Christmas Beer Club 2009

This year, Chuck (step father in law) did the Beer Club again. He buys a bunch of cases of beer, and splits them up between himself and 11 or 12 friends. We got what came out to a case of beer plus 3 BIG beers. 2 of most, one each of the big beers.

I'll share pics of the beers, and my opinion of how they taste.

first up is He'Brew Ale by Shmaltz Brewery. 13th anniversary holiday beer. It has 13 kinds of Hops, 13 malts, and is 13% ABV



Jewbelation:



This is a super dark stout. It's sweet and smooth, and not at all bitter. I assume it's Kosher, too. 8 mugs out of 10 for this one.

Folliwing that one up with the Port Brewery's Imperial Stout.



This one has that grapefruitey kind of bitter bite like you get in a pilsner....not bad, but not my favorite kind of stout. It's also very dark and is 10% ABV. i'm buzzing after these two..... I'll go 5 mugs on this one.

Weyerbacher Winter Ale

Now THIS is a fine beer. fine fine fine. smooth and crisp, and just a hint of bitter to curb the sweetness of the malt... nice clean finish, anda mellow after glow.

it's another dark ale, but it has a nice light flavor and feel. 9 mugs. I would like a case of this beer for christmas please.

this is a nice ale. Bell's Winter White Ale. rather like Blue Moon White ale. It has a sweet taste, but it's drier than blue moon. no bitterness at all......nice and light......would be great on a hot day even. not an overpowering flavor, but decidedly un-boring. I stole this picture because the one i took was crap.

8 mugs~!

moar!

Smuttynose Winter Ale

dark beer, chocolatey taste......like a tootsie roll. wouldn't be able to drink a lot of these at one time, but it would be a great compliment to a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

7 mugs..... it's a dessert beer, really.

So I made beest a Beer Advent calendar this year. He's not too impressed with some of the beers. It had Full Moon (Blue moon winter ale), Red Snapper, "SnakeDog or something" (I just asked him) and Sam Adams. The calendar looks great and isn't falling apart like the first on eI did a couple of years ago.... but he really only likes the Sam Adams..... :(

with real beers?!@($!?????

beest!

put reviews in here too, dude!

real beers of course! Didn't you get one?

Brooklyn Brewery Chocolate Stout

kind of half way between the he'brew and the Port stout. rich and creamy.....not bad at all. 7.5 mugs

from their site:

Tröegs Mad Elf Ale

Alcohol by Volume: 11%
Hop Bitterness (IBU's): 15
Color: Ruby Red
Availability: Seasonal
Malts: Pilsner, Munich, Chocolate
Hops: Saaz, Hallertau
Yeast: Belgian Spicy Yeast
JuJu: Pennsylvania Honey
JuJu : Sweet and Sour Cherries

Seasonal Release (Mid October - December)

The Mad Elf, a cheerful creation to warm your heart and enlighten your tongue. The combination of Cherries, Honey, and Chocolate Malts delivers gentle fruits and subtle spices. Fermented and aged with a unique yeast, this ruby red beer has significant warming strength that underlies the pleasant character of this intriguing yet delicious Ale. The Mad Elf, a jolly and delicious beer for the Holidays.

i would agree. 9 mugs....this beer is bangin'

bitter.

3 mugs

but i'll drink it cuz it's 7.2 % abv

From the Deschutes Brewery.


These say 2009 but I had them last year or last winter. I'll have to try them again but they were very good compared with my opinion of Blue Moon and Snow Cap and Flat Tire which are overrated.

Black Butte Aged Porter.( #21 -2009 version )


http://www.drinkhacker.com/2009/07/06/review-deschutes-brewery-black-butte-xxi-aged-porter/

If you want to go to sleep that one will do it.

My favorite was Jubelale





review
http://www.drinkhacker.com/2009/09/10/review-deschutes-brewery-jubelale-winter-ale-2009/

Mad Elf is a personal favorite. You have to get it early in the season.

