Kev's Beer of the Week - Kate The Great 2012

I started my blog with a post about the 2010 batch of Kate the Great (http://brewforall.blogspot.com/2011/12/introduction.html), but I couldn't pick another beer as my beer of the week for this week.  It would be an injustice to one of the best beers on the planet - Kate The Great.  So, without further ado, my beer of the week for this week is:

 

Kev's Beer of the Week ending 3/9/12

Portsmouth Brewery Kate The Great Russian Imperial Stout 2012

Kev Rating: A+
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
ABV: 10.00% (est)
IBUs: ?

Availability:  One day a year, only at the Portsmouth Brewery.  3/5/12 was the day this year.
Had: This is my 2nd Kate the Great day (2010 & 2012) and 3rd time having it
Region: Portsmouth, NH

This year, I brought Nick to experience the day that is Kate the Great day at the Portsmouth Brewery.  I picked him up at 9:30am on Monday, 3/5.  First stop was Dunkin' for some coffee & breakfast sandwiches.  We then jumped on the Pike and headed to 95 North.  We hit a bottleneck around the exit for Route 2 (lane closures) and then had smooth sailing all the way up to NH Exit 7.  We pulled into the best parking garage in Portsmouth ($0.75/hour) and made our way up to the top floor - yup, they were packed!  Then the moment of truth, how bad will the line really be?  Well, I already knew the answer as an awesome blogger set up a beer cam to watch the lines and it was about 200 people deep BEFORE I even left my house at 9am.  

 

Check out his recap in pictures & clips of Kate the Great day here - http://seacoastbeveragelab.com/kate-great-day-2012-live-blog/.

We exit the garage & turn the corner, BOOM, the line is from the front doors, down an alley, and to the end of the block.  We happily got in line at about 11:15am, and oh yeah it was about 30 degrees and very windy.  Fast forward until about 3:15pm (after many bathroom breaks and shot breaks (for Nick)) and we're about 8 people (large group of 7 in front of us) from getting into the Brewery.  Then the magic words, "we have a booth for 2".  Nick and I wipe off the chill from the cold & wind and eagerly follow the still bubbly hostess.  We sit down, take off our monster winter jackets and within moments have two beautiful glasses of Kate The Great staring us down.  -->

<-- After cheering each others glasses, we take our first sips.  While I have had this one before, Nick hadn't and is a fellow beer geek.  I was probably staring a bit too much to see his reaction, but what can I say, I love seeing appreciation for good things!  KtG  is strong in roasted malt, thick espresso/coffee notes, a bit of chocolate, and I think manna from Heaven. Nick was happy, I was happy, all was good in the world at that moment.  After some lunch and 2 more glasses each we called it a day around 5:45pm. 

Last stop before heading to the car was over to the Retail Shop to purchase my 4 bottles of Kate and pick up a new Kate The Great T-shirt - yes, I do actually wear my 2010 one. --> 

 

The only thing better than having 3 glasses on tap was the knowledge that I still have 4 bottles of this heavenly nectar to enjoy at a later date!!!!  That is a wonderful feeling.  Now comes the hard part...do I drink 'em all myself (if you know me, that's not gonna happen - I'm a giver), do I share a few, age one, two, etc.. All will work out in the end, because - I have four glorious bottles of the best beer on the planet!

Til' next year - who's coming?!

Portsmouth Brewery Kate the Great Tickets

If you've been reading along, you already know that the Portsmouth Brewery's Kate The Great Russian Imperial Stout is #1) one of my favorite beers of all time and #2) a very rare yearly released (brewery only) beer.  Each March or April is Kate the Great Day at the Portsmouth Brewery.   Prior to the BeerAdvocate naming it the best beer in the World, it could be had without much hoopla.  I had KtG pre-hysteria and it was glorious.  Now it's a bit more effort to have some...but still worth it. 
For more about my KtG day experience with a buddy, read up on my earlier post - http://brewforall.blogspot.com/2011/12/introduction.html

Last year the Brewery changed from a calendar ticket system to a lottery ticket system for KtG Bottles.  Because I started a new job last year, I was not able to take the time away from work to hunt down lottery tickets or go to KtG day.  This year, I plan to be there with a friend or two.

Last night when I got home from work, I saw on Facebook that the KtG scratch tickets went on sale @ 5:05pm.  Now, normally I would jump in the car and run my ass up to Portsmouth (1 hour to 2 hour drive depending on traffic).  However, I didn't get home until just before 7pm and was pretty damn tired.  Bex brought up a great point too - Holiday weekend (President's Day on Monday) + Friday night rush hour + public school vacation = bad idea.  So, a bit tormented we went out and drowned my despair in a burrito (yum).  When we pulled into the driveway, there was a quick moment where I really thought about getting a coffee & taking the trek up to Portsmouth...I didn't.  I did however, get a text from one of my life long friends that let me know Goose Island Bourbon County Coffee Stout was at one of our local beer stores and was 'off shelf' for regulars.  So, I figured the beer gods were at least smiling on me while I was being tormented by KtG scratch ticket indecision.  I did go and get that bottle of GI BCBCS.

