Harviestoun Ola Dubh:
Howdy one and all and welcome to a beer review for the ages, well, maybe not the ages but at least a while…till my next review.  Today’s beer hails from across the pond and is a collaboration between Harviestoun Brewery and Highland Park Distillery where the brewery puts it’s award winning Old Engine Oil beer (not bad by the way) and lets it age in previously used scotch barrels.  Yep, your mouth oughta be drooling right now, I know mine is.  So the name means “Black Oil” and the beer pours like it as well with a midnight black coloration, a chocolate colored head and a nose of roasted malts, dark chocolate, smoke, booze, and coffee.  The beer’s taste is very much like a good blended scotch being drunk with a porter and  touch of creamy undertones that like to literally dance around on your palate.  The beer doesn’t come in to strongly at only 8% ABV so it is light on the boozieness but none the less has that mellow whiskey sweetness that would make you believe it’s got a higher ABV.  Like other whiskey/bourbon barrel beers out there, this is a treat in a bottle and worth the cost and should be savored and not guzzled.  If you can find this or any other beer that is aged in a whiskey/bourbon barrel, grab it, it’s an experience in a glass that can’t be duplicated by any other means. 

Great Divide Hibernation Ale:
Greetings all and welcome back to your one stop shop for winter ale knowledge and curiosity. Today let’s go back up to Colorado and look at Great Divide’s Hibernation Ale (also, while we are up here lets look at a furnished apartment to rent, we’re up here enough looking at beers).  The beer pours a nice dark amber with a touch of red undertone, a nice creamy head that leaves a good amount of lacing in the glass and a nose of roasted malts, cocoa, and caramel notes.  The beer’s taste is almost a mirror of it’s nose though the caramel and cocoa notes aren’t quite as noticeable as they are in the nose, but they are there, showing up mainly on the back end along with a bit of dryness.  This beer really does live up to it’s English Old Ale style with having enough malts to…I don’t know, through a malt party, or something like that with lots of…malts and stuff.   Okay while I go and try to be more cleaver, find yourself a bottle/tap/six-pack of this beer and enjoy it, it’s worth it.

Guinness Generous Ale:
Hello friends and welcome back.  Today lets look at one of those beers that is rarely seen in the wild outside of it’s family pack and that is Guinness Generous Ale.  Yes, this is that beer with the shiny red label that is billed as a winter warmer from the good people in Ireland.  The beer is another attempt to give the normal (and awesome) Guinness beer a new twist on it’s flavor and, really, why mess with perfection?? The beer pours the familiar midnight black with a clean white head that is a bit creamy and a bit foamy and none of the famed Guinness carbonation and a nose of overly sweet spice and a touch of hops.  The beer’s initial taste is very malty with a bit of spice that stays with the beer as it moves to the mid tongue and a back end of subtle hop notes.  Nothing that special, nothing really worth writing a lot about.  If you want a Guinness this winter season, drink a regular Guinness or Foreign Extra and I promise you’ll be better off. 

Harpoon Winter Warmer:
Greetings fellow beer travelers and welcome back to our attempt to cover as many beers as possible in as short amount of time as possible.  Now, drunkenness aside (it doesn’t make for easy review reading for you) the challenge of these reviews is to not get bogged down in seasonal beers that begin to taste alike and become indistinguishable.  Today’s beer had a high likelihood of that happening but thankfully I, your intrepid beer reviewer, was aware of this possibility so I moved Harpoon’s Winter Warmer beer to the front of the line for today and here I am, reporting to you my findings of this beer- please contain your excitement till the end.  The beer pours a light copper coloration with a thick creamy white head that leaves a decent amount of lacing and spicy nose of cinnamon and all-spice.  The beer’s initial taste is very malty with a creamy back bone that mellows down to a rumor of creaminess on the mid and backend while the beer’s main taste is over taken by way too much spice.  The spice level is almost artificial in it’s taste and it becomes very off-putting to try and enjoy this beer when every time you drink it you’re sense of taste is overwhelmed with what tastes like store bought faux ingredients.  So as you can tell, I’m not a fan of this beer and wouldn’t recommended this for your consumption, but if you do choose to drink it, it’s at your own risk. 

Southern Tier Old Man:
Hello one and all and welcome back that website that tries to makes sense of the beer world and will keep on trying for the foreseeable future.  Today let’s take a look at Southern Tier out of New York (how does that name come out of this location??) and their winter ale: Old Man.  Old man, wait, ah hahaha!! I get it, yeah, cleaver and I’m a bit slow right now on the uptake of wit.  So what do we have here in front of us?   Well it’s umm, a winter warmer and it pours the standard dark brown color with a light tan color and a nose of subtle hops and malts.  The beer’s initial taste is a clean sharp malt flavor that is more bready then roasted and this sharp flavor moves into a hop filled mid tongue that gives the bready malts a pine resin flavor.  The back end is a rather raw hop flavor that really seems like it belongs in a domestic lager than this beer and a sour note as the after taste.  Not that great of a beer really, there is nothing that special about it.  It’s not that it’s a bad winter beer, the hops make it a bit more distinctive then others but really, it’s just kind of a let down because it’s right on the cusp of being a great beer but it seems like the brewmasters held back something, not sure what but it is missing something. 

Pyramid Snow Cap:
Greetings friends, confidants, and fellow beer drinkers and welcome back to, wait for it, ANOTHER BEER REIVEW!! YAYYY!!! Now, now, calm down and slow your roll, we’ve got a review to do and with no more delay, lets talk about Pyramid.  No, no not those big ole geometric shape things in Egypt but the beer that’s brewed in Washington state and today we look at their winter warmer beer: Snow Cap.  The beer pours a nice medium amber color with a thick creamy white head that leaves a decent lacing and a nose of lightly roasted malts and caramel.  The beer’s initial taste is a nice balanced flavor of hops and roasted malts that have a creamy taste underneath it all that seems to stay with the beer throughout the whole drinking process.  The mid tongue features a nice hop note with floral hints while the back end moves back to the roasted malt flavor that sticks around with a not so welcome film on the inside of your mouth and makes turns it dry and skunky till your next sip, then the process repeats itself.  Not a bad beer and it’s just short of impressive thanks to the bad after effects of the beer so I would say this isn’t something I’d immediately gravitate to unless it’s up against so of the less favorable options (and you know who you are you bad, bad beers). 

