12 Beers of Christmas Part IV: California Christmastime

Welcome back!

This marks the final chapter of Ben Likes Beer 12 Beers of Christmas 2014, a tour of the local guys - the Christmas gifts from the Golden Coast and my current place of residence, California.

These offerings are probably tricky to come by if you're not nearby (within a 20 mile radius, actually, for one of these...), but they represent three very different visions of Christmas beers that you'd only find in the United States. While Belgium is content to revel in the spices of the season, these creative brewers take what it means to be a Christmas beer and injects it with some California dreamin'.

Merry Christmas everyone :)

Santa's Little Helper 
Imperial Stout
22 oz., 10.5% ABV
Port Brewing,
San Marcos, CA

This formidable little hunk of coal is as intense as a cup of strong-brewed black coffee. Vividly robust and charmingly aggressive, Santa's Little Helper earns every syllable of its Imperial title.

 Fun fact- there's no Santa on this bottle, and you can thank Coke for that. They own the visual copyright to Santa on beverage containers. Scroogey bastards.

But as for the beer...

A gentle note of chocolate opens the flavor before plummeting into the deep, dark depths of this crazy holiday malt bomb. As you drink, though, you warm up to (or gain a tolerance, really) this aggression and it becomes a tasty beer in its own right. Stout lovers will of course be pleased with this guy, but those prefer their beers light and bubbly might be out of their depth.

Pair it with a holiday dessert, though, and the story changes. Balance that Mall-on-Christmas-Eve-level aggression with some cookies and you'll get some delicious balance out of it. I paired it with egg nog and it was heavenly, I tell you. Heavenly!

Approach with caution, maybe, but definitely approach it.

Magnificat 2013 Edition
Belgian-style Christmas Ale
22 oz. bottle, 10.1% ABV
Monkish Brewing,
Torrance, CA

If you live in the vague vicinity of Torrance, CA, I implore you to make the effort to visit. Covered in a previous blog post, Torrance is a mini San Diego of truly excellent craft beer breweries and it is absolutely worth your while to make a Saturday of it.

My personal favorite of the bunch is Monkish Brewing - a wannabe monastary of a brewery that specializes in Belgian-style brews and a mad-scientist-like affinity for the spice pantry (a Dubbel with peppercorn? Why not!)

Their seasonal offering is the inexplicably named Magnificat - a Christmas ale in the traditional sense, with your favorite spices all acounted for- nutmeg, cinnamon, some chocolate. Note, this write-up covers 2013 in particular; I have 2014 waiting for me Christmas Eve. If anything, this means that the spice flavors have been allowed to mellow, but I'll let you know the difference, if any!

Serve this one a bit warmer - the bottle advises 55 degrees or so that you get more of the fruity ale flavors and a hint of tartness at the finish.

As it were, this is everything I want in a Christmas beer.  Rich, smooth, playful and festive, Magnificat is nevertheless an elegant Christmas beer, and one I highly recommend.

2014 Holiday IPA
Triple Black Rye IPA
22 oz bottle, 11%
Black Market Brewing
Temecula, CA

The oddball of the bunch, Black Market eschews your silly notions of the holiday and say, screw it, we're throwing in about 4000 pounds of hops and calling it a yuletide. And I'm ok with it.

Most notable about this drunk uncle of a beer is the positively gorgeous aroma. The grassy, citrusy aromas evoke more summertime than Santa time, and the flavor follows along in kind. It's not toxic bitter, rather an excellent showcase of how different hops can truly have a different array of flavors. Malt balance is practically absent - this is all hops, baby - until the end, when the stout-like dark robust flavors do make an appearance. The alcohol is huge - 11% - but you won't find any booze burn here, which is good. The hops do just fine on their own.

Obviously this is not your average Christmas beer, but for mixing it up and bringing a new Holiday offering to the table, I applaud Black Market. Brew this sucker year round and I'll be pleased.



Hey everyone, thanks for returning to my blog. I look foward to reviving it even more in 2015. Have an excellent holiday and be sure to have one for me. Not that I'll be needing any more, probably. But one more couldn't help...

Merry Christmas/Whatever else you're doing this end of December. See you in 2015!
Love,
Ben Follow @Ben_Likes_Beer

12 Beers of Christmas 2014: Part I - Gingerbread Stouts

It truly is the season of miracles.

