Ymm, Beer

[devildeac]

Juniper IPA-Boston Beer Company

http://samueladams.s3.amazonaws.com/...ddb170a022.png

A trader from CB&B today at the tailgate at the Duke-WFU game from their holiday 12 pack sampler he said. I've never seen or heard of this before and we both found it very enjoyable. Grains are two row and honey malts, hops are Columbus and Ahtanum and the special ingredient is juniper berries. Poured a light copper with a modest, foamy head. Nose of pine and caramel and tastes of the same with a bit of sweetness. A bit thin in the IPA category at 5.8% ABV and 50 IBUs but a nice "winter" IPA I'd definitely drink again. Thanks, CB&B!

(Wonder if this belongs in the IPA thread, too...)

[bluebear]

Juniper IPA-Boston Beer Company

http://samueladams.s3.amazonaws.com/...ddb170a022.png

A trader from CB&B today at the tailgate at the Duke-WFU game from their holiday 12 pack sampler he said. I've never seen or heard of this before and we both found it very enjoyable. Grains are two row and honey malts, hops are Columbus and Ahtanum and the special ingredient is juniper berries. Poured a light copper with a modest, foamy head. Nose of pine and caramel and tastes of the same with a bit of sweetness. A bit thin in the IPA category at 5.8% ABV and 50 IBUs but a nice "winter" IPA I'd definitely drink again. Thanks, CB&B!

(Wonder if this belongs in the IPA thread, too...)

I have to boycott this beer out of principle since Sam Adams replaced Holiday Porter with it in their winter 12 pack. I typically buy a 12 pack each winter for the 2 holiday porters and 3 old fezziwigs but not this year. Wish Sam Adams would offer those 2 beers in 6 packs.

[devildeac]

I have to boycott this beer out of principle since Sam Adams replaced Holiday Porter with it in their winter 12 pack. I typically buy a 12 pack each winter for the 2 holiday porters and 3 old fezziwigs but not this year. Wish Sam Adams would offer those 2 beers in 6 packs.

And leave the %$#@ Boston Lager out of every damn 12 pack sampler they produce.

Instead, buy it for the Cherry Chocolate Bock they included this season instead of last year's Chocolate Bock. Sipping one right now...

[bluebear]

And leave the %$#@ Boston Lager out of every damn 12 pack sampler they produce.

Instead, buy it for the Cherry Chocolate Bock they included this season instead of last year's Chocolate Bock. Sipping one right now...

That does sound tasty. Maybe boycott was too strong a word

[bluebear]

Favorite holiday/winter beers...
Although IPAs are my favorite style there is no time I look forward to buying beer more than this stretch from November through New Years. So many great seasonals. My two favorites are Great Divide Hibernation and St Bernardus Chistmas Ale. I've squirreled away a few six packs of the former and have enjoyed a bottle of the latter over the past few nights. Any favorite holiday ales?

[devildeac]

Cherry Chocolate Bock-Boston Brewing Company

Perhaps a decade or so ago, Sam Adams released 750 ml bottles of Chocolate Bock, a dark lager brewed with Scharffen Berger chocolate. They priced them at about $15-16 and, for about 5.5% ABV, that was pretty darned spendy. Good brew but I'll guess they didn't sell many of them. They continued this for a few years, I think. Recently, they changed to a less expensive chocolatier and changed their strategy to including a couple of these 12 ounce bottles in their winter 12 pack samplers. I still found the beer very tasty. This year, they changed again and added cherries to their Chocolate Bock recipe but continue to slip them into the winter 12 packs. The review:

Poured a medium reddish-brown with a modest, foamy head. Bouquet of cherries and milk chocolate caramels and tastes to match. Think milk chocolate covered dark cherries with a dab of caramel (bock beers usually have this specific flavor) from a Russell Stover/Whitman chocolate sampler but not as sweet. It's a lager so the IBUs are low at 10 and they have maintained the ABV at 5.8%. This was a trader from CB&B at the Duke-WFU tailgate yesterday and I savored it last PM by itself as a dessert/victory beer after it had warmed on the counter for about 15 minutes. Would also pair nicely with chocolate and/or cherry desserts. Now, if they would only get rid of the @#$% Boston Lager from every @#$% 12 pack sampler they sell and include bluebear's Holiday Porter as he suggested.

