Goose Island Migration Event comes full circle for me, or how I finally slayed the green dragon and the journey to get there.

Rare Bourbon County Brand Stout being served

I haven't written anything in some time and I was wondering if there would be a good opportunity to talk about drink having been busy writing and doing more reviews of beer and other drinks online than actually just blogging.  However, an unforeseen event event came to town recently that provided me a real good opportunity.  Sure there have been a myriad of beer events that I have been to in the past several years, but this event hearkened back to reminders and desires of when I first really started taking beer more seriously and started noticing that there was truly something special going on.

I received an email mentioning an event called Goose Island Migration week that was to take place in Washington D.C. from the well known Goose Island brewery.  Long story short, a few local places and favorite beer stomping grounds of mine such as Churchkey and Meridian Pint were going to have some nice Goose Island beers to be purchased, including many that are highly rated, coveted, and no longer being made. 

I have been lucky to have had many of these beers from Goose Island, a combination of diligent hunting, willful spending, and to some degree just plain dumb luck.  Many of them have also been featured on my YouTube ImbibeHour Channel.

I always loved beer but 3 years ago, a discovery of Bourbon County Brand Stout changed my life.  There was this brewery taking one of my favorite spirits (bourbon) and making beer from it's barrels, and the results shocked me.  More so, they made a beer that would become an iconic piece of history, a barrel aged bourbon barrel beer from 23yr old bourbon barrels that used to hold Pappy Van Winkle bourbon whiskey.  It was simply called Rare Bourbon County Stout.


Here is where the story flashes back.  Before the advent of so called "craft" beer, and the explosion it has taken since then, Rare was a beer that was only on a few enthusiasts minds.  Since that time, craft beer and beers like Rare have exploded in popularity.  In short Rare Bourbon County Brand Stout has become an iconic legend.  I remember that while I didn't seek it out at its release, I thought $40 dollars for a bottle of it seemed ridiculous at the time, around the time I made the video above.  Forty dollars?  Heck I could buy actual real good bourbon for that much, maybe even a couple of Weller's.

Fast forward to now nearly 2000 reviewed beers since, I still thought of this beer.  Even with all the great ones that came before it to this day, I kicked myself in the head thinking I really missed out on a great opportunity.  Could a, should a, would a, done it.. grabbed that iconic green bottle when I had a chance.  I even realized that 40 or so dollars for that beer, was in my opinion, an insane bargain.

I felt this was one of those multitude of beers I would never get a chance to have then out of nowhere Goose Island came to town..

Bourbon Count Brand Vanilla Stout 2010.

Nestled in the back of my head was a trip down memory lane.  The Goose Island brewery came to town bring gifts of lore,  King Henry, non existent versions of regular Vanilla Bourbon County Stout.  Other beers showed up, along with Cherry Rye, and other classics including Matilda, even a brett version of Matilda. 

The other popular mainstays were also here, and you could easily try them.

2010 Vanilla had to be first for myself, having missed it in the past along with Rare. The classic bourbon county brand stout flavors still remained, thick and lush, with a nice creamy texutre.  Molasses, chocolate, coffee, oak, and warmth, all the classic notes of a well aged barrel aged beer were here.  However, it did seem like the vanilla was muted on the nose, and missing quite a bit in the taste.

Rare Bourbon County Brand Stout

At this point I was already pretty darn happy about what I was experiencing.  Other beer fans I knew were at the event and we basically were all enjoying ourselves quite a bit, but there was the buzz that we all knew that Rare had to be around the corner.  Indeed it was, more of an afterthought than a surprise as most of us saw the staff while waiting out in line with a box of Rare being carried into the bar.

There was no way I was going to be able to have an entire bottle for myself, although if I could, believe me.. I would.  Small pours were handed out by the staff so that at least everyone who came, could get a taste.  So what's the verdict?

A mixed bag.  The nose is exquisite unlike any other whiskey barrel aged brew I've had.  The nose screams of toasty oak and large tobacco notes, with the woody angles going from cedar, to barrel char, and with the woody sensations giving a cigar box quality.  It's one of the most perfect examples of a whiskey barrel aged beer I've had.  Then the taste follows nicely on all the right places, but then on first quaff, my mind raced with the library of hundreds of other beers I had before this one for comparison and one thing became obvious.  Even while getting to enjoy the delicacy of this beer, I felt I was still too late to the party.  In short, Rare felt past its prime, and I had missed it's pinnacle, but at least I got to slay the green dragon as I liked to call it.