Maybe I exaggerate a bit- there's nothing miraculous about a dude returning to a blog after being away for (garbled noise that sounds vaguely like a unit of time), but it's a pretty big step for me. Life interrupted a bit, with some of the wind being taken out of my beer-soaked sails in favor of a "big boy" job. But none of that is particularly interesting...there's beer to drink.

I hope you've been ok without me - craft beer is a big scary world. I like to think you've missed me terribly, that without my concise wit and brew guidance, you've been in a constant state of panic, standing in the beer aisle with streams of terrified tears rolling down your cheeks as you throw oddly named six-packs into your cart and pray to the goddess Ninkasi that maybe, just maybe, you got something halfway decent.

No, actually - what I really hope is that you've been quite ok on your own, that you've upped your craft beer game and make grown up decisions that aren't swayed by ads featuring golden retriever puppies (I know they're convincing, but stay strong! I believe in you!). Craft beer is becoming the main source of beer goodness, and my little (fascinating, well-articulated and joyous) blog has little to do with it.

But, onto the crux of the matter! It's Christmastime again! And that means we have access to a whole new slew of both weird and wonderful libations for us to enjoy until we can't feel that nagging cold anymore (or, you know, live in Southern California like I do and wistfully wait for just one night I could wear that damn sweater I bought back in July). It's one of my favorite times of the year, and that the whole beer industry embraces it so readily means I'm one festive happy dude with a great beer buzz.

The season comes chock full of flavor staples and beer varietals that no other time of the year even hint at, including playful examples like the Gingerbread Stout. 

The stout is a wintery staple of its own accord, with roasty flavors that practically beg to be drank by fireside. Their willingness and eagerness to be kicked up a few notches in the ABV territory further invite winter friendliness, as the slight warmth of alcohol is never unwelcome on chilly nights. Add their fondness of winter spices and you have a style ripe for season.

So put down your Session IPAs - we're getting hearty and spicy.

Back Home Gingerbread Stout
Golden Road Brewing Company
Los Angeles, CA
4 Pack Cans, 8.5% ABV

A west coast darling that has skyrocketed into prominence in a very short timeframe, Golden Road brewing offers a lineup of beers (that is, in true Cali-style, IPA heavy) in summer-friendly tallboy can 4 packs. Several of their beers, especially the delightfully named Might as Well IPL, have become casual favorites of mine and showed up at many-a-barbecue this past summer.

But, the winter has arrived and Golden Road brewery has shown it isn't afraid to pull on a pair of mittens and be fricking adorable with their Back Home Gingerbread Stout. Between its packaging - an inviting maroon box that looks like a little wrapped present, with cans with golden titling and little silver icons of the season - and whimsical flavors, Golden Road has shown that it takes just fine to the season, even if it longs for the beach.

And it fits right in - Back Home is a solid stout in its own right, with some festive additions and a sturdy ABV. The beer is immediately likable, a playful take on the tried-and-true Irish Stout. Ginger is, thankfully, the key player here, arriving first and foremost but not overstaying its welcome. More dessert sweet than overly spicy, the robust roasty-warm flavors of the chocolate take over at the end. In other words, it's a whole cookie platter in a glass.

You probably won't want more than one - the flavors do become a bit heavy by the end of your glass (not to mention the alcohol content), but it's one of the more playful beers, Christmas or otherwise, that I've had in awhile, and I certainly believe it's a success.

A (not-so) small caveat: this guy is pretty local- it was big beer news when they expanded into San Francisco, let alone the rest of the county. So while this beer might not be part of your Christmas this year, please keep tabs on this brewery; it almost certainly will be in upcoming years.

Merry Maker Gingerbread Stout
Sam Adams
Boston, MA
1 Pint, 6 Fl Oz. Bottle, 9.0% ABV

I've become a beer snob. It's not my fault, it comes with the territory when you call beer a hobby. As such - and it pains me to say it - Sam Adam's offerings don't typically do it for me anymore. Celebrated as they should be for creating a world in which craft beer isn't a ludicrous proposition, I have nevertheless found their offerings, especially seasonal ones, underwhelming, registering as little more than slight alterations on the typical Boston recipe.

Their single bottle offerings do admittedly tend to be more inspired, and one such example, the Merry Maker Gingerbread Stout, does a fine job proving it.

Compared to Golden Road, this one is a bit more straightforward, being a stout first and something gingery later- the flavors are a bit more reserved, even timid. The sweetness of the beer is more forthcoming, perhaps owing to that extra .5% ABV (which it hides very well).