Pretty bottle/label, too:
http://samueladams.s3.amazonaws.com/...e55ead4bb9.png

[devildeac]

Favorite holiday/winter beers...
Although IPAs are my favorite style there is no time I look forward to buying beer more than this stretch from November through New Years. So many great seasonals. My two favorites are Great Divide Hibernation and St Bernardus Chistmas Ale. I've squirreled away a few six packs of the former and have enjoyed a bottle of the latter over the past few nights. Any favorite holiday ales?

Corsendonk's Christmas Ale, N'ICE Chouffe and Scaldis Noel come immediately to mind but don't think I've had any of these for several years.

[devildeac]

Favorite holiday/winter beers...
Although IPAs are my favorite style there is no time I look forward to buying beer more than this stretch from November through New Years. So many great seasonals. My two favorites are Great Divide Hibernation and St Bernardus Chistmas Ale. I've squirreled away a few six packs of the former and have enjoyed a bottle of the latter over the past few nights. Any favorite holiday ales?

I'm partial to this series, even if it's in name only:

Bad-Elf-300x224.jpg

[devildeac]

I'm partial to this series, even if it's in name only:

Bad-Elf-300x224.jpg

The same brewer also produces these holiday specials:

Reindeer’s Revolt, Pickled Santa, Reindeer Droppings, and Lump of Coal.

[fuse]

Favorite holiday/winter beers...
Although IPAs are my favorite style there is no time I look forward to buying beer more than this stretch from November through New Years. So many great seasonals. My two favorites are Great Divide Hibernation and St Bernardus Chistmas Ale. I've squirreled away a few six packs of the former and have enjoyed a bottle of the latter over the past few nights. Any favorite holiday ales?

Sierra Nevada Celebration
Anchor Our Special Ale
Bruery Twelve Days of Christmas series
Shiner Cheer
Petrus Winter
Samichlaus
Mother Earth Silent Night
Delerium Noel
Avery Old Jubelation
Triangle Bourbon Barrel Aged Dubbel
Bell's Winter White
Cold Mountain

I could almost play this game all night / for days. Great topic!

[bluebear]

Sierra Nevada Celebration
Anchor Our Special Ale
Bruery Twelve Days of Christmas series
Shiner Cheer
Petrus Winter
Samichlaus
Mother Earth Silent Night
Delerium Noel
Avery Old Jubelation
Triangle Bourbon Barrel Aged Dubbel
Bell's Winter White
Cold Mountain

I could almost play this game all night / for days. Great topic!

Nice list. Big fan of celebration and old jubilation. I also need to second devildeacs corsendonk and scaldis Noel which are excellent Belgian holiday beers. The Bruery has done a nice job with the 12 days series though I've yet to see 6 geese around here.

[devildeac]

Nice list. Big fan of celebration and old jubilation. I also need to second devildeacs corsendonk and scaldis Noel which are excellent Belgian holiday beers. The Bruery has done a nice job with the 12 days series though I've yet to see 6 geese around here.

C'mon down to the Raleigh area and we'll share some brews and show you hundreds of geese. All over the place. Parking lots. Golf courses.

[duketaylor]

Anyone out there tried Sam Adams winter lager? I haven't, yet, but may tomorrow if I survive frying my bird.

[devildeac]

Accumulation White IPA-New Belgium Brewing

Thanksgiving was IPA day. Started off with this new seasonal having stared longingly at it in the 'fridge for a couple weeks after carting it home as a leftover after an office meeting a couple weeks ago. Poured a light straw color with a one or two finger foamy head. Tropical bouquet of scents and flavors of the same upon sipping with nuances of pineapple, mango, grapefruit and a bit of orange from the wheat used as the second grain. The wheat also takes some of the edge off the 4 hop blend. Light caramel notes try to balance but this is a moderately bitter brew with IBUs of 70 and an ABV of 6.2%. I'm guessing we won't see Snow Day this year as one of their winter offerings. I liked this and will use my remaining two 12 ounce bottles to barter for another seasonal from fuse or perhaps CB&B .

