1. Stone Enjoy By 12.21.12 IPA. “It’s a beer that was brewed to be enjoyed by a certain age,” said Andy Groomes, a server at el Bait Shop. “It’s a very hoppy beer, so it’s best served fresh.” He said Stone Brewing Company produces this type of beer every couple of months, and they are meant to sell fast. This IPA, called “Enjoy By 12.21.12,” because it will be pulled from shelves on Dec. 22, is a very hoppy, fruit forward beer with some floral notes, Groomes tells us.
Cost: $15 for a Bomber bottle (22-ounces)
Find it: el Bait Shop, 200 S.W. Second Ave.
2. Laphroaig 30 Year scotch.
“It’s aged for 30 years, which is fantastic,” said Tim Hutchins, general manager at The Royal Mile. “But it’s also a scotch that is no longer made, and we’re lucky enough to have two bottles.”
Cost: $50 a glass
Find it: The Royal Mile, 210 Fourth St.
3. Unibroue’s La Fin Du Monde. From the Quebec brewery, this French beer is cloudy blonde with a golden hue, with a name that translates to “the end of the world.”
Cost: $21.50 for a gift set with a 750 ml bottle and glass, or $5.75 for a bottle.
Find it: Red Monk, 210 Fourth St., second floor
4. Smith Haut Lafitte. Ben Nelson, sommelier at Splash, said the wine earned a perfect 100 score from Wine Spectator, a leading wine magazine that rates thousands of top- quality vintages across the globe. “It’s the number one rated bottle of wine in the world,” he said. “The vineyard is located in an area of France that has produced wine for hundreds of years, and they produce nearly perfect wines.” The winery also produces Chateau Lafite Rothschild, one of the most expensive vintages in the world, at $11,000 a bottle.
Cost: $321 a bottle
Find it: Splash Seafood Bar and Grill, 303 Locust St.
5. Flaming Toilet Bowl shot. The end of the world isn’t for wimps, so man up with a Flaming Toilet Bowl shot, a blast of liquid courage that’s sure to put a some hair on your chest. Made with Fire Water (100 proof cinnamon- flavored schnapps), Rumple Minze (100 proof peppermint-flavored schnapps) and then topped with Bacardi 151, it’s set on fire and ready to drink. Happy end of the world!
Cost: $3.75
Find it: Pickett’s Pub, 6014 N.W. 59th Court, Johnston
6. Boot of beer at Hessen Haus. As bartender Emily McCarthy put it, “Why wouldn’t you?” It’s two full liters of beer — that’s 68 ounces — that you can enjoy with a circle of your closest friends.
Cost: $19. Or, enjoy one over lunch (noon-2 p.m.) for $10 Monday through Friday, or after work (3-6 p.m.) for $15 Monday through Friday.
Find it: Hessen Haus, 101 Fourth St.
7. A Screwdriver or Greyhound. Don’t scoff at the simplicity of a Screwdriver and Greyhound just yet. We realize they are a quick cocktail of orange juice and vodka, or grapefruit juice and vodka. But at Charlie’s Filling Station, they aren’t just quick cocktails. Each concoction is made with fresh-squeezed fruit — two oranges or one grapefruit per pint glass. Using anything else would be the end of the world.
Cost: $5.50 with well vodka
Find them: Charlie’s Filling Station, 305 Grand Ave., West Des Moines
