We close out November with the Deschutes classic, Jubeale.
Click HERE for the story on this year’s label design artist.
The Beers of Christmas – Day 5
The annual survey of winter/Christmas beers continues with a Mad Elf from Troegs.
Be careful though, this Elf clocks in at 11%.
The Beers of Christmas – Day 4
It is hard to fathom that Pyramid Brewery has been releasing their winter seasonal Snow Cap for 30 years! And for the occasion of three decades, they are doing a barrel-aged version for us.
The Beers of Christmas – Day 3
We head to the Midwest and Great Lakes Brewing for some barrel-aged Christmas cheer.
The Beers of Christmas – Day 2
Day 2 and we head to Indeed Brewing before we go Stir Crazy….
The Beers of Christmas – Day 1
We start the beers of Christmas with the ninth beer in The Bruery “Days of Christmas” series…..
In the Tap Lines for November 2011
We are nearing the end of the year and the holidays come at us fast and furious. Each time this year, starting AFTER Thanksgiving, I start posting up the labels of different holiday winter warmers but before then, the same great mix of news, events, reviews and opinion.
~ e-visits to three breweries from Canada.
~ special reviews of beers from my recent trip to Solana Beach.
~ Heads-Up on Los Angeles Beer Events
~ Three suggested beers to buy this month. One light, one medium and one dark
~ Beer-centric podcast review, …..
~ I will tap the Firkin and give my no holds barred opinion on the craft beer world
~ … and Session # 105 asks us to compare and contrast in Double Feature.
Here are two events to get your November started in the Los Angeles craft beer world:
1) November 15th – Local Craft Fest at Rock & Brews El Segundo
2) November 21st – Stout BeerFest for Beer Geeks.
P.S. – You may have noticed that the Golden Road logo is no longer part of the “My Locals” graphic. I made that decision due to the fact that Tony Yanow is not involved anymore. That departure saddens me because, for me, he was the beer lover/IPA fan in the ownership group. That is gone and been replaced by ABInBev. That crater sized hole, I am afraid, will not be filled by people with that same Tony attitude.
I did not make this decision lightly and I know that it won’t matter a whit in their popularity but I have to draw line for myself and Golden Road crossed it, and crossed it without apology in their awkward video and other interviews that instead of promoting craft beer became salvos against home brewing and playing for the winning team. It’s as if they were sneering at where they came from instead of celebrating it.
Their beer may not suffer in quality and yes, it will be available in more and more places but it has lost the “craft” and become just “beer”.
Now, where can I find a “Craft Beer is the Winning Team” t-shirt?
Xmas 2012 – St. Arnold / Sailing Santa
We stay in Texas for our next holiday beer from St. Arnold Brewing….
“A perfect blend of our Elissa IPA and Christmas Ale.”
Xmas 2012 – The Bruery / Five Golden Rings
2012 has been a good year at The Bruery and here is a snapshot of their holiday offering…
“This is the only golden ale in the bunch but it definitely packs a holiday punch. We spiced up this 11.5% ABV ode to Winter with cinnamon, allspice and ginger along with some delicious sweet and tangy pineapple.”
Xmas 2012 – 10 Barrel / Pray for Snow
We head to Bend, Oregon and 10 Barrel for today’s holiday offering……
“This delicately balanced Strong Ale starts with dark copper color mixed with slight reddish hues and a light tan head. Big malty aroma with a Munich character give way to a slight caramel & toffee mixed with spicy noble hop aroma, all wrapped together with a medium-bodied mouth feel. German malt flavor profile with slight roasty notes give Pray for Snow a subtle toffee sweetness balanced with spicy hop bitterness and slight alcohol warming.”