What are You Serving This Christmas?

Let’s assume for a moment that you have not brewed your first beer yet. If you have, that’s by far the best thing you could serve this time of year, almost regardless of what it is. But if you haven’t, may I make a few suggestions?

The Samual Adams Winter Collection
Includes a black lager, winter lager, cranberry lambic (not a true lambic, but still tasty), winter porter, winter warmer and their standard Boston Lager. If you can’t make up your mind this year, buy a case or two and you’ll cover all of your bases.

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale
Are you a hophead? Are your friends? This winter-themed IPA will serve you well.

Full Sail Wassail
A classic winter warmer, the wassail is warm and spicy - everything a good holiday ale should be. It will keep you toasty when the fire is almost dying.

Alaskan Winter Ale
Much is mentioned about the spruce flavor in this beer, but I must tell you that I didn;t really notice it too much. Warm, sweet and interesting, this ale does stand apart from the others and is well worth serving at your intimate gathering.

Lost Coast Brewery Winterbrau
My favorite brewery produces a slightly sweeter, warmer version of its Downtown Brown this time of year and, man, is it tasty. This one will surely be a crowd pleaser.

No matter what you serve this holiday season, enjoy the warmth and joy that comes from gather with your close friends and loved ones and sharing with them the simple joys of enjoying a glass of cheer. Happy holidays to you all!

Review: Budweiser Brew Masters Private Reserve 2006

Budweiser Brew Masters Private Reserve 2006
8.5 % Alcohol by Volume
Judged in 23A. Specialty Beer (Imperial American Lager)
Introduction

Go ahead, scoff. I can already hear the beer snobs (we know our own) crying out that this stuff can’t possibly be any good. I have heard that it’s made from the scrapings from the bottom of the barrel (though Budweiser informs us that it is collected from “the richest first part of the bew as it is tapped to the brew kettles.”), which can’t be any good for an American beer.

Well, let me say this: If the only people who buy this are committed Bud/Miller/Coors drinkers and they find themselves enjoying it, then this can be a great tool to get those same folks to try other, tastier craft-style brews. Read on.

Aroma
Hints of honey with a light spiciness, followed by a distinct alcoholic warmth. Reminded me ever so slightly of a Belgian golden ale, but that’s a definite reach. Very little hop aroma.

8/12

Appearance
Light gold in color, definitely more so than regular Budweiser. Little head retention, though it left a hint of lace on the glass. Good amount of carbonation.

2/3

Mouthfeel
Lower-medium body, like a very light ale. Clean finish that lingered with a hint of astringency. Decent amount of carbonation.

3/5

Flavor
Alcoholic warmth not too overwhleming with very little bite. Starts malty with a very slight hop bitterness in the middle and a warm alcoholic finish. No distinctive hop character, though well-balanced.

14/20

Overall
If you’re a beer snob, your opinions on this beer may already be formed, and sipping it will do little to change your mind. But I’d be willing to bet that, in a blind taste test, you’d be hard pressed to single it out. For an American Light Lager-style beer, I was very impressed. If you’re acommitted Bud/Miller/Coors drinker, this is a very special bottle well worth picking up. It would also server as a terrific gateway to more flavorful beers like pale ales, blond ales and even some of the lighter Belgians.

7/10

Total 34/50

To be honest with you, I really picked this up because I thought the bottle it came in - a 1 Qt, 14.5 Oz flip-top - was very, very cool and I wanted to use it to package some of my own ales. But I was also pleased to find that the brew inside was suprisingly drinkable. If you see this at your local market, keep an open mind and don’t be afraid to pick it up.

Review: Trader Joe’s 2006 Vintage Ale

Trader Joe’s 2006 Vintage Ale
(Brewed by UNIBROUE, Canada)
“Dark Ale on Lees”
9% alcohol by volume
Judged in Category 16E. Belgian Specialty Ale

Introduction

I picked this up yesterday at the grand opening of the Trader Joe’s in Walnut Creek. At the checkout stand, no fewer than three TJ employees commented on how good it was and how I’d be back for more.

The back of the bottle indicates it was brewed by UNIBROU of Canada in the Belgian Abbey style, which is sort of nebulous given that Belgian Abbeys are known for brewing everything from Saion-style beers to strong triples. Given its color and alcohol level, I figured it best to judge this one as a Belgian Specialty ale, which pretty much runs the gamut of Belgian ales.

I should note that this is my first BJCP-style tasting note, so your mileage may vary far more than normal. As I calibrate my tasting and judging abilites, expect my numbers to fall better into place. As for the review beloww, I’d ignore the numbers and focus instead on the tasting notes - they’ll be far more accurate than my scoring.