Breckenridge Christmas Ale:
Ah hello friends and welcome back to our continued stroll through the winter wonderland and it’s amazing beer selection.  Today we jump back up to the great (beer) state of Colorado and journey, once again, to Breckenridge and look at that town’s namesake brewery and their Christmas Ale.  This beer comes in at a respectable 7.4% ABV and is one of those beer s that you can make the “good looking label therefore I must buy it” argument.  Hey, it’s not that out of the realm of possibility; I’ve met several people that are known to buy a beer based on the label alone and while that isn’t the best beer buying policy, it’s better than choosing beer based on the name brand alone.  The beer pours a dark brown with a slightly off white head that is thick and creamy leaving good lacing as well as a nose of roasted malts and sweet dark fruits.  The beer’s initial taste is very much like it’s nose with strong roasted (burnt) malts with a subtle touch of coffee flavoring that move to a mellow hop and caramel flavor on the mid tongue while the back end is dominated again by roasted malts.  The after taste is one that seems to vary from roasted malts and a subtle hoppy skunk which is very off putting at times but it’s really easily remedied by another pull on the bottle so, happy day! Anyway, a good beer, not the best but it’s consistent in it’s flavor profile and you know what to expect when drinking it.  I’d recommend this as a stand by winter warmer beer or one to serve to guests at a party of some sort.

Full Sail Wassail:
Hello all and welcome back to your one stop shop for seasonal beer reviews and since we just happen to be in the winter season, let’s review a winter beer.  Full Sail has already graced this winter beer wonder land with a winter seasonal beer that is a part of their Session line and thrilled me about as much as ice water on a cold day.  Today we look at their regular line’s Wassail beer, a winter warmer beer with a nice respectable 7% ABV and a surprisingly good taste.  The beer pours a dark brown color with a nice thick off white head that leaves a good amount of lacing and a nose of candied apples and roasted malts.  The beer’s initial flavor is a strong roasted malt with a burnt sugar flavor that shows up again in the back end while the mid tongue shows a mellow but distinct sweetness of sweet red apples.  This beer surprised the heck out of me by being this good, I really didn’t expect much from this one and was ready to just write a standard review of a standard beer but I was wrong, way wrong.   See, this is why I love winter beers, they have so much more of a flavor potential then any other seasonal beer out there and what they have to choose from is pretty agreeable as a beer taste profile.  Do yourself a favor and try this one out, I think you’ll be pleased.  

New Belgium Frambozen:
Greetings and salutations one and all and welcome to another winter beer review that turns away from the darker malt based winter beers and goes with a more fruit based flavor.  Frambozen from New Belgium is a raspberries based beer that is marketed as a Thanksgiving beer and really, I can see that angle pretty easily with it being a lighter beer that could be drunk at the dinner table and not weigh you down.  The beer pours a light brown color with an off-white head that appears to have touches of red highlights in it but no lacing is left and it has a nose of a berry based hard candy and malts.  The beer’s flavor isn’t that complex, it reminds me of fruit based sodas that I used to get as a kid though it isn’t nearly that sweet but the raspberries are still very present throughout the sip of the beer and don’t offer much depth of flavor.  The ABV in this beer is a surprising 6.5% but it’s hardly noticeable which seems to be a thing with most fruit based beers and if you drink a lot of these it will catch up with you quickly so, you know, word of warning if you like this beer (just me doing my civic duty).   Me, I don’t hate it but it’s not my cup of tea and really, I see this as being more of a summer beer with it’s lightness and fruity flavor but I’m not in the New Belgium marketing meetings so my opinion can only go so far. 

Santa Fe Chicken Killer Barley Wine Ale:
Hello one and all and welcome back to another beer review that today, isn’t a beer review but a barley wine review (and technically it‘s still a beer but who‘s counting).  Yes friends today we look at that style of beer that takes normal beer ingredients and somehow makes a concoction that is full of flavors like sweet fruits, sour notes and a balance of hops and malts that is to be marveled.  Santa Fe’s Chicken Killer is that barley wine that should be considered for anyone interested in trying a barley wine.  The beer pours a nice semi-cloudy amber with not much head to speak of though what is there is stark white and a nose of sour notes and overly ripened dark fruits.  The barley wine’s initial taste is a very malt heavy on the front end with a touch of hops that bloom into a mellow savory sweet taste that rolls to the back of the tongue where the piney hop flavor takes over leaving a slightly dry aftertaste.  This is an awesome beer/barley wine and it blurs the line of sour beer and sweet beer very well and it apparently ages very well like a good wine so the possibility of getting a 2012 barley wine vintage in 2015 is still possible folks.  Do yourself a favor and give Chicken Killer a try, you just might have found yourself a new beer style that will truly set you apart for the masses.  

Full Sail Session Fest:
Greetings one and all and welcome back to another beer review, another day.  Today we take a look at Full Sail’s Session line and their stab at a winter beer: Fest.  This beer is a type of Czech-style strong lager that goes by the name polotmave which means “light dark or semi-dark” or at least that’s what the website says. Brewed with a variety of malts and a couple blends of hops that make this a beer with a variety of flavors and all packed into a tiny little bottle.  The beer pours a golden color that has a touch of red hue with an aggressive bone white head that leaves minimal lacing and a nose of malts and hops akin to a Budweiser.  The beer’s initial taste is much like most other lagers out there with a malty and bready notes that move to a strange hard candy like flavor that reminds one of holiday candies but not a specific one.  The back end taste is a combo of hops and malts though nothing overpowering and a skunk after taste that is found in most domestic lagers.  For the awesomeness that is the Sessions line this one falls short and that’s a shame.  Oh well, plenty of other fish in the winter beer sea. 

Peticolas Royal Scandal:
Hello friends and let me ask you a question: What was the last royal scandal you remember?  First off let’s all agree that the only real royals we care about here in the States is the English crown and nothing else- at least on a large scale.  So outside those bi-monthly scandals that the National Enquirer seems to find and forget about there hasn’t been a really issue since, oh I don’t know, the divorce of Diana and Charles?  Forgive me, I don’t keep on these things but I do know this: Peticolas’ Royal Scandal is a royal scandal worth remembering.  This English Pale Ale was the most recent Gold Medal winner at the Great American Beer Festival in the category of English-Style Pale Ale and sent reverbs through the local beer scene here in North Texas (for obvious reasons).   So how does this award winning local beer taste?  Pretty awesome, actually.  The beer was poured from a tap that shows off its clear amber gold color with a nice white head of foam and subtle nose of hops and bready malts.  The beer’s taste is like a good crisp lager with the hops coming in to add a depth of field to an otherwise run of the mill lager flavor with a touch of fruit sweetness on the back end.  The beer’s main highlight to me is it’s drinkability which, for a pale ale, is saying a lot.  This beer doesn’t drink like your typical pale ale and can be easily enjoyed with most dishes that involve a meat and vegetable.  If you get a chance, drink this one up, it’s pretty awesome.

Stone Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale:
Hello all and welcome back to my little attempt to shed light on the vast world of beer and it’s many varieties.  Today we look at another line up from Stone Brewing, this time at their Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale which is a double dry hopped black IPA that should be- in my humble opinion- what all black IPA’s should strive to become.  The beer was poured from a tap with a pitch black coloration, a white creamy head of foam, and a nose of grapefruit and hops that are rich enough to make any hop head drool with anticipation.  The beer’s initial taste is very heavy on the pine aspect of the beer with a rolling momentum to grapefruit notes on the mid tongue and a back end and after taste of skunk and malts that combine the worlds of hops and malts in universal harmony (yeah, cheesy but it works).   Luckily this is available in bottle and it’s worth the find if you can get it either on tap or in bottle (tap always being the preferred method).  A great and awesome beer that will now be the bench mark for any black IPA I come across, this is what a beer should taste like folks, enjoy it and, above all, savor it. 

Samuel Adams' Merry Mischief:
Greetings one and all and welcome back to yet ANOTHER holiday beer review (yes, I know you’re getting sick of these but blame the beer industry for making so many winter beers).  Today, we look at Samuel Adams’ Limited Release/Small Batch winter beer Merry Mischief which is a gingerbread stout beer.  This beer seems as if someone raided my thoughts about the holidays and made a beer of all things that I love about holiday cooking and sweets with the combination of dark stout beer, spices, and gingerbread which, oh man, drives me wild (yeah I’m pathetic like that).  The beer itself pours a deep brown/black with a light brown head of foam and a nose of holiday spices, gingerbread, and coffee.  The beer’s initial taste is a quick one-two punch of creamy stout beer and hard edge spicy dark beer that moves to an even keel of coffee and roasted malt notes on the mid tongue and a dark gingerbread/molasses flavor that moves to an after taste of solely a gingerbread only flavor.  For me, this is what holiday beers should be with a wide variety of holiday spices and sweets all rolled (stored) into a beer bottle.  I’ve never been a big fan of the Small Batch Samuel Adams’ line but this beer alone is enough to change one’s mind.

New Belgium Ranger India Pale Ale:
Greetings friends, neighbors, and local beer friends and welcome to yet another beer review for the masses.  Today we look at a “mass market” ipa from the good people (and brewers) at New Belgium who make among their other beers, Fat Tire, and today we look at their Explore series’ Ranger India Pale Ale, in a tall boy can none the less.  The beer pours a crisp golden color with a bone white head and a nose of citrus and floral notes.  The initial taste is akin to most average ipa beers that give you a mellow skunk notes but that is quickly forgotten with a blooming citrus flavor that washes away most of the front end flavor while the backend does bring back a touch of the skunk but also lots of strong floral notes that gives the beer a nice smooth edge to be remembered.  The beer’s after taste is a nice combination of all the flavors mentioned before with a touch of dryness and no hint of metal (which is where most canned beer falter).  This is good ipa that should be viewed as a go between beer for an entry level ipa and the more advanced double ipas and the best part of this is that it comes in both glass bottles or cans so this good ipa can be enjoyed nearly everywhere. 

Deep Ellum Pollenator:
Hello one and all and welcome back to what turns out to be another beer review!  Who knew?!  Today we look at another rare tapping from the good people over at Deep Ellum Brewery.  Ah Deep Ellum, what memories I have of it (the neighborhood, not the brewery); with concerts and drinking Italian sodas at Café Brazil pretty much all throughout high school, this little area of Dallas introduced me to the concept of local music (and how awesome it can be) as well an eclectic art scene that seemed to migrate up from towns like Austin and New Orleans that lined the streets on Friday and Saturday nights made this a unique scene to my young self.  After a down decade this little slice of what makes Dallas unique is trying to make a come back and Deep Ellum Brewery has been moved to the forefront of that resurgence and rightfully so.  Today’s beer is their Dopplebock style beer, Pollenator which serves as their 1st anniversary beer.  The beer, poured from a tap, is a dark ruby brown color with a creamed coffee colored head that is thick and leaves some lacing while it exhibit’s a nose of sweet notes of honey and fruit.  The beer’s initial taste is a mellow sweet brown sugar flavor that blooms to a English Brown Ale flavor of roasted malts and a touch of hops on the mid tongue and all three combine to a nice medley of flavors create a mellow back end and after taste.   As far Anniversary beers this one rates near the top and allows another positive tick mark on Deep Ellum wall o’beer.  Find this one and enjoy my local beer fans, it is worth it, trust me. 

Deep Ellum Festivus:
Greetings one and all and welcome to a Festivus for the rest of us! Yes, that classic “Seinfeld” episode (“The Strike”) has spawned probably one of the best made up holidays, ever.  That episode, from start to finish, is how comedy gold is written, acted, and paced but the break down of the episodes of the mid to late years of “Seinfeld” is for another day because today we are here to talk about beer and how about this, a beer named Festivus.  Yes that little growing brewery in Dallas, Deep Ellum Brewery, has spawned a black IPA beer that not only breaks the mold of holiday beer but shatters it and kicks the pieces all over the factory floor.  The beer was poured from the tap (the only way its available) an inky black liquid with a decent head of tan foam that leaves great lacing and a nose of pine and citrus. The beer’s initial taste is of roasted malts with slight pine hints that roll into a strong tart citrus that gives a slight skunk back end to the beer and dry sour after taste.  Think of this beer as the Frank Costanza (played expertly by Jerry Stiller, who is the one of the most underrated actors out there right now) of winter beers, different, funny, and a guilty pleasure.  Worth drinking if you’re local and can find it, it’s a rarity and worth the effort. 

Sierra Nevada Celebration:
Ah hello friends and welcome back to the best little beer website in Texas- in my opinion.  Today let us continue our trek through the beer winter wonder land and take a stop and a gander at what Sierra Nevada has to offer us.  Celebration Ale is one of those winter beer that once again breaks tradition of the winter beers (if there is a tradition) by being an IPA and not a dark malty beer.  The beer pours a nice ruby red color with a great light white foamy head that leaves impressive lacing and a nose of grapefruit and piney hops.  The beer’s taste starts out with a smooth boozy note that quickly blows up into strong grapefruit flavor that sticks around till the back end where it lightens up to a thick piney liquid that mellows to that great hop skunk all us hop heads crave.  This beer reminds me of a Dogfish 90 minute but thicker and that isn’t such a bad thing really, seeing how this is a winter beer.  Really this beer could be released anytime of the year by Sierra Nevada due to it’s delicious flavor profile but it’s worth the wait to drink this during the winter. 

Rogue Santa's Private Reserve:
Hello all and welcome back to our sleigh ride through the winter wonderland of beers.  Today we stop off at the North Pole to visit that jolly ole elf and his compound of toy making.  Now I’ve come to conclusion that with all the free time Santa has in the off season that he is a home brewer and possibly a moonshiner too.  So what kind of beer does Santa brew?  Hell if I know but the good people at Rogue have decided that he brews an American Amber ale, at least for his private stock.  This brew pours a redish hue amber with a cream head that is rocky on the surface while it leaves a decent curtain of lace and a nose of piney hops and roasted malts.  The beer’s taste starts out with a creamy malt taste that very quickly moves to a rough edged hop notes of pine and skunk that dominate the beer through to the back end and leaves the mouth dry.  This beer is one of those that breaks the mold of the dark malty beers that seem to dominate the winter landscape and this, like the New Belgium Redhoptober, uses it’s hoppy nature to give it a memorable taste though it is a flavor that can divide a room of beer drinkers.  I enjoy the piney hop flavors but then again I like a good hoppy beer. 

