As befitting a year-end type of post, I thought I'd take a look back at some of the beer trends that cropped up in 2006. One bellwether in this area seems to be when the megabreweries take notice and start releasing their own beers in response to these trends.

Gluten-free beers

I first noticed some gluten free beers in 2005, but with Anheuser-Busch's announcement of a gluten free beer, I think this is one of the trends to watch going in to 2007. This year was also the first-ever Gluten Free Beer Festival, which took place in Chesterfield, England, with some 28 beers represented.

For an excellent rundown on gluten free beers, check out Wikipedia's article on them.

Pumpkin beers

Even though I've been brewing a pumpkin ale for years, and there's been at least a few commercial examples around for longer (like Blue Moon's—from Coors, natch—and Buffalo Bill's), this year it seems like the pumpkin beer meme really took off.

Everybody and his brother brewed a pumpkin beer—check out the Pumpkin Ale style on BeerAdvocate, and my pointer to pumpkin tastings—and there's even a pumpkin beer festival (in it's second year).

And yes, the big brewer (besides Coors): A-B had their Jack's Pumpkin Spice Ale out for the second year in a row. I even had some of it. Mine's better. :)

Fresh hops beers

This was also the year of the fresh hop (or "wet" hop) beer. Again, although my first exposure to such was last year's Hop Trip from Deschutes Brewery, this year the scene exploded.

Yakima saw the fourth annual Fresh Hop Ale Festival, and the third Fresh Hop "Tastival" was held in Portland. Breweries all over were announcing fresh hop beers. Even Anheuser-Busch, with their Wild Hop Lager (which, by at least one review, is awful), so there you go.

I was even tempted to brew my own fresh hop beer, with my mom's freshly-picked hops. I needed to be more prepared, though. Maybe next year.

I opened up my 1996 bottle of Samichlaus the other night, and found that it had gone bad. Not horribly bad, mind you, but enough to be undrinkable. I tried, though, but after a few sips I just had to pour it out.

I blame my storage—obviously I didn't keep it stored well enough to last. Too much light and/or heat, probably. And it has moved with us over the years, at least three different houses, so who knows for sure.

When I poured it, it was a viscous brown sludgy-looking liquid; no head at all, and you could see particulate matter floating around in it. It had a strong oily, woody aroma to it (my wife described it as "like echinacea") and a corresponding taste. Woody, a tiny bit metallic. Just enough to know that it wasn't good any longer.

Properly cellared, a high-alcohol beer can be stored for years without detriment. Come to think of it, a cellaring how-to would make a good article (or series of articles); I can't say as I've seen many writings on the subject. Something for 2007!

The Flying Dog Brewery in Denver, Colorado is running a contest to name their seasonal summer beer, which is going to be a Belgian white ale. They're running the contest until January 19th and the prize is a trip to the 2007 Great American Beer Festival:

Winners will be selected within one month of the contest deadline. Winners shall receive two round trip airline tickets to Denver to attend the Great American Beer Festival on October 11-14, 2007, tickets to all four Great American Beer Festival Sessions, and lodging in one hotel room for three nights.

This sounds like fun and a prize worth winning. And in the event that more than one person comes up with the same winning name, they will go with the first entry received.

Via Lyke 2 Drink.

A while back the BBC posted a feature titled "50 things to eat before you die" and I thought at the time that this would make a good topic for beer. So in the spirit of adventure and living life to the fullest, etc. etc., I'm coming up with the 50 beers to drink before you die, in ten weekly installments listing five beers each (in no particular order, other than whatever theme I fit them into).

This week's theme is—roughly—American East Coast. Again, tough choices; I suppose if there's one brewery I left off of this list, it would be Dogfish Head—but since I covered them (twice even!) in Part 3 (extreme beers), I figured I'm covered.

See also: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10.

Samuel Adams Boston Lager

I've seen ambivalence and negative reactions towards Samuel Adams and their beers, which I don't think is entirely warranted. Known more properly as the Boston Beer Company, they were one of the early comers to the craft beer revival in the U.S. with their Boston Lager, which has become their flagship beer.

Introduced in 1985, the beer followed the recipe the great-great-grandfather of Jim Koch, the brewer and founder of the company. It's a good recipe. Malty and sweet, hoppy, flavorful, and moderate in alcohol (4.9% by volume), it's a perfect session beer and an American classic.

BeerAdvocate score: 85/100, 97% approval.

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout

When you think of New York, you don't generally think "craft beer." The Brooklyn Brewery has been doing quite a bit to change that impression.

Going from a moderate session beer like Boston Lager to an Imperial stout like this one is quite a leap; this ale is a whopping 10.1% alcohol, brewed during the winter season. What's doubly remarkable about this beer is that the rich chocolate flavor comes entirely from the malts—there is no actual chocolate added.

This is a beer you can age for years, and it will only get better.

BeerAdvocate score: 90/100, 98% approval.

Victory Prima Pils

Prima Pils is another beer (like the Saison Dupont I mentioned last week) that has been considered one of the world's best. (They even say, "This, friends, is what beer should taste like.") There's no doubt about it, this is a classic, award-winning beer.

Look for dominating hops here; Michael Jackson writes of this beer in Ultimate Beer:

It has a "fresh sea air" aroma of Saaz hops; almost gritty hop flavors; a lean malt background; and a firm, bitter finish.

BeerAdvocate score: 88/100, 98% approval.

Black Radish Dark Lager

This beer from Weeping Radish Brewery in North Carolina—like all their beers—is brewed according to the Reinheitsgebot, the German Purity Law of 1516. That is, only malt, hops, yeast and water are allowed. Weeping Radish has been brewing German-style beers in this tradition since 1986.

Black Radish is a great example of the Munich Dunkel style—dark, complex, rich, but without the heavy and strong characteristics found in beers like stouts. According to this All About Beer article on Dunkels, Black Radish

has a deep mahogany hue and a slightly more substantial dark malt character than most dunkels. Perfect in palate, texture, balance, and overall character when compared to German varieties. Slightly sweet and malty with a light molasses-like finish. Perfect for watching the waves lick the shore.

BeerAdvocate score: 83/100, 98% approval.

Edmund Fitzgerald Porter

I know Great Lakes Brewing in Ohio isn't exactly the American east coast, but their Edmund Fitzgerald Porter earns such high marks that I figured I'd call it "close enough" and include it on the list.

By all accounts—and by the large number of awards this beer has earned—this is an outstanding beer, perhaps one of the best American porters being brewed today.

BeerAdvocate score: 91/100, 100% approval.

Merry Christmas all! I hope everybody got what they asked for and is having a good holiday. I'll probably be mostly offline for the next couple of days (although I should have my latest 50 Beers to Drink post up on Wednesday)... in the meantime, I wanted to recap the 24 beers from this year's Advent Beer Calendar:

1. Anchor Christmas Ale
2. Bison Gingerbread Ale
3. Papa Noel's Olde Ale
4. Lump of Coal Stout
5. Bah Humbug
6. Doggie Claws
7. Tannen Bomb
8. Scaldis Noël
9. Great Lakes Christmas Ale
10. Père Noël
11. Wreck the Halls
12. Holiday Spiced Ale
13. Samichlaus
14. Brooklyn Monster Ale
15. Young's Christmas Pudding Ale
16. He'Brew Monumental Jewbelation
17. Santa's Little Helper
18. Hochstift Weihnachts Bier
19. The Mad Elf
20. La Choulette de Noël
21. YuleSmith Holiday Ale
22. Solstice d'Hiver
23. Stone Imperial Russian Stout
24. Sonora Festivus Ale

And, coming up in the next few days, a chance to gloat on my blog a bit... I've got a 1996 bottle of Samichlaus Bier that I'll be drinking, and I'll post pics and a review and make everybody jealous. :)

Merry Christmas!

