12 Beers of Christmas: Beers 8 & 9

Merry Christmas beer lovers! I hope everyone is enjoying their time with family and friends! Before we get into the brews, let me just give a quick shout out to my wife for some great craft beer gifts. I received a book 1001 Beers You Must Taste Before You Die (I currently have only had 40 listed), a book all about IPAs, and some sweet new glassware! Heck, she seems to know what I like! Now that I got that out, let's talk about the two beers I enjoyed last night!

First up was Old Jubilation by Avery Brewing Company. Old Jubilation pours a very dark brown with a tan head that doesn't stick around for long. Nose is sweet and malty, with a little bit of booze detectable. The forward flavors follow the nose with some big, sweet malts and just a little nuttiness. These are followed up with some bread and fruit notes wrapped up with just a tinge of bitterness. Something I am finding with this and with a lot of winter beers in this series is that though I enjoy all the flavors offered by this style, one of them is enough for me.

Beer number 9 is Rogue's Santa's Private Reserve. The big, jolly man has a pretty tough job, albeit a once a year gig. He needs something to kick back and relax with. This brew pours a clear, ruby brown with a white head. The malts on the nose are semi sweet, but very light. The nose is pretty subtle. Though I don't typically dwell on mouthfeel, this one caught me a bit of guard as it was considerably lighter than most of its counterparts. Sweet malt, caramel, and bready notes are the main flavors of note here, along with some piney hops. If there were such thing as a light barely wine, that is probably what I would call this. Because it was so light, it went down quite quickly. Unlike the previous brew, this I could see having more than one of if I felt the urge to. Solid offering from Rogue. Cheers, and keep your eyes peeled for the last 3 beers of Christmas, coming soon!

12 Beers of Christmas: Beers 6 and 7

Oh snap, its Christmas eve beer lovers! Haha and I am only up to 7 of the 12 beers... oops. That's okay, if I manage to sneak the others in tonight and tomorrow that's great. If not, no big deal, right?

I thought for a little bit which order I would drink these festive delights, but one was obviously had to be number six: Goose Island's Sixth Day. We've all heard the song, but apparently we never knew what those six geese were a-layin'. As it turns out, it was big winter warmers! I need to take a moment to state that I did not heed the recommended glassware though I do own it. I was feeling fancy. Anyways... Sixth Day pours a dark red brown with a one finger tan head that faded into a light cap. The nose is dominated by big sweet malts with a slight fruit tang. Sweet caramel and malts are at the forefront of this brew and are greeted with some pretty intense bitterness and a significant alcohol bite. It is 8.3% ABV, and it chooses to let you know. After a few sips, the shock of that bitterness wears off and allows some tangy notes to come through. In my opinion, this is a beer that demands to be sipped. It overwhelms the palate if enjoyed too fast, but slow sipping allows it to showcase its complex profile. Hints of gingerbread appear as it warms, which I found quite interesting. Overall a solid, interesting brew, though I could not have more than one in a sitting.

Beer number 7 is a much more session-able beer, which could be why it has been dubbed Accumulation. This White IPA from New Belgium pours very pale, light gold with a fluffy white head like the snow its named for. This head fades to a cap and leave behind lots of delicate lacing throughout the drink. The nose is a bouquet of lovely, light citrus hops. At first sip one word comes to mind: Drinkability (not even a real word, as it turns out). This stuff is incredibly light, but unlike some of the other light beers out there, this stuff has actual flavor! Refreshing citrus hops fade to a smooth, slightly sweet fruit finish. There is some bitterness there that balances flawlessly with the sweetness. New Belgium proves once again, you can have light, drinkable beers without sacrificing flavor. What a fantastic beer. Consider this my vote for it to be added to your year round lineup, New Belgium. I will be awaiting your reply.

12 Beers of Christmas: Beers 4 & 5

Okay, admittedly this series is not going how I intended. I under estimated the craziness of the season, but it is what it is. Let's keep the great holiday beers rolling, shall we?

