Did y'all have a nice Valentine's Day? Michelle and I went out to dinner, came back, had a drink (beer for me, wine for her) and went to bed. It was uneventful, sure, but it was pretty much my ideal Friday night.


Well, we did all of the above while swinging by a bottle shop between dinner and coming home. The goal was to purchase her wine (which, if you read that first paragraph, you'll know was a successful in that endeavor), but I also was looking for a little something special to write about today: Listermann's Kris, a cheetah beer (it's pretty well documented on the blog and on my Twitter that I'm a big cheetah supporter). I was lucky enough to find it, packaged with its companion stout, Remus. So, today, I'm drinking them both and presenting my thoughts on them to you. Let's get to it.

I've had today's beer before. My opinion on it's fluctuating. Sure, there are times when I think it's pretty good. But there're also times when it's hella bad. I'll get into it. One thing's for sure, though: I'm drinking it because it's cheap. A local bottleshop is selling 15-count cases of it for $7. Now, I'm not the kind of person who'd let a deal like that slip away.


Second winter's hit Greater Cincinnati and the cold's got me in a summer mood. Let's say that's why I'm getting to this review today (between you and me, I had something I wanted to hit before this ale, but I'm okay with bumping that back for a bit). For now, I'm cranking up the city pop and cracking into my can of Golden Road's Mango Cart.

This is the first day in 2020 that actually feels like winter. It's seventeen degrees (which is pretty coincidental given today's beer) and it's been snowing off and on. Michelle and I have a fire roaring in our stove as a way to stave off the cold.


I feel secure in breaking into Perennial's 17 on a day like this. The beer was a Christmas gift from my folks, and I'm sure it'll be especially good on a day like today, which calls for a strong stout. Let's see if I'm correct in that assertion.

Just before the calendar turned, an old buddy of mine swung down to the Greater Cincinnati area for a visit. He and his girlfriend were in-state visiting his family for the holidays and they came down to spend the day exploring the Queen City with me (don't worry--this wasn't a spur-the-moment thing that put me and Michelle out; he and I arranged their visit months in advance).


I think they enjoyed their time here. Even if they didn't, I sure enjoyed the time I spent with them. The icing on the cake was that they brought along a few bottles for me to sample. Today, I'm breaking into one of them; the other'll be featured closer to Halloween (because it's a pumpkin brew). Oh, did I mention that they live in Portland, Oregon? Because that's where they live. This is a Portland brew you can't get around these parts, which makes me all the more excited to try it. So, here we go. Breakside's Salted Caramel Stout.