You thought I'd pick a beer with "Christmas" or something in the name for the final day, didn't you? Faked you out! I went with Frank Costanza's fictional holiday of Festivus because—well, why not? :)

Sonoran Brewing Company in Arizona brews their Festivus Ale this time of year, an American IPA style at 5% alcohol. I believe they only serve it on tap at their brewpub in Phoenix, though, so you'll have to make the trek if you want to try it. Though I can't imagine most people will complain about Phoenix in winter...

On BeerAdvocate there are only two reviews, but they average out to 3.85 out of 5.

Today is my birthday (yay!), so I thought I'd be totally self-indulgent in my beer pick. This is not nominally a holiday-themed beer, but it's a high-alcohol, special release ale from Stone Brewing: Imperial Russian Stout.

Stone is making some of the best American beer around, and I can't think of a better birthday selection than a bottle of this. Or more than one... in various vintages, of course.

Its BeerAdvocate score: 93/100, 100% approval—one of the highest scores of any beer I've seen.

To commemorate the winter solstice, I chose an appropriate beer: Solstice d'Hiver, from the Brasserie Dieu de Ciel brewpub in Montréal. In their own words:

This noble winter beer is brown in colour with flaming red highlights. It has a complex aroma of fruits, alcohol and hops. Its taste is delicately sweet and liquor-like with a hint of burnt caramel. The aftertaste is accentuated by the wonderful flavour of hops.

This is an American-style barleywine with 8.5% alcohol, a nice mild warmer for the shortest day of the year. There are only five reviews on BeerAdvocate, not enough for a final score but the average is 4.26 out of 5 (all reviewers give thumbs up).

Today's pick is YuleSmith Holiday Ale, brought to you by AleSmith Brewing. AleSmith actually makes two versions of this beer: one in winter, and one in summer (strangely enough). Of their winter version, they say:

For the winter season, YuleSmith is brewed as an Imperial Red Ale. This version is maltier, more balanced, and darker in color than the summer version. Although quite malty, big hop flavors and aromas are abundant making this an unforgettable winter warmer. Winter YuleSmith is packaged in traditional holiday red and green.

This is a big beer, at 9.5% alcohol. This is also one of the highest-scoring beers on BeerAdvocate, with 93/100 and 100% approval, which is no mean feat with 288 reviews.

This review is the follow-up to my Tumble Off Pale Ale review from the other day, this time for the other beer my (Super! Good!) friend Kina sent me: Sled Wreck. This is Barley Brown's seasonal barleywine, at somewhere between 10 and 11% alcohol, I believe—not a beer to drink in quantity. It's also Kina's new favorite beer so there's no pressure or bias here. :)

Appearance: Murky brown, the color reminding me of Lipton's Iced Tea, or shoe polish. The head (still decently carbonated after being in a growler) is a nice beige-tan.

Smell: It's the syrupy-sweet smell of a barleywine, with extra hops. Caramel, maple, alcohol, plum, and that hint of Northwest hops... they must like those at Barley Brown's.

Taste: Classic barleywine with an extra hop buzz to it. Sweet malt, very dark fruit, the pleasant heat from the alcohol, burnt sugars, twiggy, floral hop twang. The hops are unexpected; they don't unbalance the profile but they are noticeable.

Mouthfeel: Nice and firm, not quite chewy. Pleasant residual sweetness and alcohol contrasting with each other.

Overall it's a pretty good beer. The only quibble I have is with the hops; it's not strongly hopped enough to consider it an "American barleywine" like a Sierra Nevada Bigfoot or something from Stone Brewing, it's much more English/traditional with the hops added as a seeming afterthought. But that's okay, they've brewed a more-than-drinkable beer here.

There's no BeerAdvocate page for this beer, but there is one on RateBeer, with one review: the reviewer only scored it 2.8 out of 5 and incorrectly classified it as a "Spice/Herb/Vegetable" beer. What's up with that?

I haven't blogged about gluten free beers in over a year, but I'd venture to say I have noticed a growing trend this year in the brewing and availability of same. And now, Anheuser-Busch is throwing their offering into the gluten free ring: Anheuser-Busch now offering sorghum beer.

Anheuser-Busch Cos. Inc. on Wednesday introduced Redbridge, which the company called the first nationally available sorghum beer. Starting Wednesday, Redbridge is available in restaurants and stores carrying organic products.

Sorghum is the primary ingredient in the beer from the makers of the nation’s top-selling full-calorie and light beers, Budweiser and Bud Light. Sorghum is a safe grain for those with wheat allergies. Anheuser-Busch is also marketing the beer as an alternative for those who choose wheat-free or gluten-free diets.

Truth be told, I'm a bit surprised by this news; this is still a fairly specialized area of brewing that I would have thought A-B would have been slow to move on. The only breweries I know of that brew gluten free beers also get mentioned in the article: Bard's Tale Beer Company, Ramapo Valley Brewing, and Lakefront Brewery. (There are others; postscript later.)

A-B's full press release is here; according to that, Redbridge is a 4.8% alcohol lager, brewed with Cascade and Hallertauer hops. Since it's from Anheuser-Busch, I would imagine that there will be a much wider distribution (national, but in specialized stores) than other specialized microbreweries can manage—which means suddenly, a lot more people will be exposed to alternative-grain gluten free beer. Hopefully this can only be a good thing—but let's wait and see how good the beer actually is.

A while back the BBC posted a feature titled "50 things to eat before you die" and I thought at the time that this would make a good topic for beer. So in the spirit of adventure and living life to the fullest, etc. etc., I'm coming up with the 50 beers to drink before you die, in ten weekly installments listing five beers each (in no particular order, other than whatever theme I fit them into).

This week's theme is Belgian beers. There's simply no way you could make a list of this sort without acknowledging the presence of Belgium in the beer world; even so this list (like the rest of it) might seem woefully under-represented. And don't worry, that most Belgian of beers, lambic, is represented elsewhere...

See also: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10.

Saison Dupont

By some accounts, this is the best beer in the world. I'll just let my review answer that:

I'll start by saying that I don't know if this is the best beer in the world... but it's definitely near the top of the list. It's a beer that reminds me that no matter how much I think I know about beer, there's a whole different level I haven't even reached yet. As it should be.

There's not much more to say. If there's only one beer that you try from this entire series, this should be the one.

BeerAdvocate score: 90/100, 98% approval.

Jenlain Original French Ale

Even though the Bière de Garde style originated in Belgium, it's one that French brewers have adopted and do really well. Synonymous with "French farmhouse ale," it's name literally means "beer for keeping" and as such was traditionally brewed on the family farm in the winter and kept in storage until the summer months. It that regards it's similar to the Saison style (which is covered above).

