With New Year’s around the corner and the Winter season ahead, why not find resolve in a good winter brew? Hence I bring you one of my favorite lists: the beers of winter. I think this is one of the more diverse lists because it includes so many styles of beer: winter warmers, christmas ales, white IPA’s, Stouts (chocolate, vanilla, imperial, coffee, PEANUT BUTTER), porters, red ales, doubles, and so much more!
Happy Holidays – Bottoms Up!
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ABV:5.5%
Ah yes, the most wonderful time of the year. As you may know from last year, for four decades now, Anchor Brewing releases a new version of their Christmas Ale every year. Each time, the brew is made with a new, original recipe, along with a new image on the label. The recipe is new every year and will not be reused. As you can imagine, I was pretty excited when I received a bottle of this at my doorstep. The brew will be available until mid-January.
Anchor seems to aim for the same feeling of a winter warmer each year. Typical flavor profile of this delish beer includes notes of spices, sweetness of the malt, and a bit of a boozey pokies online taste to it. However, you never know what the current year is going to taste like. The anticipation (for us beer dweebs at least) to opening the brew is similar to opening a gift—you know it”s going to be good, but you don”t know exactly what will be inside. Turns out this year”s is one of my favorites. PLUS my sister got me the 2011 brew, so I was able to compare to even another year! Get them while they last and save a few for years to come.
Tasting Notes:
Appearance: Dark brown, nearly black with a thick light brown head.
Aroma: Smells like…Christmas. Sweet and spicy—scents of cinnamon and even pines and spruces. Deeper scents included a malty smell similar to that of a brown ale.
Taste: The brew begins with sweet and malty flavors, immediately followed by some spice flavors like nutmeg, cinnamon, and even ginger. A little bit of brown sugar taste as it ends.
Mouthfeel: Creamy and smooth. Goes down easy and has good carbonation that complements the spices.
Overall: I”ve had the 2011, 2012, and 2013 of these brews now. I think the 2013 is my favorite so far. The flavors really stand out without taking over the brew. It”s a great drink to have while sitting around the fire with family and friends, or after dinner.
In your workplace, you may hear whispers about a “pick up time” or a special meeting place. Perhaps you heard one of your co-workers say “just put it in a black garbage bag, but be discrete about it.” You’re wondering to yourself if this is something you would want to be part of or if you should be happy that you don’t have whatever burden it is on your shoulders. Regardless–you want to know. Well, you are witnessing the inner workings of the underground: a beer exchange.
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Like it or not, the fall season is upon us. Football season started, nights are cool enough to open the windows, and pumpkin is taking over the world. But wait– there’s another seasonal beer available to us aside from all those pumpkins! Anchor Brewing presents the “Big Leaf Maple.”
Anchor explains: The Big Leaf Maple is a quaffable, well-balanced red ale with character. Its malty complexity and coppery color come from a combination of two caramel malts, pale malt, and a hint of maple syrup.
Here we go!
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ATTN: Homebrewers, Self-Proclaimed Beer-Aficionados, Bearded Men, and “Self-Employed”
Sierra Nevada Brewery announced the 4th Annual Beer Camp – two days of paradise for beer lovers. Sierra Nevada is welcoming a select 20 beer lovers to their brewing campus in Chico, California. The catch? A creative, intriguing, interesting, and most likely bearded two-minute video entry illustrating why you deserve to attend beer camp. 10 submissions will be voted on by the common folk. The other 10 winners will be selected by “employees from departments all over the brewery.”
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Sure, your go-to flagship brew is great. Something that you know you’ll enjoy every time. We all have our go-to seasonals that we stock up on as the season approaches as well. But what about the rarities? What about those limited releases that come and go before you blink an eye? Are they worth it?
Flying Dog Brewery releases their “Brew House Rarities” once a month for a limited time. Even more limited is the release of bottles. All but a select few are released on draft. Lucky for you (and me), I was lucky enough to get my hands on their August Rarity:The Belgian Devil. Let’s begin.
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In the spirit of YouTube’s self-proclaimed “geek week,” I bring to you the tale of three geeks and the journey to great taste and libations. Stone CEO Greg Koch has apparently corresponded with actor Wil Wheaton on a number of occasions and since Wheaton is a homebrewer (with an impressive set up at the “Wheaton Castle”), Koch decided to ask him to collaborate on the next Stone collabo-brew. There was only one problem—who would the third collaborator be? Wil Wheaton had the answer: fark.com founder Drew Curtis. Three proud geeks (of beer, and much more) came together to create: The Stone Farking w00tstout.
When I asked Wil Wheaton what the most enjoyable aspect of the brew was, his answer was simple: “All of it.” Wheaton is a homebrewer of two years and already has a regular brew schedule for every other weekend. As a fan of craft brews and a beer geek himself, Wheaton couldn’t help but boast about the opportunity to brew with Stone, using some of the best brewing equipment around. For him, the hardest part was staying focused and not getting too excited about the one-of-a-kind opportunity at hand. Wheaton’s advice for any brewing beginners? “Just give it a try. You will always learn something from it, and you will always have beer.”
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