ABV: 12.5%

This week I woke up and it felt like somebody just emptied a fistful of quarters into a Magic Fingers bed. Only I’m at home in California, not in a South Dakota Super8 circa 1978, and that means… earthquake! I’d never felt a quake before, and really it was over as soon as it started. Nothing cracked or fell, and even my pictures stayed straight on the wall. So it was mostly an excuse for folks to go all Chicken Little all over Twitter, but it was a little unsettling to think about the ground opening up and swallowing us all. What better beer to mark a “near death experience” than Deliverance from Lost Abbey.

The good people at Lost Abbey call this American Strong Ale “a blend of bourbon barrel-aged Serpent’s Stout and brandy barrel-aged Angel’s Share, Deliverance is the epic battle being waged between heaven and hell for the souls of mortal men… and your enjoyment in a glass.” Seems a little heavy for a little earthquake, but let’s go with this brush with mortality angle since it seems like the best possible excuse to drink.

If you like boozy, sweet, strong beers, Deliverance will absolutely set you free.  Featuring bourbon, brandy, chocolate, oak, raisin, it packs a punch, but the barrel aging still lets the ale shine through. I love when a BA beer does that right. Added bonus – this beer will age well, so feel free to stash one in your earthquake preparedness kit next to the flashlight and first aid supplies.