The Light Side...

Now that spring (with it's cool and rainy days) has given way to summer (with it's sort of warm, occasionally sunny days) it's time to enjoy some Summer beer!

For the Eleveth beer of [winter]...

For the eleventh beer of [winter], the beer store gave to me, Widmer Brothers Brrr Winter War-mer

The Widmer Brothers Brewing company was founded in 1984 in Portland Oregon. They make a wide variety of quality American and European style beers. For my 11th beer of x-mas, I poured myself a glass for their winter warmer, Brrr.

Brrr Seasonal Ale pours a bright, luminescent orange. The beer is clear, and clean looking and has a nice rich frothy white head that covers the top of the beer like a dusting of snow on a cold winters day.

The beer has a lightly floral aroma of orange blossom.

When I tasted it I noticed it has an extremely rich and creamy mouth feel.

The booze is extremely well balanced. The beer itself rocks in at a heavy 7.2 per cent ABV but the heat does not come off AT ALL, and rather the rich creaminess comes off mellow and tame.

There is also a strong note of vanilla on the finish and a yeasty uncooked bread dough component to add character and complexity.

Over all I though this beer was very nice. It wasn't at all spicy dark like some winter warmers, but it was very rich, and scored very high on my balance and complexity meters. This wasn't the best Christmas beer I've tried, but I think it was hands down the best value beer thus far/best bang-for-your-buck-winter beer.

One more review to go!

-Prost!

D.Lux

For the Tenth beer of [winter]...

For the Tenth beer of [winter] the beer store gave to me,

Winter Hook by Red hook Brewery!

Generally speaking, Red Hook Brewery makes above average but otherwise unremarkable ales and in that sense their Winter Ale is right on par. It's tasty and I'd gladly toss back a few, but I won't be shedding any tears mid-January when the years supply runs dry.

The beer pours a deep chestnut color, and is topped by a toasted-marshmallow head. The smell is dominated by aromas of roasted malts and has a strong coffee/toffee component as well.

On the palate the beer is sweet but balanced, with a touch of bitterness. The toffee flavors are great and are accompanied by notes of chocolate and macadamia nuts. Actually, if I had to sum up this beer en an extremely primitive way, I'd say it tastes the way I would expect a half

IPA, half nut-brown Ale to taste. It has notes of chocolate, cream, and

roasted malt, but it also has a bitter hop component that you can expect from a good IPA.

The alcohol level is low for a winter seasonal

(just under 6% ABV) and this beer seems like it would be a very easy beer to pair with food.

If you see it on sale, definitely snatch some up, but otherwise-with so many great winter ales in the market-you

could pass on this one without fearing that you had missed anything Earth-shaking.

-Prost!

D. Lux

For the Ninth beer of Christmas...

For the 9th beer of Christmas I made a trip down the San Tan Brewing Company in Chandler, AZ to sample a glass of their annual Winter Warmer!

San Tan does a lot of things that I like; the brewery has a very open feel, their beers are

consistently tasty, and their staff are quick and friendly. I would like very much to do a full review of the facilities but for today, I'm going to concentrate on only one beer.

The San Tan's Winter Warmer pours a beautiful deep mahogany in color. It has a thick creamy head and bursts with aroma... The most prominent

components that I noticed were dark cocoa and cream, although there was also a very strong mint flavor (somewhere between candy cane-

spearmint and menthol) and there was also a slight licorice flavor on the finish. It also had a really nice herbal-tea like quality to it.

One complaint that I did have was that it was a bit too hot on the palate. I don't have anything against high-octane beers, but if a brew is going to approach double-digits in ABV, it sure as hell

better have the huge flavor and complexity necessary to back itup. Although this beer a lot going on, there's not enough there to back up the 9.5% ABV.

That said, at 6PM Christmas day (when you've taken in more Christmas spirit than you care to (and need to get out of the house before say something to your mother-in-law that you'll regret) a beer with a little kick might be just the think you want!

Three more to go-Stay Tuned!

-Prost!

D.Lux

For the Eighth beer of Christmas...

Wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow!

