.  Very light in the back end is the lingering taste of coconut, but nothing strong.

It feels like a bigger and stronger beer than it really is, hence why I'm not going to drink more than one at a time.

1476. Big Lug Baewatch

 Very yummy passion fruit hefe.

It has a refreshing taste with the fruit, and goes down super light and simple.  Very tasty beer for outdoors drinking.

1475. Blind Owl Wild Berry Shake Fruited Wheat Ale

 Really tasty beer!

While I commonly say, "No fruit in my beer..." that does not apply when its brewed into my beer.

This beer is creamy and fruity, and very enjoyable.  The berry flavors taste good together, and it goes down really easily.  I liked this a lot.

1474. Sun King Turndown Service

 This was super light and easy to drink - very refreshing.

Lots of malty flavor going on.  I enjoyed the simplicity of this beer.

Oktoberfest 2020

 Just some fun photos from the first day of Oktoberfest 2020.
Sad that the official event was cancelled this year, but was very happy to still get together with a bunch of friends and have a great afternoon hanging out with some food and drinks.

1473. Sun King Lyrical Poet

 This was a gift from my buddy Steve, who specifically said it was for Caitlin because of her love for stouts.  This one is pretty good, I liked the chocolate and raspberry flavors together.  It was enjoyable.

1472. Platform For the Shoe

Platform is responsible for one of my recent favor beers - #1449 - The Coconut Guava Jelly Donut.  Which sounded so weird, but I loved all the flavors together.

So, I bought this beer to drink on the Opening Day of the Indianapolis Colts' 2020 Season.

It's an IPA, which isn't my favorite style, but luckily this one isn't too bad.

It doesn't have a lot of flavor, it isn't too dry or hoppy, and it's low on bitterness.

So, while I don't really like it, it's also very easy to drink - and I don't hate it.

I don't plan to buy it again at any point this season, but it was fun for the opening game.

1471. Sun King Bourbon-Barrel Donuts

So, Full Disclosure.  Sun King Brewery has been providing me with a lot of beers recently, so that I can drink them each week when I record the Shane Talks Podcast.  It's an unofficial sponsorship, but it's a situation that really works out well for me.  I get to try a lot of Sun King Beers, I've been given some special beers (a lot of King's Reserves) and all I have to do is talk about how much I like them.  That's easy for me.

However, because I'm getting set up for the podcast, it looks like I forgot - for a second time - to take a picture of the beer in its glassware with the bottle.  So, once again, I will have to include the shot from the episode while I was talking about the beer.

So, onto the beer - it's amazing.  I really, really like this beer.

The bourbon up front hits hard, and then it quickly mellows out with the creamy delicious chocolate flavor.  And this is good chocolate flavor - not powdery cacao flavor.  The beer was brewed with 500 donuts from Jack's Donuts, and the flavor really comes through.  The aftertaste even boasts a little bit of a bread-like taste, which probably convinced my brain that I had just taken a big bite of a chocolate donut.

I have another bottle of it, and I can't wait for the special occasion that Caitlin and I open it up.

1470. Sun King Diddy Muckle

 Similar to Gran Muckle, but lacking the cinnamon - I do prefer this Muckle to the other Muckle.

I learned this is aged in Pappy Van Winkle's 20 Year Barrels, so that's probably why the bourbon flavor is so smooth and enjoyable.  It's really big upfront with some vanilla, sugar, molasses flavors.

I drank it during an episode of the Shane Talks Podcast - and it turns out that I forgot to get a picture of the beer in its glassware.

1469. Grand Armory Mother Schmucker Raspberry Ale

This was a gift from my buddy Garrett Miller, he bought it on his family trip to Michigan.

It's absolutely delicious!  I'm a big fruit beer guy, and with the added tart from the raspberries, I really enjoyed this beer.  A little sugary, which would stop me from drinking a lot of them - but I really enjoyed this one outside on the deck.

