Prairie Artisan Ales – Christmas Bomb

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Christmas, Prairie Artisanal Ales, Stout Season, Winter

It wouldn’t quite feel like winter if I didn’t have any stouts to share, now would it?  That this one happened to be a festive variant of an old favorite was certainly a plus and the fact that it was bottled on Halloween made it all the more irresistible!  Ahh, Halloween and Christmas together again…

Beer Name: Christmas Bomb

Brewery: Prairie Artisan Ales (Oklahoma City, OK)

Style: Imperial Stout

ABV: 13.0%

Description: The brewery used their popular Bomb! Imperial Stout as a base and added cinnamon to its already impressive array of coffee, chocolate, vanilla, and ancho chili.

Appearance: Poured to a black body topped by a thin, dark tan foam that faded immediately upon completion of the pour.

Smell: Creamy dark malts with a blast of cinnamon at the end.

Taste: Creamy, rich malts upfront transitioned first to sweet chocolate and then towards a robust, spicy blend of vanilla and cinnamon.  Emerging on the finish were hints of roasted coffee and a distinct layer of heat from both alcohol and chilli peppers.

Mouthfeel: Thick, smooth body with low carbonation.

Hype: I was excited about this one.  I really enjoy the base brew and I was excited to incorporate a stout into my festive mix.

Overall: This was a very aggressively flavorful brew and I was immediately captivated by the potential offered by the aroma and first half of the sip.  After that however, the beer’s strong finish got to be a bit much for me. The cinnamon on its own had a pretty assertive presence, but in combination with the pepper and vanilla, the level of spice and heat on the finish was enough to really give me pause around a third of the way into the glass.  It wasn’t bad necessarily, but it was intense. Your feelings about these adjuncts and the flavor profiles they impart will very much determine whether or not this is the brew for you or not.

Brouwerij Huyghe – Delirium Noel

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Belgian Dark, Brouwerij Huyghe, Christmas, Holidays, Winter

For my next Holiday brew I’m checking in with something that’s been one of my seasonal go-tos for a few years now.  I was first introduced to this brewery by a coworker who absolutely adored Delirium Tremens, and from there I started checking out whatever else I could find from them.

Beer Name: Delirium Noel

Brewery: Brouwerij Huyghe (Ghent, Belgium)

Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale

ABV: 10.0%

Description: A sweet and (winter) spicy Belgian dark ale brewed for the Holiday season.  Read more about it here.

Appearance: Pours a reddish brown body topped by a finger of off-white fluffy foam.

Smell: Sweet malt and spicy yeast.

Taste: On the sweeter side upfront with hints of dark fruit and candy malt.  Tastes of herbal, winter spices and peppery yeast quickly take over alongside a spicy bitterness and carry on through to a dry finish with a mild to moderate alcohol presence.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied and surprisingly effervescent with an elevated carbonation level.

Hype: None in particular, though I have tended to make sure I have had at least one of these every Holiday season the past few years.

Overall: Obviously I like this.  It’s a bit spicier and more carbonated than I would typically look for in the style, but there’s something about it that just says December to me.  I can’t help but keep going back for more.

Brouwerij De Dolle Brouwers – Stille Nacht

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Belgian, Christmas, Winter

It’s now that tim of year where I start breaking out the Christmas brews!  I’m aiming for a quality over quantity approach this time around so while I won’t be reviewing quite as many as I did last year, I do hope to be able to share some real gems with you all.

Beer Name: Stille Nacht

Brewery: Brouwerij De Dolle Brouwers (Esen, Belgium)

Style: Belgian Strong Pale Ale

ABV: 12.0%

Description: A strong Belgian pale ale brewed with pale malts, white candy sugar, and Nugget hops.  There’s a pretty cool story on the brewery’s website about a pretty epic tasting event involving this beer that is certainly worth a read as well.

Appearance: Pale amber/dark yellow body with a thin and persistent white foam across the top.

Smell: Mild candy-like malts and spicy, herbal yeast.

Taste: sweet malts upfront, brown sugar, bubble gum, fruity apple and grape, banana, clove, spicy yeast end with a bit of warmth.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body with roughly moderate carbonation.

Hype: None when I initially picked it up, but I did come to find out later on that it’s ranked as the third best Belgian Pale Ale on Beer Advocate.

Overall: Something about the holiday season makes me think of Belgian strong ales and this one certainly did not disappoint!  This was a very good brew that initially brought to mind a lighter Belgian pale until after a few sips the heat and assertive yeasty notes on the end stepped in to slow me down a bit.  This is one tasty beer sure to keep you warm and happy on a cold wintery eve!

Central Waters Brewing Company – Cassian Sunset

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Central Waters Brewing Company, Craft Beer, Stout, Winter

One of my greatest discoveries while blogging here has been the Central Waters Brewers Reserve Series.  So far I have tried and reviewed four beers from this series and each of them left me impressed. Could this one continue the trend?

Beer Name: Cassian Sunset

Brewery: Central Waters Brewing Company (Amherst, WI)

Style: Imperial Stout

ABV: 11.7%

Description: An imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels with coffee, vanilla beans, and cinnamon.

