GatewayRedbirds.com

First time drinking an Ommegang - Abbey Dubbel, and hopefully not my last.

Also, strongly dropped hint to the right people that a bigly good gift for me would be the advent beer calender from Craft Beer Cellar. 25 beers, $82. Seems like a good deal since I saw the damn elves putting the beers together. No coal or Kraptig in sight.

Freed Roger wrote:First time drinking an Ommegang - Abbey Dubbel, and hopefully not my last.

Also, strongly dropped hint to the right people that a bigly good gift for me would be the advent beer calender from Craft Beer Cellar. 25 beers, $82. Seems like a good deal since I saw the damn elves putting the beers together. No coal or Kraptig in sight.

If you've not had it yet, you gotta try their Three Philosophers. Damn it's good.

JL21 wrote:I will definitely need to hit that one up. I might even be able to convince my future father-in-law to share it with me. He's not much of a beer guy, but he loves Sam Adams.

A couple years ago they had it on tap at their R&D brewery in Boston (actual large scale brewing/bottling isn't done there anymore, the facility is only used for tours and R&D). Other than that, I've only ever been able to find it in a bomber size - it's not available in a four- or six-pack to my knowledge.

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Swirls wrote:

JL21 wrote:

Swirls wrote:Bought a sixer of Stone's Xocoveza. It's... interesting. I need to down another bottle or two to get a better idea of my overall thoughts on it.

I did the exact same thing last weekend. I really dig it. But I'm a sucker for sweet stouts, in particular the whole Mexican chocolate thing. It's definitely a late fall/holiday season product.

Have you had any of the Clown Shoes spicy chili stouts? If not, try their Luchador en Fuego. Amazing.

JL21 wrote:I have not, but I will now.

I bought a four-pack of Clown Shoes' "Chocolate Sombrero" today. It's a pretty sweet Mexican chocolate stout, so it tastes quite a bit different than the Luchador. Both are pretty heavy (this one is 9% ABV and I think Luchador is like 10%) and fantastic in their own way.

Other than their IPAs (which I've not tried), I really like most of what Clown Shoes offers.

I've been keeping an eye out for it since you mentioned it. Clown Shoes is a brewery I have seen in the past and never really squeezed the trigger. Not for any real reason. It just never happened.

Whenever we go to beer festivals, Clown Shoes and Founders are always two of the first ones I hit up.

JL21 wrote:I've been keeping an eye out for it since you mentioned it. Clown Shoes is a brewery I have seen in the past and never really squeezed the trigger. Not for any real reason. It just never happened.

Clown Shoes made Brown Angel (with a stereotypical big-booty black lady on the label) and Tramp Stamp (with a label showing a lower-back tattoo) and is on my list of beers made by either A. misogynist jerks or B. jerks who don't realize their misogynist labels are misogynist, so I never buy them, along with several other breweries.

FWIW, I have these conversations with distributors: you need not try to sell me those because I won't buy them, full stop. A few of my reps are women, and they actually high-five me for not buying that beer from them. The guys do too. Beer needs to get out of this idiotic bro-sphere, and Clown Shoes is as guilty of it as anyone.

http://chicagoist.com/2014/08/06/time_o ... _label.php

I'm guessing you've seen this column, TM.

I never thought of your fave, lagunitas Lil Sumpin Sumpin label as sexist, but I havent thought of that beer in a long while.

In that column, the female interviewed does mention disdain for poor design bro-labels in general, not just sexist.

Clown Shoes, I've never come across. Its good that you vote with your dollars, especially on something as dear as beer. As mentioned times before, I try to do the same-avoiding Ab inbev beers.

Fortunately, a lot of other alternatives to vote your dollar.
Sorry Goose Island etal, maybe you make a few good ones, but so does someone else.

Secondary moral - when at a bar, drink beer on tap.
And thirdly, classic FRBG is still a ok.

I've never come across Tramp Stamp or Brown Angel - most of what I've tried that Clown Shoes makes are the dark stouts. I agree that sexist and misogynistic labels will prevent me from buying a beer.

Another example of one is this:

Also avoid Sweetwater--see the old stuff about that label with the Asian sex worker/box of tissue.

Also Flying Dog--sorry, but you can't have "Raging [expletive]" and get my money or placement at my bar.

Also Pig Minds for "Crazy [expletive]"

Also Odd Side for "Bean Flicker"

And several others. But those are the big ones that distributors push in IL. I don't buy Lagunitas because I think it's mostly one-note, highly pedestrian beer.