My fridge is empty...

Well, nearly anyway. It's new years eve, and what I have left in there is some mead from Redstone Meadery that I'm saving for special occasions, a bottle each of Dogfishhead's Raison D'Extra and World Wide Stout (the Rasion D'Extra will be cracked tonight at Dan's New Year's gathering most likely), and oh, some Westvleteren! That's right, my amazing girlfriend had this rare beer imported for me from Belgium, both the 8 and the 12. I'm looking forward to trying them when I get the opportunity, but I definitely feel like I need something to make that tasting special. In any case, I don't have anything I can have with lunch today....

Pauwel Kwak

Well, Christmas is over, and my collection of holiday beers is pretty much exhausted as well. There's still plenty to look forward to for next year though, and I can't wait for Christmas to come around again. In the meantime, I'd like to go back to one of the beers I missed reviewing from our trip to OBX.

Perhaps the most notable thing about Pauwel Kwak is it's extremely unique glass. The technical term for it is a stirrup glass, as it's similar to the shape of glasses riders used, which were designed to be held in the stirrup of their saddles while they rested. Still, that's not all that this beer has going for it.

The beer pours a nice reddish-brown color, although towards the thinner part of the glass it seemed like it was more orangish. There was initially a tan head of about one finger, but it dissipated quickly and left no lacing on the glass. I must say that with this glass, it's definitely one of the most attractive looking beers I've seen.

The aroma is fairly light. Predominantly, I noticed a combination of grassiness and sweetness in the smell. I don't want to say it had a hay quality to the smell, but it wasn't quite a straight grass aroma either. Perhaps it was a bit of the yeast coming through. Other than that, there was a bit of an apple quality to the smell as well.

The taste was spicy and sweet. The malt was forefront, and there's little bitterness to it at all. I didn't notice much alcohol in the taste if any either. It was definitely well hidden for a beer that's 8% ABV. There's some caramel flavor in there, and possibly cinnimon.

I also noticed it was a bit thick in my mouth. The carbonation sat well, and didn't get in the way of the flavor at all. There was just a bit of tingle to the beer, and it really was very easy to get down. I also noticed that it was neither too wet or too dry, just a nice balance in the middle.

Overall it was a very easy beer to drink - too easy for it's strength. The lack of bitterness made it very easy to get down, but it may have been too sweet for more than one. I didn't bother trying to find out though. All in all, it's a nice flavor, and a pretty good drink. It just didn't have anything to make it really stand out, or too much complexity in it's flavor. I'd definitely try it again if I got the chance, I'm just not sure that it's worth the hefty price tag that comes with it.

- Adam

Scaldis Noël

Scaldis is a brand known as Bush over in it's home continent. Like Czechvar, Bush was forced to rename themselves in order to export to North America. This beer is brewed at Brasserie Dubuisson, a brewery which has been run independantly by the Brasserie family in Belgium for 8 generations. So far most holiday beers I've seen have been available in the usual 12 oz bottles, or in the larger magnum-sized 750ml bottles. The Scaldis Noël however, comes in a smaller 25 cl bottles, or about 8.5 oz. This is probably partially because of it's higher than average ABV, weighing in at 12% and tying it with the Insanely Bad Elf for the strongest Christmas beer I've had yet.

The beer poured a medium colored brown that is slightly hazy. A vigorous pour yeilded a half-finger of off-white head that dissipated quickly leaving only a ring of bubbles around the edge. I was wondering if I should have used a different glass for this beer as it appeared to have relatively low carbonation, so a glass with less surface area on the bottom than a Chimay chalice may have been more effective. Still, it's the glass recommended by Beer Advocate, and the Bush glass is roughly the same shape. Once I tasted it, I realized it had a higher carbonation than it appeared to have.

The aroma was that of a darker fruit, perhaps a plumb or a fig. It definitely has some sort of rounder and smoother scent to it than the more usual smells of cherry or citrus that are often associated with beers. There's also a slightly earthy quality to it. I definitely noticed a bit of alcohol in the smell as well, but it's not as obvious as it was with the Insanely Bad Elf. There's a hint of grain in there as well, a bit of wheat or barley smell.

