Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
On to Italy for some winter malt liquor from Birrificio Italiano, Yule.
“Yule is everyone’s favorite Christmas beer: whether you’re a holidays enthusiast or the Grinch, it will embrace you with warmth and a carol of spices; culminating in a surprisingly intense bitterness.”
My lucky number is 9 so whenever a brewery reaches that milestone, I consider it a good omen. And Brewyard Beer Co. right here in Glendale has hit that mark before the end of the year and has a multitude of plans for the special day.
I would also consider attending a good omen.
Coming even closer to me is Frogtown Brewery and their Christmas is Cancelled.
It is a winter ale in a retro Palm Springs vibe label with notes of spice, caramel and nuttiness.
First off, head over to Instagram to watch THIS…
… now that you are back, I am honestly intrigued by this glass. Not that I need any more beer glassware until I break more but I would like to at least attempt to pour into the hourglass and then attempt to drink from it without spilling over my chin.
Let’s get back within my driving radius with holiday beers from SoCal for a couple days. First is the Winter Ale from Smog City Brewing.
“A bold blend of fall-inspired flavors awaits: juniper and pine top notes, sweet caramel and toffee aromas, and a bright, citrusy spruce finish.
Crafted with hand-crushed juniper berries, spruce tips, and a complex layer of crystal malts, this winter warmer is perfect for cozy fireside sips or pairing with your holiday feasts!”
Black Lung Brewing in Round Lake Beach, Illinois is our first stop from the Best Beers as tabulated by Craft Beer & Brewing magazine.
The beer they were recognized for is Left Fork a Kentucky Common Ale. I was surprised by that too.
But let’s create a taster tray with a few other of their beers that caught my eye…
Pancho & Lefty Mexican Lager – “Adjunct international lager with Pilsner grains, flaked Maize and noble Saaz Hops! A wonderful, dry beer that is delightful all year round.”
Mind of Peace Saison – “Strumming series saison infused with Sage, Green Tea, Mint and Rosemary mash water. Then Double Dry Hopped with Hallertau Blanc and Fuggle hops.”
Curb Check Carrot IPA – “Curb Check is a 7.0% hazy ipa with cascade, mosaic, and galaxy hops. Along with puréed carrots, spices Madagascar Bourbon vanilla beans and Malto-dextrin sugar. All coming together to create a uniquely spiced beer for the holidays!”
Tame the Chaos DIPA – “Citra and Mosaic hops give
you that dank, yet punchy aroma, paired with a sharp bitterness and balanced malt backbone! This is our first journey into the west coast style, double ipa. We brewed it to remind us of a
simpler time. We hope you find comfort in the raised bitterness and enormous hops aromatics!”
One explanation for Santa Claus getting all those presents delivered in one night, is multiple Santas. Gigantic Brewing in Portland is on the same wavelength when it comes to their 2024 winter warmer, Santa Clones.
“This collab with Weird Portland United is a deliciously malty, rich beer layered with caramel and a hint of dark fruit that’s crafted for cozy, festive vibes.”
I have read the first two “Everyone” meta murder mysteries and was excited to see a third book pop-up. And it is Christmas themed, Everyone This Christmas has a Secret is the latest from Benjamin Stevenson.
Ernest Cunningham is back to solve a third mysterious case involving a philanthropist and a magician. And yes, the case is laid out with no fake-outs or last chapter new information like the past two books.
I will keep the rest of the plot for you to discover but I will say that the end reveal of the how done it is quite ingenious. Which makes it worse that the rest of the quite slim book seems, well, slim. The author doesn’t bring back characters from the first two books except for Ern and Juliette (briefly and at a distance) when he probably could have to add some extra twist of interpersonal drama. Also, even though it is set in Australia and the weather is not the chill type, the lack of seasonal festivity is pretty glaring. It is barely mentioned sans a Secret Santa and a Rudolph costume. The book could well be called, Everyone at the Magic Show has a Secret. There is also an arch enemy brought up early in the book that doesn’t pay off at the end for me at least.
It is a fun and super quick read though and the winks and nods and breaks in the fourth wall are good fun but seems a skosh underbaked overall.
For a beer pairing, I want to suggest Australian Summer beers but SoCal does not get much in the way of Aussie craft. I would also like to suggest just Summer beers but that doesn’t fit the current season since we are in holiday mode in 70 degree weather. So the best recommendation would be to stock up on dark lagers since they are en vogue. Urban Roots has some good ones as do many breweries.
Time to bring Omnipollo into the Christmas chat with their Christmas Shake IPA.
“Jingle all the bells and whistles. We pulled out all the stops on this one and wish you the best Christmas yet. Hops and tangerine meld into our favorite season. Crafted at Omnipollos Church.”
I was reading one day, when I suddenly realized, I had not added the 2024 Firestone Walker Anniversary Ale to my rolling five year collection. I do not know why I had not recognized that deficiency earlier as each year I review the new edition. So I dutifully headed to the FW website only to find that XVIII is a Brewmasters Collective only release which was the second crappy thing that life had handed to me in November.
But when I calmed down, I reached out to learn, to my relief that the barrel-aged blend would indeed be purchasable by the likes of me and now I can review it!
Before we dive into the newest blend, let us cast our taste buds back to 2019 and the XXIII and see what five years has done for the beer.
The 2019 pours a close but not quite black color. The nose on it is cola, dark berry and a touch of chocolate. The first sip is giving me barleywine vibes as there is both a lightness on the palate with a bit of hop still there but that gets taken over, slowly, by the more roasty and cocoa hits so that the finish becomes quite smooth. Only at the end does a little alcohol burn poke out s little bit.
Now on to 2024 / XXVIII, headlined by 37% Stickee Monkee and 28% Bravo, both bourbon barrel-aged. In fact only 11% was not bourbon rested and that 11% was Rye barrel-aged. The other noteworthy bit is that a collaborative stout blend with Colorado’s Weldwerks makes up 7% of the beer.
And this blend pours a pitch black, not seeing through this. Smells clean with pops of vanilla. This is very smooth and has a nice combo of vanilla and caramel. Almost an ice cream swirl. I say this a lot but especially, in this case, how will this soft flavor age? As the glass warms, the bourbon notes start to assert themselves which gives me more hope.
Of the two, the new one is more my speed and more 2024 craft beer as well.