A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away....

Actually, it's more like "Coming up this weekend, in a brewery close, close to home..." Anyway, I just wanted to post a little "what I'm looking forward to this weekend" note... and for you CT locals, perhaps this will be a heads up for any of you beer geeks out there that haven't heard.

This weekend I'm planning on taking a little trip to the New England Brewing Company in Woodbridge, CT. (You mean, there's a brewery in Woodbridge??) I know, I asked myself the same thing. Several months ago, I learned of a beer growing in popularity that was just on the brink of breaking into BeerAdvocate's Top 100. And if the name alone, didn't reel you in, the label and taste certainly would. I admit, I bought it because of the name, but also because it came highly recommended. So I used the force and picked up a bottle for New Years Eve and shared it with my friends.



NEB's Imperial Stout Trooper... fantastic. (And currently resides as #94 on BeerAdvocate's Top 100).

Fast-forward to the present... this weekend they are releasing the highly anticipated Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout Trooper. Unfortunately, since it's growth in popularity, George Lucas did not take kindly to his Storm Trooper on the label. Apparently, they can continue to brew the beer, they just can't use the same label. Then there's talk of if NEB will be allowed to keep the name... I don't know. I'll find out more this weekend I'm sure. But for those brave few that are coming to Woodbridge this weekend... here are the details from NEB's site:

Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout Trooper Release: This Saturday- April 24th. 700 bottles (500ml) 2 bottle limit per person @ $15 each. Tickets will be handed out at 9am first come first served. Your ticket will guarantee you 2 bottles to purchase at noon. Any leftover bottles will be for sale after all ticket holders have their bottles.

I don't think I'll be in line at 9am... but maybe around 11am or so. We'll see.

BUT WAIT... THERE'S MORE!!!

So after looking into the details of this weekend's release, I start hearing more and more about this Double IPA that will also be available:



My friend Bill over at Southington Wine and Spirits simply cannot keep this on the shelf its going so quickly. So this weekend, I not only hope to pick up a bottle or two of the Stout Trooper.. but also hope to snag a growler of this Gandhi-Bot Double IPA. BA's ratings have people consistently giving this brew an A+. Sounds like something I need to look into...

So whatever you're drinking this weekend... be safe, have fun, enjoy. For all you UConners, enjoy your Spring Weekend, too!!