This beer is a literal 180 from the last Christmas Beer I reviewed. It's not light and bright, it's thick and dark. It's not sweet and fruity, it's dry and herbal.This Christmas ale is coffee brown in color and loaded with flavors of cinnamon, clove, and ginger. It has flavors of ginger cookies, ginger bread, gingersnaps, and, did I mention, ginger?Actually, come to think of it my Mom's annual Christmas cookie package arrived today, and it just so happens that she included some Frosted Gingersnaps in the mix this year. Please allow a brief intermission while I retrieve one of her cookies for a short investigation...

That's it! Milk, step aside please. I'm sorry, but we won't be needing you anymore, you've been replaced! Boy! Won't Santa be happy when he

comes down MY chimney this year and sees a cold Anchor Steam perched next to a heaping plate of my Momma's Snaps! I just hope you can't get a DUI while operating a Sleigh in Arizona, otherwise Sheriff Arpio may throw the big guy in Tent City with out giving two thoughts about all the little boys and girls that won't get their presents as a result (boy, if this was a political blog, I could really easily take this opportunity to make a comment about Arpio's heart being two sizes too small, but alas, this is not a

political blog). This is a beer blog so lets get back to the reason you're here! The flavors of this beer are rich and creamy. It's just plain delicious. It's not sweet and it's relatively light and low in alcohol (for a Holiday seasonal) at 5.5% ABV.

One last note, that bears mentioning before I wrap this up is that this is Anchor Steams 35th year producing a Christmas Ale... thats right, 35TH! Most of the breweries I review aren't 35 years old (hell, many of the brewers themselves aren't 35 years old!). Anchor Steam has made this beer for 35 years, and they have used 35 different recipes. Each year the batch is unique, and each year the recipe is retired. It's a beautiful, beautiful thing...

-Prost!
D.Lux
PS Want my Mom's Ginger Snap recipe so you can try the combo on your own? Send me an e-mail with a beer recommendation-ANY beer recommendation-and I will send it to you :)

BrewDorkTimes@gmail.com

For the Seventh beer of Christmas...

~~~~For the Seventh beer of Christ-mas,~~~~

~~~~the beer-store gave to me,~~~~

~~~~Shiner Holiday Cheer!~~~~

The everyone knows the saying "Don't mess with Texas!" Well, this little San Antonio number isn't much of a 'tuff guy' in the Beer world, but it sure is tasty. [Disclaimer: If you think that beer should always taste a 'certain way' then this beer may not be for you... Me personally, I love beer because there is very little restriction in how it can or can't be produced and as a result, can come in an extremely diverse range of flavors. This beer, produced with peach nectar and pecans (among other things) is testament to the the very diversity that makes beer so special! That said, do I like this beer? Yes, but would I reach for it every time? Not a chance! Need further explanation, read on...]

The first thing that comes through on the nose of this beer is peaches, peaches and more peaches! The brew has a nice deep color of burnt caramel and has a brown-beige head.

When I tasted it, I still got the peaches but they were joined by green apples, triple cream Brie, and cracked pecans. The flavors got more and more complex with each sip. Once I got past the peaches I also noticed notes of raisin, cranberry, and a strange jammy-fruit-melange (would you think me a fool if I told you I tasted an apricot-mandrin marmalade?)

All in all I think this is a terrific beer. It's not one that I'd want to have more than one of at a time, but it is quite tasty, and furthermore I think it is one of the more food-friendly beers I've tried this year! If you feel like trying a different, lightly sweet beer, give this one a whirl!

Five more to go, stay tuned!

-Prost!

D.Lux

For the Sixth beer of Christmas...

~~~~For the Sixth beer of Christ-mas,~~~~

~~~~the beer-store gave to me,~~~~
~~~~Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale!~~~~

Oh no! It's already December 17th and I still have 7 beers to go! To make sure I'm able publish all 12 suggestions while there's still time to go out and try 'em, I'll be shortening the reviews a little so that I can get them posted quicker...

