Gift of the Magi

True to the tale of the Three Kings, The Lost Abbey brings their own Gift of the Magi this holiday season. John has gushed over this brewery (and beer) for a long time (perhaps by proximity but definitely by taste) and I would have to agree; The Gift of the Magi is a gift indeed! Described as a “massive Golden Ale,” it is delicious in every sense. A full bodied ale with a slight bitterness and an awesome finish. And at 9.5% ABV, it will definitely warm up your night. If you can find some in your area, get it. Don’t look at the price tag, just put it in your basket, take it home and enjoy the Holy Spirit out it! It’s that good.

Santa’s Little Helper Imperial Stout

Port Brewing is another one of those breweries that have never let me down. They brew some of the most fantastic beers I have had the pleasure of tasting. If you live in the So Cal area, drive down to one of their Pizza Port locations and enjoy a few pints of fabulous brews with a basket of beer buddies. It’s well worth the drive and they’re all located close to the beach.

Their seasonal winter offering, Santa’s Little Helper Imperial Stout, is a must have winter beer. It’s a dark, brooding stout with wonderful flavors of espresso and bitter sweet chocolate. It’s high alcohol content can be dangerous if you’re not careful:

As dark as the biggest lump of coal Santa can deliver, this beer has earned a dedicated following and is code named Satan’s Little Hangover by those who have indulged in a holiday like manner from time to time.

If you like stouts and aren’t afraid of thick, dark, meal-in-a-glass beers, pick one up and enjoy. It will definitely warm the coldest of souls on a frosty, winter night. I have to thank John for this one. It’s the perfect holiday gift! Thanks!

Sorry there’s no picture with this one, feeling lazy. Drink one of these and you’ll know how I’m feeling!

Winter Welcome Ale

I have to say I was expecting more from Samuel Smith. While this beer was good, I can’t say it really stands out as a must try holiday beer. It has a nice color and smells of the typical English style ale. Even tastes like an average English ale; not that that is a bad thing, but I guess I was expecting more. It has a dry finish which I thought was kind of nice (different from most holiday beers I’ve tried).

Overall, it’s a good beer. If you’ve never tried it, give it shot. It’s worth trying at least once.

Snow Cap Ale

This is a pretty tasty seasonal brew. It pours a dark reddish color and is full of holiday spicy aroma. Tastes like a good mellow ale up front but leaves a nice after taste of spices, malt and I think I tasted a hint of apple (some kind of fruitiness). An all around enjoyable holiday ale.

I don’t often drink anything from Pyramid. Their most common beer (around these parts anyway) is their Hefeweizen which, I’m not a huge hef fan. They also have an IPA and a pale, but I don’t think I’ve tried those (or, if I have, it’s been so long I’ve forgotten). I think I might need to refamiliarize myself with this brewery.

Christmas Ale

Not for the faint of heart, this Belgium style dark ale is nothing short of a masterpiece. It comes in a corked & caged bottle with very little carbonation and pours on the thick side with a dark, murky nut brown color (the perfect winter color). It smells of a traditional Belgium tripel with hints of holiday spices. If you like Belgium ales and aren’t afraid of strong dark ales, this is a definite must have for the holidays. It has that wonderful Belgium flavor with nice malty spicy after taste. It leaves a wonderful bouquet of flavors from the time it hits your tongue to the last mouthful.

When I spied this beauty on the shelves of Whole Foods, I had to have it. My first experience with St. Bernardus was at the Tapas bar in Whole Foods with the St. Bernardus Tripel and a cheese plate. It’s not a cheap beer (about $12 for a 750ml bottle), but it’s worth every penny! This is definitely going in the top 5 this year. Highly recommended.

Winter Lager

Samuel Adams (or, Boston Beer Co) is the largest American-owned brewery in the U.S. (since the Anheuser-Busch-InBev marriage) but that doesn’t mean they don’t brew a good beer. I have always enjoyed Sam Adams Boston Lager and their seasonal Winter Lager is a fine example of a really decent beer. It’s a darker than average lager (I’d like to give a better description, but it was dark, and the cups were blue [thank you DH]) and certainly heavier in taste. It has a really nice rich malty flavor with a little hint of hops. It’s slightly sweet and has a pretty smooth finish (I’d say this would be a good session beer aside from the slightly higher ABV). Overall, a very enjoyable beer and one that is perfect on a cold winter Sunday on the couch, watching the tube.

Jubelale 2008

From the great brewery Deschutes comes another phenomenal specimen of a beer. This is the third year running I’ve enjoyed their seasonal winter beer that is Jubelale. It has a rich malty flavor with an intense hop finish that warms the soul on a cold winter’s night. It’s really quite balanced and really crisp. This will definitely make it into my top ten for the year, and quite possibly into the top five. Thank you Deschutes for making my evenings just a little bit warmer.

Deschutes is one of the few breweries with which I have never been disappointed. I can honestly and whole heartedly recommend anything from their menu of fabulous offerings. While we’re on the subject, I am desperately seeking The Dissident. If anyone has seen some in Orange County, please drop me a line!

Winterbraun

Lost Coast’s Downtown Brown is one of the best brown ales I think I have ever tasted. While I am not a huge brown ale fan in general, I still very much enjoyed their seasonal Winterbraun. It is a very drinkable brown ale that’s miles away from the average Newcastle. Winterbraun has a very nice malty taste with a slight sweetness. Lost Coast added some nice Saas hops at the end to give it a smidgen of spiciness at the finish. This beer would be good sitting next to a fire on a cold winter’s night, enjoying some Humboldt Fog and TLC.

I really should try some of their other offerings. I can’t say I’ve tried anything else from them aside from the Downtown Brown. I see they have a Pale and Stout that I would love to have a shot at… maybe after the winter push.

Up next: Descutes Jubelale 2008…

Last year, a good friend of mine presented a challenge to me; try 20 different holiday beers between Thanksgiving and New Years. I gladly accepted, of course, but the task was harder than it sounded. By the middle of December, I lost count and come New Years Day, I don’t really know if I reached 20 or not. He assures me we both made it to our goal, but I still have my doubts.

This year he has upped the ante; 30 holiday beers. This time, though, we are getting a head start on the competition and kicked it off tonight. So, between now and New Years Day (we might extend that to the 5th of January though, not sure) the goal is to seek out and try 30 different holiday brews.

From now to the end, I will be logging my adventures in the hop-filled land of malt and barley. I’m calling it my Holiday Beer Report. So, without further ado, here’s #1.

Celebration Ale

The long, cold nights of winter are a little brighter with Celebration® Ale.

Could not be further from the truth. This is a really good holiday ale. It’s dark, and crisp with a nice hop and hint of woodsy pine after taste. It hits the back of your throat with a little tingle and then goes down smooth and warms the soul all the way down. If you like their Pale Ale, you will love this beer. Heck, even if you don’t like Sierra Nevada Pale Ale (read: you have no taste buds) you should try Celebration Ale. You’ll thank me for it later.