There’s nothing better than a seasonal limited release from your favorite local brewery! It’s something special and fleeting, and in many cases, not for procrastinators. If I’m on my game with a sharp eye to my Facebook and Twitter feeds, I know the exact date of release, and I’m poised to grab my 2 bottle limit as early in the day as I can. One bottle to be enjoyed immediately, and one I’ll save in my beer fridge for a later date. As I drive my car toward the brewery’s Beer Store on release day, I feel the excitement mounting and I wonder how long it will be until I can get the beer into a glass and onto my tongue. I park and walk quickly toward the front doors, and then I notice the sign posted just inside. “Sold out,” the word hits me like a tremor from the earth, and I feel my body sag a bit in devastation at this news. I’m too late. The beer is sold out. Now what?!
Well, I go inside anyway and confirm the worst. Yes, this beer was indeed very popular and sold out before lunch. I look at the other beer displayed in the refrigerated cases. Some of them are old friends, but they don’t make me feel any better about things. I had my heart set on something, and it’s the one thing I can’t have! So I grab a couple of bottles of something else and make my purchase anyway. The girl behind the counter reminds me that the beer is available at the brewery restaurant and some other bars in the area, and I leave empty handed. Well, almost empty handed.
Sound familiar? It’s a true story. I was looking forward to Red Rock Brewing Co.’s spring offering, a Belgian style beer brewed with dandelions called Paardebloem, and I thought if I got there on the day it released, I’d be ok. Sadly, I was wrong. Did I give up? Heck no! The next day, I went to the Red Rock restaurant, sat at the bar, and ordered the elusive beer. To my relief, they still had some and I was not disappointed! It was light and fresh; dry with just a bit of tartness. I couldn’t take a bottle home with me, but I could enjoy a brief reprieve from the daily grind to savor the unique flavors of an uncommon beer, just long enough to feel like I got to know her a bit.
The good thing is that I learned my lesson, and I made better choices when Epic Brewing released just 153 bottles of its limited release Sour Brainless on Peaches. I skipped one of my gym classes that Thursday morning to arrive 30 minutes before the store’s 11am opening time and joined the other hopefuls in line. That’s right; I decided to forgo burning calories so I could instead consume some. No regrets! By the time the beer went on sale, the line had grown behind me, and I know quite a few of those poor souls didn’t get any of the beer because it sold out in about a half hour. I was one of the lucky ones. Thank the Beer Gods that I made the right choice that morning, because good brews come to those who seize the day!
Doug Robertson says
I love your love affair with beer!
Aaron Wayman says
I had the exact same experience last year. Except I failed to get to Epic early enough. This year will be different though!