Hooray, Beer!

Red Stripe tastes funny, but has good commercials

I am blessed. I don't always feel that way about my city, but in some things San Diego just rules. The weather is great (as it starts pouring outside), we've got good sports teams and colleges, and the beach, mountains, deserts, forrests and rivers are within one hour of each other. There are also bad things, like hippies and "college area" coffee shops, but they are more than outdone by my favorite local brewery, Stone.

Stone Brewery is known nationwide for their exceptional India's, Pale Ale's and Porter's, but they continually do "special edition" brews that are so lip smackingly good and badass, it's frightening.

Case in point - Arrogant Bastard Ale. Stop there. The name alone is worth buying a bottle. The taste - well, lets say it's not for the faint of heart. Overwhelmingly bitter with a 7+% alcohol content, Arrogant Bastard isn't for Coors Light drinkers. In fact, you have to agree that "I am not a fizzy yellow beer drinking ninny here under false pretenses" to even view the site. It is trumped by Double Bastard, which I can only usually find around Christmas time.

Anyway, the point of the post.

I went to Beverages & More this morning, looking for Bass Ale in pub cans. I walked past the Arrogant Bastard end cap display and literally did a double take and ran into some poor woman. After apologizing, I marveled at the fortune that was to be bestowed on me - Stone has brought back Imperial Russian Stout. OMG OMG, oh noes!!11!!1!

After Guiness, this stout was my first dark beer love. It is so dark and thick, light cannot escape it. It is evil - 9% alcohol will do that to a beer. If you think it's your friend, wait till it picks your pocket and makes you it's bitch. Apparently, Stone had to change the name to just "Imperial Stout" but the beer is the same vile, thick, rich, black, chewy spirit that requires copious amounts of testicular fortitude to consume. If you have the oppurtunity to buy it in your area, do. If you don't like it, send it to me.

There was ONE bottle in the refrigerated section. I bought it. I drove to work. I drank it in the parking lot of the college I work at...

Today is going to be a good day, once the buzz from 22 ounces of Imperial Stout wears off.

Where's my hat?