Brasserie Duyck, the brewer of the Jenlain line of ales, has been brewing these beers since 1922. Their Original French Ale is an oft-cited classic example of this style of beer. Look for a lot of complexity, as well as the spices and herbs that exemplify the style.

BeerAdvocate score: 85/100, 96% approval.

St. Bernardus Witbier

The Belgian Witbier style is a wheat beer that is unfiltered and spiced (usually) with coriander and orange peel. It's sometimes translated as "white beer" as in the eponymous Celis White—and in fact, has become something of a popular style in the United States.

But you really need to go to the source to experience the style. And you'll find that experience with St. Bernardus.

BeerAdvocate score: 89/100, 99% approval.

Rodenbach Grand Cru

The style known as "Flanders Red Ale"—of which this Grand Cru belongs—is one of the most unusual styles I've come across. Of the style, BeerAdvocate says:

They are infamous for their distinct sharp, fruity, sour and tart flavours which are created by special yeast strains. Very complex beers, they are produced under the age old tradition of long-term cask aging in oak, and the blending of young and old beers.

This is one of the top beers of this style. According to their own site, they quote Michael Jackson as saying its "the most refreshing beer in the world." Can you get a better recommendation than that?

BeerAdvocate score: 89/100, 96% approval.

Trappistes Rochefort 8

Personally I think this is one of the best beers to represent the Belgian strong ale class of styles—actually, I think any of the Rochefort series (6, 8 and 10) will do, but I picked this one because I think it finds a good middle ground. At 9.2% alcohol by volume, tread lightly and take time to savor this ale.

BeerAdvocate score: 91/100, 99% approval.

Today I'm picking another beer that I also selected last year: La Choulette de Noël. This Bière de Garde from France is, like all of this style, very complex and subtle at the same time. Their page notes,

Habillée d’ambre brun aux chatoyants reflets cuivrés, coiffée d’une belle mousse beige et dense, telle est la Choulette de Noël qui, pour cet hiver 2006, ravira palais et papilles.

Which roughly means, "Amber brown in color with sparkling copper highlights, topped with a beautiful thick head of beige, the winter of 2006's La Choulette de Noël will delight the tastebuds." You bet it will.

The BeerAdvocate reviewers score it 85/100, with 97% approval.

Not to confuse anybody with a holiday beer that rhymes with Bad Elf (and a controversy, to boot), but today's pick is Tröegs The Mad Elf. A bottle of this might make you mad, as well! It's an 11% alcohol ale brewed with honey and cherries, which lend it a ruby red color. I'd wager to say that makes this a pretty unique brew—I don't know of many high-alcohol beers brewed with fruit like this.

And I've been seeing favorable reviews of it lately. Needless to say, I want some of this beer.

On BeerAdvocate it scores 87/100 with 96% of reviewers approving.

Time to get some more beers reviewed here. I've got notes on several beers that I haven't written up yet, but I'm skipping over those for the next couple of beers, because my (Super! Good!) friend Kina, who recently moved to Baker City, Oregon, sent me two growlers of beer from Baker City's only brewpub, Barley Brown's.

The first of the two is Tumble Off Pale Ale, a nice, drinkable and hoppy beer. I also wrote a review for this on its BeerAdvocate page (I figured I've been using the site as a reference so much lately that it's time I start writing these reviews there, too), so I'm running that here as well.

Appearance: Relatively clear, orange, a hint of amber; shiny—almost a gold/copper. Got one finger of fluffy light beige head.

Smell: Strong on Northwest hops— they dominate the nose. Bitter citrus, grassy, lots of resin.

Taste: The hops dominate here, too. Flavor is pitchy, full of resin like a strong, fresh hop... some grapefruit... woody, twiggy. Malt base is neutral. I like a good hoppy beer, though this isn't balanced as well as I'd like. More of a wet hop feel to it.

Mouthfeel: Dry, a bit puckerishly astringent. Otherwise it's a tad watery but firm, well enough for the style.

I rather like this beer, though I do think the hops are over-balanced compared to the malt. I don't particularly mind, as I like a nice hoppy beer, so it's all good.

My review on the BeerAdvocate page brings the total up to two... not enough for an overall score, but the average so far is 3.88 out of 5. Sadly, there doesn't seem to be a web site for Barley Brown's yet; in the meantime, you can check out Kina's review of it (with a couple of pictures).

I wanted to pick a German beer somewhere along the way, and settled today on Hochstift Weihnachts Bier, a Christmas-themed Bock ("Weihnachten" is "Christmas" in German). What can I tell you about this beer? Not much, since the page is entirely in German and there's only one review so far on its BeerAdvocate page.

No matter. Weihnachts is at 5.2% alcohol, which I'm thinking would make a nice aperitif to the Christmas dinner.

And, trivial fun: Bocks are often traditionally associated with Capricorn, the sign of the goat. The dates for Capricorn are December 22 through January 20... just in time for Christmas. :)

Today I'm getting really local: Central Oregon's own Cascade Lakes Brewing's Santa's Little Helper. This is a tidy little winter warmer that fills a comfortable niche at 6.4% alcohol. It's what I drink during the winter months whenever I'm down at their Lodge.

Its BeerAdvocate page thus far only has nine reviews, so no final score, but all the reviews have given it their thumbs up.

In a tip of the hat to the start of Hanukkah, I picked He'Brew Monumental Jewbelation. This is a limited edition, tenth anniversary version of their Jewbelation seasonal, with 10% alcohol.

And, the number ten is represented abundantly in this beer: 10 different malts used, 10 hops in 10 additions and 100 minutes for the boil. This is a big beer all around, with lots of flavors and strength—it would be a good one to cellar, even.

Only 19 reviews so far on BeerAdvocate, but all are positive and they score it 86/100.

This sounds good, which is why I picked it for today: Young's Christmas Pudding Ale. Their own website speaks highly of it:

If you are seeking a feisty ale to accompany the season's festivities, look no further than Young's Christmas Pudding Ale. It's so magnificent and merry making that you will want to put it in a bowl and pour brandy sauce all over it.

With it's warming, dark ruby character and splendid luscious flavours of dried fruit, Young's Christmas Pudding Ale is an inspirational addition to a traditional Christmas feast or fire-side gathering.

Bold statement! Fortunately, the BeerAdvocate reviews back it up. There's not enough to compute a final score, but all the reviews are positive and yes, it sounds like the beer tastes like a rich, almondy Christmas pudding.

Today I went with one that may not seem all that holiday-themed: Brooklyn Brewery's Monster Ale. This is a vintaged, limited edition barleywine that makes its appearance during the winter months.

I also like the bottle design; it reminds me of a Christmas tree ornament, all glittery silver with green. Not one I would mind finding hanging on the tree...

On BeerAdvocate it scores 85/100 with 96% thumbs-up from reviewers. Look for rich, complex flavors and a lot of alcohol—10.5% by volume.

A while back the BBC posted a feature titled "50 things to eat before you die" and I thought at the time that this would make a good topic for beer. So in the spirit of adventure and living life to the fullest, etc. etc., I'm coming up with the 50 beers to drink before you die, in ten weekly installments listing five beers each (in no particular order, other than whatever theme I fit them into).