The taste was hard to describe at first. There was a little bitterness in the center of the tongue, and some warmth going down. The initial aftertaste had a light spicy kick to it just a second after it was swallowed. On the second sip I noticed more of a sweetness around the edge of my tongue, and it's got a fruity quality to it. I also tasted a little breadyness to it as well. The beer actually reminds me a bit of the homemade bread my mom used to make, only colder. There's a touch of alcohol in the taste as well, but not nearly as much as would be expected for the strength of it. This beer hides it well, and has a nice balance to it.

The beer has a medium body, and is a little on the thick side at first, but as I noted before it actually had a decent amount of carbonation. There was enough for a pleasant tingle on the tongue and the roof of my mouth. The beer left a thin coating on my mouth that lasted a while. The warmth from the alcohol stayed down in my throat, right about where it meets the chest. It wasn't a very good feeling.

The drinkability of the beer was good overall. It was very different in taste from the other beers I've had, and it hides it's strength well. The only place it really lost any points was with it's mouthfeel, specifically the way the alcohol burned. It actually felt pretty similar to heartburn. If I was judging by taste alone, this would have been one of my top beers of Christmas, maybe even the best so far. As it is, the mouthfeel made it just good. I don't know if what I experienced was a common occurance, so I'll try it again next year. I gave Dan a bottle as well, so I'm hoping it was just me. We'll see when he cracks it.

- Adam

Ridgeway Brewing's Insanely Bad Elf

Ridgeway is a brewery from England that surprisingly enough has more lines of beer for Christmas than they do year round. These are Bad Elf, Very Bad Elf, Seriously Bad Elf, Criminally Bad Elf, Insanely Bad Elf, Lump of Coal, Pickled Santa, Warm Welcome, and Santa's Butt. Each beer is different in style or alcohol content. Insanely Bad Elf is the strongest of the line, weighing in at 12% ABV. The rest of the beer lines come in 500 ml bottles, but the Insanely Bad Elf is only available in 330 ml bottles because of it's strength.

The beer pours a clear caramel color, with just a little bit of a reddish tint to it. It has a very light tan head that's one finger thick initially, but dissipates fairly quickly to leave only a trace of thin bubbles on the top. There was no lacing to speak of from this bit of head on the glass as I drank the beer.

The beer smells strongly of apple cider and alcohol at first, and it stays the dominant aroma throughout. It's a good warning of how strong the beer is actually going to be. The smell is fairly sweet, and I think I detected a bit of chocolate in there as well.

The taste is dominantly of alcohol at first, but I did taste some apple as well. It's sweet but it burns a little going down. It's kind of like a weak scotch, with no trace of bitterness at all. Surprisingly enough, it also reminded me a little of the Russian Imperial Stout I had from Rogue a while back. I think it was the high alcohol content, because that's the only connection I can see between the two.

The mouthfeel is pretty nice, it's got a good medium body with a moderate level of carbonation, just enough for a nice tingle. There's just a light coating in my mouth, but not in the same way that other beers have. Usually it would be a smooth coating, but this one had more of a dirty or grainy feel, almost like there's tiny particles of something in it. It's a bit on the dry side too. The strongest sensation though is definitely the burn from the alcohol. However it's a pleasant burn, a good warming sensation that's good on a winter's day.

The drinkability is decent, but it's definitely too strong to have many of this beer. I wouldn't want more than one in a single day. This is definitely a Christmas beer for someone who likes a strong drink, but I think I'll give it a pass in the future.

- Adam

Petrus Winterbeer

Petrus is a brand of Brouwerij Bavik, which contains 7 different lines, including Petrus Winterbeer. They also are responsible for the Bavik Pils, Wittekerke, Ezel, Pilaarbijter, Eaumega, Bon-Val, and La Bonne Vallee brands. Only the first 4 brands are beers though, Eaumega is seltzer water, Bon-Val looks to be bottled water and fruit drinks, and La Bonne Vallee is a line of wines. I'd never heard of any of them until I looked the brewery up online, so I'll leave it at that. I'll admit, I was first attracted to Petrus because State Line Liquors had a really cool glass and bottle set for sale that contained a special Petrus glass and a 750-ml bottle of the Winterbeer. Still, Belgian beers tend to be my favorites, and looking a little more into Petrus indicated that it would be a good one to try.