I thought I would take some time out and talk about what it takes to get to this point, and more importantly the advice on going after best desirable beers, since this event really reminded me how much I've changed over the years, and the beers that have followed since then.  Taking these points into consideration will make your experience truly more enjoyable.

Seek and enjoy the chase.

The experience of tasting beer over a long time is a fascinating journey, and it is full of many highs and lows, but the vast majority of the results are very positive.  Everything comes around full circle, and there was no perfect example of this than my 3-4 years of wanting to try and eventually taste Rare Bourbon County. The desire for the ultimate beer, or the perfect tasting beer, is never ending.  Often it's the anticipation of what will might happen that is even more exciting than the actual taste.  Some feel that this beer or that beer is the perfect beer, end of story.  But it should never be that simple.  If it was why would you want to bother with any other beer?  You could just drink that one all the time?  Perhaps that's how you do feel and that's fine, but there's a very big world out there worth exploring.  I've also met others on this journey who have had way more beers than I have, such as upwards of 10,000.  They're still out there looking, and believe me they aren't stopping anytime soon.  They, like me, are having too much fun.

Everybody is Different

I know that not everyone likes the same things as I do.  Some people at the event I know said they were floored, others agreed with me and felt the beer was past prime.  Others commented they felt the texture was sublime, where I felt that was one of the beers weakest qualities.  That's the thing about opinions, nobody is right and nobody is wrong.  We all like and get different things.  Take this into consideration and find out what you like, which leads me to the next point.

Listen to Yourself

There I said it.  I know.. contradictory right?  You're reading this article, and I was tempted to say dont listen to anybody, when I .. am TELLING you what to do.  What I am getting at is you have to be your own judge and be honest with yourself and your palate.  Really just pay attention and not be influenced by others, or ratings.  Places like BeerAdvocate and the like are great, I use them all the time and as I mentioned I am a supporter, but they are not the be all end all to what are the best beers.  You should look at my channel and places like BeerAdvocate as guides. Some you will find more useful than others.  They point you along the way and give you directions, but it's up to you to decide which way to go.

Do your homework

There is a wealth of information about beer and what it is on the Internet, but you need to cycle out the noise from what are legitimate reputable and reliable sources.  Understand beer more than just hops, malt, water, yeast.  Look at true beer organizations, and what criteria they have.  Taste a variety of different beers.  On average I personaly review 2-3 new beers every day that I have never had before.  It keeps me on my toes and I look forward to it.  It's fun. In fact I don't even consider that work, it's pure playtime.  Don't just randomly go on to some website and say what are the best IPAs I should have?  It's never that easy.  So do your homework, beacuse homework is rarely this fun!

Baby steps

This sort of follows the previous point.  You are going to enjoy beers like Rare, and other big important beers more, if you go out and try easier to access beers of the same type, or preferably simpler but just good beers like it and many of them.  The simple reason why is you will have a bigger background to draw your experiences from, and the experience will become richer.  Seek a great opportunity sure if you have the chance, but build yourself up for the big dance.  Start off slowly and work your way up.

Live in a good beer region/town/city

Yeah I know, it sort of smacks of a bit of bias and uprooting but there are some huge advantages if you live in a region that has a lot of good beer because of either great shops and/or breweries.  Variety is the spice of life, and living somewhere where there is a lot of choice in great beer is going to make you appreciate it, and diversify your palate.  Also you will run into other people like you at breweries and bars that share your same passion and make connections.  If you don't feel you live in a good region, plan a weekend trip to one, or take a vacation.  Do whatever it takes.  Homebrewing is also a good alternative.  Can't find beer you like often?  Make your own.

Get to know people in the industry

For this one, it will really help in your journey to appreciating good beer.  Visit breweries that you like and strike up conversations with the staff, and the brewer.  If you have a favorite place to shop in, get to know the staff even outside of beers you want to taste.  Find a decent bar and frequent it often and know the people who work there (and tip well!).  All these industry types will lead you to better beer and give you tips on where to find or access it.

Embrace luck

I don't know how else to say this but the enjoyment of rare beers is just sometimes dumb luck.  I don't know why or how but it just happens.  You will find yourself in search of beers you think you'll never find, and then somehow it just shows up in your lap.  A perfect example was that at the Goose Island event, some guy sitting next to me didn't even know it was going on.  He just walked in and showed up to go to a bar for a drink.  I've just randomly been in some of my favorite bars, and then suddenly on the menu was a gem.  It just happens.