The theme for this week is the United Kingdom: four English beers and one Scottish.

See also: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10.

Young's Bitter

Possibly nothing screams "English beer" more than a Bitter; this low-alcohol session beer is a staple of the English pub. Though called "bitter," these beers actually vary in bitterness, and are not as bitter as one would expect; a Bitter is simply a moderate-to-low alcohol Pale Ale.

Young's is a classic offering of the style. Their website says:

Bursting with taste, Young's Bitter is an easy to drink, refreshing ale with a fresh, fruity aroma that leaves a long, satisfying bitter finish. It is traditionally brewed to deliver a clean taste and is light and dry in flavour with a subtle taste of hops.

Young's Bitter is a comfortably low 3.7% alcohol, a perfect session beer. So have more than one.

BeerAdvocate score: 85/100, 93% approval.

Fuller's London Porter

Porter is also quintessentially an English beer, developed during the 18th century in London. In fact, Fuller's own site provides a great capsule history:

The origins of Porter date back to London in the early nineteenth century, when it was popular to mix two or three beers, usually an old, well-vatted or 'stale' brown ale, with a new brown ale and a pale ale. It was time consuming for the publican to pull from three casks for one pint, and so brewers in London tested and produced a new beer, known as 'entire', to match the tastes of such mixtures. Using high roasted malts, 'entire' was dark, cloudy and hoppy. It was also easily produced in bulk and ideally suited to the soft well-water of London. Very quickly, it became popular amongst the porters working in Billingsgate and Smithfield markets, and gradually, the beer took on the name 'Porter', in recognition of its main consumers.

Fuller's London Porter is probably the best example in the world (hyperbole? Or not?) of this classic style. (I'll let you in on a secret: I'm basing this bold claim on the fact that it's the number one beer in the "porter" category on BeerAdvocate.) There's a lot of good Porters out there—my hometown brewery makes a favorite—but Fuller's is the one to set the standard.

BeerAdvocate score: 91/100, 100% approval.

Theakston Old Peculier

Old Ales are darker, fuller-bodied ales that accentuate the malt sweetness and alcohol level. Theakston's Old Peculier is an exemplary sample of the style, malty and buttery (I actually used "buttery" in my review of it here). In fact, I opined that it would be a good session beer, but upon further reflection, a 5.6% alcohol ale is probably not the best to be drinking for a session beer.

BeerAdvocate score: 87/100, 97% approval.

Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale

Samuel Smith brews a lot of good ales, and the one I finally settled on was their Nut Brown Ale. A Brown Ale is another well-established English style, and while many might point to Newcastle Brown Ale as the prototypical English Brown—it's certainly more well-known—it just doesn't hold a candle to this version.

And at only 5% alcohol, this (like the Bitter) makes for an excellent session beer—a little on the high side, but not overwhelming. And it may well be that you won't be able to drink just one, as it is.

BeerAdvocate score: 87/100, 98% approval.

Orkney SkullSplitter

When I think of Scottish beers, the first style that pops to mind is Wee Heavy. A Wee Heavy is sort of a Scottish barleywine; big sweet roasty malty brews with high alcohol to warm you through the chill Scottish nights.

SkullSplitter is a superb example of this style. Plus, it has a big Viking on the label, and it's called SkullSplitter—if that's not a good reason to drink a beer, I don't know what is. :)

BeerAdvocate score: 88/100, 99% approval.

What is there to say about Samichlaus Bier that hasn't already been said? It was my final advent calendar pick last year, and I'm not sure you could include a list of Christmas beers without mentioning Samichlaus.

Nevertheless, for me this is the King of Christmas Beers. Rolling in at 14% alcohol—the world record holder for lagers—this is the beer that you'll seek out past vintages of. And if you tell other beer aficionados you have a bottle of this, they'll be openly jealous.

Today's beer comes from this glowing recommendation from Hedonist Beer Jive: 21st Amendment's Holiday Spiced Ale. You'll only be able to pick up this beer in San Francisco, though; they have it on draft and in 22-ounce bottles to go. Their description:

Our special holiday offering is sure to brighten up the holidays with a deep copper color and rich malty flavors. Brewed with secret holiday spices reminiscent of those holidays sitting around your grandmother's kitchen while she made minced pie and kept telling your brother to keep his fingers out of the whipped cream. Mmmm, pie.

And that recommendation I linked to says:

I did a fly-by after work and picked one up – and have to say, this is seriously one of the best holiday beers I’ve ever had. It balances 8% alcohol with the most lush batch of spices known to man – jeez, I don’t know what they are, but I tasted just about everything in there – cinnamon, nutmeg, toffee, and maybe even some cocoa dust or something. It’s got a medium body that makes it go down really easily, and yet is most certifiably a strong ale, made both for beer lovers and lovers of beer.

Here's the page for it on BeerAvocate, but there's only one review so far. This definitely sounds like a winner.

Via this blog, I got a kick of this picture of a "real" beer advent calendar. I like how the numbers are all in random order...

Today's pick is Full Sail's "Brewmaster's Reserve" offering, with a gimmicky name that I get a kick out of: Wreck the Halls. It's a big hoppy IPA and while not spicy or extra-strong or fruity like a lot of the other seasonal offerings, you'll be glad to find this under the tree.

(Just don't drink too many and wreck the halls for real!)

On BeerAdvocate it scores 87/100 with 98% approval. Look for lots of hop character in this one.

Today's pick is Père Noël from Brouwerij De Ranke in Belgium. There's not much on their website, but I found this description on Liquid Solutions:

Cloudy and light orange in color with a big persistent head. Spicy, grassy aroma. Sweet malt flavor with some peppery spiciness. Finishes with a fruity, citricy flavor. It has a great hop profile especially for a Belgian. This is one tasty Belgian beer, well worth the price.

Get a load of that packaging, too. Pre-wrapped to be put under the tree!

BeerAdvocate scores it at 87/100, with 92% of reviews approving. Many reviews mention nice fruit flavors and a (very) dry finish.

Today my pick is the Christmas Ale from Great Lakes Brewing Company, a "holiday ale brewed with honey and spiced with fresh ginger and cinnamon." Nicely moderate in alcohol (7.5%—compared to some of these picks, anyway!), this beer has won two gold medals and one silver at the World Beer Championships.

On BeerAdvocate it's well-received with a score of 87/100 and 97% approval. Look for honey and ginger notes, spices, vanilla and caramel/brown sugar.

And I know this is entirely subjective, but I really like the label design on this beer for some reason. Simple and straightforward.

Scaldis Noël is known in Belgium proper as Bush de Noël. Brewed by Brasserie Dubuisson, this beer is an astounding 12% alcohol. It's a limited edition beer, and the site says,

This is a sweet beer with a pleasant flavour of hops. Indeed, for Bush de Noël, the brewer uses a traditional process which consists in placing hops flowers in the vats where the beer rests for four to six weeks by which time it will have reached full maturity, giving it a very distinctive taste.

Expect a warming, sweet, fruity beer with lots of character and nuance. A good beer to sip with Christmas dessert or a rich, spicy fruitcake.

