#Whalez Beer Tasting

Social media is good for a lot of things. Networking. Researching products. Wasting a lot of time. Or in my favorite instance, finding people who share your passion for craft beer and have the time and money to hunt down treasured bottles. Last night, I had the rare opportunity to attend a Whalez tasting in which each bottle was valued at more than $100 and would be difficult to come by at your corner liquor store.

It was a dream come true.

Over the course of five hours, we tasted samples of the bottles, conversing about the notes, smells and viscosity of each. I felt only slightly snooty in the pursuit, too. In the end, my favorite bottle was perhaps the most expensive and exclusive on the table (just like ... ), Mornin' Delight by Toppling Goliath. It smells like coffee, is thicker than your average stout and finishes with a distinctive maple syrup flavor that's only slightly smokey. As it warmed up, you could taste the chocolate notes and the bitterness of the coffee bean dissipated. It combines all my favorite flavors: syrup, chocolate and coffee, all while obscuring it's a 12 percent ABV beverage.

I am beer spoiled and quite blessed.