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Let’s take a step back from two straight cold IPA’s and highlight a pilsner instead, a Winter Pils from Short’s Brewing.
“Made with all Michigan ingredients from Empire Malting Co, Great Lakes Malting Company, Valley View Farms, MI Local Hops, and Hop Alliance, our Imperial Pilsner is ready for brilliant snow days and the long, dark nights of Michigan winter.”
Off to the Midwest for our next holiday beer as Short’s Brewing brings that staple of Christmas movies, the snow globe, now let’s shake it to see what is inside.
“We saw Grinch Joe Short muttering to himself and glowering from his lair so we concocted this double Sabro hopped hazy IPA and his heart grew three sizes, so now we’re spreading the love by adding Snow Globe IPA to our winter lineup. Hop on a snowmobile sleigh and take a ride towards epic amounts of coconut, tangerine, and apricot notes blended with soft touches of cedar, mint, and cream. This IPA will make you say “whoa whoa whoa”…. You know, instead of “ho ho ho.””
Activity comes in bunches it seems. After a few quiet weeks, acquisitions came roaring back into the beer world.
Those who don’t believe in coincidence might think that the news was timed to hide under all the Make America Sick Again healthcare debate.
Lets recap:
1. Brooklyn Brewery enters into a sales “platform” with Funkwerks and 21st Amendment
2. Shorts Brewing sells 19.99% to Lagunitas
3. Coronado acquires fellow San Diegan, Monkey Paw Brewing.
4. An un-named SoCal brewery put itself up for sale
Call this a response to having the highest number of breweries in operation ever. For events 1 & 2, it also shows the creative ways that people are staying Brewers Association street legal while growing bigger.
Thanks to a soft Twitter ban and some judicious unfollowing of the Debbie Downers that seem to populate the Tweet-isphere, I haven’t seen much vitriol towards the these moves. Mostly because they avoid the Scarlet A of Anheuser-Busch. Which shows me that some people see what a stain that is on a company and are opting to avoid it.
But if I can get a supply, even limited of Short’s beers in L.A., it is a development that I welcome.
Short’s Brewing is next to appear on the Christmas Ale list with a new entrant, Juicy Tree.
“Juicy Tree is an experimental India Pale Ale made with blue spruce tips, juniper berries, and cranberries. Big aromatics of piney evergreen and sweet berries tingle the senses. After some slightly tart and tangy flavors up front, a harmonious balance between pleasant fruit sweetness and bitter pine is reached. The finish is laced with a resiny stickiness that flows naturally into a lasting bitterness.”
To end our month of fig related beers. What with the recently completed holiday that has a song about figgy pudding, which I don’t think has figs in it,* we head out to a daring brewing first then one with a Steadman-esque approach to beer…
Shorts Brewing – Fig Lebowski
“Fig Lebowski is a big bodied Winter Warmer brewed with figs, honey, cinnamon, and orange zest. With a coffee color and a creamy tan lace, sweet scents of plum and molasses rise from this alluring ale. As rich as a liqueur, flavors of dark brown sugar, honey and figs leave a layering of sweetness across the palate with a hint of spice.”
Flying Dog – Fig & Fennel
“Malt beverage brewed with figs, fennel and natural flavors. Pairs with oatmeal raisin cookies. Creamy licorice and brown fruit are in perfect harmony with oats, raisins and cinnamon. No pudding required.”
*According to Wikipedia, figs are one way to make a traditional Figgy Pudding.
There were many beers that I wanted to have while in Denver but what is also great is hearing about breweries that are popular at home and praised for great beer that are brand new to me.
Here are three breweries to watch:
