I got up early to swing by the cascade barrel house a few hours before the bottle sale started to save a place in line. I had read a lot of panic on the internets about the availability, and the possibility that perhaps too much had been reserved for pre-sale orders to leave much left for us locals; but I was only the 4th person to arrive and even without an actual line forming beforehand, was able to buy a case of bottles in about that order. I also enjoyed a glass of bourbonic on tap, and liked it this time a lot more than I remember having liked it in the past. I don't know if there was variation from keg to keg or what, but this time it seemed a lot more well integrated than I remember in the past, and while the flavor was bold and complex, I felt like everything was working in harmony, rather than fighting for the spotlight, which was my impression before.
On a side note, I babysat my niece last night, and my sister surprised me with a gift card for helping her out. It was $50 to the cascade barrel house! Now that the bottles are secure at the house, I'm thinking I might head back this afternoon to enjoy the rest of the festivities.
Today is a good day.
