Stuff We Like is our new Web series. Every Friday, we'll share an event, a place, a dish, a drink or just something random that the editors love here at Durham Magazine.
Most of y’all know about Sam’s. Or “the Blue Light,” as my boyfriend likes to chide me every time I call it Sam’s. But for those of you who don’t, especially anyone who respects the fine art of craft brewing, this post is for you.
Early fall is by far my favorite beer-drinking season for one reason: pumpkin beer. Sure, you can pick up a six-pack of Blue Moon Harvest Moon Pumpkin Ale at about any old grocery store. But that’s about as much as you’ll find, pumpkin-wise.
Sam’s has more than 1,000 different beers, and when the season hits, a decent percentage of those are pumpkin, which puts me in the store at least once a week, buying the Southern Tier Pumking, Shipyard Pumpkinhead, Brooklyn Post Road Pumpkin Ale, Harpoon UFO Pumpkin and oh, so many more. The Sam Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale is sitting in my fridge right now waiting for me to get off work.
And this is just fall. Soon, the dark stouts will be hitting the shelves, then the winter lagers, wheat ales of spring and summer pilsners. Sam’s definitely has the best seasonal rotation around, and if you’re not sure what to buy or what’s best for the time of year, the incredibly beer-savvy staff are more than happy to point you in the right direction.
If you don’t already, follow Sam’s Twitter and Facebook accounts. They update them daily when they get in new shipments, have especially rare bottles or just scheduled a tasting or other event. Today, in fact, they’ll have a tasting of Terrapin beers from 4-7pm and also sell pints of The Wizard, Terrapin’s bourbon barrel-aged stout. Can you think of a better way to celebrate a Friday? I sure can’t.