Great Divide Yeti Imperial Stout:
Hello friends and neighbors and welcome back to your one stop shop for beer reviews (hey, it can eventually be that, give it time).  Today we look at a beer that is kind of out of place in the order it’s been drunk since it serves as the base beer for Great Divide’s Yeti line and that beer is the Yeti (yeah no big surprise, I know).  Having reviewed one of the off-shoots of this beer earlier in the year (with great results) I figured it was high time to give this beer its time in the sun.  The imperial stout was poured from a tap with a dark brown, nearly black coloration with decent head of large light brown bubbles decent lacing and a nose of cocoa with a touch of hops underneath it.  The beer is thick and its taste profile starts off with a mild chocolate flavor that brings out some other dark flavors such as roasted malts and molasses.  The mid tongue and back end are bitter ala a medium roast coffee with a booze back that is noticeable (it is 9.5% ABV after all) but not overpowering which can be deceptive while tossing one of these beers back.  A great beer, not quite at the level of Old Rasputin but it’s close enough.  If you find yourself a Yeti, photograph it and then go grab the beer that is named after it and enjoy the beer and your new found fame.  

Harpoon Chocolate Stout:
Greetings all and welcome back to a review of a beer that brings back memories from childhood and it’s a great winter beer too!  Today we look at Harpoon’s Chocolate Stout which upon the initial sip, brings back memories of the chocolate sauce I used to put on ice cream when little.  I don’t remember the brand but this beer taste exactly like that syrup did but with a booze back and is so close to being the same viscosity it could probably still be used for that same purpose if you were so inclined….  Oh, sorry, got off on my own there for second.  Where was I?  Oh yes. The beer pours a ink black with hints of ruby red, a head of chocolate milk that leaves some lacing, and a nose that is similar to the nose of a newly opened bag of chocolate chips.  The taste is fairly straight forward being an stout it has that good chocolate flavor that I mentioned before and a nice coffee aftertaste and all with a boozy kick.  Yeah, this is a great beer, one that give chocolate beers a good name and gives you reason to have beer for dessert.  Enjoy.
 

Avery Old Jubilation Ale:
Hello all and welcome to another winter day another winter beer review (I know, life is difficult for me right now, winter beer after winter beer followed by another winter beer).  Today let us look at Avery’s offering to the beer world during these days of shortened day light and long nights.  Old Jubilation is a heavy Old Ale style beer that comes in at an very respectable 8.3% ABV and a bottle label that seems to be lifted from a Thomas Kinkade painting.  The beer pours a dark amber color with oatmeal colored head that starts of rocky and dissipates down to a thin film that leaves a good lace while the nose consist of sweet breads and subtle spices. The beer’s taste is very uniform from stem to stern with a creamy body that has a nice opening note of spice that blends to a roasted malt taste that lingers on the back end and after taste.  A good winter beer, it’s variation of tastes being creamier than most beers while have a it of bite to it makes this a memorable beer.  I will add this to the list of repeats for the future beer fridge and I suggest you take a chance on this one, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. 

Left Hand Milk Stout nitro:
Greetings fellow travelers and drinkers of the beer world and welcome to a beer review for America.  Yes friends, you read that right, for America, and since this is “America’s Stout” we should honor it with a review.  Now I’m not sure where the whole claim that this is “America’s Stout” came from but it’s on the label and since when has a labeled lied to us?  Wait, don’t answer that otherwise we’ll be here all day.  Left Hand Brewing’s Milk Stout is one of my favorite beers out there with it’s wide versatility as well as its clean and smooth taste.  Now take the whole nitro phenomenon, add that to it and you’ve got a beer that went from being a solid “A” to an “A+” and there is still plenty of room to grow.  So a quick refresher to y’all who are curious about the whole Nitro in beer thing: Nitrogen- instead of carbon dioxide- is used to pressurize a beer and gives the beer a smoother taste and a much more foamy appearance (in other words, it turns a beer in to a Guinness Draught style beer).  I won’t droll on about the taste of the beer other than it’s super creamy with a medium body and a nice malty finish.  I still haven’t been able to detect the sweetness in this beer but do I really need too in a beer this good?  Find yourself a six pack or, even better find it on-tap, and enjoy.

Rahr Winter Warmer:
Howdy all, and welcome back to not only a beer review but a local beer review at that!  Well, it’s local for only some of us but hopefully y’all outside this little megalopolis that we call the Metroplex will continue to read on.  My love/tolerance relationship with Fort Worth’s Rahr brewery and their beers should be well documented by now.  I have respect but not much desire to drink their year round brews but give me their seasonal or special edition beers and I’m one happy camper; case in point is Rahr’s Winter Warmer which is a dark English style ale that comes in two varieties: regular and bourbon barrel.  Today we look at the straight up regular version but don’t worry kiddos, the bourbon barrel version will be along soon.  The beer was poured from a tap with a nice coffee black coloration, an off white head that leaves good lacing, and a nose of cocoa and toasted breads.  The beer’s flavor profile is rather uniform on the front end and mid tongue with strong roasted malts and bit of chocolate that mellow with a coffee taste.  The back end retains the coffee flavor with a touch of dark fruits and an aftertaste of licorice though not overpowering.  So once again Rahr makes a stellar seasonal beer that is worth the hunt (if you live in North Texas it’s pretty easy to find these days, outside here I can’t make promises on availability).  Find one, enjoy and hopefully the weather outside isn’t to frightful.

Wasatch Winterfest:
Greetings friends and welcome back to another beer review, another day. Today we once again look a winter beer (yes there is a pattern forming here) this one being Wasatch Winterfest, which is a great example of how a winter beer should taste.  The beer pours a dark brown color with a head that is slightly off white and thick, very thick actually and never really goes away during the consumption process and a nose of spice and malts.  The beer’s initial tastes are those of roasted malts, dark breads, and fruits that stick with the beer picking up flavors of spices on the mid tongue and back end which adds a touch of sweetness.  Very drinkable but complex with new discoveries in ever sip.  Probably not the best beer to have with a meal since the food in front of you might clash with the flavors offered in this beer.  This might be too complex for most but if you’re game this is a great beer to try.  

Leinenkugel Snowdrift Vanilla Porter:
Hello one and all and as we are looking at an outside shot at a white Christmas here in the Lone Star State I figured there was no better time to look at a beer named Snowdrift than now.  Leinenkugel is one of those beer companies that is hit or miss with me and drinking their version of a winter beer which is not a winter warmer but a vanilla porter wasn‘t a for sure enjoyable experince.  Quickly I have to point out the redundancy on this bottles label with the “Snowdrift Vanilla Porter” then right underneath it “Porter With Vanilla.”  I guess they wanted to make sure they told us the was a porter made with vanilla, you know, a vanilla porter.  So how does it taste?  Well the beer pours the traditional dark brown with an aggressively building khaki colored head that leaves a good amount of lacing in the glass and a subtle nose of coffee and malts.  The beer’s taste is a very pedestrian porter with overly strong notes of coffee and a touch of booze and nothing else initially.  However on the after taste (particularly when you exhale) a strong vanilla flavor pops its head up with a touch of sweetness to it.  Needless to say I was surprised by this and it quickly elevated this beer from “meh” to “tasty” and definitely a repeat in the future for me.  This would be a good beer to give those who like coffee and tolerate beer because the vanilla is strong enough to make one forget about the beer you just took a pull from and makes you coming back for more. 

