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So... after having Spring House's Big Gruesome PB Stout on tap the other day... and noting the brewery had a Lancaster, PA address.. I did a little research, found out their taproom(brewpub) restaurant was only about 40 minutes away , so I decided to head up a few beers and some takeout growlers(after shooting some emails back and forth with the owner to verify hours and growler sales). http://springhousebeer.com/ Headed up there, got lost as the website had the brewery address listed first, and I didnt' notice the taproom had a separate address. Wasted about 20 minutes and a gallon or two of gas figuring that out. Finally found the place, was pretty full, and no full service. Lots of tables but you had to go up and order and they'd yell for you when your food was done. Really cool atmosphere, lots of comic paintings of their beers all over the walls, and after the business after work crowd started leaving, the hipsters invaded.. and while the ratio of really cute girls to guys was solid, it definitely wasn't my scene.  Thats their menu board for beers tonite. Their 7 Gates Pale Ale is the only beer that they currently bottle, and its contracted through Appalachian Brewery. I used to see it on shelves all the time, it's apparently gotten really popular around these parts and Appalachian can't keep up. The brewmaster recently bought a 22oz bottling line and is going to start doing just 22ozs for sale at his bar, and at a bottle shop or two. Their Seven Gates Pale Ale is pretty solid normally... however tonight(not my picture, stolen from thehir Facebook)  It was running thru Randall. Randall was filled with lemons, grapefruits and nugget hops. My first experience with a Randall beer, and it was pretty interesting. Really expanded on the pale ale's natural hop notes by adding more citrus and more hops... reallly enjoyed it. Also had their Diabolical Dr Wit, and, well, while it wasn't a traditional Wit(my favorite is still St Bernardus or for much cheaper, Victory's Whirlwind), it was downright tasty. It tasted like lemon pine sol. But not in a bad way. It had strong lemon notes in the nose and taste, and also had the piney hop backbone. After half the glass we both decided it was like a lemonade beer, and I could drink that on the porch all summer. Wet Paint Guava Ale - Have not had the new CC Guava Grove yet, but I imagine this was what they were going for. Smooth Guava taste, really good beer. Wouldnt' want more than a glass or two of this, but it was really interesting. Took home 2 growlers to drink with my buddy last night, and grabbed a growler of thier Kerplunk! Chocolate Stout, and their Big Gruesome Peanut Butter Chocolate Stout. They were pretty similar with Kerplunk just being Gruesome without the PB... very solid beers. My best analogy for them, would be this is what Soutern Tier's Blackwater series SHOULD be... smooth drinking beers that have a dessert hint to them, not drinking liquid dessert. All in all, a great time, everything was reasonably priced ($7 for a screw top growler, $30 for a fancy swing top handled one) and $9 to $15 for a fill. Experience a Randall filtered beer was amazing, and apparently they run Big Gruesome thru Cocoa Nibs and Peanut Butter baking morsels in the fall when it first comes out. For such a small, one man brewery, the guy does a great job, really loves what he does, and seems to have a great following. I will be back!
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Mar 3, 2012 18:07
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Ridonkulous posted:at Brewvival this year they had 90 minute Randallized through habaneros and bacon. It was a good novelty beer and very spicy but not something I would buy bottled. Yeah? Apparently they filtered their DIPA at Spring House through bacon and jalapenos the other night.. probably where they got their inspiration. Guy next to us said that he thought it was downright disgusting, but the guy next to him had 3 or 4 half pints of it, swearing by it. I love weird poo poo. It's what makes craft beer so fun.
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Mar 4, 2012 02:16
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Drinking 21st Bitter american right now... it could be the 2nd 21st beer I really enjoy. Nowhere near as good as Monk's Blood, but ... yeah. It's a very solid offering from them. I like the can too. Picked up a 6 pack of Sculpin IPA and a "collaboration not litigation ale" today as well from RR/Avery.
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Mar 12, 2012 01:01
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So... Ballast Point people... Whats the difference between Big Eye and Sculpin? Both IPAs. Both from Ballast Point... only a .2% difference in ABV..... I can get Big Eye easily. Sculpin is impossible to find at any distributor...
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Mar 13, 2012 19:07
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Thank You. I was was wondering if it was something like a 60/90 minute thing or something more. drat. I loved Sculpin last night when I had it, and was hoping Big Eye would have been a similiar experience (since I can get it)
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Mar 13, 2012 19:25
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Y-Hat posted:My college's beer bar (in Allentown, PA) opened a tap room in Reading. I've never had the urge to go to that city, but after getting an email from them (I'm still on their email list to remind myself of what I'm missing) about their upcoming events, I kinda want to go there. I will definitely be there. And early. I have my 2 bottles of Better Half, and a case of last year's KBS... but I must have it on tap.
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Mar 15, 2012 00:45
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Growler Question : I'm used to Victory Brewing, which has a commercially awesome growler set up,and beautiful swing top growlers..... they pump CO2 in and the growler lasts for over a week... Heading back to Spring House tomorrow... but they do it the "old" way and fill straight from the tap into the screwtop growler... how long can I expect one of those to last in my fridge ?
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Mar 16, 2012 00:10
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thats what I thought :-/ Such a shame. They have Big Gruesome(PB Stout 8% ABV) and Little Gruesome(PBJ Stout 8.3%ABV ) on tap... and I cant' finish off 2 growlers with one person here... haha.
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Mar 16, 2012 00:26
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Tonight ... I had 2 beers. First, a Founder's Old Curmudgeon's Better Half : Shared with a Friend. It was decent. It wasn't as good as I hoped, or as bad as was fearing. It was like a sweeter , maple hinted Curmudgeon. Lots of alcohol in it... the lacing was beautiful. Second, a Leinenkugels(sp?) Big Eddy. Local shop was clearning out the 2011 4 packs, with a $12 price tag and a free Big Eddy Snifter. Really enjoying this beer. It's smooth, it's got the flavors I like and the hops arent dominant at all. Excellent brew. I also snagged bottles of DFH 75 minute IPA and Terrapin's Peotch .
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Mar 20, 2012 01:02
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Went back to Spring House to get 2 growlers for an all day drinking affair. They had their Pineapple Pale Ale on tap, which I got a growler of. It was shockingly good. Had a realy pineapple overtone, in the nose and the taste. Was shocked how pineapple-y it was. Also got another growler of their Chocolate Peanut Butter Stout, Big Gruesome. So good. I never get sick of the aroma or the taste. Just a delicious take on a chocolate stout , with peanut butter thrown in for good measure. On the menu they had their PB/J stout as well, and I tried a small sampler of it . Definitely interesting, but the J was too overstated. Hid the PB taste to a "back end" only taste and you could only smell a little bit on the nose. I'd order a whole glass when I go back next time, in order to see how it gets when it warms up... but yeah. I love that brewery. I wish they bottled.
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Mar 26, 2012 14:11
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So, my local bottle shop is getting 1 case of each of the Cigar City/Bruery Dos Costas beers(3 varieties I think), ... are these worth tracking down? Edit : This is the message she sent me. quote:-Maine Lunch (1 case per account) Vertigo fucked around with this message at 21:46 on Mar 26, 2012 |
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Mar 26, 2012 21:41
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Bottle shop got ONE bottle of Firestone Walker XV in... saving it for me. Hopefully it's as good as I hope it is.
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Apr 2, 2012 15:11
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Had a Maine Brewing Co "Mean Old Tom" on draft tonight. Wow. Vanilla, chocolate and no bitterness at all. So smooth. It was both rich and delicious. I can see why Maine is getting such rave revieews as of late. Also had an Ommegang Seduction : Really good, but a letdown after the Mean Old Tom. The chocolate and cherries were very prominent.
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Apr 3, 2012 00:26
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TenaciousTomato posted:What got ya'll into craft beer? For me it was my family offering me a La Fin du Monde last Christmas which is still one of my favorites to this day. I was a Corona drinker for a long time. Then I discovered the joys of Jack Daniels... had many a bad night with Mr Daniels.... quit drinking for awhile as, well, I wasnt really having fun...and everything always tasted the same. My sister started dating a guy who "knew this awesome beer bar" in the middle of nowhere, PA. Took me up there one night, and I proceeded to have the worst hangover the next morning of my entire life. Tried Frambroise for the first time. Tried Chimay Grande Reserve for the first time. Tried Hopping Frog IPA, and sipped some Mephistopheles... and had a few others .... amazing stuff. Then I became hooked on Belgians for a long time. Chimay, Westmalle, Bernardus... the normal offenders... Then I discovered Victory. And Troegs. And Dogfish Head... and then I became a drun... er hobbyist 
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Apr 9, 2012 18:14
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Heading down to the new Troegs location tomorrow Looks to be a decent drive, but nothing too crazy, and they have some new stuff on tap from their Scratch series as well. I was at their old Harrisburg location and really liked it, cant' wait to see what they did down in Hershey
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Apr 10, 2012 02:48
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SUPER HASSLER posted:It is like Beersheypark. You'll love it, especially compared to the '60s public school building they usedta be in. Awesome can't wait. They have their new Scratch Series on tap which is an Imperial Stout... everyone is saying it's awesome .
