Christmas in June

Beer #543 2XMAS / Southern Tier Brewing Company, Lakewood, NY
Previously from this brewery: Creme Brulee stout, Unearthly IPA 

Spent the day at the ballpark, thankfully watching the Phils pull out a late win against the hapless (except when they play the Phils) Miami Marlins.  Great day for a game, great time was had by all.

And with that short but sweet update, I'm getting right into the beer.  Tonight I decided to pull a beer out of the back corner of the fridge, a bottle of 2XMAS from Southern Tier.  There's apparently something called Christmas in July, so therefore I feel well within my right to have a Christmas beer in June.  In the glass, you see a dark amber hue, and are greeted by big aromas of spice - clove and nutmeg, predominantly.  When you take a sip, you find Christmas in a glass: cardamom, clove, nutmeg, ginger, and orange peel.  This is a tasty beer, but I'd like it quite more if I drank it in season, instead of in June.  Hey, can't win them all.  One less beer in the fridge, I say.

Ho, Ho, Hold on.... Christmas beer?

Thing to Think About Today:

Nothing says baseball like Christmas carols.  Paul McCartney, do you agree?  Of course you do, as we're simply having a Wonderful Christmastime.  Even in June.  Night, friends!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1-sXrdQtog

Day 394: Great Lakes and Better Late Than Never

This beer blog thing is so much easier when I only write every other day. I'm stockpiling beers like mad! The only problem is that some of the reviews aren't as timely as I would have intended.  Take for example the Christmas ale from Great Lakes Brewing Company.  Christmas is so over despite my decorations still hanging around the house. I'm over the clutter and can't wait to pack them all up next weekend and continue purging all the extraneous junk from my kingdom.

I guess the purging begins with this dusty review for a beer I drank back in December.  The Christmas Ale is handcrafted with honey and spices per the label.  

It poured a bright crystalline copper color with a loose ecru head. It smells lightly of honey and mostly of general beer. The taste has a much stronger honey profile with a good amount of malt. There's also just enough of a hint of hop at the finish to keep it well balanced.  I can definitely taste the spices, but I can't quite name them. Overall this is a good beer.

Beer stats
Style: Winter warmer
ABV: 7.5%
IBUs: 30
Rating: Good

Links to prior reviews for Great Lakes Brewing Company
Gary's thoughts on this winter warmer are here
My review of Dortmunder Gold and then there's Gary's thoughts on Dortmunder

Day 380: Breckenridge Christmas Ale and Christmas Came Early

I sent Gary out for groceries yesterday and he brought back groceries and a little surprise.

Oh those boys and their toys. Salinger approves.

It's actually not a small surprise at all. I'm the surprised dismayed proud owner of a 46" Samsung blah, blah, numbers, ACRONYMS television.  If I were less three dimensional, I would easily fit into this box.

Chinese-takeout-movie-marathon Christmas Day festivities have definitely been upgraded this year.  Merry Christmas to us!  Whoo-hoo!

There's a reindeer and balls joke
in here somewhere.

What better way to celebrate the holidays than with a Christmas ale. This one comes courtesy of Breckenridge Brewery in Colorado. It's a winter warmer and perfect for today. It pours a crisp, clear shade of deep chestnut with a white head that leaves just a little lacing. It smells of caramel malt and general beer aroma.

The flavor matches the smell nicely. Lots of malt, some light caramel. I'm not getting much in the way of spices. At a 7.4% ABV, it is also a bit boozy.

From the description of a winter warmer on the BeerAdvocate site, it's hitting all the right marks. Winter warmers tend to be malty sweet--big malt presence, both in flavor and body. The color ranges from brownish reds to nearly pitch black.  Hop bitterness is generally low, leveled and balanced, but hop character can be pronounced. Alcohol warmth is not uncommon.

Upon further research, not all winter warmers include spices. Per Breckenridge's description of their Christmas Ale, they went for the caramel and chocolate characteristics. So my assessment of no spice is accurate but I'm also not getting chocolate. Bummer. As my glass warms up a bit, more of the hop profile is coming out. It's just enough bite to balance the sweeter malt flavor.

Beer stats

Style: Winter warmer

ABV: 7.4%

IBUs: 22

Rating: Good

Previously reviewed beers from Breckenridge Brewery 

My assessment of the Vanilla Porter with notes of it being a great complement to cheesy eggs way back on Day 2
Gary's review of one of my favorite tailgate beers, Agave Wheat