winter ale

New Beer Blog Blue Point Winter Ale

In this winter beer blog, we are going to get into another brew from Blue Point. It is their winter seasonal, which is their Winter Ale. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this East Coast craft brewery. If you have not, please, read them to get to know this New York base craft brewery. Let us get into this winter ale.

It has a dark amber color with a white head on this winter ale. The smell has a heavy malty note. The taste has a malty to alcohol notes. This beer warms you up in the winter. The aftertaste has a malty to alcohol finish. It is a sipping to almost drinkable beer.

Here is a description from their website (www.bluepointbrewing.com):

Our Winter Ale is a hearty, robust amber ale. We use pale, Vienna, crystal and chocolate malts to create a balanced character of malt and hops with just the right amount of spice to warm you up during the colder months.

ABV: 7.7% IBU: 25 OG: 1.070 Availability: Late Fall-Winter

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.bluepointbrewing.com

Twitter: @bluepointbrewer

Ending, I was happy to see Winter Ale finally made it back in my life. They are back in Michigan. I am a huge fan of this beer. I remember when they hit the Chicago market and I enjoyed drinking this beer. It was one of my go to winter ale. There is a nice balance but it is more of a sipping beer. I just feel like this beer is a lot better than what I remember. I have always love this beer. I just wished it had more love in this state. This craft brewery is trying to gain some ground back in this state. I am glad they are back and are trying to gain a base for themselves. I highly recommend this beer. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog 21st Amendment Brewery Fireside Chat Winter Spiced Ale

In this winter beer blog, we are going to get into another brew from 21st Amendment Brewery. It is their Fireside Chat Winter Spiced Ale. If you have read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this west coast craft brewery. If you have not, please, read them to get to know 21st Amendment Brewery. Let us get into this winter ale.

It has a clear amber color with a tan constant head. The smell has a sweet malty to alcohol notes. The taste has a sweet malty, alcohol with other spices notes. The aftertaste has a nice warm alcohol finish. It is a nice sipping beer with cigar and fireplace.

Here is a description from their website (www.21st-amendment.com):

Like FDR’s Depression-era radio addresses, which were like a kick in the butt and a hug at the same time, our Fireside Chat is a subtle twist on the traditional seasonal brew. We begin with a rich, dark, English-style ale and then we improvise with spices until we know we have a beer worth sharing with the nation.

Fireside Chat is our early winter seasonal brew available from October through December in six-pack cans and on draft. Brewed like a classic, warming Strong Ale but with a subtle blend of hand-selected spices for just the right festive flair.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.21st-amendment.com

Twitter: @21stAmendment

Closing, I enjoyed a lot of beers from 21st Amendment Brewery. I was pretty excited when I made a road trip down to Ohio for a family event. I stopped by the local craft beer store and I was pretty excited to see their beers on shelf. It was a no brainer to pick up a few six and four packs of their brews. I saw this one and I was pretty excited because I never had it. I have been wanting to try it for a while now. I love the story behind this beer. This beer holds up its end of the bargain. I really enjoyed this brew. I love the balance in this brew. It does warm you up on coldest days in the winter. I love how the Cocoa Nibs goes well with all the other spices notes. I highly recommend this beer. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Shipyard Brewing Prelude Special Ale (2014)

In this beer blog, we are going to get into another seasonal from Shipyard Brewery. It is their Prelude Special Ale. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers. you know the history of this east coast craft brewery. If you have not, please, read them to get to know Shipyard Brewery. Let us get into this winter warmer.

It has a clear dark ruby-red color with constant small bubbles feeding a constant white head. The smell has a sweet burned malty to light rum liquor notes. There is some alcohol notes in the aroma. The taste has a sweet burned malty with a burn alcohol aftertaste. This beer will warm you up in the winter. It is a sipping winter ale.

Here is a description from their website (www.shipyard.com):

Prelude Special Ale

“This seasonal specialty is the perfect winter warmer.”

