Beer Hunting

After a tip off on the ICB forum I made haste to Mc Hugh's off license to grab some much anticipated beers. I was expecting the Sierra Nevada Early Spring Beer and the Brooklyn Brewery's East India Pale Ale, but got the very welcome added bonus of stumbling upon O Hara's celebration stout, which I had tried and failed to locate previously, and Sam Adam's Holiday Porter which an esteemed fellow beer fanatic has informed me is absolutely tops. While there I also spotted some Old Scratch Amber Lager from the Flying Dog Brewery and so stuffed it in the basket. I am not a fan of amber beers really, but Flying Dog's IPA is a very robust brew without any skimping on the hops, so I imagine this brew will pack considerable flavour. I have similar hopes for the Brooklyn's East India Pale Ale because their lager is outstanding with plenty of hops and a really decent malt character. I have no idea what to expect form the Sierra Nevada ESB but the description on the label seems promising; it boasts of a hybrid of English and American hops along with the use of English Maris Otter pale malt. I use Maris Otter for most of my home brewing and know it to be a satisfying backbone to any ale, so this beer seems very promising too. All in all it was a great day's beer shopping. With the influx of American beer over the last while I think I can expect to have similarly exciting days in the near future.