I don’t get to try the beer I wanted, and a child goes missing.

Alright, here we go. I just returned from Nashville this weekend with my first growler (shout out to The Filling Station), so as a full-on beer amateur, I’m ready to level up a bit. I stop by Liquor Barn on my bike ride home to check out what’s available, and I remember that Covington’s Braxton Brew Co. just expanded into Lexington! This is pretty dope, I’m thinking. I see they have their Storm Golden Cream Ale on tap, and that doesn’t really mean anything to me, but their brand design looks cool. So, once again, this is pretty dope.

Except it wasn’t. Apparently that one is pretty dope, because that tap’s all dried up already. Liquor Barn dude says, “Alright, so what’s it gonna be?” First of all, customer service, everyone. Second of all, this bummed me out, and there wasn’t much else I was super interested in, but I’ve already drove back around the corner with my growler. I tried a great sample of bourbon barrel ale from Louisville’s Goodwood while at Forecastle over the summer, so I point out that tap. Only after starting do I notice it’s not actually Goodwood, but instead it’s marked with a printed piece of paper spelling SHELTOWEE in all caps. Wtf man.

So I guess Sheltowee’s Hop-a-Lot IPA is actually a contract brewed beer for sale in Kentucky’s regional Liquor Barns, which is verbatim from Beer Advocate, and super lame sounding. Basically, it is. It tastes fine, but it’s not any different than most other IPAs I’ve had in the past. When I walked into Liquor Barn, I got caught staring into the light and all my hopes for cool beer went missing just like that kid at the beginning of Stranger Things.

Stranger Things, by the way, IS pretty dope. It’s the only thing making up for Shitowee’s Hop-a-Lot IPA at this point. That was my FIRST growler, after all. I’m wondering if I should replace it and start over. The jury is out on that for now. Anyway, Stranger Things. I love E.T. and that brand of 80’s science fiction, so this is right up my alley. Enough has been written about this show, so I’m not looking to do recaps here. Some key thoughts:

• This dude really does look like Jean Ralphio.
• I hope this kid hasn’t already peaked.
• Even if so, who cares, he’s amazing in this and people will love him forever.
• Winona Ryder is on one upset over her kid going missing.

I think I’m gonna love this show, and I think I’m never gonna bother drinking this beer again.