1468. Sun King Gran Muckle

 I assume the base of this beer is brewed similar to Sun King's Wee Mac, which I think is an okay beer, but it doesn't stand out to me.  My wife likes it a lot, but she has ever started to shy away from it.

The Gran Muckle does improve on that Scottish style flavor, and the whiskey aging adds a very enjoyable layer to this flavor profile.  It's taken one step further with the addition of cinnamon, which honestly doesn't really matter to me.  It's a nice little extra punch of flavor, but it doesn't make me like it anymore.  It's a fine beer, and I would pick it over Wee Mac given the choice.

1467. Heavy Seas Red Flag

 Caitlin and I picked up this beer on a trip to Jungle Jim's.

The Flanders styles are usually pretty enjoyable, and adding the barrel-aging to this one had an interesting effect on the flavor.  It's bigger up front, and the sour starts off very subtle, and builds towards the end of the drink.  I really enjoyed it, but don't feel obligated to ever buy it again.

1466. Odd13 Brewing Jetman Jimmy

 This beer was a gift from my buddy Jae Hampton.  He bought it for me specifically in honor of our friend Jimmy Otto, and he said he loved the mental image of "Jetman Jimmy".

It's a Hazy Golden Ale, and it's ok.  It's pretty light, and easy to drink, with nothing special about it - aside from it's name.

1465. Sun King Johan

 Tonight, Jason and I went joined by a few of our friends to record a 20th Anniversary Reunion for our first film "Consternate", which we premiered on December 19th, 2000.

For this recording, I decided to drink a Sun King Johan.

Why?

Because Johan was the first beer that Sun King ever brewed, and we were celebrating the first film we ever made.  So, it seemed like a perfect combo.

I swear that I have tried this beer before, but it's nowhere on the website, so this makes it official.

The beer is BIG and tasty.  The barrel-aging on top of the Barleywine makes this beer a sipper.  The flavors are strong and the bourbon kind of overpowers a lot of the taste.  It's very good, but something that should be reserved for special occasions.  

1464. Sun King Leap Year

This beer has been out for a while, but I’m just finally getting my hands on it. I absolutely love it.  It’s nice and tart sour, and it goes down really easily.  The sour doesn’t linger too long, just enough. 

This beer was given to me by a friend who works for Sun King.  Last week, I drank a Founders beer on the Podcast, and my friend contacted me and said, “If you’re going to be drinking beer on your Podcast, let me give you some GOOD beer to drink...”. And he did.  So, the next few weeks, Jason and I will be promoting the Sun King beers we drink each week. 

Sun King and GenCon - 2020 Update

With tonight's addition of Genevieve, it's time for an updated GenCon Photo.

2020 - Genevieve (#1463)

2019 - Brewtron 9000 (#1292)

2018 - Everlasting Gamer (#1294 - added a year late)

2017 - Dragon’s Delight (#988)

2015 - Drink on and Prosper (#694)

2014 - Froth of Kahn (#580)

There has been no Time-Travel-Miracle (yet).

I am still missing three previous beers...

2016’s Twenty-Sided Rye

2013's Flagon Slayer

2012's Ale of Destiny  

1463. Sun King Genevieve

Despite GenCon getting cancelled, Sun King still released their beer for this year!  It’s a Belgian Amber Ale, and it’s got a complicated profile to it.  There is a lot going on, and the Belgian influence is apparent. It’s malt profile is very Amber-like, and the flavor of the Belgian yeast is strong. It’s an okay combination, but I don’t love the beer. 

1462. Sun King Lemon Shandy Sunlight Cream Ale

I’ve been enjoying the Orange Vanilla Sunlight all summer - this one is even better!  It’s got a nice tart lemon flavor upfront and then it goes down creamy good.  The tart doesn’t linger too long, but does leave a refreshing taste in my mouth.  I can’t wait for this to end up in cans, I will drink a bunch of them before the end of the summer. 

1461. Founders Más Agave

This delicious beer was a gift from my buddy Garrett Miller. 