The fourth beer of Christmas this year was Widmer Brothers Brewing Company's Brrr! Beer Advocate describes this beer as a winter warmer, but it is more of a hoppy red ale. It pours a clear, red-brown with a bubbly off-white head. The nose is a great balance of sweet malts and citrus hops. The flavors were not at all what I expected! The citrus hops are big and forward, holding their own against a lot of IPAs. These hops are followed by just a hint of fruitiness and some sweet caramel flavors. It finishes with just a little bit of bitterness. What a refreshing beer! Though it is their winter beer and called "Brrr," I think this beer has great potential as a year round brew. Its smooth, refreshing, and I could just as easily drink this in the middle of summer as the cold of winter. That was proven the day I had this, because despite it being December we have had weather in the mid 70's (WOOHOO!). I will definitely be getting more of this before the season is out!

Next up is one that a lot of people look out for every year: Anchor Brewing Company's Our Special Ale. Unlike Brrr, Our Special Ale certainly belongs in the Winter Warmer category. It pours a very dark brown/ mahogany with a dark tan head that is thin but lingers. Sweet malts and brown sugar come to the nose. The odor actually reminds me of some pumpkin beers. The first thing I noticed when I sipped this beer is that it is a bit heavy for a beer that is only 5.5% ABV. The sweet malts are at the forefront, along with some spices (I want to say nutmeg and maybe some cinnamon, not sure). It finishes much more smooth than it starts. I really like this beer despite its heaviness. To be honest, I think the only reason that the heaviness bothered me at all is that it was 80 degrees outside. That's IPA weather, not anything with warmer in the name. Still, I think I will be another one of the guys that grabs this annually. Cheers!

12 Beers of Christmas: Beers 2 &3

Okay, let's start by dealing with the glaringly obvious fact that after the first day I went a few days without doing another Christmas beer. Truth is, I didn't feel like having a beer the next day. Or really the day after. So I decided, "Heck, I will get to them when I get to them!" It's craft beer, after all, and it should have not stringent rules and should merely be enjoyed. So I am going to enjoy them as I feel throughout the Christmas season!

First up was Weyerbacher's Winter Ale. This winter brew pours a clear but very dark reddish-brown with a beige head. There is a slight nutty aroma on the nose, but to be honest there is not much of anything there. That light nuttiness follows through on the flavors followed by some mild hop notes. This one surprised me because most winter beers are big and bold, where this is more of a light, brown ale. It is very drinkable and a solid alternative to heavier winter beers. My only disappointment was that I was looking for something a little more bold at the time.




Next up is a seasonal classic that I had not had until this evening: Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale. Sierra Nevada mixes it up by offering us an IPA instead of a typical winter warmer or stout, and I dig that. Celebration pours a dark, clear amber with an eggshell head. The nose on this brew is intensely piney with some sweet citrus hops to compliment. A quick sip and "Holy bitter pine hops, Batman!" There are big, piney flavors forward that pretty much remain on your palate. Joining these pine notes come more mild citrus and spice flavors. Now, contrary to popular belief, there are no spices added to this beer; all of these notes are created with hops. I can see why people may think so, however, because there certainly is something to this beer that sets it aside from your typical bitter IPA. I am glad I finally tried this classic holiday favorite, and it is something I will look forward to every year from here on out. Cheers!

12 Beers of Christmas: Beer 1

Cheers! Tis the season, folks, and everyone gets merry in their own way! For us craft beer nuts, the great holiday beers available this time of year certainly keep us jolly! So I decided to do a 12 Beers of Christmas series, counting down to Christmas day! You won't find any Lords-a-leaping in these blog posts, but hopefully you'll find a brew or two you will want to seek out for your holiday festivities. There may be a bonus beer or two in there somewhere, but I only bought 12 holiday beers that I will write about as I enjoy; anything else is just extra. But enough rambling, time to get to it!

First up is Troeg's Mad Elf! Mad Elf pours a deep, clear ruby red with an off white head that dissolved almost immediately. Sweet, yeasty notes on the nose suggest that I should expect some Belgian qualities in this beer. Woah. Just sipped this thing and it is pretty intense. The first flavor that hits my mouth is really hard to place. Glancing over the bottle, and I am going to call that the honey they put in there. It is a quick, sweet note that is quickly replaced by a combination of cherries and those lovely Belgian yeasts (Note that I am only assuming that is the kind of yeast they used based on flavor. Could be something else, but that is what it tastes like). This beer is a little sweet, a little tangy, and all dangerous. I have had 7% beers that show their alcohol more than this. Thank goodness for companies that label their bottles with alcohol content. 11%ABV! Time to slow down, Corey, you're playing cards with the neighbors tonight and should probably be in good form. In closing, Mad Elf is a very smooth, warming beer. It doesn't show its alcohol at all, and it is much different than a lot of the Winter Warmers that you get during the holiday season (many of which will make an appearance in the coming days). Cheers!

