Advent Beer Calendar 2007: Day 20: Gift of the Magi

Advent Beer Calendar 2007: Day 20: Gift of the Magi

When I hear "Gift of the Magi," I think of the O. Henry story rather than the Three Kings that inspired this Lost Abbey beer. However, this beer sounds awesome (in true Lost Abbey fashion): It seems that everyone knows the story of the Three Kings. Sent to follow the … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2007: Day 19: Pyramid Snow Cap

Advent Beer Calendar 2007: Day 19: Pyramid Snow Cap

In honor of the snow that’s (lightly) falling here in Central Oregon today, I’ve picked Pyramid Snow Cap for today’s beer. This is a Northwest classic, first brewed in 1986, a Winter Warmer in the English tradition. Expect a spicy, hoppy, fruity-ish 7% alcohol warming brew. And I can’t think … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calender 2007: Day 18: Samichlaus Helles

Advent Beer Calender 2007: Day 18: Samichlaus Helles

Each year on the Advent Calendar so far I’ve selected Samichlaus, and this year’s selection has a bit of a twist: Samichlaus Helles ("Samichlaus Light") from Schloss Eggenberg. I was clued in to this from this post on Joe Sixpack’s blog, wherein he writes: …this “lighter” version of the classic … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2007: Day 17: Weihnachts Engel

Advent Beer Calendar 2007: Day 17: Weihnachts Engel

I wanted to include at least one German beer on the list this year, so today I’m going with the elusive Weihnacts Engel, from Crailsheimer Engel-Bräu. I say "elusive" because although this appears to be their flagship beer, it’s not listed on BeerAdvocate and RateBeer only has 19 reviews online. … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2007: Day 16: Bocq Christmas

Advent Beer Calendar 2007: Day 16: Bocq Christmas

Today’s pick is Bocq Christmas, from Belgium’s Brasserie du Bocq. It’s a strong, spicy Belgian Dubbel (or Strong Ale, depending on which review site specs you follow) at 8.1% alcohol. Details from their site are a little skimpy, but here’s what they say: Appearance : dark colour, clear, fine and … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2007: Day 15: St. Nikolaus Bock

Advent Beer Calendar 2007: Day 15: St. Nikolaus Bock

Today’s pick is St. Nikolaus Bock, from Pennsylvania Brewing in Philadelphia. Penn Brewing specializes in German style beers, and their Christmas brew is a rich 6% alcohol Bock: A very rich, dark bock beer. Dark ruby in color with subtle tones of chocolate and burnt malt. It will warm you … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2007: Day 14: Redoak Christmas Cheer

Advent Beer Calendar 2007: Day 14: Redoak Christmas Cheer

At some point I wanted to pick an Australian beer for the Advent Calendar, as I hadn’t yet featured one this year or the previous two. So today’s pick comes from the Redoak Boutique Beer Cafe, located in Sydney: Redoak Christmas Cheer. Redoak has an impressive repertoire of over 40 … Continue reading

Press Release: Southampton Ales & Lagers Releases their 2007 Imperial Porter

Southampton Ales & Lagers of the Southampton Publick House (40 Bowden Sq., Southampton, NY [631] 283-2800) releases their new 2007 vintage of the Imperial Porter as part of the line of XXII Reserves seasonal brews. The Porter is distributed throughout New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Northern … Continue reading

Advent Beer Calendar 2007: Day 13: Abita Christmas Ale

Advent Beer Calendar 2007: Day 13: Abita Christmas Ale

Today we head down to New Orleans to Abita Brewing Company for their seasonal offering, Abita Christmas Ale. Appropriately for a Christmas beer, each year is a bit different: As befits any Christmas present, each years offering is a unique product crafted with special care. Generally, this beer is a … Continue reading

Winter’s Bourbon Cask Ale

Winter’s Bourbon Cask Ale

After the brief flurry of blogging I did last month on Anheuser-Busch‘s Winter’s Bourbon Cask Ale, I found it here locally and picked up a sixpack to review. To recap, this seasonal from A-B is aged on bourbon oak barrel staves with vanilla bean for several weeks. It’s substantial at … Continue reading