Sam Adams Chocolate Bock

 Chocolate Bock was offered as a special edition brew a few years ago. When I looked it up I saw references to it back in 2005. I recall seeing a large (24 oz?) bottle of it at The Still about 2 years ago, but it was gone by the time I decided it was worth the $10+ price tag. Well they've brought it back as part of the Winter Classics variety pack. Now Bocks are generally considered a Spring beer, but chocolate, well, what better to evoke the food-centric aspects of the Winter holidays? The chocolate in Sam Adams Chocolate Bock like in many flavored beers, mostly overwhelms the underlying distinctiveness of the beer

style, so it's not immediately evident that you're drinking a bock. But if you can get past that fact, this is a delicious and fun beer to have at your Christmas party or with dessert after Thanksgiving dinner.

It pours a dark brown with a thick 2-finger tan head that never really goes away. Of course chocolate predominates, but dark chocolate seems to come through. Not as thick as I imagined it would be, but very good and am looking forward to having a few more!

Lagunitas Hop Stoopid Double IPA

Another "donation"  from the Lagunitas Brewery via Master Mark , clocking in a 102 IBU's...yes, you read that correctly one hundred and two IBU's. Despite the higher bitterness quotient, I don't feel overwhelmed by bitterness. Maybe the 8% ABV is numbing my taste buds! I took a sniff before taking a sip and got a heavy grapefruit aroma. It poured a clear amber with a towering white head and the grapefruit carried over to the taste. Some pine there as well, but not really heavy... surprisingly smooth for an IPA, especially a double or imperial IPA. Move on from sipping to quaffing and...whoa...is that pineapple? I unreservedly recommend this to the hop fans out there.

Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Wild Ale

I have heard about this beer for over a year now; I was sad when it was not available at the Okto-Beer-Fest and began to think that it was but a myth! But the legend became reality today when my favorite craft beer rep brought me a bottle of Little Sumpin' Wild and Hop Stoopid. The label says that it's a Belgian IPA - I've really been impressed overall with this style over the last year and this one leads the pack. I poured it into a Sam Adams perfect pint glass, yielding a two finger white head with a fairly clear honey gold hue. Lots of subtle flavors and aromas wafting about: pineapple, peach, nectarine, berries...mmmm. About halfway down I'm picking up some spices - coriander and some orange peel. Well worth the wait.

Sam Adams Holiday Porter

This is one of my favoraites in the Winter Classics 12 pack. Beautiful dark brown head that slowly dissipates, dark brown color that barely allows light to get through, with some red highlights. Surprisingly, there is strong hoppiness to the flavor, offset by a subdued cocoa taste in the malt side. Great winter brew...great label too!

Brother Thelonius Belgian Abbey Ale

First I want to clear up that Brother Thelonius - Thelonius Monk -  is not a religious figure, but a jazz musician, nay a jazz great. A genius on the keys (I'm listening to his 'Round Midnight right now) Brother Thelonius comes to us from the good folks at North Coast Brewing, makers of Old Rasputin, Scrimshaw and other beers of renown. It's a dark abbey ale, pours a dark ruby red, no head worth mentioning, with the alcohol heat that you might expect from a barleywine. there are hints of spice, maybe a little clove a a pinch of cinnamon. raisins, prunes and even some apricot all show up as I work my way down to the bottom of the glass. Not a beer for the faint of heart. Have one 'round midnight

Boulevard's Long Strange Trippel

An unfiltered Belgian Trippel, picked up as part of a mixed four-pack a few weeks ago. Pours a golden apricot hue with a dainty white foam of a head. Lots of sweet citrus with hints of fruit punch underlying the Belgian years esters balanced by a hop bite that is deceptively smooth. Some suggestions of clove, nutmeg and honey. A bit o' pear and apple on the back end. Very nice, very smooth...not to be wasted on neophytes.

Lindeman's Cassis Lambic

Below is last year's review of Lindeman's Kriek, a black cherry-infused lambic. This year I believe that I have found the perfect beer pairing for Thanksgiving turkey and stuffing" Lindeman's Cassis (Black Currant) Lambic. Of course, if they ever came out with a cranberry lambic, my quest would be complete! Served it as one of the beverage choices at the family Thanksgiving dinner and sent an extra bottle home with my son John. Complements the rest of the meal to a tee. 


Following is last year's Kriek review:


Since I couldn't get any Sam Adams Cranberry Lambic this year, I thought I'd go with a well-known brewer of lambics, Lindeman's. To start off with, a lambic is a style of beer that relies on spontaneous fermentation:

Lambic is a very distinctive type of beer brewed only in the Pajottenland region of Belgium (southwest of Brussels) and in Brussels itself at theCantillon Brewery and museum. Lambic is now mainly consumed after refermentation, resulting in derived beers such as Geuze or Kriek.^[1]

Unlike conventional ales and lagers, which are fermented by carefully cultivated strains of brewer's yeasts, lambic beer is instead produced by spontaneous fermentation: it is exposed to the wild yeasts and bacteria that are said to be native to the Senne valley, in which Brussels lies. It is this unusual process which gives the beer its distinctive flavour: dry, vinous, and cidery, with a slightly sour aftertaste.

