A Christmas post...finally. Been a busy couple of months. Marriage. Holidays. Food. Lot on the agenda for 2017. Sell that damn house. Find our new home together. Get back in shape. As Howard Langston said, "Put that cookie down. NOW!" It will all come together. Learn to be still. All about listening to that inner voice, and having a mustard seed's worth of faith. Speaking of faith...four brews you can trust me on. Watch the ratings. Make the call...paddle hard, or pass and wait for the next set. Like waves, there's always another beer. Learn to be still. The epic ones will come.
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| Making up for '15, Chicago's shoreline was shown an icy December reception. I wouldn't do it. Lake Michigan, 12/15/2016 -AP Pic |
Not a brown ale fan. Said it before, I know. That being said, Bell's Brewery puts out one of the best easy drinkin' brown ales I've had. 5.8% ABV; meanin' kinda mellow, but able to put up a front towards the cooling temps. Bell's Best Brown. Poured a dark ruby brown with a finger plus beige head. Aromas of toasted malt and coffee. Nice tastes of mocha, nuts, and brown sugar. Had a creamy feel to it with 30 IBUs of hoppiness to give it the sharp finish a good ol' English Brown is known for. Rated a B+/A-.
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| Early December snow. Aurora, 12/4/2016. |
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| Christmas Kindle Market, Naperville, IL 12/10/2016 |
Egg Nog Ale. Was thinkin' "no way." But I had to have some, and my beer-search back East was for this one. Flying Dog Brewery's Naughty Egg Nog Ale; an American Strong Ale brewed with the spices of the season... cinnamon,nutmeg, and vanilla bean. This had definitely been working for the Holidays. Very strong at 8.4% ABV. Couple these'll knock ya on your a$$ for real. Poured an orange/amber with about a one finger head. Off white thick head with fast dissipating lacing. Definitely smelled the nutmeg and vanilla. I conceded the similarity to egg nog here, but it ended in the taste. Malty cinnamon and a tad on the boozy side. Very light bitterness that admittedly finished the brew off well. Like I said, plenty of the Christmas spice. Didn't feel the whole egg nog thing. Cheered this one in at a B.
'Tis the Christmas season, and all beer tastes great. I know, right? No ill will meant, but Luxembourg brewery Bofferding seemed to be looking for the Christmas Spirit and then gave up while churning up their Christmas Lager. Poured a beautiful clear ruby red with a bubbly 2-finger head that disappeared quickly. Afterwards, not much. Aromas of a little toffee maybe. Caramel possibly. Malty taste with a little bitterness in the end. Except for the color, it tasted like your average commercial lager. Little disappointed with this one. Rated a C/C-.
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| All lit up. St. Michaels, MD |
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| Missed the beach spirit of the OC Lights. '17 promises a remedy. |
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| Another treasure gone in '16. Sea Scape's last Christmas, 2015. |
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| "It's just another day in paradise..." -Eagles Malibu Beach, 12/18/2016. Malibus pic |
Landed with Trader Joe's 2016 Vintage Ale, brewed by Unibroue of Quebec, Canada. Yeah, Belgian ales. A limited seasonal Belgian Strong Dark Ale that poured a very dark, cloudy brown and oozed scents of berries, coffee, brown sugar and the familiar Belgian yeast.With a foamy tan two finger head and leaving thin lacing, the tastes of nuts, fruit, mocha, and the subtle Belgian yeast came through. More sweet malt than bitter with light citrus in the finish. Approximately 15 IBUs but a "sucker punch in the back of the neck" 9.0 ABV. Rated TJ's a B/B+.
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In Anglo-Saxon times, according
to Crippen, it was customary for
someone offering a drink to say
"Wassail!" and for the recipient
to respond "Drinkhail!" and for
the participants to repeat the
exercise until comfortably
horizontal. -Bill Bryson
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| "May all your troubles last as long as your New Year's resolutions!" -Joey Adams Wassail! |
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