Don't beat yourself up

The one thing I've discovered so far on this journey into great beer is that there is a lot of good beer to go around.  In fact the reality is there is TOO MUCH good beer around.  I hear lots of complaints online from people who said they can't get the latest hyped up beer release, or couldn't get to a bar event when the keg kicked.  Understand that there is always a next time, and there's always another beer out there.  Don't get angry, and be patient.  It took me 3 to 4 years to just even try Rare, and anybody who knows me knows.. patience is not my strong suit.  For others that night at Churchkey it might have been even their first big beer, and that's nothing to get angry about.  Plenty of people I know have had beers that I have desired for a long time.  You don't deserve it more than the next guy.  There is always another beer out there .  You'll be ready.  So order/grab something else and move on. 

Sharing a beer with Goose Island Brewer Dave Tohtz

Being back to seeing Rare again brought back a lot of memories.  The experience was truly unforgettable, more so because it just completed a long cycle.  It was also really amazing to know that for some people, this might have been the very first important beer they ever tried at this event, and they just might be starting on a new journey I know far to well.  I hope they'll have just as much fun as I am having, and enjoy the ride.


The Goose Island Migration Event is touring other cities, look out for it and make sure you go.

• Philadelphia | Sept 24-27
• San Francisco | Oct 1-4
• St. Louis | Oct. 15-18
• Austin | Oct. 29-Nov 1

Grabbing a beer with Greg Engert beer director of Churchkey Birch & Barley

There has been a lot of changes lately in the craft beer world since I can remember. Living in the Washington DC area for many years gave me a real good opportunity to witness such changes, particularly when a new establishment came along called Churchkey.

Churchkey Birch & Barley, is a craft beer bar that has 50 taps and 5 casks, and is managed by beer director Greg Engert, a former employee of the Brickskeller.

I sat down to talk with him about the birth and growth of craft beer and his establishment.  It was quite an interesting and if you want to see it grab a drink and spend 1/2 hour watching the video below.  Cheers!

Beer and bargains, playing is half the fun, but time waits for no thirsty man

DC Brau's Stone of Arbroath at Bier Baron

There are two things that you can't get away from when going out to enjoy good beer.  One is that you will be able to have beer on tap which is something you can't do at home (unless you have your own home bar and kegerator).  The second is, usually you will be spending more money, particularly when it comes to drinking non macro produced brews.

For me, drinking beer in the DC area can be expensive, that is why I was so excited in early April to read about a promotion that was going on for neighborhood bars and restaurants.

The Washington Post had an article about a passport that you could get to promote DC beer week. You buy a small badge for $10 dollars, visit the venues and you could get certain discounts.  The deals on beer varied from venue to venue.  Churchkey for example, had a promotion for the badge to have half off any cask beer on Mondays.  It was obvious when I looked at the offer the badge price would be quickly compensated for the deals that were offered.  The real kicker was that if you visited all of the places in your passport, you would get stamped, and could enter your passport in a drawing.  15 winners would get a $50 dollar gift certificate to 1 of the 15 bars, and... wait for it... 1 grand prize for $50 gift certificates to.. ALL OF THEM.  Looking at the list there were many venues I was quite often a visitor, some that I had not visited in some time, and some that I have never been to.  It was time to move post haste and get my badge and earn the prize... or... not.  Perhaps it is of no use to mention this deal now, since the end of April is upon us, but if I could make one saving grace to tell you about this promotion, it is that I have not got a chance to grab the brass ring.  But I tried!!  and found also some real new interesting things along the way.

Nugget Nectar at Churchkey

The first place I thought of going to was an obvious one and that was Churchkey.  I am at this place often, and it is no stranger to anyone in the DC area as a premier destination for beer.  Here is a place to chase 40 taps and a bottle list that fits in a huge binder.  If you are a beer nut/geek/dork/freak, you need to visit.  It was also one visit here that during my passport hunt I met someone I will refer to as only "The Man".

