Twenty Fifth Meeting

Welcome to the all-important 25th meeting of the Wild Turkey Beer Club. We've shared plenty of laughs and tears along the way, but we're glad to have you with us. I would first like to thank you, the reader, because without you, I couldn't afford to keep this humble blog afloat.

To celebrate our 25th, Tom B has chosen "BA Top 100" beers that we haven't tasted yet as a category. As a result, this could be our strongest lineup of beer yet. Expect some high scores (and maybe an A from Brent).

First up... the #6 beer in the world on BA, Trappist Rochefort 10. This tasty quad comes in at 11.3%. Surprisingly, we never tried this on quad night. This one pours a dark maroon with a tiny little head. The carbonation isn't absent from the mouthfeel, though. It tastes of dark fruit, like raisins, figs, and Drew's drungles. Some of us like it a lot, and the others just appreciate it as a good quad.

BPA: 3.66

Next up is probably the most anticipated beer we've had in a long time. Deschutes Abyss is #4 on Beer Advocate, however, about 1/4 of the 2009 batch is "infected." Apparently quite a bit of the beer is infected with some wild yeast, giving it a sour flavor. Some people who have tried the infected stuff go as far as to pour it down a drain. This stuff is 11%. First diagnosis...... INFECTED!! INFECTED!!! MIKE INFECTED US WITH AIDS!!! Alright, let's see if we can finish this weirdly sour stout. It tastes like a coffee saison. Not very good. Tastes and smells like testes.

BPA: (no rating given)

Rogue Shakespeare Stout is up next. This one is #66 on BA. Only 6.1%?!? Hahh Bizaahh. Smells like coffee and oats. "What do you feed him?" "Ohh, oats and hay, oats and hay." Tastes like coffee and oats as well. It has a fairly thin mouthfeel. At least thinner than Quaker Oats.

BPA: 3.12

Fourthly, we have Great Divide Oak-Aged Yeti. We've had two other derivations of this, but both of them have been aged and/or chocolated, yet not by oak. This one is #44 on BA. When we had the original Yeti, Mike and Lampe were pre-noob status, even fetus status. This pours a dark brown color, and smells exactly how it tastes. It's a solid imperial stout that tastes like oak chips have floated in it for an indeterminate amount of time. Oh yeah, 9.5%.

BPA: 3.62

Next we have the top-rated IPA in the world. Ballast Point Sculpin IPA is 16 overall and very tasty. 7% alcohol is undetectable. This beer is quite hoppy, but it's followed by grapefruit and then some tender malts, so it balances the beer out. I had this side-by-side with Blind Pig last week and I thought this one was better.

BPA. 3.94 (Note: Everyone gave it a 4, and Brent was last to vote. He wouldn't give up his A V-card, so we now have a 3.94)

Last beer is Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA, which is 9% abv. This is a double IPA which is oddly not as hoppy as the last beer. There's definitely more of a syrupy sweetness to this one. Not as good as the last beer, but still one heck of a darn beer. Ding ding! Intoxication is knocking at my brain's door. Either that, or it's some terrible brain parasite brought on by that infected Abyss. As long as the parasite zonks me out for work tomorrow and makes me act like a drone bee, I welcome my new invader.

BPA: 3.46

Well that will do it. Right now we're engaged in very off-topic conversations and watching the Wild game. Next up: Mike's house.