Last night at The Falling Rock was awesome. Jozey and I were sitting outside on the porch enjoying some of the finest brew on the planet and we couldn’t have been happier. The atmosphere was relaxed though there was a buzz in the air and you could tell that people were there to check out the special releases. The presidential debate was playing on the big screen, but the focus was on the beer. Jozey and I had the opportunity to taste a handful of new selections. Here’s how it went down.

First up, I ordered the 2006 Odell’s Imperial Stout and Jozey went for the Full Sail Lupulin Ale. The Imperial Stout was covered yesterday, so I don’t need to review it, but suffice is to say that it was something special. I know this beer is from their small batch series and it tastes great in the bottle, but this was an entirely different animal. The two years of aging turned a good beer into a legend. If I was blindfolded, I would have bet my car that this thing were aged in a bourbon cask. It was awesome.

Meanwhile, Jozey was sipping the Full Sail Fresh Hop Lupulin Ale - part of the Brewmaster Reserve Series. This stinky brew is chock full of Mt Rainier, Cascade and Nugget Hops and the aroma was enough to make any hophead smile. As Full Sail’s Brewmaster John Harris says “The beer isall about hops. It’s wet hopped, kettle hopped, hop back hopped, wet hopped in the fermenter, and dry hopped in the fermenter with 135 pounds of hops per 24 barrel batch. That’s 5.62 pounds of hops per barrel! Expect a bold hop aroma of citrus and spice and a nice caramel flavor with a pronounced citrus character.” Yeah, that about sums it up.

Next up, I had to try the Lupulin Ale myself, and Jozey moved on to The Southern Sun’s Batch 1000. This one may have been the favorite of the night. Served in a half-pint, this thing blew us both away. I haven’t been able to find any info out on the ingredients, but it is obviously an IPA of enormous proportions. The aroma of stinky hops climbed up in my nose and never left. It was oily with hop resin and well balanced with a bitter and slightly malty finish. I have no doubt that this one is gonna win some awards this year at GABF - hopefully availability will increase afterward.

EDIT: I just got off the phone with one of the brewers at the Southern Sun and have a little more information on Batch 1000. It was brewed and named in celebration of their one thousandth batch. Its mostly comprised of 2 Row and Vienna Malt and is liberally hopped with Cascade, Ammarillo and Simcoe Hops. Batch 1000 has an initial gravity of 1.080 and a final of 1.100 yielding a powerful 9.3% ABV. Trust me, you’ll feel the effects of a half-pint. 

After that, I had to order one for myself, and Jozey moved on to New Belgium’s La Fleur Misseur which was brewed to celebrate NB’s 15th Anniversary. Described on the menu as “Pale” and “slighty funky” this one was all that and more. Not quite as sour as its better known cousin, Eric’s Ale, Jozey seemed to enjoy it. Served in a wine glass, it looked delicious.

That about wrapped up the evening for us. We were disappointed to learn that the cask conditioned Titan IPA was all gone, but that’s how it works around here. Some of the selections are only available for a matter of hours. So, as they say, the early bird gets the beer.