Going Deep

I had the pleasure of tasting two offerings from a NY brewery which has only recently shown up down here.

From Southern Tier

IPA:
Let's run the numbers [vs. DFH :60 benchmark]:
Twist off - lose 1/2 point
Cheezy label/packaging - lose 1/2 point
Hoppiness vs. DFH - not quite; lose 1/2 point
Value [$ per oz.] - .11 [ties DFH case, beats DFH six (.14)]; gain 1/4 point
Buzz Factor [oz. alcohol per $] - .54 [ties DFH case, beats DFH six (.43)]; gain 1/4 point
All told - 9.5, HopDevil territory; just a little bit lighter

Jah-Va Imperial Coffee Stout:
Pint #1 of a 22 oz'er
BBChocoWhat??? Feggedaboudit! This is the new champ of Extreme Stout!!!The ABVs aren't really kicking here - well, I haven't stood up in an hour either, so I don't know. It's got the same sweet, sour, creamy, smoky flavor without the nuttiness. The head is much like a nurse named Jen; thin, blonde, eager to tease, not very clingy and quick to disappear. It has BBCS's oceanside breakfast aroma, but either the pancakes got burnt or the toaster's broken, again.

[...one hour later...]

Pint #2... bottle done.
I feel like one of those free-divers who hold their breath and let the weighted sleds drag them down 300' or so into the ocean then they slowly resurface, spending 15 minutes or so down there.

I'm back up, head above the waves, breathing free and clear. Vision normal, heart rate normal, BP normal, manual dexerity ... normal, for me, anyway - spellcheck?

Now for a DFH to cleanse the palate and on we go.