Welcome to Maple Month 2023! Yeah, we're over half-way through November now. I was sick. Sorry. The good news is that I only have three beers slated for discussion this month because, well, I'm doing NaNoWriMo again. After failing to cross the finish line last year (I only clocked 80% of the required 50k words), I'm dialing things back on the blog to make sure I can reach the event's goal this time.

It started out as a chilly, rainy day here in my little east-of-Cincinnati hideaway. While the nation's winding down from its holiday weekend and summer's last hurrah, I have both feet planted firmly in "it's fall now" territory. And, thanks to the drizzly weather this morning, it really feels like Oktoberfest season has officially arrived.

That last Oktoberfest post was just a warmup. Today, we're diving into the rest of the glorious season with Third Eye's Drittes Auge. Let's see how she's drinking.

Before we get into the blog's first proper Christmas post for the year, allow me to direct you here, to Jenny Oaks Baker's rendition of "Ding Dong Merrily on High," a track I only just discovered last night. I don't think there's a better song with which I can welcome this first Christmas beer.

The beer is Sam Adams' Old Fezziwig. While I have problems with how it's sold (we'll get into that in a bit), I'm thrilled to finally be doing up a proper post on the ale.

Remember two years ago, when I drank Odd Side's Hipster Brunch Stout? Back then, I'd said my dad was able to find a pack for my in the wilds of Michigan bottleshops. See, I'd seen the beer online and figured it'd be worth featuring in my inaugural maple month; I wasn't wrong.

As fate would have it, my dad also picked up this bottle of Rye Hipster Brunch for me. Tonight's beer, though, was a surprise because, frankly, I wasn't aware of the stout's existence. I've been holding onto my bottle for a bit now (it's officially one year aged), and I'm ready to crack into it.

I'm sick today. Not COVID-19-sick (I took a test as soon as I woke up) but the kind of sick that indicates you really need to stay home from work, get some rest, drink plenty of fluids, and listen to some pleasant tunes.

Well, I've done all of that. And, for the moment, my symptoms are somewhat subsided. Even if they weren't, I can still taste and smell just fine. So I figure, why not keep this resting train a-rolling and break into my next can of mapley goodness?

Today, I'll be cracking into a can of Farmhaus Cider's Brunch. Let's see how its drinking on this warm November evening.

What a day for another pumpkin beer! The chill I perceived in the air yesterday never materialized as anything other than a persistent breeze that's still blowing. However, the sun's out, the leaves are rustling and falling, and it just feels like a genuinely wonderful autumn day.

This is a post I've been sitting on writing for a long time. I first had Genesee Spring Bock (then just "Bock Beer," a spring seasonal) back in 2018. Since then, I've had plans on writing about it during some springtime on the blog. Each year since, I've consumed my final can of the stuff before getting around to blogging it.

Here in 2021, however, I decided that ought to finally change. I stuck a can from my 12-pack in the back of my fridge for safe keeping. You might think I've forgotten about it--that's not the case. While I had planned to write this in late-March, time quickly got away from me. Now, just as it's almost no longer relevant for this year, I'm finally able to sit down and tell you about Spring Bock.

It's cold and rainy here. Like, freezing rain rainy. It snowed last night and we're due for some more tonight. When I think of January in southern Ohio, this is the kind of weather I envision--drab and dour.

So I'm fighting back against the seasonal depression that's particularly severe on days like this. No, not with hygge, but with a burst of summer. I've got Piper's Summer Breeze pumping through my speakers. The heat's on in the house. I have a Lemon Bomb in the fridge, ready to be broken into. Take that, winter.

Yesterday was chilly but today's downright cold. Michelle and I are in our living room with a fire blazing in our buck stove, which is piping heat into our home (we also have a furnace that does this, but a fire's more atmospheric). For the first time in months, I'm not doing a review from my porch. This is from my couch, as I sit in a hoodie and sweats. I've got some Halloweeny dungeon synth pumping through my speakers. It's still, definitely, the witching season.

You may recall me drinking Warped Wing's Bourbon Barrel Aged Flying Heads for my penultimate spooky post last year. Well, this year we're turning that Flying Heads next-to-last Halloween post into a tradition with 2019's Rum Barrel Aged variant. Let's see how the last year's treated the ale.

You might remember a little over a month ago when I broke into my first Black Is Beautiful (Streetside's variant of the world-wide collaborative stout effort, conceptualized by San Antonio, TX's Weathered Souls Brewing Company). The whole point of the effort is for breweries to commit to equality, make the beer (while possibly putting their own twist on the recipe), and give the proceeds from it to local organizations that support police brutality reform, legal defense funds for those who have been wronged by the police, and entities that support inclusion and equality. Information on the effort can be found on the official Black is Beautiful website.

I wasn't sure how many takes on Black is Beautiful I'd get to address here. Truth be told, I was excited to find the first from Streetside. I'm happy to break into my second today, Rhinegeist's variant, which is a 10% ABV Imperial Oatmeal Stout. Let's get to it.

