Christmas Eve Eve

Beer #12 Original/Innis & Gunn, Edinburgh, Scotland
Been chatting with a friend about bourbon today, which led me to think about something I wrote yesterday - no time to dream about gin.  I've come to realize that this beer adventure is going to put a serious dent in my consumption of gin, wine, bourbon, etc.  Not a bad thing, I suppose, as I'm committed to hitting 365* breweries this year.  However, I'm a well rounded imbiber, so I'm sure I'll add in some other drinks beyond beer to keep things fresh.  Besides, Total Wine is like Disneyland for adults, so I can't go too long without shopping there.

In the spirit of keeping things fresh, we'll change up from the Belgians for today's beer.  Had some time off this afternoon, so I opted for an Innis & Gunn Original, an oak aged ale. Nice copper color, strong whiff of vanilla as soon as you raise the glass, and that vanilla tastes carry through.  Maybe some toffee?  Maybe an iota too much vanilla?  Perhaps you'd prefer the spider graph's opinion for some science.  Anyway, the beer gives off hints of bourbon courtesy of the oak aging.  In fact, Innis & Gunn originally started brewing ale to use in flavoring barrels for a whiskey they were making.  As it turns out, the beer was pretty decent, so they decided to sell that too, and here we are.  Good solid pick for a cold winter's day.

Thing to Think About Today:
Started my morning off right by donating blood at a Red Cross drive.  Giving blood is a simple, painless, easy process that truly saves someone else's life.  I sincerely hope anyone who reads this blog will never need a transfusion, but if you or a loved one are in that position, keep in mind that the blood you will receive came from a donor somewhere.  At this time of year, people think about gifts.  Well, do everyone a favor and think about giving someone a gift that truly matters: the gift of life.  You'll be glad you did.


* - shout out to the comment giver that reminded us that we're in a leap year, and we can gun for 366.  Love it!