Newcastle Winter IPA:
So one has to wonder what Newcastle has next in it’s seemingly ever expanding line-up of beers.  As this year grows thin on days we once again look at the frosty hollow of winter beers and pull out Newcastle Winter IPA.  The beer pours a medium red amber with a light tan head that leaves some good lacing on the glass and a light nose of caramel and hops.  The beer’s taste is a toned down ESB with only the slightest sense of hops and a clean back end taste that really doesn’t leave much of an impression on me.  I was really interested in this beer but after sampling this one, I’ve come to the conclusion the Newcastle just takes their basic beer (which is delicious in my humble opinion) and does…things to it.  First example was their founder’s ale which wasn’t that great but tolerable and the werewolf which I really wanted to be good but it was a let down as well and now we have a winter IPA.  You’d think that the country that invented the IPA could make a good IPA but not with this one, leaving just vague hints of hops underneath a strong malt taste.  You’d be best to avoid this one and that is why I’m here, to take the bullet of a bad beer for you good people.  You’re welcome

Boulevard Nutcracker Ale:
You think Tchaikovsky had a beer in hand when he wrote “The Nutcracker”? I like to think that he sat at his little table, quill in one hand and a glass of Russian Imperial in the other, scribbling away.  How else could he think about writing scenes about rats with swords?   Maybe he did and maybe he didn’t but at least we can imagine, right?  Well the good people over at Boulevard took it upon themselves to name a winter warmer after that well known ballet and this is what have for our beer today.  The beer pours a dark brown color with a off-white head that leaves some lacing and a nose of roasted malts along with hints sugar and spices.  The beer’s flavor profile is pretty uniform with a strong roasted barley and malt flavor with a combo of mellow sweetness and holiday spices (think cinnamon) as an undertone.  Not a bad beer but really it didn’t strike me as a beer worth having again due to it’s really basic profile.  It reads like it would taste really nice but trust me, it’s not that special and the taste easily found in other winter warmers.  To tell you the truth, I would love to see Boulevard take this as a base and make a really nice Smokestack entry with it cause it’s got the flavor profile that you could experiment with, but outside wishful thinking, that’s about the only thing that I like about this beer: it’s potential. 

Stone Enjoy 12.21.12 IPA:
Hello all and let me start this off by asking a question to y’all: How many of you have ever had a beer that had an expiration date?  Now I know there is a lot of beers out there that have a “good by” dates but those are usually laser printed on the bottle and not painted on like the date (and name) of Stones short-time beer, Enjoy By 12.21.12 IPA.  This beer that Stone states they went through great links to get this beer on the market by Novemeber 19-20, 2012 so drinkers had a month to get this into their system before it went all bad or exploding on you (or whatever non pasteurized beer does).  The beer pours a nice cloudy golden color with a stark white head that leaves little lacing and a citrus nose of piney hops.  The beer’s initial taste is hop heavy (of course) that moves to a bready citrus mid tongue and a nice mellow skunk back end.  The aftertaste is a good blend of all the flavors found in the sip and it doesn’t linger too long.  The beer is (was) marketed as a freshly hopped beer and it’s level of flavors make it refreshingly different from most IPA though it still is a West Coast IPA so it doesn’t have the bite I prefer but still, it’s pretty tasty.  

Shock Top End of the World Midnight Wheat:
So let me ask this: How do you know it’s the end of the world?  Simple.  Shock Top makes a good beer.  Ouch. Sorry, that was harsh for a beer brand that I really don’t have much interest in but when I saw this, I said “Self, it’s a free beer, try it.”  The beer was a free beer  (which is the best kind of beer) as a result of the brew master tour at the Budweiser Brewery and I have to say that I came away impressed by what I found at the brewery and in this beer.  The beer pours a dark amber color with a thin but stark white head that leaves some lacing on the glass but nothing spectacular and a nose of a wheat and cocoa notes.  The beers initial taste reminds one of chocolate malt-o-meal but less sweet while that dreaded wheat taste shows up mid sip and stays through to the back end.  The aftertaste is interestingly warm and spicy that is similar to a spiced mole sauce and it grows as you drink the beer, giving one a warming sensation on the back of the throat. I will admit that this beer surprised me and in a room of 10 other individuals I was the only one drinking a beer that didn’t bear the mark of Budweiser on it’s label.  This little fact garnered me a soap box for 20 or so seconds of salesmanship to get them to try it on their own.  Alas, I wasn’t successful but then again, you can’t sway Budweiser drinkers very often.  So if you find one (or two), grab it and enjoy, I think you’ll be surprised by what you find. 

Alaskan Winter Ale:
Hello one and all and welcome back to our little skate across the frozen pond of winter beers and this time we go to a land that is known for it’s harsh winters: Alaska.  Yes today we venture up to the land that Jack London helped give a mythos to that has been unseen anywhere outside Texas.  So can a land that basically serves as a buffer from Russia brew a good beer? Let us drink up and find out.  Today’s beer is Alaskan Brewing’s Winter Ale which is basically an English Olde Ale that has the aroma of spruce tips.  How do I know this? Simple, the bottle tells me.  You actually think I know what spruce tree smells like?  Anyway, the beer pours a nice golden amber hue with a stark white head that leaves a decent amount of lacing and a nose that smells of caramelized malts and a car air-freshener (that’s what spruce smells like?!?).  The beers initial taste is very malty which isn’t a surprise seeing how it’s an English style ale while the mid-tongue adds an oddly unique and enjoyable slight citrus undertone to the malts and a back end and after taste that is a mix of bread and caramel flavors.  A good beer from Alaskan Brewery, which is a brewery that is raved about by multiple acquaintances and so far I can see myself enjoying more of this beer in the future.  Worth a spin if you’re interested but nothing ground breaking.  

Crispin Chotokkyo:
Greetings friends and welcome back to your source for not only beer but also ciders.  Now wait just one hot minute, sit down and keep your trap shut, ok?  This is the last cider for this year and, if the Mayans are right, the last one ever on this site so you can tolerate a few lines of me writing about cider.  Okay?  Good, now as anyone who reads this site (or even the ones that just look at the pictures) knows that I have a soft spot for Crispin cider and today we look yet another variation of their cider, the ChoTokkyu.  This cider goes outside the norm by using Sake yeast and organic rice syrup to flavor their cider.  This cider pours a very cloudy gold that has numerous columns of carbonation bubbles though no head to speak of and a subtle nose of green apples.  The cider’s taste is very akin to good sparkling Riesling or Pinot Grigio with just a tiny hint of apples and not even a rumor of sweetness.  If you’re a fan of ciders, especially Crispin, and want to try something different but still familiar, this might be something worth trying.  So friends, we say good by to ciders for now but rest assured, we’ll visit the line-up again next year and if there isn’t a next year, at least we had a good run with cider line-up.   Till next time friends and fellow drinkers, ciao.

