Posts Tagged ‘New Jersey’
Posted by BoaBeerBlog on December 30, 2012
I’ve been blessed by a bountiful winter beer season – my favorite beer-drinking season of the year. Winter brews represent a centuries-old tradition of concocting strong, full-flavored beers to offset the gloom and cold weather of winter. Dense and strong, rich and opaque, winter brews embody the blustery season. Winter seasonals are typified by the classic “winter warmer” but they don’t all fit into one style. Over the past month, at holiday gatherings with family and friends or just hanging out on the weekends watching football, I’ve sampled a wide variety of winter brew.
Here then, is my 2012 winter beer sampling in pictures:
Sierra Nevada Celebration 12 pack
(L-R) Evo Secret Spot, Peak Organic Winter Session Ale, Flying Fish Grand Cru, Bells Brewery Winter White
(L-R) Port City Tidings, Avery Old Jubilation Ale, Shlafly Christmas Ale, Southern Tier 2XMAS, Bison Gingerbread Ale
Dogfish Head Alehouse Gaithersburg – Chalkboard on December 14
Had a 75 Minute IPA before our annual visit to the Winter Lights at Seneca Creek State Park, one of our favorite winter traditions.
Close-up of Dogfish Head in a Santa Hat
The Shorty Bottle Collection
(L-R) Sierra Nevada Celebration, Anchor Christmas Ale, Lost Coast Winterbraun
(L-R) Widmer Brothers Brrr, Sam Adams Winter Lager, New Belgium Snow Day
Rock Bottom Bethesda – Six Beer Sampler
Sampled the Winter Tartan Scottish Ale and five other Rock Bottom house brews during Happy Hour on December 12
(L-R) Sam Adams Merry Mischief, Tröegs The Mad Elf, Rogue Santa’s Private Reserve
(L-R) Lake Placid Nippletop, Boulder Never Summer Ale
Mad Fox Growlers of Festivus Ale
The Mad Fox brewpub in Falls Church, VA offered half-price growler fills before 3:00 p.m. in December – spent my lunch hour one day on a growler run for Festivus Ale.
Magic Hat Winterland Variety 12-Pack
Featuring Wooly, “A Coniferous Concoction” with the aroma of spruce tips
Not pictured: Goose Island Mild Winter, Harpoon Winter Warmer, Thomas Hooker Nor’easter, Cisco Brewers Winter Shredder
The final winter beer tally: 28 brews from 26 breweries.
Posted in From the Beer Store, Winter Brews | Tagged: Anchor Brewing Company, Avery Brewing, Bells Brewery, Bison Brewing, Boston Beer Company, Boulder Beer Company, California, Cisco Brewers, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Dogfish Head Brewery, Evolution Craft Brewing Company, Flying Fish Brewing Company, Goose Island Beer Company, Harpoon Brewery, Illinois, Lake Placid Craft Brewing, Lost Coast Brewery, Mad Fox Brewing Company, Magic Hat Brewing Company, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Belgium Brewing Company, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Peak Organic Brewing Company, Pennsylvania, Port City Brewing, Rock Bottom, Rogue Brewery, Sam Adams, Schlafly, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Southern Tier Brewing Company, Thomas Hooker Brewing Company, Troegs Brewing Company, Vermont, Virginia, Widmer Brothers Brewing Company | Leave a Comment »
Posted by BoaBeerBlog on February 2, 2012
Before we get too far away from New Year’s Eve 2011…
We were having friends over for New Year’s Eve, so I put together a special menu of beers worthy of such an occasion. When you think of New Year’s Eve, you usually think of popping the cork on a bottle of Champagne. Cracking open a cap on a bottle of beer somehow didn’t seem fitting. So I went looking for big bottles of brew with a cork and cage, so I could pop the corks in celebration of 2012. I found a few cork and cage bottles and other specialty brews, which along with the excellent brews brought by our guests provided a fabulous beer menu to ring in 2012.
The Beer Menu
- Wittekerke Winter White Ale, Harelbeke, Belgium (7.5%), an authentic Belgian Double Wit Ale.
- Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale, Anderson Valley Brewing Company, Boonville, California (6.9%), a traditional Winter Warmer.
- Santa’s Private Reserve, Rogue Ales, Newport, Oregon (6.0%), this Amber Ale has a malty flavor and spicy finish, and is one of my favorite winter seasonals.
- Exit 9 Hoppy Scarlet Ale, Flying Fish Brewing Company, Cherry Hill, New Jersey (9.0%), a richly flavored American Strong Ale that is assertively hopped.
- Yule Tide, Heavy Seas Beer, Baltimore, Maryland (10.0%), a Belgian Tripel Ale.
- Killer Penguin, Boulder Beer Company, Boulder, Colorado (10.0%), a smooth and strong Barleywine Ale.
- Infinium, Boston Beer Company, Boston, Massachusetts and Weihenstephan Brewery, Freising, Germany (10.3%), a unique
Champagne-like beer that is becoming a New Year’s Eve tradition. (I drank a bottle of Infinium on New Year’s Eve 2010.)
- Life and Limb, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Milton, Delaware and Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Chico, California (10%), an amazing collaboration beer that has its own web site.
- Brooklyn Brewery Chocolate Stout, Brooklyn, New York (10%), an Imperial Stout with “a luscious deep dark chocolate flavor.”
The entire menu was awesome, but there were a few stand-outs: Exit 9, Killer Penguin, and Life and Limb. I also really liked the Wittekerke White Ale because it was a lot different than your usual dark winter brews.