Prelude is a rich, nutty, full-bodied English ale with an inviting amber hue and hoppy finish.

First Brewed: December 1993

Available: November – December

Malt Style: 2-Row British Pale Ale, Crystal, Chocolate, Wheat

Yeast: Top-Fermenting English

Hops: Cascade, Tettnang, Fuggles

Color: Deep Amber

IBUs: 47

OG: 1.070

ABV: 6.7%

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.shipyard.com

Twitter: @shipyardbrewing

Closing, I have seen this brew a few times on the shelf. The question that I had every time is should I pick up this time? I do not know whyI kept on walking away from it. Is it the packaging? Or is it lack of information on the packaging? Either way, I finally picked up this beer and I am glad I did. I have been wanting to try it. I kind of like this brew. This is a hidden gem for us in the Midwest. It is kind of unknown brew here. There is some nice balance but yet a nice complex notes. I love the alcohol notes. This is a nice beer to keep you warm in the winter months. I highly recommend this beer. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Anchor Brewing Our Special Ale (2014)

In this winter beer blog, we are going to get into one of the first and original christmas beer of the modern era. It is from Anchor Brewing and it is their Our Special Ale. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this west coast craft brewery. If you have not, please, read them to get to know Anchor Brewery. Let us get into this Christmas Ale.

It has a dark brown color with non constant light brown color head. The smell has roasted malt to toffee and nutty notes. The taste has a roasted to burn malt notes with a burn malt aftertaste. It is a kind of drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

This is the fortieth annual “Our Special Ale” from the brewers at Anchor. It is sold only from early November to mid-January. The Ale’s recipe is different every year, as is the tree on the label, but the intent with which we offer it remains the same; joy and celebration of the newness of life. Since ancient times, trees have symbolized the winter solstice when the earth, with its seasons, appears born anew.

Here is a description from their website (www.anchorbrewing.com):

This is the fortieth annual Christmas Ale from the Anchor brewers. It is sold only from early November to mid–January. The Ale’s recipe is different every year, as is the tree on the label, but the intent with which we offer it remains the same: joy and celebration of the newness of life. Our tree for 2014 is the Giant Sequoia. It was hand-drawn by James Stitt—who has been creating Christmas Ale labels for us since 1975—to look as a “Big Tree” planted in 1975 might look today.

“The Big Tree is Nature’s forest masterpiece, and…keeps its youth far longer than any of its neighbors. Most silver firs are old in their second or third century, pines in their fourth or fifth, while the Big Tree growing beside them is still in the bloom of its youth, juvenile in every feature at the age of old pines, and cannot be said to attain anything like prime size and beauty before its fifteen hundredth year, or under favorable circumstances become old before its three thousandth.”–John Muir

We chose the Giant Sequoia for our fortieth Christmas Ale in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Yosemite Act. Signed into law by President Lincoln during the Civil War, it granted the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Big Tree Grove to the State of California “for public use, resort, and recreation.” The first such land grant in American history, it marked the beginning of the California State Parks.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.anchorbrewing.com

Twitter: @anchorbrewing

Ending, winter and fall seasonal beers are my favorite of all the seasons. I love the spring and summer for motorcycle riding. I am finding out that the winter seasonals this year are so much better than last years. It was the same case for the fall seasonal brews. I had a hard time liking this beer every year but at end of season, it always ends in my top five. I love burn from the roasted malts. This is a great beer. It is a nice sipping brew to get you through the winter cold days. I highly recommend this beer. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Tiwtter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Alaskan Winter Ale (2014)

In this winter beer blog, we are going to sample another brew from Alaskan Brewery. It is their Winter Ale. If you read my earlier beer blog posts on their beers, you know the history of this craft brewery. If you have not, please, read them to get to know this northwest craft brewery. Let us get into this winter ale.

