Can you get tired of a great beer?

Well, I'm about to find out. Fresh Plus has had two cases of Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome just sitting there, unbought, unconsumed, and collecting dust for more than a year. That's just wrong, people. Perhaps the buyer just ordered too much, but this is (with the possible exception of Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale) my very favorite winter beer. It was just killing me. I finally decided to take action — I told Fresh Plus that if they would cut me a deal, I would take the two cases off their hands. They gave me 10% off (which they admitted was their standard by-the-case discount; in retrospect, I should have bargained harder), so I got $110 worth of beer for about $99. Mrs. Beer Lover wasn't real happy about the transaction, but then I reminded her of her $100 visits to the hair salon, so a truce was declared. And besides, I'm gonna drink every drop of it. Only problem is, I likely won't drink it all real soon (the weather is already starting to get warm, and I'll be ready to move on to lighter beers) so by the time I finish it, it will be over two years old. Hopefully it will retain its flavor in the bottle, and hopefully I won't burn myself out on it. I can't imagine ever getting to a point where I don't like this stuff, but I do like variety in my drinking experiences.

So if you're a fan of this beer or curious, head on over to my house — I've got one with your name on it.