The description of Mad Elf sounds delicious.

meh....creamy, not bitter.....kind of flat tasting....a little like that budweiser american ale stuff...

5 mugs.....underwhelming.

ahhhhh......that's good beer.

just a pallet cleanser here....not part of the club....

This one is nice. a little bit of citrus overtone, and some caramel smoothness to it....went down real easy, and has a clean finish. Not spectacular, but friendly. 7 mugs.

lumberjim - I have to thank you for the reviews - I'm not much of a beer drinker - but am having a houseful for the Holidays who love to imbibe - your reviews will come in very handy for me!
(ahhh my kingdom for a Yuengling~ Can't find it here in the land of Enchantment!)

I agree wholeheartedly with post #17.

Damn, I wish someone would make ME a beer advent calendar. I loves me some beer. :(

http://www.anchorbrewing.com/beers/pdfs/Flyer_ChristmasAle2009.pdf

Anchor Brewing has been making a Christmas beer for 35 years. Here are the labels since 76.

I remember this beer from the last time we did this. It's fantastic. tastes like sawdust!.. i love it. bummer that i only got 2 of them. here is this year's label: 10 mugs!

An English beer. I get the feeling that my tongue is too coarse to appreciate this one. The label is ugly as all hell..... but it doesn't suck or anything. beats being out of beer. 6 mugs? I'm not feelin it.

Sam Smith beers are generly Great

Qice;616804 wrote:

lumberjim - I have to thank you for the reviews - I'm not much of a beer drinker - but am having a houseful for the Holidays who love to imbibe - your reviews will come in very handy for me!
(ahhh my kingdom for a Yuengling~ Can't find it here in the land of Enchantment!)

my pleasure.......:beer: .....hic!

Long Trail Hibernator

A scottish ale....... light, and mildly bitter.....but not unpleasant. good thirst quencher this one. Amber colored and a bit fruity.......their website recommends drinking it a tad warmer (45-50 deg.) ....than I've got it. 7.5 mugs for this one. With a name like Hibernator, I expected it to be stronger than 6%, but hey.....I have 2 of them.

Holy glass of unsweetened grapefruit juice, batman.

gah. two bitter ones tonight. I should read about them before I crack them.

not my cup of tea......but if you're into hops.....you might like it. It's certainly crisp and clean. but forealforeal....if you close your eyes, it's like carbonated yellow grapefruit juice. 4 mugs.

Qice;616804 wrote:

(ahhh my kingdom for a Yuengling~ Can't find it here in the land of Enchantment!)

You have to do a ROAD TRIP! :lol: Alabama or Tennessee would be closest.

Just opened a Corsendonk Christmas Ale. Comes out every year and is quite good.

Corsendonk

I wouldn't have expected a Sierra Nevada to be in that line up.


How is the Corsendonk Merc? It looks heavy and dark. Is it spicy?

Does Sierra Nevada make a [Strike]Christmas[/Strike] Holiday brew? :cool:

yabutt it's common like Budweiser:greenface

All that. Heavy, dark, ale with a hint of spice, which makes it Christmasy. I enjoy it, but you can't really have more than one due to how heavy it is.

here is a manly ale. sturdy tasting. rich, and smooth....but propped up by that hop bitter edge, not overpowered. 8 mugs. I could drink a few of these.

Beer Style: English Strong Ale
Hop Variety: Bullion
Malt Variety: Two-row barley, special roast, black, chocolate, victory
OG: 1.074 ABV: 8.0% IBUs: 30
Color: Mahogany
Availability: Seasonal, September to December. Six-packs, cases, 1/6BBL and 1/2BBL kegs.

Michelob?

Winter Cask Ale
6% ABV and tastes like sugar babies! what's not to like!? 6.5 MUGS!

I can't drink anything with alcohol. It aggravates my Crohn's disease.

But I have been fascinated with Jim's description of the winter beers. I know it's been rough duty, Jim. But thanks for posting.

*Salutes with a virtual mug*