Oh, and FYI, many beer stores have a gift box with a Mad Elf glass and a 22oz bomber in case you need some last minute shopping ideas. I know I certainly wouldn't complain!

Gone (Dog) Fishin'

Being one of my favorite breweries, it is surprising how many Dogfish Head beers I still haven't tried. Recently I got a hold of one of their new beers and two that were new to me. Dogfish Head always delivers, but I wasn't the biggest fan of one. So I think I will do this least favorite to favorite. Without further ado...

First up is Dogfish Head's new winter seasonal: Piercing Pils. Now let me start by saying that I am not a big fan of pilseners in general. That is not the brewer's fault, its just the flavor profile of the style doesn't appeal to me. But I do occasional give one a go. Piercing Pils pours a crystal clear, light amber with a bright white head. Light notes of pear on the nose, but mostly overwhelmed by Pilsener malts. The taste is light and refreshing, however the pilsener malt flavors dominate over the light pear flavors. Though a quality beer, its just not for me. I would, however, think this is a good introduction into the craft beer world for someone who drinks one of the "big 3." If they like lighter beers, they might as well drink a quality one! I think my only gripe is that this replaced Chicory Stout, and that makes me sad.

Next up was Immort Ale, a great, big beer that Beeradvocate labels as an English Strong Ale. Though it does have some of those attributes, I think it also has some Belgian Strong qualities, and would call it close to a hybrid. Immort pours a clear, dark reddish-brown with an off white head. There is a sweet malt nose here with some hints of the oak coming through lightly. The flavor starts out with some sweet and tangy malts, as well as some raisin or date notes. There are some other sweet notes that I want to attribute to the maple syrup, but I'm not quite sure. Thrown in there are some slight banana notes typical of Belgian yeasts, which I love. It finishes with a notable alcohol bite, but its not as much as you'd expect from a beer that is 11% ABV. All in all, this is a great, complex beer with a ton of awesome flavors. It is good for a warming evening of slow sipping. I drank one and stashed the other three away in my cellar, and I am expecting great things in years to come.

Last, and my absolute favorite of the three, is Olde School Barleywine. In typical Dogfish fashion, this beer is crystal clear, brown, and has a thin white head. Sweet malty nose with hints of dates, caramel, and booze. Big and delicious malts lead out at first sip, followed by some delicious date and fig notes. I found myself letting this one sit in my mouth a bit just so I could enjoy the flavors a little longer. It finishes up just slightly bitter and with just a small bite of alcohol, perhaps even less than Immort. Here is the kicker, though: This thing is 15% ABV! Be sure you note that before cracking this one, because by taste alone you certainly wouldn't guess it was so strong! I love the barelywine style, but I think this just took the lead as my favorite (I'll let you know for sure when I try this year's offering from Legend). I added a few bottles of this to my cellar (I did not opt to bury the bottles as DFH suggests on the bottle) and gave one to my neighbor, because it is too good not to share! Find some if you can, sip slowly, and enjoy! Cheers!

Westbrook's Citrus Ninja Exchange!

Hiya! Haha the other night my friends and I enjoyed some beast ninja action from Westbrook Brewing Company out of Mt Pleasant, SC. This bottle caught my eye not only with its great name, but the fact that it is a double IPA with grapefruit added. That is exciting because grapefruit flavors are often prevalent in this style, and to compliment them with actual grapefruit sounded fantastic. So I brought this bottle back from SC and shared it with my friends.

Citrus Ninja Exchange pours a hazy gold with a thin white head. Sweet malts take the majority of the nose here, with little hints of citrus. I sniffed a little longer than usual hoping to pick up more citrus notes since that was what I was excited for. I was worried I may be disappointed. I was wrong. The citrus is WAY more prevalent in the flavor! Big grapefruit flavor hits you up front, followed by slightly sweet malts and a light, bitter finish. Wow, this stuff is refreshing! It is so smooth and delicious. Look out though, folks, because the taste would never suggest that this stuff is 9.5% ABV. So don't get tempted to knock this back too quickly! All in all, I would say the use of grapefruit and other citrus flavors was a great success, and it has inspired me to attempt something similar in my homebrew experiments. So help me name it! I'll be blogging about it soon, but if you have any creative (clean) names for an orange double IPA, leave it in the comments below
. It'll be hard to beat "Citrus Ninja Exchange," but let's try!