It has a clear copper color with a white to off white constant head. The aroma has hints of spruce tips notes. The taste has a sweet malty with a heavy focus spruce tips notes. The aftertaste has a crisp aftertaste. It is pretty drinkable beer.

Here is a description from their website (www.alaskanbeer.com):

Style:

English Olde Ale. Traditionally malty with the warming sensation of alcohol, Olde Ales are brewed in the fall as winter warmers.

Flavor Profile:

Brewed in the style of an English Olde Ale, this ale balances the sweet heady aroma of spruce tips with the clean crisp finish of noble hops. Its malty richness is complemented by the warming sensation of alcohol.

History:
From the seafaring adventurers of the 1700s to the homebrewers of today, adding spruce tips to beer has a rich history in Southeast Alaska. Alaskan Winter Ale was first released by the Brewery in 2000.

Ingredients:
Alaskan Winter is made from glacier-fed water, Sitka spruce tips and a generous blend of the finest quality European and Pacific Northwest hop varieties and specialty malts. Our water originates in the 1,500-square-mile Juneau Ice Field and from the more than 90 inches of rainfall we receive each year.

Recommendation:
Perfect winter warmer by the fireside or an accompaniment to holiday fare. Serve with roast goose, turkey, ham or lamb. A nice complement to holiday breads, pound cake, or apple pie.

The Story Behind The Label:
Throughout Southeast Alaska, bald eagles can be spotted landing atop the towering old growth forests of Sitka spruce trees. As many as 3,000 bald eagles congregate among these evergreen trees on the shores of the Chilkat River for the last large run of salmon before winter. Sitka spruce trees carry a significance of their own to local Alaskans. The tender new growth of the spruce tips lends a delicious, yet subtly sweet floral aroma to teas, jelly and now our Alaskan Winter Ale.

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.alaskanbeer.com

Twitter: @alaskanbeer

In the end, I have been wanting to this beer for a long time. I was pretty excited to them enter the State of Michigan. I was pretty stun that they skip the City of Chicago. Chicago is a pretty big market for craft beer. Most craft breweries did not want to enter that market because of the laws. On the other side, most craft breweries did not want to enter the Michigan Market because the huge push for Michigan craft beers. Beers that are outside of state get pushed away and do not get a fair shake. I did not know if they will be pushing out their seasonal beers right away. I was pretty happy to see this beer on the shelf. I had to pick up a bottle and try it. I was interested to see how Spruce would work in this beer. There is a Michigan craft brewery that used spruce tips and failed on their beer. The beer was terrible. I knew experienced craft brewery would know how to work it correctly in this beer. They did a great job and it is pretty good. There is a nice balance in this beer. I highly recommend this beer. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Motor City Works Winter Ale (2014)

In this winter beer blog, we are going to sample Winter Ale from Motor City Works. If you read my earlier beer blog post on their India Pale Ale, you know the history of this Detroit base craft brewery. If you have not, please, read them to get to know this Michigan craft brewery. Let us get into this winter ale.

It has a cloudy amber to bronze color with a white head on this winter ale. The smell is non existed. I cannot pick up anything. The taste has a sweet malty notes with notes of spruce tips notes. It has a nice malty aftertaste. It is kind of drinkable.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Motor City Winter Ale is a rich barley wine style ale. Deep amber in color, full and malty in taste complemented with a hint of spruce and an ABV that will keep you warm all winter long.

The thin layer of sediment at the bottom of each bottle is the mark of our all natural brewing process. Unfiltered, Unpasteurized… Naturally!

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.motorcitybeer.com

Twitter: @motorcitybeer

Closing, I do not why I keep trying their beers. They are like Atwater Brewery. They do not make good beer. I rather drink a Budweiser before I have to force another beer from either brewery down my system. I have not had everything from them. It is too late because the beers that I already had. I am not a fan. Spruce tips and spices are not a good mix. They did a bad job using spruce tips. It did not go over well in this ale. I believe they should take some notes from Alaskan Brewery. I do not recommend this brew. Don’t go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser16@gmail.com

Twitter: @djweiser

Instagram: @djweiser13

New Beer Blog Great Divide Hibernation Ale

In this beer blog, we are going to get into our first of three brews from Great Divide. Great Divide was founded in Denver, Coloroda by Brain Dunn in 1994. They have been ranked as one of the best breweries in the world from a few beer website. They also brew several different beer styles. Let us get into the beer.