So.... without further ado, the sixth beer on my list is Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale. Sierra Nevada is one of the few American breweries that has mastered both the 'quality' and 'quantity' aspects of beer production. A lot of companies are extremely good at one but not the other, but Sierra Nevada has managed to increase distribution without sacrificing any of the attention to detail and pride of product that make craft beers so great.

Celebration Ale is a great example of what I think a holiday beer should be. It's full bodied, and has so many wonderful Christmas flavors (particularly cinnamon, nutmeg and malt). It has a rich copper-red color, and beautiful bright clarity. There's a touch of brown sugar and a wonderful bitter-hop finish.

Is this the best Christmas beer I've ever had? NO! but is it darn good? You betcha! In fact, I think this is a perfect litmus test beer for anyone who has never had a holiday seasonal. If you try this beer and say to yourself, "this ain't what beer tastes like, bahh-Humbug!" Well, then you should probably skip my next 6 recommendations too. If you try this and like it, print out my last six recommendation, and go shopping!

Six down-six to go! Stay tuned, they're going to be coming out rapid fire now!

-Prost!
D.Lux

For the Fifth beer of Christmas...

~~~~For the Fifth beer of Christ-mas,~~~~

~~~~the beer-store gave to me,~~~~
~~~~K-9 Cruiser by Flying Dog Brewery!~~~~

For the fifth beer of Christmas I drank the K-9 Cruiser Winter Ale by Flying Dog Brewery. These guys are one of my favorite brewers in America and they did not let me down with this year's Winter Ale!Put simply, this beer has got a lot going on; big-time flavor, big-time complexity! Although the flavors are what hit you over the head immediately, it's the complexity that makes this beer intriguing (think of it like getting hit over the head by a bat, and then immediately afterward thinking "what just happened?" -except without the ringing).

It has great clarity, a bright red-orange color, and very low-carbonation. The beer was extremely rich with creamy notes of sweet malt and a wonderful toasty aroma. It was also chalk-full of the cooking aromas that I love much in a winter ale (cinnamon, brown sugar, and toffee in particular). There were also a lot of secondary flavors going on but I would have needed a second or third bottle to pinpoint them exactly. This has been my favorite, thus far, of the 12 beers of Christmas, and I highly recommend you give this it a try.
More to come!

-Prost
D.Lux

For the Fourth beer of Chirstmas

~~~~For the Fourth beer of Christ-mas,~~~~

~~~~the beer-store gave to me,~~~~
~~~~Winter Ale by Alaskan Brewing Company!~~~~

Today I tasted a winter beer from a place that by all accounts should know everything there is to know about winter.

Alaskan Winter Ale is produced in Juneau, Alaska and is released at the beginning of October. This is the first year I've had the chance to try their winter ale and although I wasn't crazy about it, I do think it is a pretty good beer that's well worth a try!

It has great clarity, and pours a beautiful bright orange. The beer has a nice thick, white head and a strong orange blossom aroma. The sweet orange flavor comes through very nicely on the palate and there's also a lovely green component (pine?) and a touch of sweet malt.

The alcohol level is about average for a winter seasonal and is well balanced by its rich sweet flavoring, resulting in an extremely smooth brew. In fact, it might be a little too smooth... I mean, at 6.4% ABV this semi-sweet beer might be enough to keep me warm on a December night in Tempe, but if I were freezing my chestnuts off in Juneau Christmas Eve, I might just have to leave this one in the fridge, and reach for a glass of bourbon instead!

Stay tuned, more seasonal suggestions to come!

-Prost!
D.Lux

P.S. Oh, and I forgot to mention, it's brewed using Spruce Tips, how cool is that?! :)