I find that the lambic style is a great substitute for wine or champagne. Lindeman's is highly carbonated, pours with a tall fluffy head and due to the infusion of black cherries (kriek means cherry in Flemish - or possibly Dutch) it is very sweet. I drank it out of a tall glass exactly like the one pictured. Not for everyone, but perfect with turkey and stuffing. 

Great Divide Brewing Company - Hibernation Ale

Review from November 15 last year, with some additions in italics below:

I reviewed this beer last November, but didn't have much to say, so I thought I'd give it another shot. Hibernation poured a dark ruby red, with a skimpy tan head. There's a lot going on here: dark chocolate, black cherry, figs, raisins, caramel, all mixed together in a big hoppy basket. On the back side there's a little apple and maple syrup. A refined taste like good wine.

This year the dark fruits seem more prominent, with some brown sugar tying it all together. More alcohol heat from the 8.7% ABV. And it does have a wine character to it, or a smooth whiskey feel. Perfect for those cold nights, not a thing I can say against it - go out and buy some...now!

Lucky Bucket's Snowsuit Spiced Abbey Ale

Spiced Abbey ales seem to be de rigueur for winter seasonals and it's not difficult to see why. The sweetness that Belgian yeast brings to the profile as well as the holiday feel of the various spices like clove, nutmeg and cinnamon make this style perfect for those cold Nebraska nights. Now don't get me wrong, LaVista-based Lucky Bucket beers (with the exception of Certified Evil) don't really overwhelm and cause you to get all Keanu Reeves...whoa...duuuude...but they are all, including Snowsuit, good solid beers that will have you buying a six-pack of (with or without a dangling participle).

Widmer Bothers BRRR Winter Seasonal Ale

I reviewed this last year, and it was more like an IPA or a strong pale ale, this year's version is still pretty hoppy, but with some interesting notes. Lots of sweet caramel and a hint of maple perhaps. The color as it pours is a dark copper, with an off-white head. The hops lend a grapefruitiness to the mix, with a bit of orange as well. Strong, but smooth. Thumbs up.

Goose Island 2012 Christmas Ale

Like last year, Goose Island's 2012 Christmas Ale is an American Brown Ale. Pours a hazy brown with a fast disappearing tan head, sweet malts march out in front, reminiscent of a lower ABV (7.3%) barleywine in some respects. I'm catching some brown sugar, maple along with some black cherry balancing the citrus and pine from the hops. Lighter than I expected, a perfect complement to a Christmas Eve celebration.

Here's the 2011 review for comparison: http://ill-gottenbooty.blogspot.com/2011/12/goose-island-christmas-ale-2011.html

Powder Hound Winter Ale

Another offering from my friends at Big Sky Brewing of Missoula Montana. Pours orange-amber with a three-finger head that stands up after five minutes. The texture is similar to a porter, thick and creamy, but even with eyes closed, the citrus from the hops belies the porter connection. No spices that I can detect; did they just take a regular amber ale and slap a "winter ale" label on it? Who can say. Not a bad option for the porter-phobic among us.

Moos Joos Oatmeal Milk Stout

Found a new one! Yay! Moos Joos, brewed by Brau Brothers out of Lucan Minnesota (http://braubeer.com/) this Oatmeal Milk Stout pours a deep, deep, brown, almost black with a head that never did appear, even though I poured straight down the middle. Waves of milk chocolate and coffee, leavened with caramel and toffee. Sweet, as you'd expect from a milk stout with the backbone of a typical oatmeal stout. More carbonated than your usual stout. About halfway through, dark fruits - figs, raisins and plums start to appear as if by magic...visions of sugar plums dancin' in your head! Enjoy one...or two...happy winter!

Snow Day Winter Ale by New Belgium

First off, much darker than I expected, holding it up to the light I absolutely cannot see through it. Despite the color, it's not at all heavy and has a distinct hop bite. The first flavor that peaks out at us is caramel, and then the telltale taste of wheat (I looked it up, it is a wheat beer). I kept waiting for some spices, but apparently there aren't any. I'd classify Snow Day more as an IPA than a winter warmer, but that 6.2% ABV does keep one warm!

A few additions to last year: not sure if it's the same recipe, but I'm getting some coffee & chocolate this time a round and a little bit less hoppiness. All in all, a fine winter ale. 

Pyramid Snow Cap Winter Warmer

Pours a deep mahogany with a generous but quickly dissipating head. Despite the dark color, it's not a porter, and has the lighter feel that is typical of the winter beers. Pretty hefty hop bite, but nicely balanced by the chocolate and caramel malts. there are some spices - maybe nutmeg and cinnamon in there, but very subtle, not at all clamoring for attention. Good representation of the style.

Sam Adams White Christmas

Cracked into the Sam Adams Winter Classics variety 12 pack tonight (actually technically I didn't buy the 12 pack, but got this cute little guy as part of a mixed seasonal six pack) - White Christmas is the newbie in the mix and it's a winner. This might be a good one for some of my loved ones who are leery of dark beers. It poured the color of ripe pineapple with the aroma and taste of orange peel very prominent, with cinnamon, nutmeg and some cloves hovering in the background. It's an unfiltered wheat, so some of the typical 'wheatiness' is evident, along with a weizbier's bubblegum and banana notes. While there are many, many seasonals that it is my duty to sample these next three months, I will definitely be purchasing some more of these.