Avery Collaboration Not Litigation Ale is a double salvation

I love this bar called the Surly Goat. I'm very lucky to have a watering hole with this many rotating taps on hand for my beereveryday year. The people who work here are lovely and knowledgeable and there's Foosball and Shuffleboard, both of which I'm sucking at tonight. Well, even Pele had his days off...

Tiff raved about this beer last week but unfortunately she is out stick today with the stomach flu so in her honor, it's being drank...drunk...drinked...whatever.


It turns out, this beer is a collaboration between Avery and Russian River. It sprung from the fact that each brewery had a beer named 'Salvation.' One year they got together and blended to the two together. A cool story that shows the true spirit of the craft beer world and their brewers.


It's a Belgian Strong Dark Ale that clocks in at 8.72%. I'm tasting your standard chocolate and fruits but what's really capturing my attention is its sweetness. It reminds me of the Stone Belgo Barleywine, a burst of sweetness like bubble gum or cotton candy. But unlike the Belgo which explodes in your mouth like a supernova of sweetness, the Collaboration is humblely sweet. TRANSFORMERS rating.

Russian River Rejection makes it all better

I'm stoked - not only is it Friday, as in Surly Goat Friday, but also because exotic Russian River brews are still on tap! Matt, Ri, Tiff, Glen, Rachel and Ross (they were great on Friends) came out for some pints, Foosball and tomfoolery. My Russian River selection is the Rejection, a limited release which they distribute around Valentines Day and to their credit, they have successfully personified the dark side of that holiday.

On your leg

The style is a dark Belgian ale. The flavor profile is dark, roasted malts with a little chocolate and a very nutty taste that's bitter, like really dark chocolate (think 85% + Cacao). If anything, rejection is bitter...Very clever River Russians. This is only 6.1% though, and you'd think they'd make a 'rejection' beer one that would put you on your ass. Like a forget me now from Arrested Development. Where were you when I need you GOB! This isn't a fantastic beer, but it's certainly noteworthy for a seasonal. TRANSFORMERS rating.

I had an imperial red for my follow up beer, the Coronado Red Devil (10%), and it was fantastic, I'm really looking forward to featuring this beer on the website sometime soon.

Cuvee Van de Keizer Blauw and Wurstkuche blow my mind

I've been dying to try this restaurant downtown, Wurstkuche, for months now but when I live in the Marina, finding an excuse to be on the far side of downtown LA are few and far between. Then today, few and far between happened when coworker Tiffany invited me to join her for dinner tonight. Yahoo!...is also decent search engine.

This place has exotic beer and sausage. Check out this practically obscenely delicious menu: Wurstkuche Menu. I had the Rattlesnake and Rabbit Sausage with Jalapeno Peppers. To die for. Where do they find this stuff? Last time I encountered rabbit and snake hunting it was playing Oregon Trail on a computer run by floppy disk.

The same Belgian Brewery who makes the Keizer also makes Lucifer Strong Belgian Ale and the Gouden Carolus series. This beer is ridiculously smooth 11% with hints of chocolate and an uber malty caramel flavor. A little Belgian bread and fruit thrown in for good measure. Sure you can taste the alcohol - but who cares? This is one of the BAD BOYS. Drinking this politely over a wild game sausage is one thing; getting drunk on this is another and would be sublime.


Between this beer, my follow up beer the St. Bernardus 12 (a cuadruple, 10.5%) and the exotic snausage my mouth is salivating. Tiffany's hair practically stood on end like she stuck her finger in an electrical socket when she tried the St. Bernardus 12. She will never be the same. I had to drag her away before she attempted rolling away a keg of the stuff.

I don't care if this place is on the far side of the moon, these sausages and beer taps are seeing my face again. Soon. Plus, I ran into a long lost friend Jen B tonight, which was a delightful surprise.