Big Sky Brewing Power Hound:
Ah hello friends and welcome to another beer that allows us to dip our toe into the frozen waters of the winter beer pool.  Yes it’s time to once again look at a winter beer and today that beer is Big Sky Powder Hound which is an American Red Ale that is more of a seasonal collaboration beer (Spring and Winter) than a straight up winter ale.  The beer pours a nice amber color with a khaki colored head that has a slight red hue and a nose of floral hops, caramel and spice.  The initial taste is seems to split itself between piney hop notes and bread malts that move towards a mostly hoppy mid tongue and a spice malt back end and after taste give this beer a warming feeling that a winter warmer should.  A good beer that with the addition of the hops makes it a memorable beer in a crowded field though probably not worth an entire six pack unless you absolutely love it. 

Lone Star Beer:

Howdy folks and welcome back to your one and only source for a review of the “National Beer of Texas.”  Yes friends it’s high time we look at that beer that shares it’s name with my favorite state (and home state too!) Lone Star Beer.  So a beer that bears the slogan of “National Beer of Texas” is also a two time Gold Medal winner in Great American Beer Festival in the category of American Style Cream Ale or Lager (the other winners those two years are beers I’ve never heard of, take from that what you will).  So how does a consecutive gold medal beer winner taste to a native Texan with a refined beer palate? (and why did you just snicker when I said “refined beer palate”?) The beer pours the familiar light clear gold color with a thin white head that dissipates very quickly to almost nothing and a nose of overly sweet malts with a sour hop undertone.  The beer’s initial taste is like a mix of Budweiser and Bud Light and, well, yeah that’s about it.  If you’re curious to what else lies beyond that in the taste profile area feel free to consult my nearly award winning reviews of Budweiser and it’s lighter brother.  All I can say is this: if this is the “National Beer of Texas” I say we start an exploratory committee to find a new one ’cause this ain’t cutting it. 

Ska Modus Hoperandi:
Hello IPA, it seems like it’s been forever since we’ve seen each other and even longer since your complex tart taste has graced my palate.  Sure we’ve seen each other when I open the fridge and you’re laying there, next in-line in the can holder on the top shelf but I have been neglecting you; passing you over for seasonal beers for beers that satisfy the completionist in me and not returning to the beer that I have fallen in love with this year which is you my dear India PA.  Yes India, today we pay homage to you once again with a can of Modus Hoperandi from Ska, that little off beat brewery from Durango, CO.  This green can holds a version of yourself that pours a lovely cloudy orange with a rocky foam on the head that leaves a thick lacing and nose of generic citrus and sour hop notes.  The beer’s initial taste is of a creamy hop flavor that quickly grows in it’s strength and bite that build enough to overpower any citrus notes subtle or otherwise and a malty backend that give it a fresh sourdough bread taste.  The aftertaste is what you expect from a strong hop beer with a lot of skunk which means it‘s delicious to a hop head.  A delicious beer you can be proud of India and really, being a canned beer that is surprising because good IPAs seem to only exist outside glass bottles.  So be proud and hold your head high India, another beer to add to you arsenal of awesomeness. 

Bridgeport Ebenezer Ale:
Hello one and all and welcome back to the best little beer review website this side of, well, somewhere.  Today lets look at another seasonal beer, this one named after one of the greatest characters in Western Literature.  Now I remember my first introduction to Ebenezer Scrooge was with Mickey’s Christmas Carol and Scrooge McDuck’s interpretation of Ebenezer Scrooge.  Who doesn’t love this movie?  It’s a classic and should still be shown on network TV but, yeah, it’s not and that’s a damn shame.  Oh well, we’re not here to reminisce about holiday TV but to talk beer.  Now Bridgeport’s Ebenezer is a nice winter warmer style beer that couldn’t be passed up by an English major like myself nor any lover of the “Ducktales” TV show (you know who you are).  The beer pours a nice brown color with a thick and rocky surfaced head of tan foam that leaves nice amounts of lacing and a nose of holiday baking spices that remind one of home made spice cake.  The beer’s taste is very uniform from start to finish allowing highlights of spices, caramel, and booze which is nice but also a bit disappointing.  I was really expecting a better taste profile than this but don’t get me wrong, this is a good beer but not great.  If they had a bit more hops with this one, it would probably open the taste profile a lot more but that’s just my opinion.  If you get a chance to drink this one, do it and enjoy it, this is great introduction to the wonders of the winter warmer beers.   

Crispin Cider the saint:
Greetings fellow beer drinkers and a happy and hearty welcome back to your place for beer reviews.  Today we jump back to the cider side of the isle a side which…hey, HEY! Where do you think you’re going?  This review just got started and just because you don’t like ciders doesn’t mean you can leave.  There are cider drinkers that put of with a hefty majority of my reviews being non cider but they stick around so mind your manners while I talk to them.  Hell, you might even learn something.  Now, where was I?  Oh yes, Crispin Cider makes the best ciders out there, they’re mellow, smooth, not overly sweet, dry, and carry just the right amount of carbonation.  Today’s cider is one made with Belgian Trappist Yeast and Organic Maple Syrup, both of which give this cider a subtle yet complex taste that keeps you coming back for more.  The cider pours well with a nice pale cloudy color that seems to have just the right amount of carbonation and a nose of subtle apples and booze.  The ciders taste is initial very similar to champagne which is odd seeing how it doesn’t appear that carbonated but a dry bubbly feeling gracefully introduces the cider to your palate where an apple sauce flavor that has a shot of grain alcohol is on the mid tongue with a back end of subtle maple sweetness and a bread like after taste.  Another great cider from Crispin, just as good as the Honey Crisp and with several more to go, this is just starting to get interesting.   Again, worth your time checking out if you’re ever curious about trying something different.  Okay beer people, you can leave now. 

Blue Moon Belgian-Style Pale Ale:
Hello beer friends and readers of good reviews (well at least entertaining reviews) and welcome back.  Today let us venture back to that land of the Blue Moon and look at the other year round beer of their line-up, the Belgian Style Pale Ale. This beer has a lot going against it before I even cracked the cap.  The fact that it’s a Blue Moon beer which means that maybe, once, but not now, this beer was a flagship craft beer; now this is mass produced beer that has lost it’s craft edge and has been displaced by other new comers in the beer market.  That being said, how does Blue do with a beer style that really varies from beer to beer?  Well the beer starts off well with a nice amber color and dirty white foam on the head that leaves a good amount of lacing in the glass as well as a nice hoppy nose that carries some floral notes underneath it all.  The beer’s initial taste is very hoppy with an accompanying burnt sugar taste that falls off mid tongue leaving only a more subdue hop note that lead to a skunk finish that also coats the back of your mouth and tongue.  Not a bad beer which is impressive given it’s pedigree but then again, blind squirrels find a nut every once and a while too.  Worth a spin, especially if you’re into pale ales since this one carries more subtle flavor notes than most pale ales so it’s worth your time to try.  Enjoy, friends. 

