Previously from this brewery: Vanilla Porter, Agave Wheat
I'm officially all set and ready to go for tomorrow. Gifts are purchased, wrapped, and in bags ready to take on our travels, and the stockings are hung by the chimney with care, with hopes that someone puts beer in there.
In the spirit of giving, I'm giving out another award tonight - the Biggest Miss of the Year. Very early in the adventure someone asked me if 366 different breweries even existed in the world. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and he's delivered over 1,700 (and rapidly climbing) craft breweries in the U.S. alone. While we had to do some work and pay attention, finding 366 different breweries wasn't that big of a hurdle. Sometimes, the hurdle was knowing there are beers out there you want, and figuring out how you could get your hands on them. Two great examples of wonderful breweries that don't ship to Pennsylvania? New Glarus and Three Floyds. While we managed to broker deals to get those coveted beers in hand, there were other great breweries we just couldn't get to along the way. In the spirit of recognizing we have more work to do as the blog lives on, here the ones that got away:
Odell Brewing- from Fort Collins, CO, this brewery doesn't ship out of the midwest, and I neglected to get my hands on one during our brief trip to the Rockies this past summer.
Wynkoop Brewing - I've been to this Denver, CO brewery previously, just not during the 366 challenge. Another brewery that doesn't ship anywhere near me. Looking forward to having another St. Charles ESB in the future.
Choc Beer Company - do you know how hard it is to find beer brewed in Oklahoma? So imagine my disappointment when I was actually in Oklahoma for two days last spring, and couldn't find any Choc on draft, after having it when I was there in the fall of 2011. Shame on you, Buffalo Wild Wings in Bartlesville, OK. This is your fault!
Gin and Tonics - my favorite summer drink; I severely reduced my consumption to keep the beers moving. Next summer, I come back with a fury on this refreshing beverage.
And the winner is.... Choc Beer Company! I'll be in Colorado or Idaho again soon enough. I could make a gin and tonic tomorrow. But another trip back to Oklahoma just isn't happening anytime soon. Sorry, Choc.... can you mail me some? Please?
Moving right along (and speaking of Colorado), tonight's beer is the 471 Small Batch from Breckenridge Brewing Company. This double IPA has a dull amber color with a thin wispy head. There are aromas of citrus with some pine, and the taste has notes of orange and lemon, with plenty of earthy pine, some malt to balance things out, and a good bit of hop bitterness on the finish. A potent beer at 9.2% ABV, this one was a great choice with the pizza I made for dinner tonight.
For your viewing pleasure, here's a shot I took from a visit to Breckenridge in 2010, from their deck upstairs looking out at the clouds rolling in over the mountains:
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| Ah, vacation. |
With Christmas Eve tomorrow night, I'm going to let the Yeah Yeah Yeahs close things out here with their wonderful All I Want for Christmas. It doesn't appear there's a real video for this song, but at least this will give you quick access to a song that brings me joy and puts a smile on my face. Good night people... and remember, there's still time for Santa to check his list. Be nice.
"My only Christmas wish / is for you to be near..."
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