The final day of a beer every day is upon me. Here it is, the nice big number and beer I wanted to it end with. I chose a beer that would age well so I could revisit a year from today. And it's glorious, a 11.9% old ale from North Coast called the 2011 Old Stock.
I had the 2009 whiskey barrel aged at a Whole Foods tasting with Karl and it was so incredible I bought an additional one to age. It was beyond superb. The 2011 isn't aged in whiskey barrels but still is incredibly smooth, leaving no trace of the orbital alcohol level, and there's a great aroma of butterscotch and tobacco too.
In terms of smoothness and richness, this one is up there with a Trappist quadruple, like a Rochefort or Le Trappe. The flavor profile has chocolate, caramel and brown sugar notes. I could drink something like this for the rest of my days. I love old ales for their unique complexity and this only strengthens my bond with them. Wow. Such a fantastic way to end the year. BAD BOYS rating.
Tonight I leave for a bachelor party in Vegas and will spend the weekend with my brother and college friends. For the first time I won't need to seek out new beers, which is a very odd feeling. It's hard to describe, I've dedicated myself to a daily ritual and now the ritual is gone. I can't say I'm not a little saddened. What's next? Life without a daily beer? Yikes. Like I'm going to let that happen. If my liver had arms he/she/it would be punching me in the face for saying that.
Tuesday I leave for Sydney, Australia, where I'm semi excited to try their beers, which I hear are incredibly malty. It'll be a big change from the hoptastic beers of Southern California. Thank you for following me this year! The beer year may be over, but I'm really excited to continue my exploration in the future.
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