XII's - Threadless X London Balling

     This time I wanted to do something other than the traditional bottle for twelves... After my stay in Colorado, I realized that I had been a "bottle snob" for entirely too long!! How could I have assumed that canned beers were subpar to a bottled beer, but then be ecstatic about a certain beer on tap that's essentially canned in a cooler behind the scenes?! How foolish of me... What really swayed me while in Colorado is that, even though it's an outdoor fitness fanatics wet-dream, not much is better than enjoying a nice cold brew after accomplishing a hike or while cruising down the slopes in the mighty Rockies!! I mention "not much" because it's also nice to be able to burn some of the planet's finest herb without all the stupid social stigma that accompanies it elsewhere... BUT - With those luxuries come the responsibility to enjoy them properly, thus you can't be bringing glass bottles to some of the most amazing mountain-land in the world!! Hence my recent appreciation of those breweries who are electing to can beers for those types of occurrences... Oskar Blues, Dry Dock, Sanitas and Upslope come to mind when I think of my favorite canned selections from Colorado's outstanding microbrew scene...
     Illinois is likely the closest behind Colorado as far as the microbrew scene is concerned, with Michigan trailing slightly behind them rounding out the top three... Those not being facts, just a guesstimate from what I've gathered from my travelings... So while looking for an Illinois brew, Finch's IPA collaboration with Threadless was an easy selection due to Threadless being quite an interesting and attractive company for artists the world over... For those who are unfamiliar, their products are made from art and graphics that have been submitted and voted on by the general public!! Founder Jake Nickell doesn't just take artists' work and create products for the sole use of the company, he's set up a payment structure in which the artist receives monetary compensation for their work!! It's currently set so the artist receives a 20% cut of the unit price, with the minimum being $1... A nice way to give back to the artist(s) involved since it can be basically anybody who has submitted work, as opposed to companies only working with other already accomplished artists or companies... Makes me wonder if the graphic for the can was chosen via submission??
     Since I've yet to do a writeup on a canned beer, I thought this to be a perfect opportunity to do so... Also, having just been exposed to Against The Grain's brews in the form of their delicious "Kentucky Ryed Chiquen," it was a no brainer to indulge in their barrel aged barleywine... Plus, the fact that it's in a rather unfamiliar shaped bottle was entirely too fitting for this month's edition of "Twelves..."

Finch's Beer - Threadless [India Pale Ale] (16.9oz ---> Red Wine Glass : 6% ABV : 90 IBU)

     I understand this isn't a 12 ounce vessel,  but the others that I had on hand weren't exactly write-up worthy, so I decided it would be appropriate to allow this one to the spotlight... Anyway, it's the Threadless collaboration, it's allowed to bend the rules slightly... And now, back to your regularly scheduled program... A decently aggressive pour helped quickly form a two inch, pearly white head composed of big fairly large soapy bubbles... It dissipated extremely slowly, eventually leaving behind a wall-to-wall retentive cap, but left hardly any lacing on the glass walls... A glowing orange color when held against the light, but the light hardly gets through with any ease as it's extremely hazy... A gentle swirl helped some piney, hoppy notes to flutter around, and some sweet malt aromas mixed in with citrus fruits were also present... First tastes bring forth the fruity essence of the beer, as the mellow citrus elements are immediately present, assuming from the hops... Midway, a second wave of hop flavors hit my palate as there's a grassy, straw flavor made itself known... During the finish is where a nice bitter bite from the hops gets the palate tingling, but as the flavors linger and further develop, the caramel-esque malt sweetness rears it's head once again to balance out the bitterness... Mouthfeel on the beer is nice, a little full for my liking, as it doesn't allow the hops to liven it up like I feel it could, but still a good body to the brew... Overall it's a great IPA, has a nice balance with the malty backbone making sure things don't get out of hand, but still plenty bitter and hoppy... Another great brew - Cheers!!

Against The Grain - London Balling [Bourbon Barrel Aged English Style Barleywine] (12oz ---> Red Wine Glass : 12.5% ABV : 80 IBU)

     As you may or may not know, not too long ago Coors Original was quite alluring on the east side of the Mississippi River for many years... Things have since changed, as Coors Original is now widely available in seemingly every liquor establishment that doesn't have an actual bar to sit at, but other than Red Stripe, the short, stubby glassware is all but nonexistent... Then I came across Against The Grain's "London Balling..." I was hunting for a brew served from within a can, but this bottle was too appealing, and their previous offering I had tried basically sealed the deal... So from their stubby little glassware I went for one of the most aggressive pours I've ever attempted and I got about a half inch worth of khaki colored head out of it - Hmmm... The head, composed of pretty tiny bubbles, faded quickly, but what was there left behind a fair amount of lacing on the glass and the larger of the bubbles formed a moderate retentive cap... It's a deep chocolatey brown in color, with an almost red undertone to it, plenty hazy and equally opaque, letting hardly any light shine through it... After giving the glass a nice whirl, the bourbon barrel elements were the first to show up, mainly vanilla, but there were some subtle traces of malty sweetness were also present, all amongst slight hints of alcohol... First flavors on the palate are some dark berry nuances, but mainly it's that sweet bourbon barrel that really grabs the spotlight... Second stage of flavors is some caramel sweetness and a little bit of earthy hops, which are less prominent than many barleywines I've had, but they play their role swimmingly... The finish is where this beer shines, as the flavor elements really run the marathon and just keep developing further and evolving more... The woody oak and mellow berry flavors, blending with the smooth vanilla and sweet caramel, all mingling with the bourbon aspects in a great ménage of tastes which all create an amazing brew... The mouthfeel on the beer is outstanding, it's as if egyptian silk transformed itself into a velvety smooth barleywine... Overall, this is an amazing beer on all accounts... The flavor profile matched the mouthfeel and somehow hid it's 12.5% ABV in it's tasty flavors, which all complimented one another tremendously... Another great brew - Cheers!!