Inspired by the Airport surprise thread: Ever sneak up on a completely unexpected find? Of all places, UNO Chicago Bar and Grill, is pouring Hopslam on tap in a tiny Philly suburb! Jaw meet floor
went into a little hole in the wall liquor store that had 2008 world wide stout...the guy behind the counter was like why would you want that beer its 5 years old? lol
I know this is a little home bias, but there's a dive bar here in Richmond known for letting local bands perform who posted the following on tap over the weekend along with some others: Hopslam Hardywood gingerbread stout Hardywood BBA gingerbread stout Hardywood 2011 Bourbon Cru
I have a leftover UNO Chicago Bar and Grill giftcard from Christmas so I'll be going there soon. I dont expect to find any Hopslam for sale. The last time I went was like 2 years ago and the best of the craft beer offerings on the menu was stuff like Redhook ESB and maybe some Sam Adams seasonals I think. Its still a bit better than Applebees beer selection though. I had Guinness Draught from the 14.9 oz can the last time I went and it was a terrible beer.
The selection of beer at any chain restaurant is going to vary from region to region and unit to unit. You don't mention where you are in your profile, but there's a UNO in NJ that includes a brewpub - http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1874 and another outside of Trenton with a pretty impressive draught list for a chain joint - http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/25292/view=beerfly sample beer menu at http://www.beermenus.com/places/3283-uno-chicago-grill-hamilton-nj I imagine there are many more UNO's with a typical chain restaurant beer selection where Samual Adams seasonal is the most exotic choice.
Popped into a bar last night that had some of the beer that was supposed to go to Night of the Barrels but ended up in Saratoga after NotB was cancelled. Nothing mind-blowing, but a nice unexpected find.
the summer before last we found FFF's gumballhead on tap at this local, hole-in-the wall pizza joint that serves thick, gooey cheese sticks & and cheap fishbowls. we were so excited, we kept going back. when we killed the keg and asked what was next, we were told that gumballhead was "mistakenly" given to them & they were going to replace it w. a BMC variety. we haven't been back, but have fond memories of that summer.
I walked into a small mom and pop store outside of town and found three Life and Limbs on the shelf. I've never been so excited buying beer before.
Digging around in walk in cooler at my local gas station and came across a bottle of Samuel Smiths Oatmeal Stout. I balked at the price but decided to try it anyway... WOW.
Just yesterday found two bottles of Mikkeller beer geek brunch weasel calvados barrell edition at a bottle shop in Pittsburgh. Not usually my favorite joint because they tend to have a bigger selection than is good for them, i.e. finding two year old IPAs in the fridge but I was pretty pumped to find that. Always avoid non bottle dated IPAs there. Never have seen a Mikkeller in a bottle here in Pittsburgh before. Paid dearly for them but was happy to do so.
Heady Topper on the bottle list at a bar in upstate New York. They apparently only got one case. It was gone pretty fast. http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/21502/
I was shocked to find a 4 pack of Plead the 5th Tuesday. Gotta wait until my biggest loser contest is over before knocking down that many calories.
On vacation in NYC. "Double Rice IPA? Why would I want rice in my beer, much less double rice?" Some drinks and internet browsing later... "Ohhhh... that's what that stands for..." Smart phone saved the night.
Not as exciting as some others, but at a local grocery store somebody put both FBS and Sucks in the mix sixer section. I paid $8.99 for a six pack of each this way. Thee 4 pack of FBS was still $12.99 and the 6 pack of Sucks was $10.99. It FELT like a huge find at the time.
King Henry a month ago at a dive corner store a mile from my place in Chicago. $50, but I'll take it 20 months after the release. And no, they do not have any more. I posted it to BA the next day and they got cleaned out.
I try hard to forget that the mid-west even exists! I'm from Connecticut, and that is just NOT something you see there
This. My buddy is back in NJ visiting for the first time since he moved to WI. Brought me some stuff like New Glarus Serendipity that was most bought at gas stations
Summer before last a buddy and I stopped at a little gas station in Denton, DE to fill up and were surprised to find a decent selection of craft beer. In the cooler, they had put 2006 DFH 120's into plain white 4-packs for $30 each. There happened to be two of them in there so we each bought one.
Still a dozen bottles of Black Ops in the rack, too? I found a case of FW15 there a couple years ago. Wish I'd bought more.
Yesterday I was wandering around the bottle shop for the first time in a month or so and snagged the last bottle of Alesmith My Bloody Valentine, which was nice. I was even more excited when I saw a pair of Tilquin Gueuze 375's lingering on the shelf - 2011 and 2012 vintages.
Visitors to Maine are often puzzled by our relative lack of bottle shops, liquor stores, or "package stores" as our MA friends call them. We get all of that at a gas station, convenience store, drug store, or grocery store...
Dogfish Head 90 Minute on the Acela Amtrak train between Boston and NY. The choices were BMC, Boston Lager (which is EVERYWHERE here), and 90 Minute. Made a for a great train ride.
Mariano's on Elston (NW side of Chicago.) Usually I have a difficult time finding 6 beers to mix in the section (a lot of Shock Top and Blue Moon for some reason), although their regular craft section is pretty decent for a grocery store. You'd think I won the lottery when I saw them sitting in the cold room. And as of last Sunday they still had some FBS there.
