The Twelve, from the Rogue's notebook.

"From Coney Island to The Sunset Strip. Somebody's gonna make a happy trip.
Tonight, while the moon is bright."    -Brian Setzer Orchestra, Cool Yule
Chicago's Christmas skyline through beer goggles? Nah... Millennium Park's Bean. 12/26/2018

   Twelve Days of Christmas. Twelve beers. Get it? Thought it would be cool. I was stoked. Twelve beers, pics and a line or so about the holiday action. Maybe relate everything to the song, carol, hymn. whatever. You know, the coded primer of the tenets of faith for Catholics who were persecuted during the middle ages, the celebration of the Christmas feast days starting with the birth of Jesus to the Epiphany (the arrival of the Magi), or the memory game...used to do with my kids as well. See what I mean? Wasn't as easy as I thought it would be. The beers were easy though. Not all at once, mind you. Over the course of the season. Yes this is a surf blog, with a little bit of hops and malt mixed in the water. But, baby it's cold outside (bad pun I know, right?). No hood here. So more rounds of beer, some heavy warmers included to ward off the chill. Most purty good. As this post will be...follow closely, and learn the tenets of my season's brew dogma.
   The first few brews were included as part of my Virginia mix brought up from Williamsburg, VA. Virginia Beer Company's Evil Santa, a Spiced Milk Stout with a dark brown pour, tan head, and thick lacing. Notes of vanilla and cinnamon in the smell, with additional chocolate, allspice and nutmeg in the taste. Little bit sweet, but very smooth. Warming at 7% ABV. Decent 32 IBU hop bite in the finish. Rated a B.

Alewerks Brewing's Old Fashioned Christmas Ale was a cherry brown colored Strong Ale with a thin head. Another warmer at 8%, the brew had aromas of nutmeg and ginger, with a taste of toasted malt, more nutmeg and cinnamon spice. Smooth. Mellow. Not as thick as Evil Santa, and the ABV was deceptive. Few of these and your morning after wouldn't be so merry. Not as much hop finish as Evil either. Rated a B-.

The Colonial Capital

stoked with natural

Christmas decor.

During our Williamsburg trips the DoG Street Bottle Shop has become my equivalent to an ale surf shop. Place has shelves on top of shelves of brews, glassware, barware, and a tasting room with featured beers on tap and appetizers/sandwiches to pair. O'Connor was another brewery gem I discovered there. Norfolk Canyon Pale Ale. At 5.5% ABV, the namesake is the fishing grounds 60 miles off Virginia's coast. Clear gold pour with a white head. Aromas of grain and citrus followed by tastes of sweet lemon. Crisp hop finish with a light bitterness at 30 IBUs. Good. But, not a stand out. Rated a B-/C+.

Williamsburg's "go-to" bottle shop.

   Christmas in America's Coolest Small Town, a theatre turned to food, arts and spirits, and a can release. Globe restaurant's Smoked Gouda Hash and Filet (mignon). Badass. Paired with Fin City Brewing's Poor Man's IPA. Been around for awhile, but the newly released can illustrated the location of said Canyon. 50 miles offshore. So named as it is the closest of the local canyons. Less gas to get there. A poor man's choice? Maybe? Yeah, still cost ya. Poured a hazy honey amber, finger plus white head, with aromas of citrusy hops and strong malt. Mango and grapefruit with strong malty tones in the flavor. Cool can. Decent IPA. Rated a B/B-.

Berlin's scorching tree.

"Wishing you all kinds

of holiday beer...

err...ahh...excuse

me. I mean cheer."

-Card

One of the more disappointing beers I picked up over the Christmas season was Harpoon's Dunkin Coffee Porter. In collaboration with Dunkin Donuts, Boston based Harpoon Brewery, this brew is designed to illuminate the best of a Dunkin coffee...those eye-opening cups of joe that got me to many a morning surf break. Sorry. More bitter than sweet. Notes of burnt espresso and unsweetened baking chocolate. Light smoke mixed with coffee in the smell...like a pot of coffee that's been on the burner too long. Dry finish. Poured a brown-black with a brown head. Rated a C/C-.

Gouda hash and a steak baby!

75 Minutes. That's a walk through the park...with Christmas lights. Or another very nice Dogfish Head Brewery offering. Malts, a profusion of hops, and for a touch of sa-weetness, maple syrup. The 75 Minute IPA, brought back to their comprehensive selection of IPAs. Light amber-orange pour with a finger-plus head. Fair lacing. Aromas of resinous pine and mango. Tastes of apricot, mo' mango, grapefruit, and...maple. 75 IBUs of hop bitterness in the finish. 75% ABV (go figure) made all the lights brighter. Rated a B+/A-.

Mt. Crumpet's Max on beach patrol.

The seventh day, Hogmanay. the Scottish New Year's Eve. My Granddad was part Scottish. Enjoyed a good party on the Shore. Liked his beer and booze, that's for sure. I digress. Need a good beer to accompany. Fordham & Dominion Brewing's GPA (Grapefruit Pale Ale). The seventh beer. At 6% a nice warmer for a chill New Year. Another amber-orange pour with deep haze. Finger or so bubbly head. Definitely smelled the grapefruity hops in this one. Not a grapefruit hardass though. Some orange. Some lemon. Taste had more of the same fruit background with more maltyness than your average pale up front. Refreshing, smooth, crisp finish at 60 IBUs. Sometimes wonder. In the craft world of IPA's the expectations always seem to rise. Pale Ales are a little more forgiving. Maybe less expectations? Regardless, rated this baby an A-. Maybe it was the day.