BeerAdvocate score: 87/100, 98% approval. This would definitely be a winner to find under the tree!

Over on Hail the Ale!, they've got a couple of beer gift guide posts for the holidays, all helpfully available on Amazon.com. Good idea—I'll add a few book suggestions:

• Extreme Brewing, by Sam Calagione (of Dogfish Head)
• Ambitious Brew (Amazon link), by Maureen Ogle
• Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers, by Stephen Harrod Buhner
• Beer in America: The Early Years, by Gregg Smith
• Homebrewing, Volume 1, by Al Korzonas

And then of course, a Beer of the Month membership is always a good gift, too. Or, order beer directly from an online store such as Liquid Solutions.

Don't forget to check out the BeerAdvocate Store, and Realbeer.com's Retail guide.

And finally, for the beer geek in your life, you can order up several geek-themed items from the online store ThinkGeek.

Today's pick is Tannen Bomb from Golden Valley Brewery. I confess I picked it as much because I liked the naming pun as for the fact that it's a well-received beer. Golden Valley's description says

Tannen Bomb was rated third in the nation by the Beverage Testing Institute two years in a row. This is our strongest Ale with a massive malt complex specially brewed to take the chill off the cold winter months. The bold malt complex is well balanced and refined with generous hopping of Chinook, Liberty, and Fuggles, and dry-hopped with Kent Goldings for an aromatic finish.

That makes an interesting hop profile. The beer is 8% alcohol.

The BeerAdvocates like it: it scores 85 and has a 100% approval rating (only 23 reviews, though).

A while back the BBC posted a feature titled "50 things to eat before you die" and I thought at the time that this would make a good topic for beer. So in the spirit of adventure and living life to the fullest, etc. etc., I'm coming up with the 50 beers to drink before you die, in ten weekly installments listing five beers each (in no particular order, other than whatever theme I fit them into).

A fun theme for this week, and entirely subjective: Extreme Beers. This whole "extreme beer" movement thing is interesting, and for the most part, an American trend. It's a pretty wide-open field, too... I may have to do an Extreme Beer II week. We'll see.

See also: Part 1, Part 2, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10.

Samichlaus

I think of Samichlaus as "the original extreme beer." This beer holds the honor of being the world's strongest lager (a Guinness Book record!) at 14% alcohol by volume, and it's a vintaged, aged beer brewed once a year, on December 6th, for release the following December for Christmas. (It may not be the world's strongest lager any more, I don't know for sure—there are some eisbocks on BeerAdvocate that seem to be stronger.)

I sang its praises a couple of years ago. It's an excellent beer, and since it was first brewed in 1980, it predates all the other "extremes" by a sizable margin.

BeerAdvocate score: 87/100, 94% approval.

Cave Creek Chili Beer

I'm not going to sugarcoat it: many of you will hate this beer. But really, it's hard to get much more extreme than including a hot pepper in every bottle of beer—and it's not just for effect: this beer is spicy hot—literally!

Love it or hate it (I'm not sure there's a middle ground), this is one beer you have to try at least once.

BeerAdvocate score: 62/100, 13% approval. Yes, it has mostly poor reviews. What, you thought I'd only recommend the highest-scoring beer?

90 Minute IPA

Right now, if any one brewer embodies "extreme beer," it's Dogfish Head. Every other beer they brew these days is an extreme beer of one kind or another, and Sam Calagione has even wrote the book on it.

It was tough to pick any particular Dogfish beer for this, and in fact, I ended up picking two. (See below for the next one.) The first I picked, their 90 Minute IPA, is a classic example of the kind of beer that launched the extreme movement: An Imperial India pale ale. This beer is hopped at something like double the usual amount and is a huge 9% alcohol by volume.

In fact, Dogfish claims on their site that Esquire magazine suggested this was "perhaps the best IPA in America." If you're looking for quintessential American extreme beers, this is one to start with.

BeerAdvocate score: 91/100, 98% approval.

Midas Touch Golden Elixir

This beer is a classic example of how Dogfish has been (re)inventing the notion of extreme beer: not only does it contain exotic ingredients like saffron and Muscat grapes, but it's based on an ancient beer-like beverage reconstruction (using molecular archaeology) from remains found in a burial chamber supposedly belonging to King Midas himself.

And while I've heard of homebrewers experimenting with ancient beer recipes, Dogfish is the first brewery that I know of that brews these ancient beers commercially. It's tough to have more "extreme cred" than that.

Plus, by most accounts it's a pretty good ale, too.

BeerAdvocate score: 84/100, 93% approval.

Samuel Adams Utopias

If ever there was a candidate for the Grandaddy of Extreme Beers, it's Utopias. This ultra-limited-edition, impossible-to-get monster not only runs upward of $100 per bottle, but tops out at 25% alcohol by volume! I've seen reviews opining that this doesn't even qualify as a beer anymore, it's so over the top.

This is the holy grail of extreme beers, as far as I'm concerned. Even crazier—

Due to legal restrictions, Samuel Adams Utopias™ can not be sold in the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Washington, and West Virginia.

BeerAdvocate score: 4.14/5 (retired), 98% approval.

Today's pick is Doggie Claws from Hair of the Dog Brewing, a hefty barleywine that weighs in at 11.5% alcohol. Hair of the Dog brews some distinctive beers and Doggie Claws is no exception. They call it "a Barley Wine made in the West Coast style," which means it will be hugely hopped and malty.

Over on BeerAdvocate, it scores 89/100, with 97% approval. The reviews talk about huge rich aromas and a lot of sweet flavors—caramel, toffee, honey, brown sugar, port, dark fruits, and more. I particularly like the comment of "honey-dipped hop cone effect."

It was on December 5th, 1933, 73 years ago today when the 21st Amendment was ratified and Prohibition was abolished in the United States.

Here's an interesting notion: the Belmont Station blog points to this blog post which advocates making December 5th a holiday celebrating the repeal of Prohibition, called (appropriately enough) Repeal Day.

I can get behind that. It would simply be a St. Patrick's Day or Cinco de Mayo-type of holiday, only celebrating U.S. history.

And while Prohibition applied to all forms of alcohol, the effect it had on the American beer industry was especially pronounced; the only breweries that were able to survive were the megabreweries and that was only by diversifying into other fields. This essentially set back the beer industry until the 1970s, when the homebrew and craft beer movements were revived.

So crack open and enjoy a microbrew or homebrew for Repeal Day!

With Lump of Coal yesterday there might appear to be a theme with today's Bah Humbug Christmas beer from Wychwood Brewery. This beer is "full of seasonal spices and rich Michaelmas pickings" and holds forth at 6.2% alcohol.

There are mixed reviews on BeerAdvocate, but overall the beer scores 82 out of 100 with 91% approval.

And if you want to get all literary, you could pair this beer with BridgePort's Ebenezer Ale. That's as clever as the Dickens!

This is one lump of coal you wouldn't mind getting in your stocking: Lump of Coal Stout from Ridgeway Brewing, of the "Bad Elf" beer fame. Yes, that's the brewer whose labels are creating a stir back east.

