I don’t know if it’s hops prices or gas prices, but fantastically good beer in Milwaukee has increased in price to just a few dollars less expensive than pretty good beer in Vancouver. Case in point: I picked up a six-pack of Lagunitas Maximus IPA for $9.99 this afternoon (having flown to Milwaukee through narrow gaps in yesterday’s thunderstorms).

Maximus IPA is particularly hoppy — much like Tree’s Hophead IPA — but also fairly sweet, which causes me some mild irritation but probably suits most people better. I imagine the sweetness comes from whatever sugars Lagunitas puts in to achieve 8.4% alcohol by volume. There’s a lot of drunk in this six-pack, folks.