Sierra Nevada's DevESTATEtion Black IPA

Every year Sierra Nevada creates an Estate ale using the barely and hops grown on their own estate. This year, however, their barley crops were destroyed by mother nature. In true craft beer fashion, they took a bad situation and took it as an opportunity to create something new. Their DevESTATEtion Ale is the what they came up with.

This black IPA pours a clear, very dark (almost black) brown with a fluffy off white head. Waft this one and you will find a nice combination of roasted malts and light, piney hops. The flavor is almost stout-like. Big, delicious roasted malts at the forefront of this brew. The bitter pine hops wrap it all up. Black IPAs tend to be hit or miss for me. They only work if the roasted malts transition nicely into the hops. Sierra Nevada hits this one right on the mark. This beer is incredibly smooth and balanced. Hopefully this isn't a one-off, because I would like to see more of this next year! Just in case, go grab some!

Southern Goodness

I am sure I have mentioned this before, but when I leave town to visit family or friends, I always like to make an effort to try beers I can't get in Virginia Beach. We are lucky to be on many breweries distribution lists, so I figure I might as well try the things I can't get at home. I tried three new beers on my trip to South Carolina, and all three were hits in my book.

The first beer I tried was on tap at Grumpy's in Aiken. Before I get into the beer itself, let me just say that this place is a must visit if you ever make your way to Aiken, SC. They have great food, awesome beer, and very reasonable prices. Anyways, the beer I chose to go with was Quest's Coffee Stout. Now, I had told myself that I was going to stick with fresh IPAs and save the stouts for the frigid weather we have been having in VB, but I have a hard time resisting a coffee stout. I did not make a mistake. Quest's coffee stout was a deep black with just a little bit of a tan head. The nose was a beautiful blend of coffee and chocolate. I figured if the beer tasted as good as it smelled I would have a winner. A sip reveals big espresso flavors forward with an incredible smooth, mocha finish. Coffee beer lovers, rejoice! This one can hold its own with the best (the best being Founder's Breakfast Stout, of course). Quest Brewing Company is out of Greenville, SC and I am not sure if they bottle or not, but keep your eyes peeled for this stuff. Its a real gem of a beer.

The next beer I picked up was less of a blind grab. I had had Lazy Magnolia beer before, and Beerploration on Instagram (give him a follow!) had recommended a treat that they had just started bottling: Southern Hops'pitality. The appearance of this IPA is as welcoming as its name. It pours a gorgeous clear gold with a white head. The nose is milder for an IPA with just some light, citrus notes on the nose. The flavors start of with some sweet citrus goodness, followed up with those grapefruit flavors we all know and love. The finish is some slight, bitter hops. The beginning and the end are not very intense flavors; it seems that the grapefruit takes over the majority of the palette here. All in all, this is a smooth, well balanced, refreshing beer that showcases its citrus flavors along with its Southern charm.

The last beer of the weekend came from Marietta, GA's own Red Hare Brewing Company: Gangway IPA. I think this was probably the biggest limb I went out on, because I had never heard of it before and it only came in 6 packs. I rarely buy beer in 6 packs the first time even if I have heard of it because no one wants 5 more beers they don't like. That wasn't an issue here. Gangways IPA is a typical clear gold with a big, fluffy white head. The nose shows light pine hops with hints of some citrus in there as well. We are led into the flavor with a nice combination of pine and citrus hops which are followed up with some sweet malts. Okay, quick sidebar. Lots of IPA's have these characteristics. Hoppy flavors accompanied by some malts is pretty much a descriptor for 90% of IPAs. The difference between an okay IPA and a great IPA is balance of these flavors. I think this beer does that fantastically. The transition from hops to malts is pretty spot on here. This IPA was a real sleeper, and it caught me off guard. Cheers, Red Hare, I really enjoyed my first taste of your beer.