Yes, I have stepped up my Miller-Game, and now have both awesome brothers picking me up beers when they travel - I am truly blessed with the Miller Boys. 

On to the beer.  

A Lime Gose, aged in Tequila barrels. 

It’s delicious. 

It’s not a sour Gose, it’s very tart, and even that’s tamed down by the tequila - which gives it a nice smooth finish and reminds you that it was there. 

It’s light. It goes down easier than it should for a 10% ABV.

I really enjoy this beer!

I gave Garrett a shout-out for getting me this beer, as I drank it during this week’s Podcast episode (https://youtu.be/AT_hxDc7C9w).

1460. Country Boy Lemonade Lager

Really disappointed with this beer. 

It’s a dry lager, and it’s not fruity or sweet at all.  

I don’t ever plan to drink this again. 

1459. West Side Gose

Pretty bland Gose. 

It has some tart up front, but it doesn’t linger for very long. 

It’s a fine drink, light and easy, but it’s just bland. 

1458. Fifty West Doom Pedal (Q♦️)

It’s been a LONG time since I posted any Bicycle Series beers.  While in Ohio, I finally ran across a brewery I’ve been looking for each time I went to Ohio.  So, I was finally able to add it. 

(I’ve also done numerous New Glarus beers, and keep forgetting to use one of them for the card...)

This beee is okay.  

There is nothing special about it, but it’s not bad.  

Just a standard ale with some extra flavor to it. 

1457. Rockmill Cerise

This is light and easy to drink.

It goes down very quick, and honestly doesn't have a whole lot of flavor to it.

It has a hint of cherry flavor, but nothing that really gives this beer anything special.

It's odd for such a plain beer to come from a brewery that the can says was established ten years ago.  This tastes like something I would expect from a brewery in their first year.

1456. Kona Mai Time Wheat Ale

Orange, Pineapple, Lime.

All those flavors are present, the orange is the most powerful.

It's all fine in a wheat beer.  It's tasty, but nothing amazing.

It's a little too heavy for me to want to sit outside and drink them in the heat, but they aren't bad for drinking inside.  It's good, but nothing great.

1455. Southern Tier White Chocolate Raspberry Imperial Milk Stout

HOLY WOW!!!

So many amazing flavors all packed into a single beer, it's amazing!

It's light, it's refreshing, it's smooth, it's tart but not overpowering, and the white chocolate flavor lingers after you drink.  It's listed at 10% ABV, but it goes down easier than a Miller Lite, so this beer could get dangerous.

1454. Eagle Banana Bread Beer

Caitlin picked out this beer, and I am glad that she was willing to drink the rest of it.

I did not enjoy the beer at all - but Caitlin did.

It really does taste like banana bread, so it's exactly what it advertises - but I'm not a fan of banana bread, so it's too perfect for me to enjoy.

1453. Urban Artifact Photo Booth

Another gose.  More sour delicious.

It's tart and enjoyable.

Grapefruit usually isn't my favorite, but it's not bad in this beer.

1452. Fifty West Ocean City Strawberry Gose

I absolutely love this beer.

There is really nothing special about it, but it's fruity and its sour, and it makes my mouth happy.

1451. Left Hand Gettin' Tiki With It Nitro

Eh, blah.

This sounds like a beer that I should love.

Pina Colado flavors are ones that I tend to enjoy, and I do like wheat beers.

But...  Something about this doesn't go down right in my mouth.

It might be the nitro?  It is really smooth going down, but the flavors just don't taste good to me.

The nitro seems to make it taste "flat" as it goes down like thick pineapple flavored water.

I was really disappointed, because I thought I was going to like it a lot.

1450. Blue Stallion Ya Damn Skippy

Very tasty beer!  Caitlin and I have trouble finding Peanut Butter Porters we actually like.  

This is the third one we have found, after Big Woods/Quaff On! Peanut Butter Busted Knuckle and Evil Genius Purple Monkey.

The peanut butter flavor is really nice and balances the chocolate well.  It was a very tasty beer.