Lagunitas - Ruben & The Jets

So I had to rush to get his one in after a happy night in downtown Asheville.  I found one of my favorite beers from one of my favorite breweries last night at two separate places.  Lagunitas' Ruben & The Jets, the last beer in their Frank Zappa series, was found at The Thirsty Monk in 22oz bottles on sale for $5.50.  To my surprise, there is not a corking fee there, so I was able to take this rather strong stout home to enjoy within the confines of my four walls.  Then to my even happier surprise, I saw several 22 ouncers in the window of Weinhaus for $3.99(this was before the beer price increase today).  While too late to pick up a couple of more, I do plan on heading over there later in the week to see if any are left.

This beer does not seem to be getting the love it deserves from this fair city as in Portland we sold out months ago.  Then again, it could have been me buying them all up.  This is not a beer that you can drink until you lose your senses.  You need to enjoy this peppery, chocolaty Imperial stout with care and sloth-like mouth tipping.  Let it sit on your palate while the white pepper mingles with your taste buds and meets hand in hand with toffee to dance around with glee.  This is a beer full of complexity and flavor.  One minute you taste vanilla, the next coffee, then some fruit and of course chocolate and pepper.  You can make it a game to see how many flavors you taste here.  Give this beer a chance Portland, especially before I get my hands on the rest.