Kingfisher Premium Lager Beer:
Ah hello friends and welcome back to the one place where every beer will (eventually) get it’s due.  Now I know that the “every beer will get it’s due” is kind of cliché and all but hey, we need a catch phrase around here and the dogs haven’t stepped up to give me one so I’m taking the initiative.  Today let’s look at a beer that I bought more for the cap not the contents (yeah, lame) but, once again, see the new motto.  Kingfisher is a foreign lager beer (aren’t most of them?) from India and comes in that familiar green bottle with a lovely label and that cap, oh that cap.  But, how does it taste?  Ask and ye shall know dear reader.  The beer pours the familiar clear blonde color with noticeable carbonation and a bone white head that vanishes just about as quickly as it formed and nose of raw malts and grains.  The taste of the beer is like every other lager out there and nothing varies from an oil can of that Australian beer or mass marketed European based beers.  Not going to recommend this beer since I couldn’t find anything to say nice about it.  If green bottled lagers are your thing, then give this a try, otherwise, your better off moving on down the road. 

Crispin Honey Crisp:
Hello all and welcome to a beer review for the masses…wait, sorry, force of habit as of late.  Today I don’t have a beer for you, but a cider.  Yes, groan all you want but it’s been a while and I’ve neglected our apple based alcoholic drinks so let’s give some attention to the ciders from across the pond (by the way, these are the best ciders I’ve ever had so the deserve the attention).   Crispin is that cider maker that seems to have wormed its way into almost everywhere alcohol is sold and it doesn’t have a rodent on the cover nor splashy flavors that are for the masses so it continues to fly under the radar.  For instance, today’s cider is their Honey Crisp, a cider with organic honey added allowing this cider to have a nice light colored cloud appearance and a nice apple like nose that is a mix of green and red delicious smell.  The cider’s flavor starts like a nice glass of apple juice the develops a subtle honey taste that never over powers the fruit flavor which is more like a pear cider than an apple (trust me that’s a good thing) and the finish is dry but nothing too offensive.  Now I know most of you refuse to sample a cider but really, if you were ever to venture to that end of the cold box, I say go with a Crispin bottle (or 4-pack) and enjoy, it’s worth the adventure. 

Indian Wells Red Dawn:
Greetings and welcome one and all and today lets look at beer that not only is named after one of the great 80’s movies but is actually a nice beer to boot.  Indian Wells, already well known for making Lobotomy Bock brewed this relatively unknown brew and naming it Red Dawn.  Yes friends, a beer named after the greatest movie in the Patrick Swayze catalogue (and not that abortion of a remake that just came and went recently) and, if I had any foresight beyond 5 minutes I would of put in that 1984 greatness while drinking it.  Since I didn’t lets look at this beer which pours a traditional amber color with a thin white head that leaves no lacing and a nose of subtle notes of malts and caramel.  The beer’s initial taste is a clean lager style taste with predominant semi-sweet bread malts with a mild hop that is more of an under lying flavor than anything else and a mid tongue and back end that match in their clean mellow booze taste that really allow one to appreciate the initial tastes of the beer.  The after taste is nothing more than a slight dryness on the back of the tongue and that only lingers slightly.  A very enjoyable beer but nothing about it is that memorable or worth seeking out.  The flavor and the way this beer drinks are easily found in at least half a dozen other like colored beers out there.  If you run across it, give it a try (I believe it’s been renamed Mojave Red now) but don’t go seeking it out by itself.  Wolverines!

Dundee Pale Bock Lager:
Howdy all and before we go on I wanted you to know that I won’t be fooled this time by a Dundee beer.  After the whole high hopes of Crocodile Dundee owned/brewed beer was dashed, I approach this Pale Bock Lager with skepticism and low expectations.  The beer pours a mellow golden color with noticeable carbonation and a “micro-bubble” head of foam that nosily moves up and then back down and a subtle nose of bready malts a touch of hops.  The beer’s initial taste is a very even and mellow malt with a carbonation fizz that is more akin to a champagne than a beer and really that’s about it save for a lingering booze taste that shows up briefly on the back end.  Not that enjoyable but not that offensive either (how this got a 90 on Beer Advocate is beyond me), it’s probably the closest thing we have had here in the beer review world that had no determinable flavor.  Not my cup tea nor pint of beer for that matter, I’ve tasted it and now I’m done with it.  

Breckenridge Brewery Autumn Ale:
Hello all and a hearty and happy “How ya doin?”  Today we look at another seasonal beer, this one being one for a season that helps usher in the cavalcade of delicious winter beers.  Today’s beer, Breckenridge Autumn Ale, really doesn’t seem all the necessary in my mind.   Breck makes one of the better Christmas Ales out there and seems that they felt the need to throw their hat in the ring of Fall/Oktoberfest beers.  The beer pours a deep brown color with a slight khaki head of foam that dissipates quickly with no lacing and a nose of bottle soap and hops (yeah, not that appealing).  The beer’s initial taste is of roasted malts and a bit of coffee that really stick with you and your palate for the entirety of the sampling.  There is a slight coca after taste but nothing out of the norm for a dark beer and really doesn’t leave a lasting taste impression on you.  Not that great of a beer, I can probably go on without having to sample this again and I won’t think that I’m missing out on anything.

Leviathan Great Scott:
Greetings fellow beer drinkers and non-beer drinkers and, as usual, let’s talk beer.  When I last left Harpoon’s Leviathan line, I had been disappointed by the lack of flavor, creativity, and down right drink- ability of the their Quad but I promised to keep going on with the exploration of the line and today, I continue on with a look at the Great Scott.  This beer, a Wee Heavy Scottish Ale redeems the Godzilla beer with a nice cloudy brown color with a slightly off white head that leaves some lacing and a nose of sweet bread malts and booze.  The beer’s initial taste is very similar to the nose with a noticeable carbonation fizz that does stick around allowing the mid tongue flavors of toffee and vanilla to really become noticeable in addition to the initial flavors.  An aftertaste of heavy malts rolls into a skunk aftertaste that is oddly perplexing since the hops are not really that noticeable.  So Leviathan Great Scott not only redeems the line in my mind and palate but also gets me excited to try the next (and my last *sniff*) bottle of Leviathan.  A nice Scotch Ale, not the best I’ve had all year but pretty darn close.   Enjoy friends.

Greetings friends and fellow beer drinkers and welcome to a special day of beer drinking.  And why, pray tell, is this day any more special than, say, yesterday?  Hell if  I know, but I’m the one writing this column so I can make any day special and today is one of those days.  So you ask “What special beer do you have today?”  Well, actually, I have several beers to share with you today so let’s get down to it and start looking at these bad boys.

