Follow Sean Inman to the best in craft beer
The Brewery – Schloss Eggenberg
The Beer – Samichlaus Classic
The Details
““Samichlaus” beer is brewed once a year, in each case on December 6th, and stored and matured afterwards for over 10 months before it is bottled. “Samichlaus” beer can mature for many years in the bottle; older vintages obtain a complexity and receive their creamy warm aftertaste. This beer can be served with heavy meals and desserts, particularly with chocolate – or as digestive and meditations drink.”
The Brewery – Harpoon
The Beer – Vermont Spruce Tip
The Details
“This hearty ale is a showcase for a traditional yet seldom used brewing ingredient: spruce tips. Harvested at their tender, ripe, bright green peak in Downer State Forest, Vermont, these spruce tips impart citrus, pine, spice, herbal and earthy notes. A host of malts, a hint of roasted barley and generous use of Chinook hops complement the unique spruce flavor.
We’d like to thank the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation and all of the many great volunteers that helped us with this unusual harvest.”
Enjoy this beer with friends and family at any celebration or feast.
The Brewery – Kuhnhenn
The Beer – Winter Wonder Lager
The Details
“Deep amber color lager, strong malt aroma, sweeter malt flavor, high bitterness to balance alcohol and sweetness. Made each May for winter solstice. This special yeast gives a unique flavor to this ultra strong lager.”
What you see in the glass is the third in the barrel roll series from Hangar 24, Pugachev’s Cobra. It was in attendance last night at Tony’s Darts Away along with a bevy of beers from Redlands.
Joe Savage & Rafael Hurtado from the brewery were in attendance too. Talking to the crowd that grew as the night progressed. (Side note – It has been good to see large turnouts for this and last night’s Library Alehouse FiftyFifty night. Especially in a holiday week)
I started with a sampler tray….
From left to right, you have the winter warmer, Amarillo Pale Ale, Anja and the Helles. I was most surprised by the Helles. It was light and bubbly and filled with grain notes from start to finish. It really tasted fresh and alive. But my favorite of the tray was the Anja, a pro-am Belgian ale that had that light bubbly-ness with some fruit and spice notes and a touch of vanilla. I will order that again.
I did not partake of the Double IPA, yet. I am heading to the brewery itself on Christmas Eve to pick up a bottle or two but I did end the night with a bang. The aforementioned Pugachev. It was thick and viscous. Poured a dark black with an espresso colored head. It was maple syrup sweet at first and then some roasted notes and bourbon crept in to balance. It did not taste like 16.5% alcohol though some aging will probably smooth it out even more. I am glad I have a bottle to store away.
Stone Brewing really picks interesting combos for their collaborations. Whether it is a big trio of Dogfish, Victory and Stone or a Japanese theme, they really explore many different breweries. And the latest duo to combine with Stone are Ninkasi (fresh off a collaboration with another Stone collaborator, 21st Amendment) and The Alchemist (the famed East Coast brewer that is on my long, long wish list of brewers to try).
Nelson Sauvin, Delta, Galaxy & Citra hops combined into More Brown than Black a brown/black ale with proceeds going to help The Alchemist dig out from flood damage caused by storms earlier this year. Maybe this will be the medium roast version of the Escondidian that was good but a little too roasty for the hops (which appears to be a trend in the Black IPA/CDA style).
Bottles should be available now and would make excellent stocking stuffers!
The second holiday beer up for review is the 3rd version of the Session line from Full Sail in Hood River, Oregon.
Here is Fest Session….
“When we decided to brew a special Session for the holidays, we knew right away what color it had to be: Red (and full-bodied). Next, we considered what kind of head it should have. Bright white was the obvious answer. And as for the label? Gotta be green, right? So there you have it. A new Session all decked out for holidays, ready to spread joy and cheer. Happy Holidays to one and all! And have a good Session.
