It’s Blogmas! It’s that time of year where I actually write on my blog because, as we all know, I only ever achieve things when I have a structured challenge. I like to create internal pressures that I disguise as external pressures. (Shut up. I’m working on it. In theory.)
I also like Blogmas, though. And this year, maybe this year, will be the year where I parley my Blogmas momentum into actual momentum. This will be the year where my blog becomes something. (At least until I start rehearsals for my next show in February. Wait, was that my outside voice?)
And you know what else I like? Beer Exchange!!! Yes. This is a A Flimsy Plan Blogmas mainstay. Mostly because it means that I only have to come up with twelve post ideas for Blogmas, but also because I love doing activities with friends.
If you’ve read my blog literally ever before, you probably know what the Beer Exchange is all about, but if not, here is a quick run down.
- Megan organizes it every year. Sometimes this is very easy and sometimes it is like herding cats. I leave it to you to guess what this year was like.
- 12 people each buy 12 tall boy cans of a different local beer and then we all take one of each beer. (This is why it can be like herding cats. Megan tries to find out which beer we’re all buying so there are no duplicates and not 12 IPAs.)
- Plus the beers are wrapped up, so it’s like an advent calendar! But social! With friends!
So you probably guessed what today’s post is all about – it’s about the first beer from the Beer Exchange! And this year, we actually had a kickoff party! Like for real! No illnesses to get in our way!
And that means we got to enjoy the first beer as a group. Sure, first Tyler and I enjoyed a really good bottle of wine while we were waiting for all of the beers to arrive, but then it was time for five people to drink the same type of beer. And what was that beer? Well, follow me through the cut to find out!
This year, Megan did not pick the first beer. In light of the cat herding, she took the opportunity to do something a little bit different – but not to worry, our friends Scott and D were more than up to the challenge! (However, they were not in attendance at the party because they just had their first child! It’s not particularly relevant, just exciting.)
Scott and D selected Hoptopus from Vacay Brewing, a brewery I’ve never heard of before. And that is a fact that I am going to immediately have to rectify, because I loved this beer. Hoptopus is a Cryo Cold IPA and it’s not your standard IPA. Someone described it as an IPA that tastes like a sour, which is accurate and probably why I liked it so much.
Is it the edible kelp that makes it taste that way? Who can say? It is a strong beer, with 6% ABV, and all the tasting notes talk about it being deep and dark. I don’t know that I would describe it that way, so don’t let it scare you off. It was infinitely drinkable.
Five of us enjoyed Hoptopus while playing Ransom Notes, which is absolutely as much fun as the targeted ads make it seem like it is. It has some connective tissue with quite a few Jackbox games, but there are no screens which made it a perfect break and way to enjoy some time together.
Do you want to know more about Ransom Notes? Should I be doing game reviews instead of beer reviews as a part of Blogmas? What am I even doing here?