Billed as a bittersweet chocolate stout, it'll keep you warm at 8% alcohol. The BeerAdvocate reviews talk of chocolate flavors, tangy fruit, sweet and sour, black licorice, and coffee. They give it a score of 80/100, with 81% approval.

Today I selected Papa Noel's Olde Ale from Alameda Brewhouse. Of it, their website says:

Papa Noel's has a pleasing sweetness from its higher-than-normal alcoholic content, and from its complex malt foundation. This sweetness is balanced by a hint of roasted flavor, as well as a mellow bitterness imparted by a generous amount of English Fuggle hops. Other flavors in evidence are bittersweet chocolate, caramel, and toffee. Papa Noel's Olde Ale is the perfect brew to warm the body and nourish the soul during the cold and wet holiday season.

It's a 7.2% alcohol old ale/winter warmer. On BeerAdvocate there are not enough reviews for a full score, but the nine they have so far describe rich, spicy, cherries, and chocolate. Yum!

Today's pick is Bison Brewing's Gingerbread Ale. (Insert "run run run just as fast as you can!" joke here.) This sounds really good to me... on their site, they describe it as:

Our spiced holiday porter is brewed with ginger, nutmeg, and a touch of cinnamon, yielding the aroma of fresh baked Gingerbread men! The chewy, dark malt flavors are sure to smooth out that dinner with the in-laws.

The BeerAdvocate reviews mention the gingerbread aroma, as well. This sounds like a good dessert beer to me—with flavors of gingerbread, chocolate, spice, and some coffee, I don't think you could miss. And I liked how well Bison did their Chocolate Stout, so my confidence in this beer is high.

Incidentally, the BeerAdvocate score is 82/100, with 86% approval.

Wow, if that's not a weird headline, then I don't know what is... Anyway, the point is, Shelton Brothers—who is having the Bad Elf problems in New York I blogged about the other day—is now having problems in Maine! With Santa's Butt Porter.

On Thursday, the Maine Civil Liberties Union Foundation filed a lawsuit claiming government censorship after the Maine Bureau of Liquor Enforcement refused to allow Massachusetts-based Shelton Bros. to sell Santa's Butt and two other beers with label illustrations that the agency deemed "undignified or improper." The MCLU claims the denial is a First Amendment violation restricting freedom of expression.

Again with the First Amendment defense... I don't know, maybe I'm cynical, but it sure seems like this happens to Shelton a lot... and I don't see many (any?) stories about other distributors or brewers having problems. Interestingly:

In his 10 years of importing beer, Shelton has faced similar label challenges from a handful of states, including Missouri, New York, Ohio, North Carolina and Connecticut. In most cases, the states either decided not to follow through or fought the case and lost, Shelton said.

Does Shelton just rub people the wrong way? I mean, these Ridgeway labels that seem to be the source of the controversy are pretty tame, in my opinion—I've certainly seen ones that should raise more eyebrows. So this is seeming forced to me...

I guess the take-away here is that there's no such thing as bad publicity—and nothing better than a First Amendment case to promote that. :)

Via BeerAdvocate.

It's time for the Beer Advent Calendar again! Each day from the first through the twenty-fourth I pick a different holiday-themed beer. All for fun, of course, but wouldn't it be cool if there was a beer-of-the-month club-type service that did this for real?

I'm starting this year as I did last year, with Anchor's Our Special Ale (Christmas Ale). This is the thirty-second time they have brewed this beer (since 1975), and every year it's a different recipe and a different label.

In fact, you can check out all the previous year's labels on Anchor's site. Very cool.

Over on BeerAdvocate, this year's beer scores 87/100 with 98% approval from reviewers. From their reviews it sounds like a spicy beer with hints of pine and dark fruit.

Over on Thom's Beer Blog, they have a photo post of the Brasserie Cantillon, a brewer of lambic in Brussels. I thought it was pretty cool because it documents a bit about how lambics are made and the kinds of things that go into this unusual style of beer.

True Belgian lambics are famous for being brewed and stored under what we would consider unsanitary conditions—in fact, it's the wild yeast and bacteria that "infect" the cooling wort (exposed to open air) that ferments the beer and gives it its unique character.

The beer is then aged in barrels for up to three years, collecting dust and cobwebs, before being blended and bottled for consumption. I particularly like those cobweb-storage photos, and the ones with foam bubbling out of the barrels.

Lots of good pictures, and commentary to go with it. Go check it out.

There's been a new game announced that caught my eye: Beer Tycoon. Is this for real? Is sounds real, but it also sounds, well, like a spoof.

Now Frogster Interactive is giving gamers and drinkers the opportunity to simulate making money selling their beloved drink. Beer Tycoon will also be the first game where players will be in charge of brewing their favorite beers. To be released in January 2007, it’s being developed by tycoon experts Virtual Playground.

Gamers have numerous options in the game. They start with a handful of brewery buildings and try to build up to an international big brand corporation. For this, they have to manage all necessary things. From recruiting and marketing to the development of new products – and these are only a few of the many important tasks facing intending brewery managers.

This might be a fun game. I wonder how accurate it will be in the brewing part of the game—or if it actually does that at all, if the games focused more on the economical simulation.

Weird.

A while back the BBC posted a feature titled "50 things to eat before you die" and I thought at the time that this would make a good topic for beer. So in the spirit of adventure and living life to the fullest, etc. etc., I'm coming up with the 50 beers to drink before you die, in ten weekly installments listing five beers each (in no particular order, other than whatever theme I fit them into).

This week's theme is the European iconic (obvious?) examples of classic styles. Or, as I was thinking of them in my head, the "no duh" choices.

See also: Part 1, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10.

Celebrator Doppelbock

By most accounts, this is one of the world's best beers. Brewed by Ayinger in Germany, every bottle includes the iconic plastic goat ornament ("bock" being associated with "goat" in its historical origins)—I'm never quite sure what to do with it.

I will, however, back up the assertion that it's one of the world's best beers. I reviewed it here. Dark, rich, complex—"amazing" was the word I used. It really is; if you've never tried this beer, do yourself a favor and make it the next one you buy.

BeerAdvocate score: 92/100, 100% approval.

Paulaner Oktoberfest Märzen

Paulaner's Oktoberfest is the gold standard for the style; I wrote: "Outside of Munich, this is the Oktoberfest beer by which all others are judged." It's possible I'll pick another beer or two in the Oktoberfest style, but if nothing else this is the beer to try for the experience.

This lager originated in the early nineteenth century, called "Märzen" ("March") because March was the last month this beer could be brewed before the hot summer season started. Lagers require cool temperatures to ferment and condition; apocryphally I remember reading once that it was common practice to store the beer in cool caves during the summer (before the onset of mechanized refrigeration), but I can't swear to this. Makes for a good story, though.

BeerAdvocate score: 87/100, 99% approval.

Lindemans Framboise Lambic

This is the fruit beer that non-beer drinkers will actually like (my wife does). And it's a good introduction to the unique Belgian lambic style of ales: wheat beers that are naturally fermented in open containers with a strain of yeast unique only to the region of Belgium that these beers hail from.

Lindemans has several varieties of fruit lambics—including peach, black currant, and apple—but the raspberry is their signature. It's a perfect dessert beer, and, if you're into this kind of thing, a great Valentine's Day beer.

