252. JOS. Schlitz / Pabst – Schlitz
This was one of the specials tonight at Legends, and several people were having them. So, I thought, despite the fact that this would be another pale brew from a big brewery, I’d add it to the list. The label was the same as the old school labels, proclaiming this is, “The beer that made Milwaukee famous.” It was a bright yellow color and extremely clear in the glass. There was a decent, half-inch thick, bright...
251. New Belgium – Skinny Dip
It’s the last day of work for the week, and my boss was out. So the supervisor covering for him swung by to let me know we could go home early, but that if I wanted to go, several people were headed over to Legends for a quick beer. How could I turn that down. Since I still had to head home to watch the kids, I was looking for something a little light, but still flavorful. Since I’m pretty familiar with New...
250. Anchor Brewing – 1999 Our Special Christmas Ale
We’re having our ABNormal Brewers steering meeting tonight at Fat Jack’s, and Fred, our former president, brought this bottle to share. He said he found it at a liquor store up near Chicago, and they had several 6 packs of every year of Anchor’s Christmas Ale since 1999. I’ve already rated Anchor’s 2010 Christmas Ale. It was a deep, dark brown color, and had very little head on it. In fact, it...
249. Rogue Ales – Yellow Snow IPA Draft
I’m at our ABNormal Brewers steering meeting again tonight, and that’s another chance to try a new brew here at Fat Jack’s in downtown Bloomington. There are a few beers on tap that I haven’t had yet, so I thought I’d go for this one first… mainly because I kind of liked the name of it. As you would expect, it was golden yellow in color and was clear. There was a soapy-looking foam head, and there...
248. Stone – Ruination IPA India Pale Ale
As I mentioned a few months back, a friend of mine sent me several Stone beers from San Diego. I’ve really been looking forward to these, but unfortunately, they got caught in the back of the beer fridge, so I thought it was time to break them out. I won’t list what the entire back of the bottle says (I posted it in the photo below), but here’s a little piece, “Stone Ruination IPA. So called because of the...
247. MacTarnahan’s – Winter Hum Bug’r Porter
I bet my friend Betty from Portland on a basketball game – my Mizzou Tigers vs her Oregon Ducks – and won a bottle of local beer. She graciously mailed me this one (and a bag of Tim’s Jalapeno chips) right before the holidays. The bottle says, “The limited edition Porter with deep, dark character and rich malt flavor that will unravel your ribbons. 5.3% ABV” I figured what better time to have a beer...
246. Sierra Nevada – 2010 Celebration Fresh Hop Ale
I spent most of the day cleaning up and setting up my kids new Christmas presents, so I was ready for a good beer. This one came highly recommended, so I picked up one in a mix-a-six. The bottle says, “Celebration ale is a special ale for the holidays. Featuring the first hops of the growing season, this pioneering IPA is full of complex flavors and aromas from the generous use of whole cone American hops. 6.8% ABV” It...
245. Brauerei Schloss Eggenberg – 2009 Samichlaus Classic Bier
I mentioned a few weeks back that the presentation at our local homebrew club meeting was holiday beers. This beer was one of the samples, and I knew I had to pic up a bottle. As I learned that the Beer Hunter, Michael Jackson, had written about this beer – the strongest lager in the world, at 14% ABV, it is aged for a year from St. Nicholas day. The bottle reaffirms hist story, saying, “Bottled only once a year on...
244. St. Louis Brewery / Schlafly – Holiday Ale
As I mentioned, we’re in St. Louis, visiting my parents for the holidays, and I brought a few beers with me. I bought this one a couple weeks back on another visit here, but after reading the last line on the label, I just knew I had to bring it back for this visit. The bottle says, “Holiday ale is a bottle-conditioned, English-style “Old Ale” brewed at the Schlafly Tap Room on 21st Street for Culinaria, a...
243. Breckenridge Brewery – Christmas Ale
We at my parents tonight to celebrate the holidays, and unfortunately, we’ve got two sick kids. We have a family tradition of getting together with my mom’s side of the family tonight, but had to miss it. So we’re sitting here snuggling with them on the couch watching Christmas movies/cartoons. So, I thought I’d bring one of the couple Christmas brews I brought along to make the holidays a little more...
242. Blackstone Brewing – Dry Hopped Red Draft
My family and I have made our annual trek to St. Louis to visit my parents for the holidays. I brought along a few Christmas beers to enjoy, but was nicely surprised that my sister had brought a growler back for me from Blackstone Brewery in Nashville. She was there a couple weeks ago, and called to see what kind I wanted, this one sounded good. I was only nervous that it was in the growler for a couple of weeks before I got it. ...
Holiday Food & Beer Pairings
Condensed from an article in the Huffington Post – Holiday Food & Beer Pairings by Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Cheeses This is the de facto way into many a holiday meal and, while wines may go pretty well with some cheeses, the carbonation and diversity in beer make it a better partner. The bubbles in beer exfoliate the tongue of the fatty weight of the cheese to prepare you for the next bite. Some great combinations:...
