Believe it or not, it's 65 degrees here in Cincinnati today. It's January 22nd. I just got back home from taking a nice afternoon run in the warmth and the sunshine. Today, I'm drinking a winter seasonal. This probably isn't the kind of day that the brewers at Jackie O's envisioned one would enjoy while drinking a Java the Stout--no doubt they brewed it for days when snow piles up and people are forced to stay off of the roads due to unseemly weather conditions.
But, here I am sitting on my balcony in late January, listening to songbirds, and drinking in every last bit of warmth this winter sun has to offer, an open can of Java the Stout at my side.
But, here I am sitting on my balcony in late January, listening to songbirds, and drinking in every last bit of warmth this winter sun has to offer, an open can of Java the Stout at my side.
New year, new me. Well, not really. But kind of. I'm nearly done with school (which'll hopefully mean that I'll have more mental energy to dedicate to the blog, which is nice) and (here's another hopefully) I'lll transition smoothly into a ~career~.
What better way to signify and celebrate all of that than with the successor to one of my favorite ciders? I'm consistently impressed with everything Blake's produces and I believe that Archimedes will continue that trend. But, the question is, how does it hold up to Wayward Winter's standard?
What better way to signify and celebrate all of that than with the successor to one of my favorite ciders? I'm consistently impressed with everything Blake's produces and I believe that Archimedes will continue that trend. But, the question is, how does it hold up to Wayward Winter's standard?
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.
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'm starting to learn how to like IPAs. Okay, well, I've been learning to like IPAs since last summer, and, although I am constantly making marked progress (I can honestly say that I thoroughly enjoy some of them), I still have a long way to go. Consider this: I have no post about a singular beer tagged "IPA" on my blog. Why is that?
For my final winter post of the season, I'm branching far out from the traditional winter warmer. Now, with Blizzard of Hops, I'm writing my very first post devoted solely to an IPA. Here's hoping my limited enjoyment of the style extends to Tröegs' winter brew!
For my final winter post of the season, I'm branching far out from the traditional winter warmer. Now, with Blizzard of Hops, I'm writing my very first post devoted solely to an IPA. Here's hoping my limited enjoyment of the style extends to Tröegs' winter brew!
Here we are at Bell's again. This marks the fourth offering from the Michigan brewery I've discussed on the blog. Why do I write about it so much? Chalk it up to the following reasons (these are the most easily recognizable causes I can imagine): 1.) Bell's makes so many seasonals that they're easy to find and, therefore, try; 2.) I'm a state removed from the brewery, so their beer is basically everywhere I turn to buy beer (not a bad thing at all, by the way); 3.) I have family in close proximity to Bell's, so I heard a lot about it growing up. Regardless of the reasons, I'm not upset that I get to try so much beer from Bell's.
Winter White Ale does, however, receive a distinction that only one other Bell's beer about which I've written has enjoyed: The experience I'm about to describe is the first time I've tried the brew.
Going into it, I don't know a lot about Winter White. I know that it's a wheat ale. I know that it's ABV is 5%. That's about it. I'm expecting this to be something of a wheaty Belgian white style ale.
Winter White Ale does, however, receive a distinction that only one other Bell's beer about which I've written has enjoyed: The experience I'm about to describe is the first time I've tried the brew.
Going into it, I don't know a lot about Winter White. I know that it's a wheat ale. I know that it's ABV is 5%. That's about it. I'm expecting this to be something of a wheaty Belgian white style ale.
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.
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.
I had Wayward Winter once, a year ago, at a craft brewing festival somewhere along the coast of Lake Michigan. I was there for a weekend visiting family and taking a short vacation from work. My mom and dad thought that checking out the festival would be fun--it was. Trying new beer is always a blast. However, a lot of the beer was pretty average. There were a few cider companies there too, and the majority of these were fairly average, as well.