Aroma

Hints of licorice and ginger on the pour gave way to a clove aroma. Slight cardboardy/oxidized smell. A strong winy aroma indicated that this would no doubt also have a winy taste.

10/12

Appearance

Thick, creamy head with big bubbles retained reasonably well, but left very little “lace” on the glass. Color is a deep, almost opaque brown.

2/3

Mouthfeel

Medium body - not too watery, but certainly less than I expected given the color. A good amount of carbonation.

4/5

Flavor

Emphasis on the malt with just a hint of hops and a slight roastiness. Still, very well balanced. For being such a high alcohol beer, there was little warming effect and no alcohol bite, which I liked. Finished with a strong wininess and lingers on the palate with a warm spice. I think further aging may round out the winy taste a bit.

18/20

Overall

When I drink a strong ale, I’m usually looking for something far stronger in the way of spice and esthers, but this is a very good, easy drinking beer. That 9% ABV will sneak right up on you. I’ll probably go back to TJ’s to buy another bottle or two and cellar it for a year.

9/10

Total 43/50

Beer: Samuel Adams Brewer Patriot Collection

As previously mentioned, I’m now brewing my own beer, which is a hell of a lot of fun. Part of brewing one’s own beer, though, is knowing what different styles are out there and getting a feel for them. This requires a lot of research. So I’ve been buying - and drinking! - lots of interesting beers lately as part of my education. Now and again, I’ll be discussing some of the more interesting ones here.

One of my cooler recent finds is the Samuel Adams Brewer Patriot Collection. The folks at Samuel Adams are big supporters of the homebrewing community. Jim Koch, the president, is a huge fan of beer in its many forms and the whole company seems to encourage experimentation in brewing, as evidenced by their extensive list of commercially available beer styles.

In keeping with this tradition of experimentation, the brewery annually produces a special mixed four-pack that represents styles of beer brewed in our nation’s early days. An article in Zymurgy Magazine from last year talked a bit about the diversity in beer styles and ingredients found in these brews - the use of various herbs, spices, fruits and vegetables in the wort was not uncommon - and it seems the Brewer Patriot series does a pretty good job of reflecting that.

This year, the series included Traditional Ginger Honey Ale, Root Beer Brew, George Washington Porter and James Madison Dark Wheat. All four were fantastic. Here’s my rundown:

Traditional Ginger Honey Ale - I love a good hefeweizen on a hot day and, before I tried this ale, I thought that nothing could be more refreshing. But, oh man, this stuff is incredible. It’s light in body without being a “light” beer. The honey adds a nice, subtle hint of sweet floral to the taste and the ginger, while present, is in no way overpowering or even all that dominant. This brew is super crisp and refreshing.

Root Beer Brew - This had to be my favorite in the pack. I love root beer and I love ale. This is just two great tastes that go great together. Brewed using traditional root beer spices, including wintergreen, licorice and molasses, this tastes like a dry root beer with a hop characteristic. Very spicy and very tasty, though not as sweet as you might expect. I’ve been considering brewing an alcoholic root beer (traditional root beer, by the way, is created in a similar fashion to regular beer, it’s just not fermented all the way) and this one proved that it’s an exceptionally good idea. I’d ramp up the sweetness a touch, though. A bit more sweetness may convince my non-beer drinking wife that beer isn’t all that bad.

George Washington Porter - Very strong, very good. This is really more of a stout porter. A lot of the bitterness in this brew seems to come from the roasted malt, which is what you expect in a stout porter. The molasses adds an interesting depth to the character and really balances out the bitterness quite a bit. The licorice in it is very, very subtle and lends to a slight spiciness that rounds this brew out quite a bit.

James Madison Dark Wheat Ale - I already mentioned my love for hefeweizens. This is nothing like a hefe. Most wheat beers we’re used to are brewed for their light and crisp character. In a traditional hefe, you’ll get a lot of subtle banana and clove-like flavors and scents. This dark wheat, though, is bold, medium bodied and very, very tasty. It has a malty sweetness you don’t usually find in a wheat beer thanks ion large part to the use of malted rye and roasted barley malt. Not a true 100% wheat beer, but it does combine the lightness of a traditional wheat with the maltiness of a traditional barley ale. An excellently well balanced combo.

If you’re looking to try these yourself, try your local Beverages and More or other specialty liquor store. I just happened upon it at the BevMo in Danville. I’ll be going back for more.