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Apr 10, 2012 03:16
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Troegs new digs were super nice. My buddy and I were the only ones who signed up for a 1PM tour today, so it was pretty cool getting to walk around the brewery asking whatever we wanted, and the tour guide was amazingly helpful, and knowledgeable. Got to sample their Sunshine Pils right from the fermenter. It's about a week away from being released, so it was "almost" done. Definitely a different taste as it wasn't filtered at that point, and was very Dreamweaver-y, yet still very Pils like. The tour itself was really cool, mostly due to the fact that it was Tuesday afternoon, and I was the only person who had signed up, so it was just me and my friend. Saw all their new equipment, was really impressed at the upgrades they made from the old brewery... and really liked how the whole place seemed "fun'... everyone said hi when you walked thru the brewery, and you could ask anyone what they were up to, and they would explain what their job was, and what part of it they were doing. Saw their barrel aging room for their splinter series stuff, and got to try 3 scratch beers. Scratch #57 - Chocolate Weizenbock. I could drink it all day. I dont' know why. It didnt' have any particularly amazing flavors, it was just well done. Chocolate came thru nicely, and it had a great finish. The guy in the gift shop said they had cases of it, up to a week or so ago :-/ Scratch #60 - Spring Fest Lager - A lot different than I expected. A hoppy lager. Was very solid. Great hop flavor (Sanz hops i believe the guy said), nice and drinkable.... Scratch #61 - Russian Imperial Stout. Reminded me of a Storm King. Hopped up RIS. Smooth chocolate/coffee notes, with a great hop finish. Not as hoppy as fresh Storm King, but more chocolatey. Really liked this one. They opened a new restaurant where they serve actual food, the menu was getting very "Victory-ish" already, as I had a BLT, served with thick sliced bacon that they had smoked that morning outside the brewery. While we were having the #61, a guy with a Troegs shirt sat down, and started chatting about the beer, and he had gotten a sample as he hadn't had it yet. Started talking about how he liked the beers they brew because most of them are very sessionable, and when they do make the one offs and things like Mad Elf, people seem to really go nuts for them... and he thinks there may be more "big" beers in the future. Overall, I'd say if your'e in the area, the 'tasting tour' is worth the $5 admission. You get 30 minutes walking thru the brewery, seeing the new equipment. You get about 2 beers worth of samples, a take home pint glass that they do not sell , and it ends in their tasting room, where you can have a nice meal served by super cute bartenders Edit : Forgot to add, they had full cases of Nugget Nectar , the last batch Got myself a nice case of it since everyone around here is sold out.
Vertigo fucked around with this message at 04:54 on Apr 11, 2012 |
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Apr 11, 2012 04:10
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Midorka posted:After finishing my 6 Stoudt's Pils and a Victory Prima Pils is it fair to say I don't like the style? I'm very much so enjoying my Golden Monkey though, a lot spicier than I remember it being but it's still readily available at a great price, I mean $10.99 for a 6 pack of this? Yes please. I never found Prima to be a good beer, but people love it. That being said, I once again found that Sunshine Pils from Troegs is pretty much the only Pils I enjoy.
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Apr 11, 2012 04:59
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Bottle shop has firestone walker xv and firestone walker sucaba $30 each. ARe these worth buying at this price?
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Apr 11, 2012 16:02
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Yeah, I guess they dont' exactly distribute those beers to this area, so it's like 3rd party stuff ...
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Apr 11, 2012 16:27
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I'd probably share it with someone, especially at that price. I guess my issue is the $30 price tag on it. Thats a chunk of change for something as "trivial" as a bottle of beer.
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Apr 11, 2012 19:02
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Ok... awesome. I'll pass on both then. I spent that much money on a beer, one other time, and it was the Angel's Share ... I felt underwhelmed beause it just didn't taste like a $27 beer to me... Going out to one of my favorite bars I haven't gone to for a long time tonight for dinner... This is tonite's tap list quote:GOOSE ISLAND INDIA PALE ALE
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Apr 11, 2012 20:34
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Arnold of Soissons posted:I've never heard of Clown Shoes or Spring House. Are they newer breweries, or recently expanding, or am I just not up on things? Spring House is very tiny. They don't even bottle. That Big Gruesome is amazing. I've been going thru a growler every other week or so. I can't get enough of it for some reason. Wound up having the Daisy Cutter and the Victory Eclat Lager at the bar. Wasn't THAT impressed with Daisy CUtter, it was OK, but eh... , the Eclat was amazing. A chocolate lager from Victory... thats really ... well I mean... it was weird, but good. Had a Clownshoes Blaecorn Unicorn when I got home. Meh. I wasn't that impressed with it.