The New Year’s Eve celebration with friends, especially fellow craft beer enthusiast, made watching 2011 turn into 2012 a memorable beer-drinking experience.
Posted in Boa’s Beer Sampling Series, From the Beer Store, Winter Brews | Tagged: Anderson Valley Brewing Company, Bavik-De Brabandere, Belgium, Boston Beer Company, Boulder Beer Company, Brooklyn Brewery, California, Colorado, Delaware, Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Flying Fish Brewing Company, Germany, Heavy Seas Beer, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rogue Brewery, Sam Adams, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, Weihenstephan Brewery | Leave a Comment »
Posted by BoaBeerBlog on January 13, 2012
Today I heard a radio ad for the new Sam Adams spring seasonal, Alpine Spring, which is described as a citrusy, unfiltered lager that is the perfect transition from winter’s heavier brews to the lighter beers of summer. It sounds great…but it’s January 12. Sure, we’ve had a mild winter, but spring brew on January 12?
Since the brewers wait for no season, I figured I should catch up on the many winter brews that I’ve been sampling. Assuming winter brews are on still on the shelves, I’ve got three categories for the winter releases: Go Buy Some Today (and I Mean Today), Worth a Try, and Leave it on the Shelf.
Go Buy Some Today (and I Mean Today)
- Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale (CA), an excellent IPA and my favorite winter seasonal. I hardly ever buy beer by the case, opting instead to mix a case of different six packs for some variety. But I just picked up a whole case of this brew, on sale at Magruder’s. It’s drinkable enough for a session beer, but at 6.8% ABV, be careful.
- The Mad Elf, Tröegs Brewing Company (PA), a strong winter release from one of my favorite Pennsylvania breweries. This is a unique beer — a ruby red ale brewed with honey and cherries that clocks in at 11% ABV. The price tag is worth it!
- Christmas Ale, Anchor Brewing Company (CA), every year since 1975 the brewers at Anchor have brewed a unique Christmas Ale. The recipe of this longtime American holiday ale is different every year…and always excellent.
- Yellow Snow IPA, Rogue Ales (OR), this IPA is fast becoming one of my favorite winter seasonals. It is a bitter brew with a big hop flavor (6.2% ABV, 70 IBU).
- Santa’s Private Reserve, Rogue Ales (OR), another excellent winter release from Rogue, this double-hopped Red Ale is a holiday classic (6.0%).
- Winter White, Bells Brewery (MI), a delicious blend of American wheat and Belgian wheat beers. This winter release is a welcome alternative to the dark and heavy winter seasonals.
- Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale (CA), a hoppy American Strong Ale (7.9% ABV). If you were looking for Lagunitas Brown Shugga’ this winter, it’s not available. Lagunitas admits they screwed up their brewing schedule and couldn’t find space for Brown Shugga’. So they released the self-proclaimed Lagunitas Sucks Holiday Ale, which doesn’t suck at all. Read more on the RateBeer.com web site. Hilarious!
Worth a Try
- Shlafly Christmas Ale (MO), inspired by spiced holiday beverages such as wassail and mulled wines, this 8.o% ale is spiced with orange peel, juniper berries, ginger root, cardamom and cloves.
- Shlaflay Winter ESB (MO), a balanced easy-drinker (5.8%)
- Breckenridge Christmas Ale (CO), dubbed “bottled joy to the world” by the brewery (7.0%).
- Stoudts Revel Red (PA), a hoppy Red Ale (6.2%).
- Full Sail Wassail (OR), a strong and dark winter warmer (7.0%).
- Port City Tidings (VA), a Strong Belgian Blond Ale brewed with Maryland wildflower honey and Virginia wheat (7.8%).
- Shipyard Prelude (ME), this winter warmer is a complex English Strong Ale (6.7%).
- Flying Dog K-9 Cruiser (MD), an English Strong Ale (6.4%).
- Grand Cru Winter Reserve, Flying Fish Brewing Company (NJ), a Belgian-style strong golden ale (7.2%).
- Winter Scotch, St. George Brewing Company (VA), “a malty, full-bodied ale…with a lingering peat smoke effect” (6.0%)
- Winter Ale, Blue Point Brewing Company (NY), this winter warmer is a hearty and robust Amber Ale (7.0%).
- Hibernator, Long Trail Brewing Company (VT), a drinkable unfiltered Scottish Ale (6.0%).
- Brr Seasonal Ale, Widmer Brothers Brewing (OR), a beer with “bold hop flavor, candy sweet finish” (7.2%)
Leave it on the Shelf
- Hell, they’re all at least worth a try!
Beth and I sampled these brews over the long Christmas weekend. I picked up most of these beers as singles at Total Wine in Mclean. I love beer stores that sell singles! And I love the winter beer season!
Updated February 15, 2012
Posted in From the Beer Store, Winter Brews | Tagged: Anchor Brewing Company, Bells Brewery, Blue Point Brewing Company, Breckenridge Brewing Company, California, Colorado, Flying Dog Brewery, Flying Fish Brewing Company, Full Sail Brewing Company, Long Trail Brewing Company, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Port City Brewing, Rogue Brewery, Schlafly, Shipyard Brewing Company, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, St. George Brewing Company, Stoudts Brewing Company, Troegs Brewing Company, Vermont, Virginia, Widmer Brothers Brewing Company | 2 Comments »