The beer itself pours a milk chocolate color that is hazy and nearly opaque. It has a frothy off-white head that's pretty huge; almost 3 and a half fingers thick. The bubbles in the head are large, and the head has an extremly long retention. The lacing is moderately light over the duration of the drink, but huge chunks break off at first and stick to the glass.

The aroma is chocolaty at first, and a little funky. It's not a brett yeast smell, but it's still earthy. I was noticing an estery (flowery) smell as well, possibly a hint of clove? Whatever it is, the smell of this beer is not overpowering but neither is it weak.

The taste does have a touch of chocolate to start off, but it's not really as sweet as one might expect. There's a little tangyness to it, and once it was swallowed I noticed a spicy tingle in my mouth. There was also just a hint of bitterness on the back of the tongue, right where the tongue meets the throat. Like the Samuel Smith Winter Welcome, this beer had a bit of a warming effect to it, although I think this warmed a little more than the Samuel Smith. Overall the flavor it somewhat muted, definitely not "robust", but there's not a single unpleasant part to it. As I mixed the yeast on the bottom of the bottle (it's a bottle refermented beer, so this accounts for the haziness), I noticed that the sourness was a bit more pronounced and a little more tart. It puts me a little in mind of the sour flavor of Ommegeddon, and it's not unpleasant in the least. I don't know that it's better with all the yeast than without, but it does seem a little more complex.

The mouthfeel is dominated by the carbonation. This is the one area where I'm a little unhappy with this beer. It actually seems as if the carbonation is getting in the way of the flavor, to the point where I'm having a hard time really focusing on what's going on with my palate. The beer does leave a little coating on the mouth, but nothing major and the tingling from the carbonation overpowers this sensation as well. The body is medium-light, and the beer is definitely on the dry side. In fact towards the end I noticed myself actually getting more thirsty.

Because the flavor is not too strong and the bitterness is so light and balanced, this really does seem like one that I could drink all day - IF it wasn't so dry. However, I needed to follow it with a glass of water just because it made me so thirsty. I also noticed that the ABV is a bit on the high side with this beer, weighing in at 7%, so it's a bit deceptive. The alcohol really doesn't come through in the flavor, just in the warmth this beer has. This is a great beer for a cold winter's night (like tonight) as long as there's something else to drink after. Putting the dryness aside, this is my favorite Christmas beer yet this year.

- Adam

Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome Ale

For those of you that have read early posts of mine, you'd know that Samuel Smith's Taddy Porter was one of my favorite beers. As such I was excited to learn that they had a winter warmer line. In fact, Merchant Du Vin, the beer's US distributer, compares the brew to wassail, a type of mulled beer brewed the holiday season that was often spicy. It comes in a bottle that has the year on the label, and apparently the label changes every year. This bottle was brewed for the holidays of 2008-2009. I was definitely looking forward to trying this brew for Christmas this year. Sorry for the blurriness of the picture, I need a new camera badly.

The beer pours a caramel color with a slightly reddish tinge. It has an almost white head that was 1 finger thick and dissipated quickly. Still it leaves a bit of lacing on the glass, but not much.

The aroma is mainly of caramel and vanilla. However, a bready/biscuit malt scent is also apparent. I was reminded a little of nectar by the smell as well. Everything about it indicated that the beer would likely be sweet and spicy.

As indicated by the smell, the taste is indeed dominated by sweetness and a touch of spice. I'm not sure what the spice is, it's not nutmeg or cinnamon. Maybe ginger? Still, whatever it is the spice is definitely not dominant. There's also a little round bitterness to it, like you'd get from certain cheeses. The aftertaste has two parts, one is bitter and stays in the back of the mouth. The other is the spiciness that stays on the tip of the tongue and roof of the mouth. There was one thing that I didn't like about it, the bitterness seemed a bit out of place in this beer. I don't know if it was the type of bitterness or the fact that it seemed a bit disconnected from the main flavor. Still, it's quite good.

