For the 20th beer of the holiday ale round-up, we head to nearby-ish Sierra Madre and the new RT Rogers Brewing Co. for their spiced Brown ale. Sounds like a good option for a Christmas meal beer.
2018 Holiday Beer # 11 – Winter Ale from pFriem
Back to Oregon where they have a better chance at snow than we do here in SoCal. This next beer is from Hood River’s pFriem Family Brewers. Winter Ale has “hints of spice, orange zest, caramel and a touch of spruce tree. You may even sense the subtle notes of fruitcake, which might encourage you to share this Winter Ale with your family and friends. Unlike fruitcake, this is a beer that will not be re-gifted.”
2018 Holiday Beer # 9 – Wild Christmas from Upslope
We close out November with a Balaton cherry ale from Upslope Brewing in Colorado. This is the 15th iteration of their Christmas beer following the raspberry version from last year.
2018 Holiday Beer # 8 – Ye Olde Christmas Ale from Saint Arnold
Santa heads to Texas next for this holiday beer from Saint Arnold, Ye Olde Christmas Ale is described as “a rich, copper colored, hearty ale perfect for the holiday season with a malty sweetness and spicy hop character. The generous use of five different malts is responsible for the full flavor and high alcohol level of this beer.”
2018 Holiday Beer # 7 – All Your Oats from Eagle Rock Brewery
We head hazy to local Eagle Rock Brewery and their multi-hued can of hazy IPA goodness, All Your Oats.
Available now. So get some before the 16oz cans are gone for the year.
Holiday Beer # 16 – Gnoel de Abbey
Next up in the Christmas countdown comes from Lost Abbey, Gnoel de Abbey…
The Beers of Christmas – Day 16
Today’s Christmas offering is a Dubbel. Not a style you see in the wild often, let alone as a winter beer.
Single Digit is from Smuttynose Brewing and is described as “a full-bodied, amber beer brewed with a special Trappist ale yeast. Stylistically reminiscent of a Belgian Abbey Double, it features fruity aromas and flavor, balanced by spicy Sterling hops. Warming, mellow & pleasantly complex…”
The Beers of Christmas – Day 12
Next up we shovel some snow with Braxton Brewing and their winter seasonal, Snow Shovel which mixes ginger, cinnamon and honey together and then throws them into rum barrels.
The Beers of Christmas – Day 8
We land in Belgium and St. Feuillien and their Cuvee de Noel.
I consider this one of the beers that I associate with holiday drinking and their website describes it as a ….”beer has a generous head – compact and firm. Its slightly brown colour is the result of the roasted barley. It has a dark ruby brown colour and a very intense aroma. The aromatic herbs and spices used greatly enhance its delicious smell. This beer is full-bodied with a smoothness that is the result of the synergy of caramelised malts, carefully controlled fermentation and long cold storage. St-Feuillien Cuvée de Noël has a very subtle bitterness that is the dominant flavour in this harmonious ale that strikes a perfect balance between all the different ingredients.”
FoodGPS Teaser – Christmas is coming
Tomorrow on FoodGPS, I give you some “special” christmas shopping ideas the and the beer and homework is from Anchor Brewing in San Francisco. It is the yearly tradition of Our Special Ale. The holiday ale with a different tree on the label and a slightly different recipe each year.
Recently, I did a vertical tasting of this beer starting with the 2008 version and going through to 2012.
2008
Very frothy pour with an espresso head. Aroma hints that this one may have passed prime tasting time. An old ale background with a touch of sour creeping in. Very British ale tasting.
2009
Another frothy beer. Both were stored standing up so I don’t think it was my cellaring technique. But this one had a much lighter head to it. Some minor roast notes and a little whisper of pine. That same sourness and apple cider taste is evident in this one as in 2008.
2010
This one poured better. More Belgian-y. Good sparkle to this one in comparison to the flatter beers form ’08 and ’09. More coffee acidity here. Again the tree and pine notes are only faint and way in the background.
2011
Dark with a brown ale backbone. Not much spice or flavor in the 2011. Even tastes a little thin. If the others did not stand up to aging then I fear for this one.
2012
Pours dark black. Almost a Dr. Pepper type of aroma. Flavor has a burnt quality to it. Body is light and it is quite sparkly. Flavor does linger on the palate.