Not Portland, but Almost Birradise

Tonight, Catherine and I (along with my parents) visited Pizzeria Paradiso, one of the best places in DC to get craft beer; and on this occasion, it didn't disappoint. Sure, whatever, the pizza is great, but who is even thinking about tha when the beer list is like ten pages long? Of course, since I'm out of town, I'm looking for rare, new or strange beers. Just my luck: they had two Three Floyds beers on tap: one on the beer engine, the Robert the Bruce Scottish Ale on cask, and another rare one, the Sand Pebbles Brown Ale (with all of 2 reviews on BeerAdvocate). I guess you'd call the Sand Pebbles an Imperial Brown, because it was about 8% alcohol, and you could taste it (though not in a bad way). It poured a dark brown, and had a baker's chocolate and nutty aroma, a big hop kick on the initial taste and then a roasty, creamy sweetness at the end. I thought it was pretty amazing. The Scottish ale was even darker, much less hoppy, smoky and caramel with dark fruits at the end, with a smooth-as-silk mouthfeel (probably from the beer engine). I was just so happy to try some 3 Floyds, and they are really wonderfully crafted ales; but then, with a desire for the exotic, we also tasted the Italian brewer Piccolo Birrificio's absinthe-beer, called Chiostro (spicy, herby, lemony, with a licorice kick at the end from the absinthe), and Verhaeghe Echte Kriek, which was like an extremely sour-cherry pie in champagne form with a little wild-yeast funky kick in there. I loved it, but I think it's an acquired taste. All in all, a great night. To be honest, I'm surprised to see Three Floyd's here, but I'm even happier to drink it.