All in the game yo, all in the game

Back at it after an extended hiatus. Don't ask. Been drinking some great beers lately. Joe Canal's added a fine beer station at their Woodbridge location. They have some cool stuff in there including a Sam Adams Utopia (retail is $200+) and Brew Dog's Tactical Nuclear Penguin (abv is 32%). I didn't get either one of these beers as they are out of my price range. I did however pick up some pretty rad rare beers, which I will detail below. Canal's, like many other good beer retailers, used to hide their rare stuff in the back. I'm glad they decided to start displaying their rare inventory to the public. In order to get any of these beers you have to have an associate paged to come unlock the case (which I believe used to store house chivas regal scotch). Okay, without further adieu, here are some sweet beers I've picked up recently out of the fine beer case at Joe Canal's.

Ovila Saison:
This is a colab brew between Sierra Nevada and the Abbey of New Clairvaux. It is a farmhouse style ale that is very true to style. It pours hazy with a big white foamy head. Flavor is that of spice, pepper, and citrus with a nice bready backbone. Another great offering from the fine folks at Sierra Nevada. ;) Get it while it is still available, because I believe this is a one off offering.






Firestone Walker Abacus:
I believe this is their annual barrel aged barley wine. This one was intense, clocking in at 13%. This beer was equal parts sweet and bitter with some really complex flavors playing against one another. There was a slight alcohol heat on the end, but it was barely noticeable with everything else going on flavor-wise.





Brooklyn Sorachi Ace:
I've had this one a few times previously. It is a really complex and flavorful saison. The most memorable part of this beer is the use of Japanese sorachi ace hops. They impart a big lemon citrus flavor that blends really well with the spicy Belgian yeast.










Firestone Walker Parabola:
I believe this is another barrel aged annual release. It is an imperial stout that is dark as death with some intense flavors and aromas. Think dark malts, roasted, chocolate, coffee, bourbon, everything you would expect from a world class imperial stout and then some. Pretty smooth considering it clocks in at 12.5%, although it took me all night to drink it.