Casual observation has shown that Southern Tier, who has graced the blog before, is mostly known for their Halloweeny brews. Of the two they make one, Pumpking (and its variants [coffee and rum barrel-aged]) appears to get the majority of the press. The other one is spoken about in hushed tones and is far less lauded than its royal sibling.


Given that, I think it's only fair that we discuss this seemingly less-loved brew first--I've always rooted for underdogs. So, here we have today's beer: Southern Tier's Warlock.

This is it, ladies, gentleman, and all you fine non-binary folks who frequent these parts: The end of my Oktober fest season. While it's been an absolute joy (I've found a few new autumnal mainstays for my fridge), I can't say I'm too terribly sorry to see it go--Spooky Finger Puppet Ghost Month starts up in just a few days.


But (!) that's not to say it's all over yet. See, this month I've been saving what I presume will be one of the best for last. Fat Head's has a track record for me that's pretty unbelievable: Of the three beers of theirs I've sampled for the blog, two received perfect scores ("perfect" on the blog, if you don't know [which you might not because I don't think I've ever explicitly stated it?] means it gets my absolute highest recommendation, and that it's an amazing brew. "Perfect" doesn't actually exist) while the third got a 9.0/10. So, you might see why I'm excited to break into my bottle of G'Suffa! Let's not waste too much more time.

We're rapidly nearing the end of the line for Christmas shopping--I almost have all of mine done. And, by almost, I mean I'm not really even close. Let's hope your further along in your gift accumulation than I am.


If you aren't, hopefully I can help you out today. Maybe I'll be able to recommend this beer, Taft's' Sant's Bribe, as a gift to give the beer-lover in your life. I guess you'll just have to read on and find out.

I like Sundays. Sundays (now that I no longer have to intern on Sundays) are when I embrace my drinking school Ohio University roots, throw caution to the wind, and drink when I want. Usually this manifests around 11 a.m. or noon after I return to my apartment after a long run. Today, though, if I run it'll be later on. I have something very important to drink right now, while it's still breakfast time.


That something important is Dogfish Head's Beer for Breakfast. The bottle at hand is my final bottle of the stuff--I've been saving it for a post just like this on a day just like today. If you don't want spoilers, you may as well skip to the next paragraph (or hit the jump if it's applicable). If you don't care about spoilers, allow me to indulge myself by saying at the top that I love this beer. It's a good thing (for my wallet) that it's released pretty sporadically.

Ah, Christmas. And, true to form, I'm running late. This post was supposed to get put up yesterday but the internet was out and I couldn't get it done. But I tried, dammit.

In the grand scheme of things, that doesn't really matter much. Sure, it may be sunny and in the 50s this morning and it may no longer feel particularly Christmasy, but it's still Christmastime. And this post is still timely. So, whether your stuck at work or at your family's, throw on your favorite Christmas music, settle into the comfiest chair you can find (bonus points if you lay a blanket over your lap!), and dig into this post.

What's the post about? Why, Jolly Pumpkin's Noel de Calabaza, of course! This beer only comes in a bomber and boy howdy am I ready to drink it all. Is it Christmasy? Look at the little Santa hat the Jack-o'-lantern and you tell me. The real question is: Is it any good?

Well, here we are. It's the official start of the Christmas shopping season. It's exactly one month out from Christmas. You know all of this because I'm about to crack into my first Christmas beer post of the season. Hold onto your seats, boys and girls. We're about to get festive.


Before we go any further, let me say this: I've had this beer before. Quite a few time before, in fact. But this is the only post of the season that isn't about a new-to-me beer. That means that for the next five posts you read here (if you read all of them) will be completely new experiences for me. That's fun stuff.

Now, without any more ado, 21st Amendment's Fireside Chat.

I've been looking forward to this. Ever since my last, and first, experience with Off Color, I've seen a few more of their brews at my local beer store but haven't purchased any. However, last weekend Michelle and I decided to go to a liquor store and get spendy in celebration of my completion of the second semester of my grad program.


She bought wine. I bought two things: a bottle of cider and a four-pack of beer. I drank the cider that night, but I've been sitting on the beer. Until now. Here we are, a week later, and I'm about to break into Off Color's Scurry.

I've been putting this off for a little bit. Not because I didn't want to write it, oh no. My fridge, apart from the brews I've purchased for blogging purposes, is full of awful beer (Natty Light). So, I've been hankering to get something good down my gullet, and, man, does Winter Solstice seem promising.


Nope, I've been putting this post off because this week was largely unseasonably warm in Cincinnati. I know that some of the country is still dealing with the fallout of Snowmageddon 2016. That's cool. While they were doing so, I was with struggling to find my warmer weather clothes (it was in the 60s a few days ago. It's February).

Seeing as how this is a winter ale, it felt wrong to try it under those warmer circumstances. However, now it's back to being cold as all-get-out, so I figure I might as well crack the can and discuss what I find.