Manger Danger

If you live in Denver and like beer, you've probably heard of Dry Dock Brewing. They're the brewery responsible for 7 Seas Double IPA. I stopped in to try some of their seasonal selections, which come out of their Ho Ho Ho Smackdown where all the brewers try to come up with the best beer they can, then pit them head to head. This was the winner & rightfully so--it's the best quad I've had. Strong as you expect, but doesn't taste like it, all it tastes is delicious. The other two entries were not bad. The stout seemed pretty standard & the raspberry beer was a bit too fruity, but this one won on its own merits.

This is a beer I am glad to have had the chance to try, and I am sad for all the people who will never be so lucky.

The Reverend

I decided to give quadrupels a second shot with this one, but as with the first one (The Sixth Glass) I didn't want to dive in on my own, so instead waited until I had some friends to help me out. I ended up splitting the bomber three ways, so it wasn't too much to drink. Even though it began strong, and I initially disliked it, by the end it wasn't such a chore to drink, and I even felt this kind of high alcohol beer might have a place in my regular line-up. Since shortly after finishing it off, we began one of the most spirited and exciting games of Twilight Imperium I have yet played, I can definitely vouch for its power as a social lubricant. (And I won, which goes to show it never hurts to liquor up your opponents.)

The Sixth Glass

Boulevard. I had looked forward to trying this other year-round product of Boulevard's Smokestack Series after getting entranced by its awesome allusion. After receiving a couple of recommendations, I decided to save it for a day I was really pissed off at work. The day I went to buy it, though, my local store was sold out and I had to put it off.

I don't think it was worth the wait. You can really taste the alcohol in this beer, something I don't generally enjoy in a beer. I like to taste the beer and have the alcohol be an added bonus. If I want to drink hard liquor, I'll drink hard liquor. That said, it gets better as you go, so maybe it'd be ideal as a second beer, once your taste buds have already loosened themselves up.