Appearance: Poured into surprising nice hotel-furnished glassware with a thick, black body topped by a foamy off-white head.

Smell: An incredible mix of creamy sweetness and chocolate fudge, capped off by a moderate bourbon finish.

Taste: Deliciously close to the smell.  It opened with creamy, rich dark malts followed by a big chocolately/fudge presence with hints of cinnamon and vanilla mixed in for good measure.  A moderate and smooth bourbon barrel finish brought the beer to a pleasantly warm finish.  Seemed like the longer this sat in the glass, the better it kept on getting.

Mouthfeel: Smooth, thick body with very low level carbonation.

Hype: I certainly had high hopes going in, but I can’t really say how the beer community at large feels about this.  I have seen plenty of online enthusiasm for this series though.

Overall: This one wowed me.  Huge creamy dark malts and sweet chocolate notes kept the cinnamon and vanilla in their ideal roles as supporting flavors while the finish nicely showcased the barrel aging process.  A four pack of these bottles in the $15-16 range is an easy buy and one I intend to repeat. If big dessert-like stouts are your thing, you need to try this.

Treehouse Brewing Company – Snow

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Craft Beer, DIPA, New England, Snow, Tree House Brewing Company, Winter

Last weekend was pretty eventful in these parts.  Months ago my wife and I had made plans to spend the long weekend in New Jersey and despite the threat of major winter storm we decided to make the journey anyway.  On the way down we made a pit stop at Treehouse Brewing Company in Charlton, MA to pick up some provisions for the hotel and hit up the Cracker Barrel down the street.  Luckily for us we picked a rather fortuitous day to visit the brewery; not only did they announce a couple of releases that morning (more on those later) but they also had this seasonally appropriate brew available as well.

Beer Name: Snow

Brewery: Treehouse Brewing Company (Charlton, MA)

Style: Wheat Double NEIPA

ABV: 7.8%

Description: A double IPA brewed with a “boatload” of Citra, Centennial, and Sabro hops as well as what sounds like a good amount of malted white wheat.

Appearance: Poured a hazy, juice-like yellowish orange body with a thin foamy white head.

Smell: Huge tropical fruit notes coming right out of the can.  Takes on a bit of additional pale malt/light wheat aromas in the glass.

Taste: Straight up tropical fruit juice upfront.  After the initial sweetness the beer took on creamy grainy/wheaty notes in middle before coming to a lingering bitter finish highlighted by citrus zest and perhaps a hint of lime.

Mouthfeel: It had a smooth drinking fluffy, medium body with a fairly moderate level of carbonation.

Hype: Elevated considering the source.  Add in a bit of my own expectations as well given its seasonally appropriate name.

Overall: I thought this was a very good beer that left a very positive impression upon me.  I know I recently lamented being somewhat burned out on the NEIPA style, but between the addition of wheat and the somewhat atypical hop mixture (I don’t come across Sabro all that often) I thought this one distinguished itself from the pack.

Ipswich Ale Brewery – Defrost

Tags

8th Annual Christmas Tree Burn Fundraiser, Beer, Beer Review, Fire, Ipswich Ale Brewery, Massachusetts, New England, Newbury, Winter

My wife and I took advantage of my mom’s offer to babysit last Saturday and went out for our first proper “date night” in quite some time.  Our destination of choice was lovely Newbury, MA for the 8th Annual Christmas Tree Burn Fundraiser.  Braving temperatures dropping below 20°F, we had an excellent time walking the farm, watching an ice sculptor, and, of course, taking in the giant bonfire that sent all the Christmas trees thrown away this year out in a blaze of glory.  

Another point of interest, particularly for me, was a beer called Defrost, a special release local favorite Ipswich Ale Brewery prepared specifically for the event.

Beer Name: Defrost

Brewery: Ipswich Ale Brewery

Style: Weizenbock

ABV: 7.7%

Description: Brewed for the event and to help fight the winter blues, the release notes promise a beer that balances “iconic German yeast flavors… against a complex malt base with notes of chocolate and dark fruit.”  Proceeds of its sale go to benefit the Newbury Volunteer Fire Department.

Appearance: Fresh off the draft lines of one of the brewery’s handy little tap mobiles, it poured an opaque caramel colored body with some light tan lacing spread out across the top.

Smell: Crisp malts mixed with a slightly spicy, wheaty presence.

Taste: Sweet bready malts upfront, followed by notes of dark fruit, wheat, and banana-like esters in the middle.  A very subtle noble hop presence brought it all together with just the barest hint of spicy bitterness.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a slightly above moderate carbonation level.

Hype: Relative to the beer scene in general I would say not much, but I was certainly interested in trying this out and the lines for beer suggested that I was not alone in this.

Overall: A very flavorful brew that certainly did its part keeping me warm on a rather chilly evening.  I had a couple of these that night and might even have a few more if it crosses my path again.

