Père Noël Beligian Christmas Ale

From Brouwerij Brasserie De Ranke, Père Noël  Belgian Christmas Ale is unique among the many Winter Warmers and Christmas Ales. Usually they tend to be malty and sweet, and are darker in color. Père Noël is quite hoppy and pours a coppery-amber hue. There's a 7% ABV, but no noticeable alcohol heat. Behind the almost overpowering hop bitterness there are some citrus notes and a bit of licorice. As the temperature inches up I detect some cloves and nutmeg as well. You have to really be a hop fan to get into this brew

Kinkaider Barrel-Aged Snow Beast Winter Ale

The big boys are alright, but nothing supports the local economy like buying beer from local brewers.

Snow beast poured a lovely caramel hue with a coy little tan head, with the bourbon derived from the barrel aging immediately evident. But wait! There's more! Vanilla is the predominant flavor, with a hint of cinnamon that rounds out the holiday festiveness of the brew. There's also something in there that may or may not be gingerbread...and ooh...molasses and toffee! This is a winter warmer worthy of the snow gods!

Boulevard Brandy Land Spiced Imperial Stout Aged in Apple Brandy Barrels

Yay! Another barrel-aged brew! And a stout! I love stouts! This cute l'il guy pours a reddish-tinged mahogany with a thin brown head. The alcohol heat from the 12%+ ABV really predominates. I'm not really sure what brandy is supposed to taste like, but the apple damn sure comes through! According to Boulevard's website, the imperial stout aged for 12-24 months in casks that have held both bourbon (yay!) and apple brandy. Wow! Even though it's a stout, there isn't the heaviness associated with most stouts; it's a medium weight, with a smooth sweetness that I associate with milk stouts. The dark fruits are really coming through, dates and black cherries especially.  As the brew warms up, the promised cinnamon finally comes through. I can imagine pairing this with plain cheesecake or vanilla ice cream for some holiday goodness. A 9.5 on the IGB scale.

Boulevard Plaid Habit - Canadian Whisky Barrel-Aged Imperial Brown Ale

Il-Gotten Booty has seriously cut down his alcohol consumption in the last few years, but every so often he heads on down to the local purveyor of spirits to try a few of the new brews. Of course I (let's drop the haughty use of the third person) am a sucker for bourbon-barrel-aged stouts - this isn't bourbon aged, it Canadian Whisky aged, and it's not stout, but imperial (that means extra alcohol) brown ale. It's a nice twist though on one of my favorite styles.

According to Boulevard, this brew started it's life as a double-mashed brown ale that was then aged for 18 months in Canadian Rye Whisky barrels. There are evident notes of vanilla and some nice boozy heat from the 12.5% ABV. It pours a medium brown with a lacy tan head. As it warms up to room temperature maple and brown sugar aromas make their appearance. Maybe even a little black pepper. Dark fruits such as raisins, figs and dates dance out during the final acts.

This is a surprisingly appropriate winter warmer. I give it an IGB score of 8.5/10.

Zipline Citra Summer

I still had a couple of summer seasonals in the 'fridge, so I figured I'd better drink 'em up. Citra Summer from Zipline is definitely a beer for summer. It pours a pale, pale yellow, kind of like the inside of a lemon. It's a wheat ale, so it has that characteristic wheatiness. The citra hops give it a lemony/orangey tang. The 25 IBU's give it mild hoppiness. Perfect for those hot summer days out by the pool or after mowing the lawn or demonstrating for universal healthcare. 

Dragon's Milk Reserve - Bourbon Barrel & Maple Syrup Aged Stout

New Holland can always be depended upon to brew a fine stout and Dragon's Milk Reserve is no exception. Playing a variation on the theme established by the original Dragon's Milk, Reserve hits all the right notes. Like the original, Reserve pours dark and viscous, with a frothy khaki head. Aged, not only in bourbon barrels, but in maple syrup barrels, we're treated to a breakasty mapleness as well as the heady bourbonity. (Several of the preceding words will be found in dictionary)

Primarily the taste buds encounter an unsurprising sweetness, followed with little delay by some luscious alcohol heat and the unmistakable elegant hint of bourbon. As this prince among stouts attains room temperature a veritable cornucopia of flavors springs into action: chicory, walnut, black cherry, vanilla and dark chocolate. In short, an interesting and complex brew.

New Holland Dragon's Milk White

There's plenty of sayings out there referring to the "I don't like dark beer" people: "Dark isn't a flavor" and "Don't be afraid of the Dark" are two. I've always said that the color of the beer has little or nothing to do with its flavor, heaviness or alcohol content, despite prevailing myths. I've done many reviews of dark-colored beers like Black IPA's, Black Lagers and various Belgian brews that are as light as their golden hued cousins. But today we're going to look at a stout, and an oak bourbon barrel aged stout no less, that isn't dark...not even close.

The brewery is New Holland and the beer is Dragon's Milk White. Five years ago this moth I first experienced Dragon's Milk https://ill-gottenbooty.blogspot.com/2014/08/dragons-milk-bourbon-barrel-stout.html - it's still one of my favorite bourbon barrel stouts.

Dragon's Milk White pours an apricot hue, a color you might expect from an IPA, with a scanty white head. Close your eyes though, and you'll swear it's a dark brown with a tan head. Don't let your eyes deceive you, it's every bit a stout! The bourbon flavor is evident from the first sip, and more so as it achieves room temperature. Caramel, toffee, vanilla and milk chocolate all join together in a symphony of flavor. The biggest difference between White and the original Dragon's Milk is the ABV. The original weighs in at 11% alcohol while the white is only 6%, which doesn't make it exactly sessionable, but you could surely have more than one or two before having to switch to something cheaper! (Like Hamm's! - just kidding)

Bull Proof by Odell Brewing

It's been a year since there's been an Ill-Gotten Booty beer review. For various reasons I undertook a 90-day alcohol fast starting last August. Ninety days stretched to about 150 before I started up again, but even so, I cut my consumption way back. But the brew that I'm sampling tonight enticed me back to review-land.

First off, I'm a sucker for oak barrel, bourbon-infused quads and stouts. Obviously, at 13% ABV, it's difficult to have more than one, but I'm sitting at home with no obligations in the morning, so...

The stout aspect of this beer reminds me of some of the better milk stouts, sometimes called sweet stouts, as there is a pleasant sweetness permeating every sip. And don't even think about consuming this beauty at anything other than a sipping pace. This gives it a certain smoothness. Some of this sweet smoothness (or smooth sweetness) comes from the oak barrels on which the beer was aged. Old Elk Bourbon Distillery, just down the road from Odell's provided the bourbon barrels, and the oak transmits notes of vanilla and molasses to the whole.

Hints of dark chocolate, black cherry and brown sugar surface as the stout achieves room temperature. The 13% ABV imparts a comfortable alcohol heat (remember what I said: sip!) and the bourbon flavoring makes this a perfect representation of the style.

Look forward to more Ill-Gotten Booty Beer Reviews...he's back!