"The Man", like myself, is a guy who comes into Churchkey with pen and paper in hand to review, not unlike me and many other beer reviewers.  There is one exception. "The Man" is retired, he's also much older than myself and is up to nearly 10,000 personal reviews of beers.  Striking a conversation with him we could talk about beers till we were blue in the face.  The hardest part, was he wouldn't let me leave!  Needless to say, I still had to figure out how to get to all these other places on my passport.  Me and "the man's" path I am sure will cross again.

Meridian Pint was a no brainer, It's often in between my work and on the way home so that was no big deal.  The Dupont Circle area was close to my area for work for after tipples that fit places like Pizza Paradiso, Kramers, Bier Baron  and so forth.  A few spot places could also be managed.  But how was I going to do the rest?  It was obvious that a good chunk involved a return trip to the Adams Morgan neighborhood.  The last time I was there to imbibe was during my last bachelor party which should put things into perspective, and will be a story I won't dare repeat here.  So what's new in Adams Morgan 7-8 years later?

One of three walls of Jack Rose

I went to a place that never existed back in the day called Jack Rose.  Upon walking in, my eyes nearly exploded.  Rows, and ROWS and ROWS lined the shelves filled with mostly whiskey bottles.  I was rather stunned to see so many bottles on display, it was a physical library of whiskey.  I grabbed a seat though thinking about what beer to have, and more importantly, if the beer selection would be just an afterthought to the whiskey choices offered here.  With 20 choices on tap and a quick glance of the handles my mind was made up in an instant.

Schlenkerla Eiche on tap at Jack Rose

Peering out was a familiar name, and more so, it's name on a distinct green background that makes me drool everytime on first sight, that beer name is Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche, their oak smoked rauchbier.  I love this beer to death.

The tap list here at Jack Rose seems to focus on malty offerings, a Smoked and Oaked Epic beer popped out as well.  No doubt the offerings here at Jack Rose are bent to hit on the whiskey smokiness offerings, and the beers seem to hint at dark richness focusing on malt and smoke.  It is a place that I need to visit again.  A quick chat of the bartender mentioned that the place has the largest whiskey selection in the United States.  I really need to return...

Summer Solstice - Anderson Valley at Smoke & Barrel

Smoke & Barrel was another place I visited that is also new.  This place was a mystery to me at first, and it sort uh... made me wonder what happened to the old Asylum that use to be around here?  I quickly forgot settling in with a familiar favorite cream ale from Anderson Valley, their Summer Solstice.  Really nice atmosphere, and very friendly staff was what I left with for an impression.  The place contains BBQ but I did not have any when I visited at the time.

Tryst tap shot and staff photos in Adams Morgan

Being in Adams Morgan reminded me for an overdue visit to a place I always think of, but never get a chance to visit as much as I would like and that is Tryst.  A great coffee house, it has had what I would consider a very noticeable make over since my last visit.  Where is all the ratty ripped furniture?  Woah these walls are actually painted (and cleaner).  Still the portraits on the wall of the coffee staff are still there, this time against a clean yellow creme background.  I still get a kick out of the one guy who has a cup of joe over his groin, the camera angle posed and shot to make it look like he's a pic right of an ... ahem... porno mag.  Hey your espresso isn't THAT big buddy... ;)

Espresso at Tryst

I was surprised they were participating in the promotion for beer, I couldn't even remember if they even served beer back in the day?

Still, I took a breather and had of course great coffee. I almost forgot one of my favorite touches they have when they serve, and that is, animal crackers on your saucer.  Even though I didn't have any alcohol they still stamped my passport which was nice, remarking that it was yellow and VERY hard to see.

The totality incomplete

Still, after all this time adventuring, I am still not finished.  Time has nearly run out, and even the budget with the discount hasn't quite made it happen.  Technically of this writing I could "still" complete this passport but I am down to four places.  One is in my favorite DC neighborhood of H ST NE, called Granville Moore's.  Another is the District Chophouse that servers a nice side of corn bread in a cast iron skillet the size of your face.  The Big Hunt, while also in the Dupont neighborhood has always eluded me...  But as I understand it, when May 1st comes time is up for the passport.

I suppose.. and I say this with all hypothetical possibilities cause what I am about to say next is "technically" possible... BUT.. I could visit all of the four remaining places within the next 48 hours.

Somehow though the time and the funds always seem to run out, but the good beer and places in DC never does.

Scratch another off the list, Imbibe Hour crashes DC's Churchkey for the Tröegs scratch night and nugget nectar goodness.

How do I love thine beer... for let me count thy ways... For imbibing in DC special events make it more fun!