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Apr 12, 2012 03:42
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Elysian made it to PA finally. Grabbed a case of Dragonstooth today. Glad to see new breweries show up here
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Apr 13, 2012 17:15
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I once again, point simply to PA beer laws. They suck. We are always either the first, or last, to the party.
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Apr 13, 2012 17:24
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Just discovered Central Waters Peruvian morning...grabbed a 4 pack on a friends recommendation and it was awesome....almost KBS really. Went back and got another 4 pack today.... Also grabbed a single bottle of their bourbon barrel barley wine.... They make anything else worthwhile?
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Apr 16, 2012 19:53
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danbanana posted:see? i'm not the only one who thinks it's on par with KBS! I only got a single bottle of the barley wine... So I'll try that later and see how I feel about it. I definitely do think that the mouth feel is lighter but it's still pretty good
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Apr 16, 2012 20:30
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Victory is getting huge. They are opening a 2nd brewery! http://victorybeer.com/blog/more-victory-to-love/
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Apr 17, 2012 21:40
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You, my friend, are going to have one hell of an evening.
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Apr 17, 2012 23:20
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Headed over to the local bar tonight.. Had an ithaca flower power(always good) and , I guess they are now going east coast wide , Goose Island Pere Jacques. Was very impressed with the GI... tasted better than I expected it to. Now I'm having the Oak Aged Chocolate Yeti. Not that impressed with it. I love the Belgian and Espresso ones... not really digging this one. Edit : Scratch that. The Yeti is awesome. Maybe I still had Flower power on my palate... wow.
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Apr 24, 2012 00:12
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That bottle shop got Red Poppy in. $25 per. I don't even care if that's gouging. I'm getting 2 tomorrow.
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Apr 26, 2012 00:46
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After the last few days, drinking nothing but Nugget Nectar , I think this will be a yearly purchase. It's hoppy, but not offensively so. I love this beer. It's got a nice smooth, almost sweet taste to go along with the hops.
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Apr 29, 2012 21:58
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So, it's summer time again... and I needed a new case in the fridge.. Went with a "rare" beer for me, in that I normally go with an american version ... but I picked up a case of Weihenstephaner Hefe Weisse . Always one of my favorites, and I had a little extra coin this month, so I decided to treat myself to a quality brew I don't normally buy.
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May 27, 2012 01:01
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Found an entire case of the Weyerbacher Blasphemy Corked and Caged today...  $59.99 ... quite a deal for that case.
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Jun 12, 2012 21:25
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I know Goose Island is kind of a weird thing right now, with their new ownership. I'm able to get their stuff in PA now, which makes me happy. I grabbed a 4 pack of Sofie tonight, and I'm very happy with it. They also have Jacques and Nero... opinions? I also managed to snag a bottle of DFH Positive Contact, which I'm pretty excited to try.
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Jun 23, 2012 04:20
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So... its been awhile since I posted here, but I'm definitely still in the game.. Questions : Local bottle shop got in the Lost Abbey Red Poppy and Betta Bretta(or whatever it is) for $25/bottle. Is that worth the price? I also got lucky and by accident purchased a case of Southern Tier 2x Stout. Had one tonight, and I really like it. IT's not as good as the Lancaster County Milk Stout, or even the Left Hand, but it's really solid at >$40/case. Also got to try Evil Genius Trick or Treat, and Spring House Braaaaaiiinns!! pumpkin ale. Spring House was a stright Pumpkin ale, reminded me very much of Pumpkin Pie... and Evil Genius was a chocolate pumpkin porter which was, honestly, downright amazing. What are this year's must have pumpkins?
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Sep 13, 2012 01:37
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RiggenBlaque posted:How do you accidentally purchase a case of a beer? I seem to remember you being in PA, so I get the case part, but still... I guess accidentally wasn't the word I wanted to use there.... kind of rushed that post. I was pretty much just wandering around looking for something to buy, and decided on that based on the review I read on my phone while I was in the distributor.
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Sep 13, 2012 12:25
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Thanks for the tips guys. I'll be passing on the Red Poppy and Betta Bretta at those prices.
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Sep 15, 2012 18:12
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Whats the Bolt Cutter consensus? I was able to snag a bottle (only one  ) . Do I drink it now or save it?
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Nov 30, 2012 02:12
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I added the Bolt Cutter to my cellar, next to my other bottle of Better Half. Thanks guys!
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Nov 30, 2012 10:24
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