The mouthfeel is highly carbonated, a bit on the light side. There's not really any coating to speak of. It's a little warming going down, which is odd given the alcohol content, which ways in at 6%. My guess is this is from whatever the spice is. The beer is not terribly refreshing, but definitely crisp. It tingles a bit going down the back of the throat.

The drinkability of the beer is fairly high. It's got a nice flavor to it, even though it's a bit subdued. It's definitely unique, and nothing like the other Christmas beers I've had so far. I might not want to drink it all day, but I wouldn't mind a couple.

- Adam

Anchor Brewing's "Our Special Ale" 2008

Anchor Brewing, a San Francisco based brewery, has long been famous for both their Steam Beer and Liberty Ale. While i have not had a chance to try either of them, I recently picked up a "Magnum" (1Qt, 1Pt, 2.7oz) of their 2008 Christmas Ale. This is their 34th Christmas Ale since they began producing them in 1975. They say that the recipe changes each year, but "the intent with which we offer it remains the same: joy and the celebration of the newness of life." So, with that in mind, Adam and I pulled out our pint glasses, and went about tasting this and other Holiday beers.

This ale had a much darker appearance, I think, than Adam or I had anticipated. It was almost black in appearance, and only revealed its deep red tones when held to a light. Poured gently it still developed a solid two finger, tan head. The head held very well and left a nice, light lacing on the glass.

The aroma of this beer is outstanding. It smells heavily of sweet malts, and cherries. It initially reminded me of Chimay Premiere (Red Label). Going a bit deeper you begin to get a yeasty smell, and nutmeg appears, just to preview what you are about to taste.

The tongue is dominated by nutmeg and the malty flavors that came through so strongly on the nose. Given that i had to dig a bit to find the nutmeg in the aroma, I was pleasantly surprised at how present it was in the taste. As we drank more, Adam noticed a seedy flavor which I seemed to taste as a nutty component to the beer. It reminded me of walnuts. I could not find any information on the alcohol content. Traditionally a holidy beer has a relatively high ABV, such as the Mad Elf's 11%. Whatever the alcohol content, the taste of alcohol was not present at all.

This beer has a surprisingly light mouthfeel for being so dark, and a Holiday or Winter style Ale, which are both typically very heavy ales, brewed to be both filling and warming on a cold winter night. The carbonation was just right. It leaves just a little tingle on your tongue, but not enough to be overpowering.

Drinkability is high with this beer. I could easily have seen myself getting through the entire bottle on my own, a feat which i may be attempting this New Years Eve. However, for all of the ways I could describe to you how drinkable the beer is, I think that Adam put it best in his tasting notes, where he simply wrote: "Yes, Please."

Overall, this beer is Christmas. I'm certain this is largely due to the nutmeg flavor, which is associated with and present in so many Christmas desserts. I could not help but think of how well this beer would go with a big Christmas dinner. It is simply wonderful, and has put me in the Christmas Spirit.

- Dan

Tröeg's Mad Elf Ale

Tröegs is a local brewery, despite the umlaut. They're located in Harrisburg, PA, which is just west of Hershey, a mere 2 hours from where I live. Like Dogfishhead, the closest major craft brewery to me, they offer regular tours of their facility, which I'd love to visit at some point. I'm fortunate to live in one of the few states they distribute to, which are Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and Virginia. They offer a number of year-round brews, as well as seasonal beers. The Mad Elf Ale is one of the latter, brewed for Christmas.

The beer pours a deep reddish-brown, that's clear with few bubbles in the glass. It has an off-white head that's 1 finger thick from a very vigorous pour, but it quickly dissipated to leave just a little head on the brew.

The aroma is pleasant and fills the area quickly. From a distance, the smell is sweet and dominated by cherry. Closer in there's a malty grain smell that's maybe a little on the grassy side. I also noted hints of alcohol that reveals some of the 11% ABV. The sweet smell of honey is also present.

