UPDATE: Gravity Head 2009 "The Liver Olympics" contestants revisited.

As reported last week, the 11th edition of Gravity Head begins on February 27th, and I'm now well past the point of putting the prep work to bed. These updates are designed to give readers a brief glimpse of the "work in progress," which usually begins roughly a year ahead of time as seasonal kegs continue to be delivered, and are earmarked for duty the following year.

This year I have had the invaluable assistance of Mike Bauman, NABC's new Beer Manager, who has done all of the cellaring work that Jared Williamson did before Mike was handed his dossier. As you can see below, I've managed to reduce the sketchiness of the information about the kegs that are being lined up for duty, with most of the remaining uncertainty centering on whether any of the ales from Victory will be forthcoming. We're not yet sure about World Wide Stout, either, but even without these, the lineup's looking pretty solid.

I'll now be redesigning the Gravity Form, primarily because I'm bored to tears with doing the same layout for another year, and also because organizing the selections by style poses a few head-scratchers in terms of the program.

As always, the secret is to pretend that we kick off two weeks before the actual date, which is the only way for procrastinators like me to function. That gives me another couple of weeks to dock the ship.

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For the 11th edition of Gravity Head, we have inaugurated the practice of grouping the selections by style category, not national origin.

Vintage dates will be noted only if the beer is more than one year old by February 27, 2009.

* never before poured at the Public House

INS – in stock at the Public House
ATC – in stock at Cavalier (wholesaler)
OBU – ordered from B United importer (via Cavalier)
OCV – preordered from Cavalier (wholesaler)
ONV – preordered from North Vernon (wholesaler)
OWC – pre ordered from World Class Beverage (wholesaler)

BARLEY WINE (AND TWO WHEAT WINES)
OWC Avery Hog Heaven … 9.2%
??? Bell’s Third Coast Old Ale … 10.2%
INS *Dogfish Head Olde School Barleywine … 15.04%
INS Great Divide Old Ruffian Barley Wine … 10.2%
INS *Mad River JBC (John Barleycorn) … circa 9.5%
OWC New Holland Pilgrim’s Dole Wheat Wine … 10%
INS Rogue Old Crustacean Barley Wine (Batch 6530; Jan. 2003) … 11%
INS Sierra Nevada Bigfoot Barley Wine 2008 … 9.6%
INS Stone Old Guardian Barley Wine 12-13-07 … 9.9%
INS Three Floyds Behemoth Blonde Barley Wine … 12.5%
INS Two Brothers Bare Tree 2007 … 11%
??? *Victory Old Horizontal Barley Wine … 10.5%

BARREL CONDITIONED
INS Allagash Curieux (Bourbon Barrel Aged Tripel) … 11%
OWC *BBC Olde Ale (2008; Queen’s Knickers aged one year French oak red wine barrel) … circa 9%
INS *Bell's Bourbon Barrel Aged Expedition/Double Cream Blend … circa 9%
ATC *Harviestoun Ola Dubh Highland Park 18-year (firkin) … Scotland … circa 11%
ATC *Harviestoun Ola Dubh Highland Park 40-year (firkin) … Scotland … circa 11%
INS JW Lees Vintage Harvest Ale (barrel-aged ) ( ) … United Kingdom …
OBU *L'Abbaye de Saint Bon-Chien (aged in oak formerly used for red wine and grappa) … Switzerland … 15.5%
OCV *Left Hand Oak Aged Imperial Stout (Heaven Hill brandy) … 10.4%
INS New Holland Dragon’s Milk (120 days in bourbon barrels) … 9%
OBU Regenboog 't Smisje Calva Reserva (E. Dupont calvados barrel aged) … Belgium … 12%
OBU Regenboog 't Smisje Grand Reserva (whiskey-barrel) … Belgium … 12%

BELGIAN-SYLE DIVERSE STRONG ALE
OBU *Baladin Al-Iksir Demi Sec … Italy … 10%
ATC *Strubbe Keyte Dobbelen Tripel … Belgium … 9.2%
INS *Het Anker Cuvee Van de Keizer… Belgium … 11%
OBU De Dolle Dulle Teve … Belgium … 10%

IMPERIAL IPA/DOUBLE IPA
OWC *Avery Ale to the Chief … 8.75%
INS Bell’s HopSlam (three kegs) … 10%
OCV Boulder Mojo Risin’ Double IPA … 10.5%
INS *Founders Double Trouble IPA … 9.4%
INS Stone Double Bastard 10-19-2006 … 10%

IMPERIAL PORTER/BALTIC PORTER
ATC *Left Hand Smoke Jumper Smoked Imperial Porter … 9.2%
INS *Rogue XS Imperial Porter (May 2008) … 8.2%
OBU *Thisted Brewery Limfjords Porter … Denmark … 7.9%
??? *Victory Baltic Thunder … 8.5%
INS NABC Solidarity … 10%
OCV *Two Brothers Red Eye Coffee Porter … 9.2%

IMPERIAL RED
ONV Upland Ard-Ri … circa 9%

IMPERIAL STOUT
INS Alvinne Podge Belgian Imperial Stout … Belgium … 10.5%
INS Avery The Czar … 10.77%
INS Bell's Expedition Stout 10-23-06 … 10.5%
??? Dogfish Head World Wide Stout … 18+%
OBU *Ducato Verdi Imperial Stout … Italy … 8.2%
INS Founders Breakfast Stout 10-01-07 … 8.3%
INS Left Hand Imperial Stout … 10.4%
INS NABC Thunderfoot (2008) … circa 11%
INS Stone Russian Imperial Stout 2/6/08 … 10.8%
INS *Stone Twelfth Anniversary Bitter Chocolate Oatmeal Stout 9.2%
ATC *Struise Black Albert Belgian Royal Stout … Belgium … 13%
OBU Thornbridge St. Petersburg Imperial Stout (firkin) … United Kingdom … 7.7%

OLD ALE
OBU Burton Bridge Thomas Sykes Old Ale (firkin) … United Kingdom … 10%
OBU JW Lees Vintage Harvest Ale … United Kingdom … 11.5%
INS NABC Malcolm’s Old Setter’s Ale 2008 … circa 12%

SCOTCH/WEE HEAVY
OWC *Moylan Double Kilt Lifter … 11%
INS *Founders Backwoods Bastard … 9.2%

STRONG LAGER
OBU *Hofstetten Granit Bock (stone lager) … Austria … 7.3%
INS Samichlaus Bier … Austria … 14%
INS *Samichlaus Bier Helles … Austria … 14%
INS *Sierra Nevada Double Debockel (double bock) 9.4%

QUADRUPEL
INS *Browning’s Quadrupel …
ATC Koningshoeven Quadrupel … Netherlands … 10%
ATC Regenboog ‘t Smisje BBBourgondier … Belgium … 12%
??? *Victory V-Twelve … 12%

UNCLASSIFIABLE
OWC Avery The Beast Grand Cru … 14.9%
INS Dogfish Head 120 Minute IPA … 20%
INS Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron … 12%
ATC Stone Eleventh Anniversary Ale … 8.7%

WINTER SEASONAL
OBU *Borgo 25 Dodici … Italy … 9.5%
OBU *Ducato Krampus … Italy … 8%
OBU De Dolle Stille Nacht … Belgium … 12%