This is such a departure from the "normal" character of beer that if you didn't know better, you might not think it was beer at all. But in a good way.

BeerAdvocate score: 88/100, 98% approval.

Guinness Extra Stout

This is the pick that I figure will get some people to quit reading in disgust and/or think I'm a sellout. But you know what? You can't go wrong with Guinness.

Guinness Draught is often the first stout or "dark beer" that people are exposed to, which is the lower-alcohol, creamy-smooth version that is found on draft in bars or in the can. What makes this version so notable is the fact that it's injected with nitrogen rather than carbon dioxide (the "nitro draft") which gives it the extra creamy, extra smooth mouthfeel and famous head. (The can version actually contains a plastic capsule that injects nitrogen into the beer when the can is opened.)

The version I'm highlighting here is the "Extra Stout" version, which is the higher-alcohol original version of the beer. It's a classic dry Irish stout and for good reason it's the iconic example of the style.

BeerAdvocate score: 85/100, 95% approval.

Pilsner Urquell

According to Michael Jackson in Ultimate Beer,

The term Urquell means "original source" in German... This is the original Pilsner, copied throughout the world, often by lesser, blander beers. Its golden color was a novelty at a time when glass vessels were replacing stoneware steins and pewter tankards, but the beer's fame was also due to its quality.

The original Pilsner, dating back to 1842. What more do you need to know?

BeerAdvocate score: 83/100, 88% approval.

Last year the state of Connecticut tried to ban Bad Elf beer—that is, beer with Christmas-themed labels that "might appeal to children"—and this year, apparently not learning, the state of New York is trying to do the same.

The specific beers are Seriously Bad Elf Double Ale, Rudolph's Revenge Winter Ale, and Santa's Butt Winter Porter. Three others are two more Bad Elf varieties, and Warm Welcome Nut Brown Ale. All brewed by Ridgeway Brewery and imported by Shelton Brothers, same as last year.

What's going on here? Is there something in particular about this brewery's beers that are rubbing these liquor authorities the wrong way? Nobody really believe the labels appeal to children, so I wonder what the real story is.

Via Lyke 2 Drink and Beercraft Blog.

Time to review some of the infamous Trader Joe's beer: their Bavarian style Hefeweizen. This isn't an American-style wheat beer, but most definitely in the traditional German style—sour, fruity, estery, acidic. It's actually a pretty decent beer, and you almost can't beat the price for craft beer ($4.99 for a sixpack, I believe).

Appearance: Hazy and orange-ish in color. Thin head, white.

Smell: Yeasty, musty, a little Belgian-like. Tangy fruit and sour.

Taste: Sour (citrus) and slightly wheaty. Has that traditional lactic wheat tang that typifies the style. Refreshing. Little to no hops.

Mouthfeel: Thinnish, and puckery, a bit acidic.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores 83 out of 100, with 94% approval; that's pretty good. On RateBeer, it ranks 3.32 out of 5, in the 70th percentile.

This is beer that is good for a hot summer day. If you have a local Trader Joe's, it's not a bad bet.

A while back the BBC posted a feature titled "50 things to eat before you die" and I thought at the time that this would make a good topic for beer. So in the spirit of adventure and living life to the fullest, etc. etc., I'm coming up with the 50 beers to drink before you die, in ten weekly installments listing five beers each (in no particular order, other than whatever theme I fit them into).

Naturally, this is an entirely subjective list and while I'll try to be representative, it will certainly not be comprehensive of the world's fine beer offerings. I'm sure everyone will have plenty of opinions as to what beers they would pick for this list—so maybe I'll do a "reader's choice" version when I'm all done with my own.

Here are this week's first five; the theme for this group could be American West Coast:

Update - see also: Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10.

Anchor Steam

Back in 1965 Fritz Maytag bought the failing Steam Beer Brewing Company in San Francisco and revived the flagship Anchor Steam Beer in 1971. The style—California Common as it's, er, commonly called (because "Steam Beer" is actually trademarked)—is a unique American style of lager, dating back to the late 1800s when ice was largely unavailable to cool the beer down to lager-required fermentation temperatures.

What does this have to do with "steam"? According to Wikipedia,

the name "steam" came from the fact that the brewery had no way to effectively chill the boiling wort using traditional means. So they pumped the hot wort up to large, shallow, open-top bins on the roof of the brewery so that it would be rapidly chilled by the cool air blowing in off the Pacific Ocean. Thus while brewing, the brewery had a distinct cloud of steam around the roof let off by the wort as it cooled, hence the name.

Anchor Steam is not only one of the earliest craft beers to be revived in America after Prohibition, thus helping the growth of the U.S. microbrewery movement, but is also one of the only California Common beers being produced commercially today. It's also a pretty damn fine beer.

BeerAdvocate score: 85/100, 97% approval.

Widmer Hefeweizen

No surprise here... if you read my review of Widmer's flagship beer a little while back, you know I have a high opinion of it. I wrote:

Here's the key thing about Widmer's version that they're missing, though: Widmer re-invented the style into what I like to think of as an "American hefeweizen," or even a "Northwest hefeweizen." And that made it accessible to the general beer-swilling masses; I like to think of Hefe as a "gateway" beer; people who have never tried craft beer and/or are intimidated by it are often introduced (in my experience, anyway) to Hefeweizen and they find it good.

Widmer Hefeweizen is kind of an iconic beer in the American craft beer industry, and while it may not be as flashy and extreme as the trend in brewing seems to be leaning these days, you can't go wrong with a six pack or pitcher of this anytime. Lemon optional.

BeerAdvocate score: 78/100, 66% approval.

Rogue Shakespeare Stout

I once read a review of Shakespeare Stout that opined that it is the best American stout being brewed today. I believe it. Among its accolades, according to Rogue:

Rogue's Shakespeare Stout received a 99, the highest score of the 309 beers in 44 categories at the 1994 World Beer Championships. The June/July 1998 issue of Men's Journal included Rogue Ales Shakespeare Stout as one of "The 100 Best Things to Eat in America." Based on Stuart Kallen's book, "The 50 Best Beers in the World", Shakespeare Stout was ranked the third best beer in the world and best American Beer—which makes it the World's Best Stout!

This is a classic stout, malty, dark, smooth, creamy, rich, chocolaty, sweet and bitter. It's also a benchmark all stouts (American and otherwise) should strive for.

BeerAdvocate score: 91/100, 99% approval.

Sierra Nevada Bigfoot

Many people might point to Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale to be on this list, but I think their Bigfoot barleywine is a classic that speaks for itself. Michael Jackson in his 1998 Ultimate Beer notes of this beer that it's "probably the world's hoppiest barley wine, especially in its bouquet."

It's also a huge award winner, like the Shakespeare Stout above. Among its accolades are four wins for barleywines and one for ales at the Great American Beer Festival. And the Sierra Nevada website has some helpful advice as to pairing Bigfoot with food:

Intense, malty, and bittersweet, Bigfoot is wonderful served with dessert. Aromatic notes from the dry-hopping process pair well with chocolate mousse and raspberries or a good-quality cheesecake. If you prefer a more savory taste, try an assortment of sharp aged cheeses, served with fresh fruits like apples, pears, and grapes, which will offer a contrast that will bring all of the flavors together.