I headed down to one of DCs prominent beer bars called Churchkey, in nearby Logan circle as part of a special Tröegs Scratch night tasting.

Tröegs brewery is located in Harrisburg Pennsylvania, and they were offering a good promotion in DC at Churchkey to showcase their "scratch" series beers of playful American IPAs. It was a special treat because most of these on tap don't make it outside of Pennsylvania, but also because they were offering something else. They were also offering their famous Nugget Nectar beer from a firkin cask. IMBIBE HOUR TO THE RESCUE!!! I enjoy their doppelbock as well, and it seemed like a perfect excuse to go have some more Tröegs!

I first heard about the event through BeerAdvocate.com, a sight where I find much information on beers, and a place I stash all my beer reviews. The site is stupidly addictive, almost like Facebook but much more mature and organized. I never understood why I never got into it years ago when I first signed up being such an imbibing purist.

I had made arrangements to make sure I was going to be ready for this. I contacted the manager asking if it was okay to write about the event, take pictures... etc.. They were more than happy to oblige. I was told however that the beer wouldn't be kicked in until 6 PM so that staff could partake of some before hand. So I arrived about 15 minutes early and I sat at the bar at one of the few seats I could find. I was asked if I wanted anything and I said.. "Well.. I am just waiting until 6 for the Tröegs stuff... I heard you got a firkin of Nugget, true?" The server said "we sure do!" "Well guess I am waiting!" as I sat there twiddling my thumbs at the bar, not trying to suly myself and drink something amongst the 40 offerings on tap. Those minutes seemed to go by... real... sllooooowllllyy....

10 minutes to six the server seemed to relent and came over and said... well you want one? I hesitated... took the night in... and paused....

"Yeah sure!", HA he cracked before I did!

Nugget Nectar is another showcase and seasonal beer that lots of people get to go goo goo gaga over. It's pictured up in the left there next to Scratch #37 and #38. The brewery describes the color as straw/orange, but out of the cask it is an obvious copper/brown.

That wasn't the only thing though, I was all set on reviewing and tasting all these beers but sometimes Churchkey is a bit crowded but also a bit dark inside to judge a brews appearance. I got a fairly good spot, not the most optimal but at least one good place to review the beers. Unfortunately I noticed I was provided snifters. Snifters??? Is this not an American Ipa? What's going on here? In the end it turned out it was because I was only given samples. Man I wanted PINTS baby!

Some things were also not helpful. A patron next to me got his flatbread order, and for the next 4 minutes after it arrived all I could smell was salt and ham prosciutto. I had luckily got the first beers nose before this, but I was almost ready to call quits and give up thinking the environment wasn't going to be conducive. Luckily things settled down and it all came in after a short while.

I flagged down a server as I was cleansing my palate with some bread crust, a must I find sometimes when going between drinks to soak up other flavors and neutralize my palate. The bar on a Tuesday was surprisingly stupid busy. "Hey", I said, "can't you serve pints of this?" I asked. The congenial server apologized and didn't realized I wanted to nestle in on 2 pints at a time but that was okay. In retrospect it made the night a bit easier, and my liver was probably ready to jump for joy at getting a break. He actually came back with a pint of Nugget Nectar and said "Here ... this one's on me." WELL I'll take that for sure! and that joy is framed above.

I had much to say about these beers. They were all decent, some considerably better than others, and there were ones to me that I preferred even though many didn't fit the classic American IPA style. It was a good atmosphere and I got to sit next to another guy who wasn't that big of a beer drinker, but had certainly been to many pubs in England and felt right at home. I told him to grab the cask Nugget Nectar since so many people were ready to kill each other to get at it, which he jumped on. Long story short, the nugget nectar is a solid brew out of the cask, but it's personally not something that I think I would crave again even after having two of them that night. It is without question a beer everyone should try!

The night was nearly over when of course I remembered they were giving out glassware. "Hey!" I inquired, "you got glasses?!" I asked, and before I knew it, one showed up and then another server came by and said... why don't you take another. So there I had it... two Nugget Nectar pints to take home for keepsakes. Seems like the perfect excuse now... to get some Nugget out of the bottle and try some!

All in all... for Tröegs and Churchkey, it was a night of win, just like always. If you want to get a better idea of what I thought of these beers, see my reviews on BeerAdvocate.com here (this link).

Cheers to you all, and have some good brew!