The taste is sweet especially at first, I definitely noticed malt & honey. Not getting any bitterness really, just a light warm sensation on the tongue. The cherry is muted at first, but comes through a little more as it sits in the mouth. It's really more of a cherry liquor flavor, you can taste some of the alcohol in this one. I think I'm also getting just a touch of vanilla in the aftertaste, although I don't know why. This beer is actually reminiscent to me of the bottle of mead I purchased a while back. Probably mostly from the honey that is used in the brewing of Mad Elf. Unfortunately the honey lends a somewhat medicinal taste to the beer as well, but not so much that I would turn down a glass. I'm also a little reminded of Chimay Blue when I drink it, but I'm not sure why. The flavors also come out a bit as I go through the glass. The cherry got a little more tart and stronger.

The mouthfeel of this beer is just great. It's got a medium body with a nice balance of carbonation for just the right amount of tingle. It coats the mouth lightly, leaving just a trace of smoothness on the teeth. It's warming, not too wet or dry going down, but a little more on the dry side. A little more rounded feel than crisp.

I'd say the drinkability of this beer is not the highest. The taste is a little bit on the sweet side, so one at a time is enough. Still, it is good and even better as the glass progresses, and it's putting me in a festive mood. I'd definitely identify this with the season more than the Sierra Nevada.

- Adam

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale 2008

Winter is here, and with it comes a slew of specialty Christmas and winter beers. As such, I'm going to post some special reviews along with the normal list I have to get through. I was over at State Line Liquors yesterday, and there were so many different exciting seasonal beers to choose from. Between the local craft breweries and offerings from overseas, it would take me years to try them all. There's a few in particular that made my "wish list" for this year though... Affligem Noel, Scaldis Noel, Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome Ale, Mad Elf, Insanely Bad Elf (which I have waiting in my fridge), Petrus Winterbier, Anchor Christmas Ale, etc. I actually was considering doing a "12 days of Christmas" type thing, but my wallet is saying not this year.

One that I had not necessarily considered was Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale, but Solomon and Lindsey had it at thier house, so of course I had to give it a shot. Now Sierra Nevada is one of the breweries I feel like I've never given a fair chance. Once a long time ago I went to a party at a friend's house, and they had Sierra Nevada's Pale Ale and Miller Lite to drink. This was back when Miller was pretty much the only thing I'd had, so I wasn't terribly interested in the Sierra Nevada. At a friend's request I gave it a shot, and thought that it was bitter and unpleasant in comparison. It wasn't until recently that I started going back to them to try some of what they have to offer, but in a toss up, I'll generally take something a little less well known. Go figure.

Anyway, according to Beer Advocate, as a style, Winter Warmers are malty, not characteristically bitter, can contain some spices at times, and may have a warming sensation from the alcohol. Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale is none of those things. In fact, it's pretty characteristic of a standard IPA, or India Pale Ale.

The beer poured a hazy light brown/copper color. I got a small off-white head despite the moderatly vigorous pour I gave the beer. It was maybe a half finger thick, and dissipated pretty quickly. Still, there was a bit of lacing on the glass as I drank it.

The aroma was very pleasant, with a mixture of sweet maltiness, hops, and a hint of cherry. I didn't smell any type of spices or anything to indicate the seasonal nature of the beer though.

The taste was pretty much a straight IPA - malty on the tip of the tongue, then dominated by the bitterness of the hops throughout the rest of the mouth. There might have been a touch of caramel flavor in it at first, but nothing that really stood out. The finish was bitter, and left the aftertaste of the hops in my mouth for a while.

The mouthfeel was good - the body was medium-light, and the beer left a nice coating on my teeth. It was definitely well carbonated; not noticable at first, but a good strong tingle if I held it in my mouth for a second. I also noted that the beer was very crisp and refreshing - definitely more on the wet side.

The drinkability was fairly high as well. The few IPA style beers I've tried, I wasn't really a fan of. This includes Dogfishhead's 60 and 90-minute IPAs, which most people consider excellent. I've always found the hops to be too strong and overpowering, to the point where it's not even enjoyable. This beer however, I found to be well balanced. It was still bitter, but it wasn't bitter in a way that I had a hard time drinking it, or felt like getting rid of it. All in all, it was a good if not very good beer; it just wasn't particularly wintery.

- Adam