The new beer front has been a little slow the past two weeks, but some things are back in stock that many will be excited about. Check it.

CATAWBA VALLEY Brown Bear
CATAWBA VALLEY Firewater IPA
CATAWBA VALLEY King Coconut Porter*
OMMEGANG Ommegeddon*
OSKAR BLUES Gordon
NEW HOLLAND Existential Hopwine* (a week late, sorry)
ROCHEFORT 6
ROCHEFORT 8

We also updated the entire beer list today. See you at the tasting tonight!

Nifty things arriving tomorrow. Roadtrip is back out just in time for Memorial Day. We get our 750’s of Merry Monks. And three brand new brews!

Avery “15″ is the new anniversary ale and it’s a wild one, as in, it uses Brett—that funky little wild yeast strain. RateBeer’s description says they’ve added “black mission figs for a subtle jammy aspect, hibiscus flowers for an herbal bouquet and hazy sunset hue, and white pepper for a bit of spicy twang.” Interesting. Especially for Avery.

Flying Dog adds another to the Canis Major series with Kerberos Tripel. Kerberos is “the mythical beast that guards the gates of hell.”

New Holland’s Existential Hopwine is the next in their high-gravity series and a Double IPA.

AVERY “15″*
FLYING DOG Kerberos Tripel
NEW HOLLAND Existential Hopwine*
SWEETWATER Roadtrip*
WEYERBACHER Merry Monks 750ml’s

Thanks to everyone who came out last night for the kick-ass tasting of De Proef. Pretty amazing stuff. After dinner at the Yacht Club, we thanked Don by sampling a bit from the bruisin’ beer cellar—which is again disorganized after our trip to Five Points Bottle Shop the other week. (We just aren’t as organized as KP.)

Anyhoo! Four little beauties were shared for a mighty fine end to an evening.

The Lost Abbey: The Angel’s Share ‘08 Bourbon Barrel Aged
From the Patron Sinner’s club, this 375ml is a truly heavenly beer—same recipe as The Angel’s Share, but aged in bourbon barrels. Pours dark and thick with nice dose of carbonation. Smells divine with notes of vanilla from the wood. Though still pretty “hot” on the alcohol side, a good balance keeps it quaffable. Basically, you can smell this one with the glass in your lap and feel it as it goes down, warming your throat. There are a load of overlapping flavors, though mainly caramel and bourbon. From the label: “Way down in Kentucky and across the pond in Scotland, distillers age their whiskeys for many years in oak barrels. Over time, some whiskey is lost to evaporation. They refer to this loss of spirits as The Angel’s Share. Each time a barrel is filled, a measure of this liquid seeps into the oak and is lost forever.”

Montegioco: Dolii Raptor
We could kick ourselves for not ordering this when we picked-up Bran, but did acquire a bottle. Dolii Raptor is Demon Hunter aged in Barbera wine barrels. Pours a dark orange color with a nice fluffy head. Dark fruit is immediately noted on the nose with hints of plums and grapes. The nifty surprise with this one is the little hop-kick at the end. You just don’t expect it, adding a nice touch.

Barley: BB Dexi
The only one of the bunch to be found in-store, we have been waiting for a special time to crack this one open. BB Dexi (aka BB10) blew us away. Though pricey at $30, hands-down, it’s worth it. We were expecting a barleywine and instead were surprised at a hefty, stout-like, winter warmer. What makes this so special is its tie to Italian wines (like Dolii Raptor), as the beer is spiced with “Sapa of Cannonau”—the boiled wort of Italian Cannonau red wine grapes. Thick and so, so yummy, we take you to B. United, who can sum it up better than we can: “A natural ‘vinosity’ accompanies us along the trip, from the warm and sumptuos scent of caramel, cocoa, dried plum, morello cherry and ’strawberry’ grapes to the palate rich of complex avors such as caramel, chocolate, liquorice, and plums with notes of sweet dried fruits such as grapes and sultana.”

Saint Somewhere: Saison Athene
New Florida brewery, Saint Somewhere, only puts out three beers to date. This saison is spiced of cinnamon and nutmeg, slightly hoppy with a hint of funk on the finish. Never had a saison like it. (It’s currently a favorite of Philip’s, too.) We were all remarking how wonderful this would be during the holidays as an alternative to the pumpkin ales. If you head to Florida for business or pleasure, pick up some Somewhere.

Weyerbacher is having a party
If you happen to be in Easton, Pa., on June 13, you’re in luck. Weyerbacher is hosting a “first of its kind event” to debut three new beers: Thirteen (Belgian-inspired Stout); Riserva (Oak-aged Wild Ale); and Alpha (Belgian Pale). Look for Merry Monks in 750ml’s soon, too, as a “semi-regular” release—now bottle-conditioned for secondary fermentation and higher carbonation.

Update from the Incredibly Stupid Department, Part Deux
Today’s strapped-in-beer-with-child-on-floor story brought to you from the land down under. “Four adults were in the car, two in the front seats and two in the back. The carton of beer, which contained 30 bottles, was strapped in between the two adults in the back. ‘The child was sitting in the lump in the centre, unrestrained,’ Burnett added.” Remember this happened before in Florida.

Baltika buys a brewery in Azer…bye…
Baltika just purchased a brewery in Azerbaijan, where it currently holds 3.5% of the beer market. This is Azerbaijan. Pretty slick move, considering the country’s capital, Baku, is a contender for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

NPR is worried about the beer
Comedic writer, Dennis O’Toole, calls on the US to create a strategic hops reserve and a beer tax holiday. Amen, brother.

Was it worth it?
In Montgomery, Ala., people will shoot you (twice) for a 12-pack of Bud Light. Beer thievery is always wrong, but seriously, if someone wants your Bud Light, just please give it to them.

We really thought this was going to be a slow week, but turns out that there are a few new things after all.

DUCK RABBIT Rabid Duck*
GREEN FLASH Hop Head Red*
PLANK Bavarian Hefe-weizen