Session Fest is a Czech-style strong lager (gotta love the Czechs!) called polotmavé or literally “light dark or semi-dark.” Brewed with 2 Row Pale malt, Munich malt, Caramel malt and Wheat malt and hopped with a blend of Glaciers and Cascades, Session Fest has a medium to full body balancing candy caramel and full malt flavors that are underscored by a spicy hoppiness that provides a nice perfume with citrus and pine overtones and a long clean finish. 6.2% ABV 26 IBU”
Golden Road has been on the fast track. I didn’t expect so many beers so quickly and now the restaurant is ready too.
The grand opening is coming later but you can still head to the railroad tracks on the Glendale / Atwater border and get food and beer and sit outside and enjoy the glorious SoCal Holiday weather.
I was there on Saturday afternoon and had the Rosemary Turkey club which was quite delicious along with the new Stout and Point the Way IPA.
It is a lovely, bright and airy space that is lovely to sit and explore the range of beers from Jon Carpenter and his brewing crew as well as the many guest taps too.
So if you find yourself at the Glendale Galleria shopping for Christmas check out the food as well as the beer just a mile or so away.
The Brewery – Cisco
The Beer – Winter Shredder Ale
The Details:
This beer is so new that I could not find a description of it. But their website does appear to have a store where you can buy their beer!
When the shopping and tree trimming start to get you down, you need something strong to lift you back up and the Library AleHouse probably will have it on tap during their strong ale festival. Below are the details:(truncated a bit because the list was soooo damn long!)
“It’s our favorite time of year for beer at Library Alehouse. The weather cools down and the ABV goes up. It’s as though the universe is telling us to stay in inside and sip strong, dark beers. To that end, we are proud to announce our 2nd Annual Strong Ale Holiday Fest, running December 19-31, 2011. We’ve been stashing away big beers all year long and we’re finally ready to unleash them upon the drinking public. We expect the list to include the following beers:
• FiftyFifty Totality
• FiftyFifty Eclipse Elijah Craig 12
• FiftyFifty Eclipse Four Roses Single Barrel
• FiftyFifty Eclipse Elijah Craig 18 (Bottle Pour)
• FiftyFifty Eclipse Brandy (Bottle Pour)
• FiftyFifty Eclipse Grand Cru (Bottle Pour)
• FiftyFifty Eclipse Rittenhouse Rye (Bottle Pour)
• Lost Abbey Ad Lib
• Eagle Rock Jubilee
• Stone Double Bastard 2011
• Karl Strauss Two Tortugas
• North Coast Grand Cru
• Alaskan Smoked Porter 2010
• Alaskan Smoked Porter 2011
• Scaldis Noel 2011
• Bootlegger’s 78 Anniversary Ale
• TAPS Barleywine 2010
• Ommegang Adoration
• Ommegang Three Philosophers
• N’ice Chouffe
• Bruery Cuir
• Bruery 4 Calling Birds
• Bruery Melange #3
• Bruery Burly Gourd
• Bruery Smokin’ Wood
• Anchor Our Barrel Ale
• Anchor Christmas 2010
• Anchor Christmas 2011
• Anchor Old Foghorn
• Sierra Nevada 30th Anniversary Brewers Reserve Grand Cru
• Deschutes Black Butte XXIII
• Deschutes The Stoic
• Deschutes The Abyss
• Uinta Labyrinth
• Oskar Blues ODB
• Ballast Point Victory at Sea
• Ballast Point Indra Kunindra
• Dupont Avec Les Bon Voeux
• Evil Twin Christmas Eve in a NYC Hotel
• Emelisse Jack Daniel’s Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout
• Emelisse Jack Daniel’s Barrel-Aged Barleywine
• De Dochter van de Korenaar Oak-Aged Embrasse
• Great Divide Hibernation
But we couldn’t stop there. We’ve also got an amazing series of events
lined up during the fest:
Monday December 19th, FiftyFifty Brewing Kickoff Event:
For our Strong Ale Holiday Fest Kickoff Event on December 19th, we welcome FiftyFifty Brewing from Truckee, CA and local ice cream
producer Sweet Rose Creamery to the Alehouse. We will we have FiftyFifty Owners Andy and Alicia Barr in the house, along with several
varieties of their much sought after Eclipse Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout and the base beer, Totality. Here’s what we’ll be pouring and serving:
DRAFT:
-Eclipse Four Roses Single Barrel
-Eclipse Elijah Craig 12
-Totality
BOTTLE POURS (Extremely Limited):
-Eclipse Elijah Craig 18
-Eclipse Rittenhouse Rye
-Eclipse Brandy
-Eclipse Grand Cru
FROM SWEET ROSE:
-Bacon Bourbon Sundae
-Spicy Chocolate Ice Cream
-Salted Caramel Ice Cream
But we didn’t quit there. Any Alehouse customer who purchases any serving size of any variety of Eclipse on the 19th will be given access to a special menu just across the street at our new neighbor Areal (2820 Main St). We’ve partnered with them to bring you the opportunity to taste the whiskeys that came out of the barrels in which Eclipse was aged. They have prepared a special menu, allowing you to taste a full flight of spirits, or try them a la carte. They’ve even prepared some special savory pairing bites for the occasion. It promises to be an excellent evening.
