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| "Whether spending Christmas in the snow or on the beach, the most important aspect is celebrating in a way that brings joy and meaning to you and your loved ones." - Souf Tihhi |
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| Sunrise break on 62nd Street. The OC, 12/19/2023 |
Fell a hair behind on posts towards year end. Call it lack of incentive. Lack of inspiration. All brought on by lack of surf time. However, it's Christmas. The season of inspiration. Inspiration everywhere. 'Specially on the shore. Nuthin' beats the Christmas season to inspire a better self into the New Year. As a side note... hard to beat an early AM surf check to inspire a better day. Enough deviation. The weather has turned. Nights becoming clogged with the chill of winter. Had to carefully time putting up the outside lights this year to avoid either a freezing, or a soaking. Took a couple days, spaced out. When done, always worth the effort. The Pines and the OC already had their holiday luster goin'. Lights. An essence of this time of year that is always memorable for me. Father putting up our lights. Grandfather taking us on an early version of a light tour. Yeah, definitely a favorite part of the season.
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| Inlet lot. |
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| Entrance to town. |
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| Pier rides. |
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Detroit's Griffin Claw Brewing presented Three Scrooges Winter Ale. 5% ABV. 18 IBUs. Dark red pour with aromas of nutmeg, cloves and oranges. Taste had notes of cinnamon and nutmeg, anise, caramel, and ginger dancin' with the orange. Decent, but not a very warming beer. Rated a C+/B-. |
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| Pines Southgate. |
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| White Horse Park, Ocean Pines. |
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| Surfin' Santa! |
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Ringing in the season was Michigan's star Founders Brewing with The Cranfather. Cranberry Old Fashioned style Bourbon Barrel Ale. 11.1% ABV. Approx 30 IBUs. Deep mahogany pour. Cloudy to the point of being opaque. Stone fruit, citrus, cran- berry, and bourbon scents. Flavors of orange, cherry, dates, and fig. And of course, bourbon. Play on tart and sweet. Perfect holiday offering. Gave it an A rating. |
Music. also a big part of the season. Granddaughter's first concert. A child's version of Christmas provides inspiration to everyone in earshot.
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| Center of attention. |
Annual trip to Chicago. Our Lake Geneva, Wisconsin connection pulled up stakes and moved south. Gulf Coast Florida. Story/post for another time. So our first stop was Northville and the subs of Detroit for a few. Then on to Oswego and the southwest subs of Chicago. Mild holidays. No snow during travel. Less stress. Joyous. Family. All about family. All in the Family. Inspiration to heal. Inspiration to celebrate. Stoked!
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Left Hand Brewing outta Colorado. Not much more festive than Candy Cane beer. Make it a nitro. For a foam topper. Very creamy. Defined by the peppermint. Little coffee. Some chocolate. 9.5% warming effect. Nice hopped finish at an est. 30 IBUs. Solid B rating. |
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| Northville, MI base station. |
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More Colorado brewed. Holidale. Whiskey Barrel Ale. 10.7% ABV. 22 IBU. Sweet, earthy aromas. Flavors of nutmeg and cinnamon. Oakey. Boozy. Rich. Dark brown pour with a finger brown head. Everything expected in a Christmas brew. Gave it a B+/A- rating. |
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| Guarding the loot (or waiting for more?). |
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| For Kings Not Gods. Resist Spirits, Kentucky. 57.35% ABV. 114.7 Prf. Bitters. Luxardo cherries. A genuine holiday Old Fashioned. AAA Rate! |
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North Peak Brewing, pride of Travers City, MI. Blitzen Festivus Ale in honor of the Michigan Wood Elf. Dark amber pour with a thin tan head. Malt and rye make up the toffee and spice aromas and flavor. A bit more rye than winter spice. 6.8ABV. 55 IBUs. Rated a B/B-. |
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| Hopvine Brewing - perfect holiday watering hole. |
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| Hopvine Cuban Rolls |
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KrumpasBock. Odd Side Ales. A Bock Lager of German heritage. Poured an off-brown with a thin, fast dissipating head. Notes of malt and caramel in the smell. Tasted of toasted malt, nutmeg, and more caramel. At 7.2%, could actually bring out Krampus. Rated a solid B. |
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First whiff gives aromas of malts, pecans, and piney hops. Boulevard Brewing's Nutcracker. A cryptic Winter Warmer at 7.8% ABV. Flavors of roasted nuts, caramel, spice, and lightly sweetened cherries. Citrus notes on the back end. Only 38 IBUs considering the overly strong bittered finish. Amber-brown, hazy body with a finger plus, dense beige head. Fair cheer for the holidays. Rated a B-/C+. |
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| Midwest tradition. Oswego, IL 12/25/2023. |
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An IPA befitting of the the Fest I Val! War Pigs Brewing produced Blinding Light Show. A tropical celebration of light. Perfect for the Season of Lights. Smelled of oranges, lemon, melon, and pine. Tasted of pine- apples, mangos, and more resinous pine. Balancing malt backbone similar to a wit beer. Clean, crisp finish. 67IBUs. Dangerous at 7.8%. Rated a joyous A.  |
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| Family and giving= always stoked. |
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| Jolly Pumpkin's Noel. Oak Aged Wild Ale. Dark mahogany pour. Thin white head. Stone fruit, cranberries cloves, and nutmeg, swirled in the flavor. Tart. Bitter. Aromas were of cherries, grapes, and oranges tempered with oak. 9% made it a sipper. 22 IBUS provided a bitter, dry finish. 'Lil inspiration on a cold Christmas holiday night. Deserving of an A rating. |
"Well, this is Christmas. We're not handing out participation trophies. I can't help it
if half the kids deserve coal instead of presents." - Chris Cringle, "Fatman"
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