The plan became - ok, I'm going to wake up at 9:30 on Saturday morning and drive to Portsmouth.  Worst case scenario, the scratch tickets are all sold out and I have lunch and a few awesome beers on tap.  Because she's awesome, Bex agreed to humor me and go to Portsmouth with me.  What we were rewarded with was awesome - a gorgeous New England Day and a pretty much traffic free ride to one of our favorite cities on the East Coast.

Bex and I had a great lunch with an Oatmeal Stout (me) and a Dirty Blonde (Bex)!

We parked in our normal garage ($0.75 per hour), came outside, turned the corner toward the brewery, and saw a bit of commotion outside the Brewery.  I was immediately thinking, great...a big ass line to get tickets.  Well, as we got closer we walked right into the Portsmouth Brewery store and there were only 3 people in front of us.  So, we purchased our 15 tickets each (30 total for $2.00 each - 100% goes to local charities), smiled, and went outside.  I suggested we scratch them off in the sunshine for good luck.

Scratch, scratch, scratch...nothing.  Boom, Bex hits one, then another....ok, that's all I care about - 2 bottles is great, 1 to have and then 1 to age.  I switch up the coin I'm using thinking it is bad luck (was O-fer) and immediately hit one...now we're up to 3 bottles - smiling ear to ear.  Bex hits another...oh man 4 bottles.  Lots more scratching and then nothing, but I am still smiling beyond belief. 

The 4 Winning Tickets - Bex 3, me 1

I now know I will have 4 bottles of the glorious Kate The Great Russian Imperial Stout!

If you're going to KtG day and see me and don't know me, come over and say HI!  I'll be there :)




Quick update - at 2:55pm on Saturday 2/18 the scratch tickets were SOLD OUT.

Black Beer Affair

Last night a buddy and I went to the 3rd Annual Black Beer Affair at Gordon's Wine & Liquors in Waltham.   It was my second in a row and Nick's first.  Upon walking in, checking your name off, scoping out the tables and food...you're given a check list of beers.  This is always the best and worst part of the night for me.  See, I LOVE Black Beers (dark beers of all shapes & sizes) so this is a double edged sword.  I've been aggressively hunting dark beer for quite some time.   So surprising me with a beer I haven't had before is difficult, especially at an event trying to please the general public. 

Below is the run down of the beers at the event...of them I had only NOT tried five (5).  While this is a small number, there was one on there that makes up for it - The Bruery's Black Tuesday.  This is an annually released Bourbon Barrel Aged stout that is only released at The Bruery, so getting it here in Boston is...difficult to say the least.  The BBA only had one bottle to share with about 50 people, so I only had a few swigs in my glass, but man were they fantastic.  I will continue my pursuit of getting a bottle of this to have & hold.

More exciting to me was sharing my knowledge of these beers with Nick, he is a fellow beer geek, home brewer, and all around beer lover.  So, going from table to table with him and enjoying so many great beers was fantastic.  As he said as we dropped him off, "can't wait to do it again next year".   Well said.   Big shout-out to my loving wife for being our personal chauffeur - thanks Bex!

Table 1:
Ballast Point Victory at Sea Coffee Vanilla Imperial Porter: A
Mayflower Barrel Aged Imperial Stout: A
Goose Island Bourbon County Stout '09: A+
The People's Pint Imperial Stout '08: B
Victory Dark Intrigue (barrel aged): A-
Cellar Special - The Bruery Black Tuesday '11: A+

Table 2: 
Samuel Adams 13th Hour: C
Alesmith Speedway Stout: A
Founders Imperial Stout: A
Oskar Blues Ten FIDY: A
Clown Shoes Blaecorn Unidragon: A-
Blue Hills Three Peak Holiday Stout: B
Cellar Special - Brooklyn Black Ops '11: A+

Table 3:
Uinta Labyrinth Black Ale: A-
Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous: B+
Mystic Barrel Aged Descendant (Gordon's Exclusive): B
Weyerbacher Tiny: A-
Founders CBS (Canadian Breakfast Stout): A+
Cellar Special - Firestone Walker Parabola '10: A+

Table 4:
Dupont Monk's Stout: B-
Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Weasel: A
Mikkeller Beer Geek Hop Breakfast: B+
Haandbryggeriet Aquavit Barrel Aged Porter: B
De Molen Hel & Verdominis: A
Cellar Special - Great Lakes Barrel Aged Blackout Stout '10: A+

Special Draft: Firestone Walker XV: A (first time having on draft vs. bottle)

Above, the beers that are italicized are the beers that I hadn't had before.  Technically six as I hadn't had Firestone Walker XV on draft, but have had in the bottle. 

If you have the opportunity to go to events like this, for a reasonable price ($25), please do so.  It is a great way to try MANY awesome beers for one low price.  The staff from Gordon's was knowledgeable and not afraid to share their opinions of these brews; this is a nice change as they do not work for the breweries and can be honest as they pour.  To top it off, this event was catered by Soul Fire BBQ in Allston - yum.