For the Third beer of Christmas...

~~~~For the Third beer of Christ-mas,~~~~

~~~~the beer-store gave to me,~~~~
~~~~Santa's Private Reserve by Rogue Brewery!~~~~

Yum! Yum! Yum!
Beer! Beer! Beer!

I'm a quarter of the way through the 12 Brews of Christmas and going strong!

Today I tried Santa's Private Reserve by Rogue brewing company (which you might recognize from last months BREW REVIEW of Dry-Hopped St Rouge Red).

This beer was a really fun one to taste, but a really hard one to review... You see, the 12 Brews of Christmas is supposed to be a list of some of my favorite beers to enjoy during the holidays... This beer, managed to be simultaneously both a terrific ale, but only a mediocre Christmas beer... Allow me to explain.

With a name like Santa's Private Reserve--and a likeness of the jolly one himself raising a pint on the label--I went into this tasting with pretty high expectations. I hoped that the moment I cracked the cap of the bottle, a no spices-barred Christmas bombshell would pour out of the neck; nutmeg, pine, cinnamon and honey, would flow from the glass and fill my nostrils; and visions of sugarplums would fill my head! I did NOT get what I expected.

When I first smelled this beer the aroma came through as distinctly herbal with notes of rosemary and thyme. It reminded me of a wet-hopped Oregon IPA. There was a hint of menthol in the aroma, and a heavy heaping of hops.

The beer poured a beautiful, dark brick red. It was somewhat cloudy with a beautiful creamy white head.

When I tasted the beer I was surprised by a pleasantly high acidity, and by how strongly the hops persisted on the palate. I was unpleasantly surprised by the absence of many of the Christmas spice staples:

• No Cinnamon!
• No Nutmeg!
• No honey!
• No pine!

I think this is a really good beer but if I had tasted it blind, I would have pegged it as a wet-hopped, amber IPA, not a Christmas beer (I also would not have complained about the taste).

Maybe it's not the best 'Christmas beer', but it's delicious nonetheless.

Stay tuned, more seasonal beers to come!

-Prost!

D.Lux

For the Second beer of Christmas...

~~~~For the Second beer of Christ-mas,~~~~

~~~~the beer-store gave to me,~~~~
~~~~Christ-mas Ale by Abita Brewery!~~~~

For the second brew of Christmas I'm drinking a Southeastern staple, Abita Christmas Ale! This beer is a great follow up to the Deschutes Winter Ale particularly because it is sooooooo different.
You see, one of the main reasons I look forward to winter seasonal beers so much is that the category has very few restrictions, and as a result, contains an extremely wide variety of brews. If variety is the spice of life, during the holidays, life can get quite spicy!!
So, what is it about the Abita that makes it so different from the Deschutes winter ale? Well I'm so glad you asked!

The beer pours a beautiful crimson red with a dusty beige head. The aroma is very hoppie and there is a strange tangy, blood-orange flavor on the front of the palate. After a couple big sips flavors of cooked barley come through and there is a very distinct lemon zest to balance the malt.

Maybe equally as interesting as the flavors that are present, are the flavors that are not present... I don't pick up on any of the typical Christmas flavors of cinnamon and nutmeg.

In fact as the beer level works it's way steadily down my glass I'm quite surprised by how much the malt and cooked barley dominate the beer (I kind of feel like I'm eating bowl of whole grain cereal). The finish is a little more rich and round and I pick up on something that's not quite chocolate (but close).

Finally, there's just a little bit of a strange sour, tangy flavor that reminds me of fried plantains (LOL, I know, a bit ridiculous, but that's what I was reminded of).

Okay, that's all for now. I hope I didn't scare you off with the plantains, and if you get a chance to try it, I'd love to hear what you think!

Thanks for reading, and be sure to stay tuned, more seasonal suggestions are on the way!

-Prost!
D.Lux

For the First beer of Christmas, the beer store gave to me!

