Well, I was out drinking last night, and my favorite bar had in a bunch of new beer. Consequently, a one beer night turned into a three beer night, and I have some reviews to share.
Up first was Sierra Nevada's 2006 Celebration Ale. This has been mentioned here and in OOT as a solid brew, so I was curious to try it and add my take. They only had it in bottles, though, so I got a bottle and a glass to pour it into. The beer pours very red with a moderate head. It's one of the reddest beers I've seen, actually. It smells of...hops? I wasn't really sure what I was getting myself into when I was trying this beer (the description on the bottle didn't reveal much), but I didn't expect a hoppy beer. Taking a sip, this beer seems to be in the category of red hop bombs along with Ithaca's Cascazilla and Victory's Hop Devil that I've reviewed in this thread. It's also similar to Custom Brewcrafter's (up next, actually) spring ale, so I guess that's why this beer seemed a little out of season for me. Regardless, I should still try to give it an objective review. The hops are solid and not overpowering, a little bit of the floral and citrus flavors I like, and they're backed up by a good red malt. This is definitely a cut above the Hop Devil, but I don't like it quite as much as the Cascazilla. I'm going to award it
. Anyone know how much this costs in a grocery store, or how much alcohol it has?
My second beer of the night was Custom Brewcrafter's Christmas Ale. They're strictly a local brewery, so unless you live near me or plan on visiting me, you're probably not going to get to sample this one. I don't think they even bottle their wares, which is unfortunate, but I guess if epdaws happens to read this, he'll be able to order a pint of this with confidence. Anyway, this beer pours with a nice brown color and a fairly large head. It smells mostly of malt with just a hint of spice lingering in there, too, although it's a little hard to place. Taking a sip, though, makes it plainly obvious what this beer was going for: gingerbread. It's slightly sweet, and it tastes of ginger, cinnamon, and a little nutmeg. The flavor isn't hugely deep, but the reproduction of the gingerbread flavor is pretty striking. I forgot to check the ABV for this beer (this bar has the ABV of all their beers on tap on the beer list). I award this beer
and a half
. This is a solid offering for people who like the pumpkin ales, but are sad they're now out of season.
For my last beer, I tried Brooklyn's Chocolate Stout. This isn't a strictly seasonal beer per se, but I do associate stouts and porters with winter drinking. This beer I did get the ABV on. It weighs in at a hefty 8.7%. That's pretty surprising, especially for something they serve in a pint glass rather than a 5 oz goblet or something. It's bordering on an imperial stout. The beer pours almost black with a thick brown head. I actually just watched the head settle for a little bit, because it took a while for everything to rise to the top. It also was able to accumulate unusually large bubbles, so this beer is definitely sweet and strong. Taking a sip, this is a rich, sweet, thick beer. The flavors that come through most are a little caramel, a little coffee, a little chocolate, and alcohol. The alcohol comes through a little too much here. There is just a little bit of hop flavor in there, but not much. I actually wish they had hopped the beer just a little more. I'm going to award this beer
. It's a solid stout, but it tastes too strongly of alcohol, especially for a beer that's not as extreme in its alcohol content as some. I'm not sure what this would cost in a store yet, but Brooklyn's offerings are usually quite inexpensive. Picking up a sixer of this would be a pretty good way to see if you would like imperial stouts without plunking down a ten spot for a single bottle of many others.
Finally, I've got a question for you guys. I was caught off guard by the SN Celebration, but is that typical for winter beer? My general impression of what beers fit when (or perhaps just what I feel like drinking in each season) is something like this:
Winter: Dark! Stouts, porters, and sometimes something like the Christmas ale above.
Spring: Hops! Red hop bombs, IPAs, American-style barleywines
Summer: Light! Hefeweizen, Belgian white and golden ales, Saisons, Pilsners
Fall: Brown! Brown ales, Maerzens, Pumpkin ales
Does this line up with your preferences/experience, or what do you tend to drink in the winter and spring months?
Edit: See below.
Last edited by MrWookie; 11-12-2008 at 09:04 PM.