I'm hanging out at home yesterday and hear of two stores in downtown Minneapolis that had regular, coffee, and BW. Short drive, stores are close together, not posted on BA or anything, so should be easy. This part of downtown is pretty dead on a day like this. I'm looking for parking....I see a compact car at the intersection with a bearded driver, couple other guys in the back. OK, no biggie, could be just downtown for some other reason.
I park, walk up to the store...car with four hungover looking bearded men in ski jackets pulls up...this time I know it's real.
One guy lurches out of the car, runs in ahead of me...we both head to the register. Guy is so amped that he can't even talk straight. They have cases of each beer behind the counter, no one in the store. He struggles to tell the clerk what he wants....his buddies rush in behind me, panting, stumbling...there is a moment of tense, boiling silence as they converse with their eyes...clerk looks at me, I say "I'll take one of each."
"EACH??? WAIT DO THEY HAVE REGAL" one guys asks to no one in particular. First guy: "Uhhh...do you have Regal Rye?"
Clerk thinks for a second... looks at his pile or beer, laconically answers "No, just stout, coffee, barley." "UM UM, DO YOU HAVE A BOTTLE LIMIT??" "Well, you can buy one of each. "WHAT IS THAT OTHER CASE. IS THAT ****ING RARE" "Ummmm....that is the Lolita. I think it's a raspberry sour ale." Clerk's contempt, boredom, and mild confusion is in stark contrast to the laser focused depravity.
"Want the Lolita sir?" he asks me. "No thanks, I'll take one of each of the others."
I hear a chorus of heavy breathing as I swipe my credit card.