[Alright folks I need your best 'singing' internal monologue for this one!]

~~~~For the first beer of Christ-mas,~~~~
~~~~the beer-store gave to me,~~~~
~~~~A De-schutes Ju-bela-le!~~~~

Deschutes's Jubelale is as good a place as any to start for my 12 Brew of Christmas. Their beers are consistently rock-solid, and their winter ale is no exception. This year's Winter ale is packed full of caramel, sweet malt, honey, and cream. Near the end of the palate there's also a touch of spice and a nice kick of bitter hop to round it out.

What makes this beer even cooler is that the label is just as pretty as the beer that's inside. Each year Deschutes commissions a local Oregon artist to create a label that captures the spirit of winter. This year Tracy Leagjeld of Central Oregon Beautifully illustrates winter sunshine on newfallen Oregon Snow.

More seasonal suggestions coming soon!

-Prost!
D.Lux

BREW REVIEW - Deschutes Brewery Hop Trip

Deschutes Brewery, based in Bend, Oregon, has been producing craft beers for over two decades. It's a fun brewery with a 'try-anything' attitude that produces a wide variety of unique and interesting beers. They make seven year-round varieties, four seasonal ales, four age-worthy beers in a 'Reserve' series, and three more beers in what they call the 'Bond Street Series' (after the street on which the brewery resides).
Today I'm reviewing their Hop Trip which is part of the Bond-Street-trio. Before I jump into my BREW REVIEW though, I want to take a minute to explain why I selected this beer.
First, it should be know that Deschutes Brewery has a reputation for making hop-heavy beer. This tidbit alone is enough reason for me to pick one of their beers as I'm a bit of a closet hop-a-phile, but it's actually the unique production method that specifically drew me to Hop Trail. Allow me to explain.
A few years back the guys at Deschutes Brewery, a somewhat flamboyant hop-a-phile group, decided they wanted to make a beer that captured the natural flavors of hops 'fresh off the vine'. Most breweries make a beer hoppie by adding more dried hops, or hop-pellets. Deschutes wanted to brew a beer that would capture the fresh, green qualities of the hops. You see, the Deschutes crew were well aware that the essential oils in hops are most prominent when the hops are freshest meaning that as soon as they're cut from the field, the oils begin a gradual decline. This in mind, they set out to make a beer with Hops that spent the least amount of time possible from harvest to production. The least amount of time possible as it turns out is about three and a half hours, and that's exactly how long the Crystal Hops used for the production of Hop Trail spend between harvest and the kettle. The result they hoped would be a light, fresh, clean ale, with huge hop-flavor.
So, with all of that said, here is my BREW REVIEW
Wow, Fabulous. That's all I have to say...
Simple review? Good! It's a simple beer. It's like a good cut of steak, slow cooked over an open flame. No marinades, no seasonings, no steak sauce, just good, simple, basic ingredients, prepared with care, and easy to enjoy.
I wish the Hop Trail was the 'American Standard' instead of B*dw**z*r or M*ll*r. I think if that were the case, the rest of the world would have much greater respect for America as a beer producing nation.
If I were to compare The Hop Trip to a wine I'd say it's like a quality Beaujolais: fresh, fruity, honest, and uncomplicated. It's a celebration of hard work, and of the fall harvest, It can be enjoyed with just about any type of meal, or just by itself. By the numbers, I give it a 7/10 [Flavor 8/10, Balance 8/10, Complexity 6/10].

Oh, and did I mention it's only available through December? GO GET SOME!

-Prost!
D.Lux

P.S. Back in '06 FFEfilms followed the Deschutes crew around and captured the experience, the result was this pretty cool short film-Check it out!

BREW REVIEW - Dogfish Head Pumpkin Ale

'Tis' the season for Pumpkin Ale!'

Dogfish Head is one of my favorite craft breweries. They produce unparalleled IPA's and a wide variety of other beers, each a unique twist on a traditional style and each indefatigably* delicious!

But today I'm not drinking any of their versions of traditional styles. Today, I’m drinking their Pumpkin Ale! And why not? Halloween is less than a week away, and when the holiday is done and gone the Pumpkin Ale will be quick to follow. So without further ado, lets get right to the fun part, the BREW REVIEW!

As soon as I cracked open the bottle a flood of aroma poured out of the glass. The intensity of the flavor was stunning, I literally had to look around to verify that I hadn't been teleported to my mothers kitchen by a strange external force. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and caramelized brown sugar seized my nostrils and set up camp. The beer was much lighter in color than I had expected, more of a yellow/copper than the expected golden brown, and had a beautiful bright clarity (there were no chunks of pumpkin pie crust as I'd secretly hoped).

