Left Click the Pic to see a pic of each!
| Beer/Brewery | City, State | Tasting Notes | Style | ABV % | IBU | Cal | On Style | Look | Smell | Taste | Mouth Feel | Total Rating | Pic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Premium Pils |
Chico, CA | Its the holiday season so when your friends come over you want to surprise them with a little something special! So you go to the fridge and bring out a surprise!!!! Ok, before I drag you down this rabbit hole lets just address the elephant in the corner. Yep, the size! This is a 8.4 oz can! You heard me, 8.4 oz. It is either the next thing in beer or a one off but this is the one you want to start the evening off with!!! Nothing will compare!! LOL If it was a bad beer the can joke would be great anyway but wait............ This beer is anything but a joke! It pours with great head and superb color. The aroma is of a Germasn Pilsner from the Pilzne region of Germany. It has the aromas of citrus, tangerine, and a touch of sweet malt dance in the air thanks to the addition of Crystal Lupulin Hops. This is truely a Pils to be proud off!! Made with Plisner Maltm Saphir & Crystal Luplin hops and Lager yeast Sierra Nevade has made a truely great German Pilsner. |
Pilsner | 4.7% | 25 | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 4.3 | ||
Old Fezziwig |
Boston, MA | If your looking for a holiday classic beer than this would be an outstanding example. First released in 1995, Old Fezziwig is a popular, spiced brown ale from Samuel Adams, known for its rich caramel, toffee, ginger, and orange peel notes, released seasonally from November to January as a festive holiday beer. It pours with a nice head and maintains carbonation throughout the session. It has a deep malt characteristic and notes of sweet toffee, and dark caramel. This would be a great drink in fornt of a fire while staring out at a snow filled field. Unfortunately here in the Gulf Coast of Texas it will be in the mid to high 70's. As a Spiced Ale goes it is an exellent example and if added to a wee bit of cold weather and excellent experience.
|
Spiced Brown Ale | 5.9% | 25 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.7 | 3.7 | 3.72 | Pic | |
Shiner Holiday Cheer |
Shiner, TX | If your looking for something different then this may be the beer for you . First brewed in 2010 it has become a very popular holiday beer being released in Nov and Dec. The beer pours with a great head and the carbonation is maintained throught out the session. You can smell and taste the peach and pecan which leave you with a bit of fruit taste at the end, almost if I dare say a fruit cakeesk taste. This is a great pre dinner or post dinner beverage. It would go great in front of a campfire on a chilly evening. |
Wheat Beer - Dunkelweizen | 5.4% | 22 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.6 | Pic | |
Jubelale |
Bend, OR | First brewed in 1988 Deschutes classifies it as a Winter Warmer but with 65 IBU I would say its more like a Spiced Winter IPA. It pours great and maintains carbonation. It smells of spice which carries through with taste. I should say the taste is a bit confusing starting with a spiced carmel fig flavor with a bit of cocoa but finishing with a hop bite which left me confused as to the intent of the style. Malt: Crystal 150 malt, Roasted barley, Extra Special malt, Premium 2-row malt, Crystal 75 malt, Carapils Hops: Nugget, Cascade, Delta, East Kent Goldings, Tettnang All in all a interesting experience. |
Winter Warmer | 6.7% | 65 | 3 | 3.8 | 3.7 | 3 | 3 | 3.3 | Pic | |
Kosmo |
Shiner, TX | I was so excited to see this beer on the shelf in the store. This beer use to be part of their holiday pack series and was one of my favorites that Shiner had made. I often asked why they did not release it as a six pack on its own and was told it was to expensive. The beer poured great with nice head and lace that stayed through out the session. Unfortunetly right way I suspected that the recipe had changed. Now this may just be because we tend to rember things differently than they actuallly were or that our taste change over time. But what does not change is how we view color. Right away I noticed that it was a deeper color than I remembered (it use to pour with a golden yellow huge). (see photo from circa 2015). Then as I tasted it I noticed that the light bodied beer that I remebered was not thicker in taste and had a distinct syrup flovar to it. Now this may just be my memory but what I suppect is to make it cheaper they used a syrup which darkend the color and then thickend the taste. I have a feeling that Kosmos Spoetzl, the brewmaster who revitaized and saved brewery would not be happy with the change. Over all the beer is still very drinkable but it is not the taste I remember. I am very curious if I am the only one who noticed a change. Purchase a bottle and let me know you opinion.
|
Lager | 4.8% | 18 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | ||
Winter Wonder |
Milford, Connecticut | Not a fan but it is what it says. You can taste the spice, cinnamon and the cardamom (not a fan.). With a Ho finished
Decent mouth feel.
As the world of beer changes it is important to keep up with trends so here is a Non-Alcoholic Winter Wonder. It poured great with nice head and has a nice spice aroma. Its a light amber brew that captures the season with warming notes of spice, mulled apple, and orange peel. Hints of cinnamon and cardamom blend with subtle hops resulting in a smooth profile built for colder months. It’s a festive, balanced brew wrapped in holiday flavor. How did I enjoy it? Well it has two things against it before I even tasted id. The obvious is that it is a NA beer but I do understand why some folks need or are drawn to NA and it is an alturnitive. The bigges down side for me was Cardamom. I do not like that Flavor. But if you like Cardamon and are looking for a NA beer then this is one to try. The notes of spice abd mulled apples and fruit come through.
|
Winter Warmer | .5% | 0 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.8 | 3.8 | Pic | |
Exploring Alternitive Malt Beverages So I took a dive off the deepend and went exploring! |
|||||||||||||
Cayman Jacked |
Chicago, IL | This is an interesting alternative to beer! It pours without head and looks..... well Milky! Flavor wise it is what it says. It taste like a margarita, not a great one but a palatable one. I can see this being something to have in your camping ice chest to enjoy if you do not like beer or just want something different. It comes in at 10% so if it is alcohol your looking for then here you are. Made with Lime Juice & Agave Nectar
|
Hard Seltzer | 10% | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | Pic | |
Jug Z Big Spiz |
Mexico ? | The package got my attention. I comes in a mini milk jug! The product is made somewhere in Mexicoa and has a fruit punch flavor. The flavor is very strange and leaves an unplesant taste. At 16% I guess the alcohol is the draw. My mom always said if you cant find something good to say its best not to say anything at all. So with mom in mind: on a positive note I did not die. This is a one and done for me. I am not the target audience. Oh, on a side not I did have my daughter try it and she had the same opinion.... "WHY" But this what do I know. |
? | 16% | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | Pic |