 

 

The Twelve Beers of Christmas, Day Twelve: Rogue Ales – Santa’s Private Reserve Ale

Tags

12 Beers, Beer, Beer Review, Christmas, Holidays, Rogue Ales, Santa, Winter

And here we are on Christmas morning and the end of my 12 beers series!  Whether you are celebrating today or not, I want to wish everyone out there a safe and happy day.  As for myself, I got something a little stronger than milk and cookies left out for me last night.

Beer Name: Santa’s Private Reserve Ale

Brewery: Rogue Ales (Newport, OR)

Style: Belgian Dark Strong Ale

ABV: 7.9%

Description: The 2018 version of Rogue’s winter seasonal is a Belgian Dark Ale brewed with tangerines and boysenberries.  The full list of ingredients is available here.

Appearance: Poured a deep ruby-red/brownish body with a bubbly tan head.

Smell: Sweetness from malt and berries, offset by moderate tartness.

Taste: The very start of the sip was sweet, but quickly got overtaken by a heavy tart presence, presumably boysenberry, and tangerine rind.  The tartness carried on through to the end, where it mingled with peppery Belgian-style yeast.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with plus carbonation.

Hype: I’ll admit I was hoping to end strong.  It had a good name for it as well.

Overall: It was good, but be warned that it was also really tart!  That said I did enjoy sipping at it, but for best results I would recommend pairing it with some food.

The Twelve Beers of Christmas, Day Eight: Samuel Smith’s Brewery – Winter Welcome Ale

Tags

Beer, Beer Review, Christmas, December, Holidays, Samuel Smith's Brewery, United Kingdom, Winter, Winter Solstice

Happy Winter Solstice everyone!  When looking through the haul of beers I grabbed for this review series, which in all honesty was mostly compiled in one grab through the singles section at one of my local stores, it seemed like this one had a particular day I should drink it on.

Beer Name: Winter Welcome Ale

Brewery: Samuel Smith’s Brewery (Tadcaster, United Kingdom)

Style: Winter Ale

ABV: 6.0%

Description: A seasonal beer brewed with a variety of malts and hopped with Fuggle and Golding.

Appearance: Reddish light brown body with a lacing of white bubbles across the top.

Smell: Faint hints of toasted malt and sweetness.

Taste: A mix of caramel and lightly toasted malt upfront.  A light, earthy/spicy bitterness came on about midway and mingled with more toasted malt for the ending.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body with moderate carbonation.

Hype: None really, but I have had some quietly delicious stouts from this brewery.

Overall: Not bad a brew, but somewhat underwhelming. I personally would have welcomed in winter with something a bit more robust, but it was the luck, or not, of the draw that put this in my glass.  Decent malty ale, but ultimately nothing to write home about.

The Twelve Beers of Christmas, Day Seven: Troegs Independent Brewing – Mad Elf

Tags

12 Beers, Beer, Beer Review, Christmas, December, Elf, Holidays, Mad Elf, Troegs Independent Brewing, Winter

Checking in today with another beer named for a troubled elf and I am once again wondering about the working conditions at Santa’s shop.  I’m taking us on a tangent here, but having just watched that old Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer special I think I can understand why: people in Christmas village are jerks.  Would anyone really have blamed Rudolph and Hermie if they just said “fuck y’all” and never turned back?

Beer Name: Mad Elf

Brewery: Troegs Independent Brewing (Hershey, PA)

Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale

ABV: 11.0%

Description: The brewery’s winter seasonal featuring (among other things) spicy Belgian yeast, raw honey, and cherries.  Check out the complete story here.

Appearance: Deep ruby-red/light brownish body with a lacing of white bubbles up top.

Smell: A mixture of sweet honey and cherry tartness backed by notes of peppery Belgian yeast.

Taste: Again sweetness upfront in the form of rich malts, honey, and cherry.  The ending was somewhat warming and featured a blend of peppery yeast and winter spices.

Mouthfeel: Medium-plus body that despite feeling fizzy at times had low carbonation.

Hype: I don’t recall having this before, but I remember at one point this beer had a bit of a seasonal following.

Overall: Very solid brew.  I don’t think I could do more than one of these in a sitting, but it’s a nice beer to sit back with and keep warm with.

Merry December!

Tags

Blog Life, December, Holidays, Winter

I know I’m a few days late with this greeting, but I feel like that’s pretty unavoidable this time of year.  I’ve long held that Halloween marks the last chance to truly let loose and have fun before the mad rush through Thanksgiving, the December Holidays, and New Year’s and that seems especially true for me this year.  I’m not saying there’s no fun to be had from these things (indeed I have a newfound appreciation for these holidays upon experiencing them with a two-year old), but this time of year certainly brings with it a level of stress and obligation that can really weigh one down.

On account of this I haven’t had as much time to work on posts as I would have liked and am taking a week or so off to gather my thoughts while preparing to end the year strong.  I have one more epic book review coming up that I am very excited to share with you all and on our around December 14th I have a festive lineup of beers I’ll start reviewing. I also have some end of year type posts in the works, though I will have to wait and see whether or not those make the December cut or get pushed to early January.

It’s a hectic time of year right now, so I’ll close this with a reminder to be careful out there.  Stay warm, safe, and sane my friends!