I did find a single, brightly shining light, though: Armada's Blake's Hard Cider Company. I only had enough tickets left to snag one of their styles. I chose Wayward Winter; I had seen people carrying around glass of a mysterious red liquid and as soon as I discovered it was offered by Blake's, I had to have it. I was not disappointed. I discovered a sourness with a distinctly maple quality.
Later, I learned that Blake's was distributing cans of their ciders--but only in Michigan. I was bummed that Wayward Winter was a seasonal brew, but happy grab a six-pack of their cider whenever I was in the state. When I saw on their Facebook that Wayward Winter was once again available, I begged my parents to grab me a bottle when they went up to visit my mom's relatives. Much to my surprise, they gifted me six twenty-two-ounce bottles of the stuff for Christmas (my dad said they bought all that the store had!). Is it as good as I remember?
I drink a lot of MadTree. If you'll recall, I am a huge fan of the brewery. Maybe this is because I live in such close proximity to their taproom (it's less than a five minute drive from my apartment). Or, more likely, it's because MadTree brews such damn good beers.
As such, when I learned that MadTree had a winter seasonal on the market, I jumped at the chance to have some. And I did--I went to their headquarters and had a pint of it on nitro. Now I have a can of it open before me. I know it won't be as creamy as it was on tap (due to the lack of nitrogen in the can). But, does it still hold up?
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| The furry, white blob the left of the can is my cat Háma. |
I've been known to enjoy a Leinie every now and then. Mostly shandies. Like many of my friends, I typically kick back with a Summer Shandy in the warmer months and the brewery's Harvest Patch Shandy (which is their pumpkin beer) was one of my default beverages this autumn.
But, my experience with Leinenkugel begins and ends with shandies. Last winter, my future father-in-law kept his fridge stocked with Snowdrift. I'm always temped by porters, but, seeing has how I was visiting in the middle the Christmas brew season, my beer palate was preoccupied. My final Christmas post went up a week ago tomorrow. Now that winter's sprawled out openly before me, what better time is there for me to try a Snowdrift Vanilla Porter?
But, my experience with Leinenkugel begins and ends with shandies. Last winter, my future father-in-law kept his fridge stocked with Snowdrift. I'm always temped by porters, but, seeing has how I was visiting in the middle the Christmas brew season, my beer palate was preoccupied. My final Christmas post went up a week ago tomorrow. Now that winter's sprawled out openly before me, what better time is there for me to try a Snowdrift Vanilla Porter?
Merry (summer) Christmas! I've been listening to holiday music all day--well, whenever I've been able--to get into the mood for today's post. My dinning room (where I'm typing this) is currently a nice, balmy 85° so I need any help I could get.
Today's brew is Weyerbacher Brewing Company's Winter Ale. Yes, I know, I know; a winter ale is not a Christmas brew. However, it's nearly August so I'd appreciate it if you'd cut me some slack on this one.
This is part 2 of my short, 4-part series on Michigan brews. You can take a look at the first part, in which I discussed Atwater's Purple Gang Pilsner, to get a better idea of what this series is. To briefly describe it, I built a four-pack and threw in some beers native to MI that I'd never before had so I could share my first impressions of them with you, my beloved readers.
The beer I'm discussing today is Blackrocks Brewery's winter seasonal: North Third Stout. I know, I know. "It's spring now!" you are probably exclaiming as you read this. "Why is he talking about a beer specifically crafted to be enjoyed a season ago?" Well, in my defense, although I awoke to a beautifully sunny Cincinnati day, the world outside of my window has since turned cold and gray (I even spotted the sky spitting out a few flurries). That's wintery enough for me to get into this beer.
The beer I'm discussing today is Blackrocks Brewery's winter seasonal: North Third Stout. I know, I know. "It's spring now!" you are probably exclaiming as you read this. "Why is he talking about a beer specifically crafted to be enjoyed a season ago?" Well, in my defense, although I awoke to a beautifully sunny Cincinnati day, the world outside of my window has since turned cold and gray (I even spotted the sky spitting out a few flurries). That's wintery enough for me to get into this beer.
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