It has a light brown to dark amber color with a constant tan color head. The smell is of the malt to a slight caramel notes. The taste of this medium body is a malty caramel with touch of honey with a dry malty finish. It is kind of drinkable beer.

Here is a descration from the beer bottle:

Hibernation Ale has been our celebrated winter tradition since 1995. This robust, dry-hopped ale has a malty richness balanced with a complex hop profile and hearty, warming character.

Here is descation from their website (www.greatdivide.com):

HIBERNATION ALE has been our celebrated winter tradition since 1995. This robust, dry-hopped ale has a malty richness balanced with a complex hop profile and hearty, warming character.

ABV.: 8.7%

RATE BEER: 98

AVAILABLE: Seasonal

SIZES: 6 packs and 5 gal kegs

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.greatdivide.com

Twitter: @greatdividebrew

In closing, there is a ton going on this well made beer. I enjoyed this beer a ton. I can also see why this brew was made because of where the brewery is located. It has a beautiful color and a nice aroma. It has a nice taste from this well balance beer. There is a ton going on in this beer. I recommend this beer and I would love to hear your thoughts on it. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

New Beer Blog Anderson Valley Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale

In this winter beer blog, we are going to sample out another brewery that I have been wanting to try their brews out for a while. Anderson Valley was founded in 1987 by David Norfleet and Kim and Ken Allen in Boonville, California. This brewery was sold to Trey White with two silent partners in 2010. They still brew several of David Norfleet’s beers and have added on since he sold the company. Let us get into the beer.

It has a clear copper color without a head on it. The smell is a strong cinnamon and a little caramel to the beer. The taste is a smooth and silk caramel with a touch of cinnamon. There is really no aftertaste to the beer. It is kind of drinkable beer.

Here is a description from the beer bottle:

Brilliantly clear dark copper color with a dense tan head. Caramelized malty and spicy aromas redolent of cinnamon, allspice, black currant, and black licorice. Pleasantly creamy, with a silky body, sweet caramel flavor, hints of seasonal spices and a clean, malty finish.

Here is a description from their website (www.avbc.com):

The holidays are a special time in Anderson Valley. The days are darker, weather colder, and foods richer. And Anderson Valley’s Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale is perfect for this time of year. Deep amber in color, with an inviting aroma of spice and nutmeg, it was made for the turkeys, cranberries, hams, and yams of the holidays. WinterSolstice Seasonal Ale evokes a crackling fire, drifting snow, and smells of home. A hint of spice and hop bite to balance out the creamy and smooth mouthfeel, and medium sweetness.

As with all of our products, Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale is never sterile filtered nor heat pasteurized.

6.9% ABV6 IBU

Here is their website and twitter addresses:

Website: www.avbc.com

Twitter: @avbc

Closing, this beer was an awesome beer. I was pretty stun on how good it was to the rest of the winter beers I had so far this season. It is kind of drinkable beer. I love all the flavors that this beer has kicking around in my mouth. I really hate when breweries uses the term “winter warmer.” It is really not a beer style but more and more it is starting to become a beer style. This is why. Most brewmasters I talk to about their beers and I bring up what is the beer style of your “winter warmer.” Pretty much all of them could not nail it down to a beer style. With all of this said, I recommend you as a craft beer drinker to try this beer. Please, let me know what your thoughts on this beer. Go get some! Drink it! Enjoy it! Metal it! \m/

Cheers!

Bill DJ Weiser

Email: djweiser13@comcast.net

Twitter: @djweiser

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