Brackish Solstice on the river. The Point- late December, 2018.

These festivities always pack an import somewhere. Family in Chicago's western suburbs. Father-in-Law packin' an old-world Croatian pilsner. And he's Italian! Was a perfect starter to the Christmas activities out there. Karlovacko Pivo, a Bohemian Pilsner pouring a clear straw yellow with a fast dissipating, foamy, finger-plus head. Scents of orange and raw sugar. Tasted bitter up front, but refreshing. More citrus and grains. Typical for most pilsners. 5% ABV. Maybe 15 - 20 IBUs. Not a head-plus wall, maybe comparable to a knee-high ride. Fun. Easy drinkin'. Better than those commercial lagers. Rated a B-.

Christkindlmarket, Naperville, IL. 12/2018

Speaking of the Eastern Block (Croatia)...I know I have said this in the past, but it's true. Imperial means alcohol content fit for a king. And since this season celebrates our King? Well, maybe not for that reason but... Lagunitas Imperial Stout Ale. Thick. Dark. Feared. Yeah. An end of an era kind of brew. A Czar in the midst of a revolt. Economy a wreck. The final days of the empire. More reactionary than revolutionary. There is always a reason to celebrate. Bring on the bomber. No, not the Tupolev SB-2. The Lagunitas 22-OZ. Black pour. Couple fingers worth of head. Thick, brown lacing. Roasted malts and coffee in the aromas. More coffee, dark chocolate, and malty caramel flavors. Rich, silky, and smooth is the the best way to describe each swig. Despite 72.54 IBUs, finished mildly bitter, with lingering roasty coffee and chocolate. At 9.9% ABV this one was deceptively not boozy. Definitely kept the masses celebrating through the holidays. An A rated stout to be sure.

The John Hancock decked. 12/2018

Holiday travels through Midwestern suburbia took us to Northville/Livonia. Detroit, MI area. This became more of a kick-back spot on the other side of our bit chaotic tour. Couple of local brewskis downed. Old Nation Brewing. A newbie. Cart Horse IPA. Seasonal haze, New England style. Smooth. Creamy. Poured a very murky, deep orange with a thick two-finger, off-white head. Aromas of citrus, papaya, and pine. Juicy flavors of mango, orange and grapefruit rinds, supported with a malt backbone. Finished with a resinous sweetness and spicy pine. Kinda like a milkshake IPA. Bitter beginnings. Sweet end. 7% ABV. 60 IBUs. Rated an A.

 Then dinner at a brewpub. More of a beerhouse. BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse in Livonia. Started in California. Now 'cross the country. Midwest food with Cali flair. The apps and entrees were excellent. Grabbed a flight to start and finished off with their yearly vintage Grand Cru. A Belgian Strong Ale landing at 10% (which is why I finished with it). Low carbonation. Sweet. Could taste the banana and orange typical in the Belgian yeast. Heavy. Boozy. But balanced. And aged well. Pretty good for a chain offering. Poured a clear, cherry-red amber with a thin head. Low bitterness at 11 IBUs. Rated a B-.

   Back home. Twelfth Night. Riotous living. Feasting. Singing. Howling. And wassailing. Lots of wassailing. Cider and mead. Or in my case, beer and bourbon.

Wassail! Wassail! All over the town,

Our toast it is white, and our ale it is brown;

Our bowl it is made of the white maple tree;

With the wassailing bowl, we'll drink unto thee!

-the Gloucestershire Wassail

Jolly Roger Pier, OCMD. End of Christmas Season

The final beer. Another import. But a goot one. Brasserie D'Achouffe. Craft brewers situated in Belgium's Ardennes. Good friends' gifts tend to mean a lot and there was thought in this. Houblon Chouffe. A Belgian IPA Tripel. Hefty and very spirited at 9%. Big two-plus finger white head sunk into the clear golden copper pour. Lots of citrus and floral aromas. Big punch of fruit taste. Orange, lemon, grapefruit. Signature belgian yeast flavor in the back. Seemed to have a very hoppy finish without being overbearing. Like being punched in the mouth a still manage to keep a smile on your face. Explains the IBU level of 47. And, the A- rating.

Finally, light displays at the inlet again.

   Finished? Not quite. Just one more (no cliche' here). End of the days of Christmas is time for the Epiphany. The arrival of the Magi. A toast to another joyous festival season. Family and Friends. Hope and Faith. Abundance and Prosperity. Wife provided the ideal bottle of prosperity. Jefferson's Ocean. 

Extra small batch. Bourbon in an oak barrel. Strapped to a ship. Crisscrossing the seas 4 times. Crashing through cold, rolling, mountainous waves of the North Atlantic. Skimming over the sweltering, sometimes glass, sometimes jagged, 100-plus degree South Seas. This 90 proof elixir had seen it all. Rich amber color. Oak, caramel, and vanilla spice aromas. Brininess combined with apples and cinnamon, semi-sweet baking chocolate with a hint of bitter coffee in taste. 45% alcohol. A rated. A toast to a new year.

"Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself
to the influences of each."  -Thoreau
Late season semi-clean mini-bump. 81st Street, 12/2018.