[devildeac]

Accumulation White IPA-New Belgium Brewing

Thanksgiving was IPA day. Started off with this new seasonal having stared longingly at it in the 'fridge for a couple weeks after carting it home as a leftover after an office meeting a couple weeks ago. Poured a light straw color with a one or two finger foamy head. Tropical bouquet of scents and flavors of the same upon sipping with nuances of pineapple, mango, grapefruit and a bit of orange from the wheat used as the second grain. The wheat also takes some of the edge off the 4 hop blend. Light caramel notes try to balance but this is a moderately bitter brew with IBUs of 70 and an ABV of 6.2%. I'm guessing we won't see Snow Day this year as one of their winter offerings. I liked this and will use my remaining two 12 ounce bottles to barter for another seasonal from fuse or perhaps CB&B .

The second IPA of the evening was another twist on the concept/style reviewed here almost two months ago but I thought I'd add it again just for comparison purposes though they are two very different products:

61-Dogfish Head Brewing

I'll be lazy here and let the PR department at DFH summarize this one first:

"Sixty-One, our first new core beer since 2007, was born at the crossroads of serendipity, experimentation and brotherhood.

Whenever Dogfish Head President Sam Calagione and his neighborhood friends gather for drinks, they give each other a big ol' man-hug and order a round of 60 Minute IPA. A few years ago, Sam also ordered a glass of his favorite red wine and poured a little into each pint of 60 Minute. They all dug the combination of fruity complexity and pungent hoppiness, and the blend became a beloved tradition.

Sixty-One captures that tradition in a bottle and marries two Dogfish Head innovations: beer/wine hybrids -- which Dogfish has focused on for well over a decade with beers like Midas Touch and Raison D'être -- and continually-hopped IPAs.

The name Sixty-One is a reminder that this beer is Dogfish Head’s best-selling 60 Minute IPA plus one new ingredient: syrah grape must from California. The label, painted by Sam, is a twist on a typical watercolor. Rather than using water, Sam mixed the green pigment with beer and the red pigment with wine. And because Sixty-One pairs so well
with chocolate, he painted the browns on the label with melted chocolate."

My thoughts:

Interesting concept and an enjoyable one, too. Poured a pinkish-reddish-orange with a rather small head, the nose was light citrus/grapefruit, as it is basically their 60 IPA, with tastes of the same with hints of tannin, raspberries and black cherries from the Syrah grapes. Our older son-in-law and I shared a 12 ounce bottle after the Scythe and Sickle. I'd guess it is about 60 IBU with the ABV at 6.5% so a nice balance. Purchased at Total Wine for about $9, less the buck off coupon last month.

http://www.dogfish.com/files/imageca...eWebbottle.png

[davekay1971]

The blow of last night's loss to Arizona was cushioned nicely by a 22 oz Rogue Single Malt Ale

This was a pleasant, flavorful blonde ale. At 35 IBUs it had very little bite but a lot of smooth flavor. Drank easily, and went down much better than watching us fall apart in the last 6 minutes against the Wildcats. I will never drink it again, of course, because it may have been the cause of Duke losing (you never know, better not to chance it, thought).

For the rest of you, however, who don't have any reason to worry about drinking this beer during a Duke game causing some kind of mystical voodoo whammy on the Blue Devils, I highly recommend this. Pair it with some spicy, flavorful food and it'll give great balance.

[devildeac]

I need to go find some Victory beers tonight...

[fuse]

Got my Beer Dispensary Beer Advent calendar tonight and a Highland Cold Mountain bomber - woo hoo!

[devildeac]

Auburn's game winning missed FG return of 108 yards is worthy of another beer.

[duketaylor]

I should think you already have a few Victory beers in your midst. I know I do!! Great win!!! Who's going to Charlotte? I'm considering!!