When I finished pouring the beer I brought the glass close to my face and took in a long, unabashed sniff. Instantly I was filled with warm feelings as my mind raced over memories of holidays and time spent with family. I closed my eyes, held the glass still closer, and selfishly indulged in a second, and then a third long, deep, inhalation. Each draw revealed something different, a memory of dropping a pie (face down) when I was a touch too young to be 'helping' in the kitchen. I picked up a whiff of sweet cream and remembered the feeling of being cold and toasty warm at the same time. I remembered the utter satisfaction of a delicious dessert at the end of a great meal...

After a few more slow pulls I was finally ready to take my first sip. The beer felt much lighter on my tongue that I expected--the weight of two percent, when I was expecting whole milk--and the flavor, surprisingly, didn't parallel the aroma in intensity. After a second sip I made the perplexing and somewhat disappointing observation that the beer was almost a bit watery. Like many of the Dogfish Head beers the alcohol level is fairly high, at 7%, and that did give the beer some structure, but with as high as my expectations were, the flavor concentration was definitely let down. That said, I don't think it's a bad beer--quite the opposite--but I do think that it is a beer that leaves something to be desired. I have no doubt that next year the team at DH will roll out something great, but as for this year, I think the missed the mark. By the numbers I give it a 5 out of 10 [flavor 4/10, Balance 5/10, Complexity 6/10].

-Prost!
D.Lux

*I went back in forth quite a bit on what adverb to use here. The goal was to use a word that would both firmly emphasize the goodness of the beer, and not make me sound like a tool. I settled on 'indefatigably' which I think fails to satisfy either of the two criteria, but after saying it a few times I remembered what a cool word it was, and decided, what the heck-it stays!

BREW REVIEW - Samuel Adams - Octoberfest Seasonal

Ahh, Oktoberfest.... it feels like just yesterday I was in Munich partying in 'tents' that looked more like elaborately decorated airplane hangers, singing along enthusiastically to old Bavarian chants that I didn't know any words to, standing on tables and dancing with best friends (whom I'd met hours earlier) and drinking some of the best beers my taste buds have ever enjoyed... It feels like it was just yesterday, but it was actually almost three weeks ago...

I am states bound again, and Oktoberfest 2010 feels like an eternity away, so before they disappear from the shelves completely for 10 months, I'd like to take a minute to write a BREW REVIEW of Uncle Sam's er... Sam Adams' take on the annual German beer holiday.

So without further ado, here is my review of the 2009 Samuel Adams Octoberfest Seasonal beer.

According to the label SA Octoberfest is: "brewed with five varieties of malted barley for a deep amber color and a bigger richer flavor" and at first pour I have to admit it's a pretty sexy beer.

Upon tasting the beer the first thing that I notice is a creamy, moderately-thick mouth-feel. It's not overly hoppie, or overly malty. It's very well balanced and much to my surprise has a very sweet aroma that reminds me of honeydew melons with a floral fragrance coming through on the end. Although it's rich in color with a fairly thick mouth-feel, it doesn't feel heavy on the tongue and it finishes quite clean with a burst of flavor on it's way down the gullet.

I'm happy with it. I'm not wow'ed, but overall, I think the folks at Samual Adams did a pretty good job! I give it 4 out of 5 beer bottles!...or ... a B+!.... or an 87%!...
Hmmmmm.... This would probably be a good time to decide how I'm going to rate my BREW REVIEWs ha.. ok, so the blog is a work in progress, but hey, there's plenty of time to work out the details :)

One final question I asked myself when considering the quality of this beer was, how does it compare to the beer served at Oktoberfest in Munich? Well, it's substantially darker than the majority of the beer I drank in Munich-I primarily stuck to the lighter options (hey when you're ordering beer by-the-liter you need to take such precautions if you want to last a respectable amount of time before passing out!). However, the flavors of fall were clearly present. The quality was high. The beer was clean, balanced, and it was pretty damn tasty! I approve, and I'd like to think that the Germans would to!

Prost!
D.Lux

PS. All this drinking, and thinking about Oktoberfest is making me feel nostalgic of my days at the big event... I think a retro-active 'BREW REVIEW: Oktoberfest-Munich' is in store... COMING SOON!