Wednesday December 21st, Ommegang & La Chouffe Keep the Glass Night:
On Wednesday, December 21st, we’ll play host to Ommegang and Brasserie d’Achouffe. Sales Representative Stuart Knight is bringing
three strong dark Belgian beers with him: N’Ice Chouffe, Three Philosophers and Adoration. We’ll have a limited amount of glassware
for you to take home with the purchase of any of those beers along with an available flight of all three.
Friday December 23rd, Horrible Holiday Music and Ugly Sweater Party:
We couldn’t just have an ugly sweater party, so we decided to dress it up with some terrible holiday music too! Come revel with us in the cheesiest fashion possible, listening to elevator music renditions of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and glam rock versions of “Frosty the Snowman.” Don’t forget to don your most hideous of holiday garments as anyone who sports an ugly sweater that evening will receive. $2 off their first draft beer.
Tuesday December 27th, Anchor Our Barrel Ale Release:
You know Anchor for their classic Christmas Ale, but they’ve also quietly started a superb barrel-aging program. They’ve blended together some of those barrel-aged beers to make “Our Barrel Ale”, a beer previously only available for purchase at the brewery. We’ll have a small keg of Our Barrel Ale along with Old Foghorn, Christmas 2011 and Christmas 2010 for this special event. A flight of all four beers will be available. We also welcome LACBC to Alehouse this night, with 10% of sales going to the charity. So if you love bikes and beer, or just one of the two, make sure you come by on the 27th.
Thursday December 29th, The Bruery Belated Christmas:
A Strong Ale Fest wouldn’t be complete without a visit from those masters of all things high-ABV, The Bruery. We saved a keg of Autumn
Maple for this event and we’ll also have Melange #3, Smokin’ Wood, Burly Gourd, 4 Calling Birds, and Cuir (Anniversary Old Ale). Beer
flights will only make the evening tastier.
As though all this weren’t enough, we’re holding a Glassware Garage Sale for the entire month of December. We’ve amassed quite a collection of tulips, pokals, pint glasses and goblets over the years and we’re giving you the opportunity to add them to your collection (or to someone else’s as a gift). Premium glasses will be $4 each and all others will be $2 each. Spend $25 (before tax and gratuity) in a single visit to the Alehouse and buy up to two premium glasses for $2 each or any two others for $1 each. Spend $100 or more in a single visit and buy as much as you want at the reduced rate. Also, be on the lookout for keep the glass promotions littered throughout the Beer Menu during the garage sale. The glassware selection will change every day so make sure you visit often.”
While flying over Michigan, Kris Kringle may pause at Red Jacket which is inside the Michigan House Cafe.
They brew a 1/2 barrel at a time and produce a coffee oatmeal stout with the same type of ingredients that breweries used before prohibition. It has 13 shots of espresso that should keep Santa going well into the night.