BeerAdvocate score: 90/100, 98% approval.

Alaskan Smoked Porter

First introduced in 1988, Alaskan Brewing helped re-introduce smoked beer to the American consciousness. This is a vintaged beer (the year is on the label) and it ages well. From Alaskan Brewing's website:

Alaskan Brewing Company co-founders Geoff and Marcy Larson had their eyes on brewing a beer with roasted malts. Marcy's research even found evidence of roasted malt use in Juneau during the town's gold rush era.

Alaskan Smoked Porter has been brewed every fall since then and has remained just as elusive. It has gone on to become one of the most award winning beers in the history of the Great American Beer Festival with a total of eleven medals, including five straight gold (Smoked Beer Category - 1991 - 1995). It has also won awards at the World Beer Cup and the internationally acclaimed Brewing Industry International Awards in England.

The smoke flavor and character comes from the malt itself, which is smoked over alderwood at the fish smokery next door to the Alaskan brewery. This style of beer won't be everyone's cup of tea—but if you want to start with smoke beers, you won't go wrong with Smoked Porter.

BeerAdvocate score: 91/100, 99% approval.

Our local paper today had an article (picked up from the AP, though I haven't found it online elsewhere) about pairing beer with the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Once through the fluff of the article, the general recommendations are a Belgian-style beer, a brown ale, or a bière de garde, as single beers that are well-balanced against the overall dinner "package."

Myself, I would prefer to have more variety and pair beers with certain dishes or courses. They cover that too:

• Cream ales or pale ales with turkey and gravy
• Doppelbocks with salty ham and mashed potatoes
• A malty, spiced beer with dessert

I'd have to go with a pumpkin ale somewhere in the mix, but knowing me, is that really a surprise?

Looking around to see what other Thanksgiving beer ideas might be out there led me to this BeerAdvocate article—I've covered it before, but it's good to revisit. To be fair, it covers the holidays in general, but I think it fits nicely. Recommendations:

• Apéritif: light-bodied Pilsner or lager
• Hors d'oeuvre: moderately-hopped pale ales
• Dinner: Strong Belgian-style ales, or Pilsners
• Dessert: "Rich and big" stouts
• Digestif: Barleywines

Naturally, they offer specific beer suggestions for each style.

Now I've gone and made myself hungry. So what's everyone drinking with their Thanksgiving meals this year?

Blue Moon is the craft beer operation run by megabrewer Coors (website note: crap—age verification nonsense on more than one page) that is notable for producing their Belgian White and Pumpkin Ale that both don't suck. Their Pumpkin was the first pumpkin beer I'd ever seen, craft brewed or otherwise, years ago. It still holds up pretty well, though it's not the best pumpkin beer I've had.

Appearance: Head is foamy, a light tan. Beer is clear and orange with a reddish tint.

Smell: Caramel and malty. Pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices. Brown sugar?

Taste: Light, pumpkin-y but not real strong. Very clean. Spices at the back of the palate. No real hops. Some light burnt sugar.

Mouthfeel: A little thin-bodied. Smooth and a little watery.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores 78 out of 100 with only 69% expressing approval. On RateBeer, it doesn't fare so well: 2.7 out of 5, in the low 25th percentile.

Overall I think this is a good introduction to pumpkin beer, and it's a good session beer. It's certainly worth a seasonal six pack or two.

Another Trader Joe's find is Jumping Cow Amber Ale. It's brewed by Steinhaus Brewing (no website, but they're a Trader Joe's brewer) in Paso Robles, California, and sits at a comfortable 5.5% alcohol. It's a decent beer, worth the TJs price.

Appearance: Clear red-amber with brownish tones. Carbonated and bubbly. Head is off-white (reminds me of old bone).

Smell: Malty, with a sourish note; almost a burnt aroma? No hops.

Taste: Bitterish and malty; bitter comes from an astringent malt profile. Not overly much, though. A little bit of sourness. No real hop character. Fairly clean.

Mouthfeel: Nicely medium-bodied. Carbonation adds a prickly feel.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores 80 out of 100 with 87% approval. On RateBeer, it scores 3.1 out of 5 and lands squarely in the 50th percentile.

The source of this beer is a bit ambiguous: my wife brought it home from Trader Joe's, and while it says "Josephs Brau Brewing Company" it's really one of the Trader Joe's brews, according to BeerAdvocate. What this means is it's really brewed by Gordon Biersch.

As a standalone amber lager it's not bad, a decent session beer. As an Oktoberfest it doesn't quite live up to the standard, but no matter; it was only $3.99 or so for the six-pack. I'd get it again.

Appearance: Very clear dark gold-orange. Very little head.

Smell: Subtle, clean—malty like a whole grain bread.

Taste: Clean, crisp, kind of neural. Mild. A little more bitter than the style should be. Has a mega-commercial-beer quality.

Mouthfeel: Thinner than it should be (for an Oktoberfest). There's more body than a mega lager, though not much. Sparkly carbonation on the tongue.

There's not much on the review sites about it. BeerAdvocate doesn't have enough reviews for an overall score, but the current average is 3.16 out of 5, with a 70/30 split on approval. On RateBeer it has 3.06 out of 5, in the 47th percentile.

Tonight's review is another Stone Brewing winner: Ruination IPA. I'll go ahead an ruin (heh) it for you: this is one of the best India pale ales I've had. It's that good. Though technically it probably qualifies as a "double" IPA since it's 7.7% alcohol... but no matter. Go buy this beer.

Appearance: Orange, pours mostly clear. Reddish hue. Head—not a lot; tan-white.

Smell: Floral hops—Simcoe/Cascade Northwest signature hops. Malt—kind of a rich caramelly bread.

Taste: Powerful, explosive hops—bitter, steel-cut grass, slightly floral, a bit resiny... fresh but not green hops. Strong alcohol. Malt is drowned out, but the hoppiness is very good.

Mouthfeel: Perfect for an IPA... thick but not syrupy or chewy. The hops pack a kick and an aftertaste.

On BeerAdvocate it soaks up the accolades and scores 91 out of 100 with 99% approval. Same story on RateBeer: 4.07 out of 5, 99th percentile.

Here's a cool, well-done site: Portlandbeer.org. It's still a little nascent, but here's what they say on their front page:

What we are: A group of volunteers who have taken it upon ourselves to make sure that Portland, and it's visitors, can make the best use of our greatest natural resource: beer! By maintaining an up to date listing of Portland beers and breweries, we hope to connect you with the beer you you're looking for.

What we are not: This is not a Portland beer and brewery review site. Everyone has a different reaction to different sights, sounds, and tastes. We are not here to tell you what to think, but rather tell you what is out there and how to get to it. We think that it's much more fun to drink beer and make your own opinion.

On their Breweries page, I'm a little surprised that they only list 14 breweries... but I suppose those are the ones that are exclusively within Portland city proper? (As opposed to some of the outlying towns... I'm used to considering that entire area "Portland" even though it's not.) On the other hand, they also list the various locations each brewery has (check out McMenamins!), so there really are a lot more options than "only" 14.

Check out the Beers page too: that page is gold. You can sort and filter by beer name, style, brewery, and whether it's a se