Capital Brewing Oktoberfest:  An “import” beer to our great state, this Marzen style brew is a nice amber color with a white fizzy head and a nose of caramel and hops.  The beer drinks light and smooth as any Oktoberfest beer should (you’re supposed to drink a lot of it, remember?) and with a nice mellow after taste this beer is another enjoyable Marzen in a long line of enjoyable Marzens.  Further proof that there is never too much of a good thing….or beer.

Black Sheep Holy Grail Ale Black Knight’s Reserve: Probably the best way to sum up this beer is unrealized potential.  Think about it: A beer that splashes the name of one of the greatest cult classic films out there and this is probably the best they’ll ever do.  Sad.  With a name like “Black Knight’s Reserve” wouldn’t this have been a stout or porter?  It carries a coffee flavor on the mid tongue like a good stout but other than that it’s a dry English ale.  Yeah, love the marketing but not the beer. 

Arcadia Brewing Hopmouth:  I remember a long time ago (like a year…maybe) when the term” IPA” scared me away from the beer that bore it’s mark, but now, well now it’s something I seek out.  Arcadia’s Hopmouth is another good example of a beer that the old me would of run from because the combo of the words “hopped” and “double” on the label.  This brew is like most other hoppy beers with a nice amber coloration, a nose of subtle but noticeable grapefruit a good clean and well balanced flavor.  Not sure how easy it is to find but it’s delicious and worth drinking if you ever get a chance. 

New Holland Brewing Dragon’s Milk:  Ah a beer that is made from a dragon, what will they think of next?  I have to wonder why they decided to milk a firggin’ dragon for a beer?  I mean wouldn’t it be easier to take a nice stout and age it in oak barrels for a while? Man, the insurance for the dragon milker must be outrageous so it’s a good thing the beer is nice and very drinkable because I’d hate to think these guys are risking all for nothing.  

Real Ale Scots Gone Wild (Mysterium Verum): Ah the joys of being a small successful brewery.  You get to play around with grand ideas that may or may not fly with all beer drinkers and they may never see the light of day outside of the breweries tasting room.  This little number has made it out of the orbit of Blano, TX and found it’s way to a tap in West Texas.  The color is very similar to that of Old Chub and a nose of smoky sweetness.  The taste is very complex with notes of citrus, caramel, malts and hops all mixing together to form that unique flavor that is a Scoth Ale. So if you can find this, give it a whirl, it’s worth it in my opinion but it’s taste is not for everyone. 

Guinness Foreign Extra Stout:
Hello friends and a hearty welcome to all of you who are joining us for the first time. Today let’s jump back across the pond (that’s the Atlantic for the uninitiated) and look at a special version of that beer that divides a room like no other: Guinness Draught, and today we look at their Foreign Extra Stout.  The beer takes the Guinness brew and amps up the hops and malt as it was originally intended for export over 200 years ago from Ireland.  The beer pours a the familiar Guinness thick black liquid with a khaki colored head that aggressively building and dissipates to a nice thick but thin head on the top of the beer and leaves nice lacing and a nose of roasted coffee and hops.  The beer’s initial taste is a nice smooth hop beer flavor that rolls quickly to the mid tongue where a strong and robust coffee flavoring (thanks to the roasted malts) is introduced along with subtle hop notes and a touch of cocoa.  The back end is very nice mellow with a good mixture of the hops and roasted malts that leave the after taste as a mellow mocha coffee flavor that would be just at home in a Starbucks coffee cup as a beer.  An awesome beer, and believe it or not, this is better beer than the Guinness Draught beer and I will be quick to add this to my beer rotation when I can find it.  Do yourself a favor and pick this one up and drink up, it’s worth it.  Very worth it. 

Unibroue Ephemere:
Hello friends and neighbors and welcome to a beer review that’s not only French, it’s Canadian too!  Yes people today we look at Unibroue’s Ephemere apple beer which is more intriguing than it sounds (hear me out on this).  If any of you have ever visited a liquor/grocery store with a half way to full on craft beer section you have probably seen Unibroue’s beers before.; they have the labels that are dark and sinister looking but once you actually pay attention to them, you realize they are of things like a canoe full of dudes paddling across the sky or funky castles (today’s beer features a fairy overlooking a crate of apples just in case you were curious).  The beer pours a hazy blonde color with a bleach white foamy head that is constantly fed by aggressive carbonation and stays a thin but full layer on top of the beer and nose of a dry apple cider.  The beer’s first taste is almost exactly like a decent champagne the dries the mouth allowing the flavor notes of green apples and coriander to bloom while a slight citrus undertone is found underneath it all in the back end.  The after taste is there for a second and then vanishes, leaving only the noticeable dryness and a tart apple flavor that rears it’s head with every exhalation.  A good “fancy” beer, this naughty fairy and her basket (crate, whatever) of apples can stay when there is company around because there is enough flavor to keep those who want fruity flavors in their drinks happy while the complexity and dryness of the beer’s body will keep everyone else happy (and if neither satisfies, then you need to rethink your guest list before next time).  If you’re a cider lover, this beer is a good way to ease you into the world of beer and fruit beers (Abita Strawberry Harvest is another good one).   So pour one if you can and enjoy what the Frenchmen of Canada offer up. 

Anchor Brewing Christmas Ale 2012:
Hello all and once again, welcome to another Christmas Ale review, this time it’s a beer that wraps up another line from a brewery that I have fallen in love with this year.  Yes friends it’s time to look at Anchor Brewing’s Christmas Ale, a beer that changes every year and has become a collectors items of sort for those who properly refrigerate their bottles and can enjoy them for years to come (how cool would it be to impress someone with a “vintage” 2007 Anchor Christmas Ale?).  Today’s beer is this year’s blend and since it’s top secret to what is in its we’ll have to go off the ole palate test on this once so bear with me as I try to get a grasp on what I have in front of me.  The beer pours a dark muddy brown with a nice fluffy foam head that disperses to a thin film with no lacing to speak of and nose of cinnamon sugar blend along with a dark sweet bread smell underneath. The beer’s initial taste is very smooth and evenly flavored with noticeable carbonation while the mid tongue brings out strong spice note that mellow with a creamy undertone that is just barely there while the back end is very akin to a pumpkin stout.  The aftertaste is a nice malt and hop blend that bloom to a warming sensation on the back of the tongue that tries to mimic that warming sensation that is at home in the whiskey bottle.  So my first jump into the world of Anchor Christmas Ale is pretty cool and intriguing with the knowledge that they change this one up year to year.  So call me hooked and knowing that Anchor is another brewery that has a great top to bottom line up (though there are a few beers that seem pretty similar to each other), it’s not quite up to Oskar Blues standard but at least it’s in the same ballpark.  I have a desire to hunt down a 2011 version of this and start to store these bottle for future use and enjoyment.  Drinks at my place in 2015.