Nevertheless, I do believe that Back Home benefits from it's more aggressive flavors - more spice, more roast, more bitter all mean more interesting.  Merry Maker, with its blanket sweetness, is more friendly, perhaps, but I found myself missing the layers. A bitter bite does accumulate as you go, but I never got that fun cookie vibe.

 If you're lucky enough to have access to Back home, I invite you to go for it. If not, this is one is more readily available, and is hardly bad. There's just better stuff out there.

Merry Christmas Beer Season everyone! Check back soon for the next entry.


(It's good to be back)

Love,
Ben Likes Beer Follow @Ben_Likes_Beer

12 Beers of Christmas: 8 Jewbelation 9 Delirium Noel

So after a brief detour into the realm of disappointment and despair (hope I didn't dampen anyone's Yuletide spirits...if I did, by all means drink up), we have returned to a selection of beers that, while perhaps not on my short list for the season, are certainly tasty or at least interesting enough to warrant a try.

Without further hesitation:


Jewbelation
16th Anniversary Ale
He'Brew, Shmultz Brewing
16% abv (seriously)

Let it never be said that I don't employ some level of diversity in my drinking - while beers celebrating the Festival of Lights may be relatively few (and by the way- I should hope that no one is silly enough to think that the beers of that other winter holiday are reserved for the Gentiles), a brewery out of New York has taken the Jewish culture and run with it. And run and run and run...

Presumably their first anniversary beer was kinda boring. Image from  Shmaltz

While Hanukah may be over, the brewery had a beer in time to celebrate it (and its own 16th Anniversary) with the Jewbelation, a behemoth of a beer that features a whole lot of everything - 16 hops, 16 malts and 16% abv. Hanukah beer is serious business.

But how does it taste? Well, it's certainly an experience.

The beer is very...everything. Bold, imposing and rich, it practically demands careful sips (chugging is out of the question) given its girth and heavy body. It activates every one of your tastebuds but no sense dominates. Bitter, sour, maybe a bit sweeter - all accounted for. Perfectly black and so thick you could chew it, the mass of malts stand out more than the whole hop harvest, but the flavors sort of cancel each other out. There's certainly a chocolate prevalence here, but it is sort of muddled. Each sip tastes pretty much the same, front to back, from first sip to last dregs.

So it doesn't sound like I liked it very much does it? I won't lie and tell you it's one of my favorites, but there's still something fun about it. Two friends and I stood around and discussed it, sipping and contemplating until a buzz had taken over. Not many beers would command that sort of discussion, so from that perspective the beer is truly fascinating and simply fun to experience. Whether or not I need to do it again is another matter.

The beer itself may be hard to find at this point (sorry...) but look for it next year, when they almost surely find another hop and malt to add...

Delirium Noel
Huyghe Family Brewery, Belgium
10% abv
750 ml 1 pint 9.4 fl oz

If you're reading this blog, you almost certainly have heard of Delirium Tremens, the flagship brew for a small family brewery from Belgium. For whatever reason (that is to say, a reason I will assuredly I investigate in a future in a future blog post), Delirium seemed to spearhead the emerging prevalence of Belgian beers in the United States. For many blossoming beer connoisseurs, Delirium Tremens was their first stop in a tour of more complicated, poignant beers.

And with good reason, really; tasty in its own right, it is well spiced, thoughtfully crafted, and decidedly more intoxicating than your average American pisswater (though it is probably a telling detail as to why anyone picked it up to begin with).

With that in mind, Noel should innately appeal to these drinkers, and it really doesn't disappoint. Noel starts a lot like Delirium, with a bright opening, but it fades into something warmer, gentler, than its year round cousin. The Christmas spices come to the forefront and its body is lighter and its color more coppery brown.

There's a lot of flavors present - a hint of this, a hint of that, a hint of orange, a hint of clove - that burst mid sip before combining into a melded sweet finish. Malts are prevalent here, not the hops, meaning this would please the most staunch IPAaphobe.

It should be familiar and welcome to anyone who is a fan of Tremens, but it manages to be a unique beer all it's own. Noel should be readily available at your favorite beer speciality store.


PS, this totally happened: A flight of 10 different Christmas Beers as part of my Christmas Homecoming Dinner. Tis the season, huh?

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12 Beers of Christmas: 4 Snow Day and 5 Brown Shugga'

How're your pallets faring? Beered out yet? If you said no, thank you, and this is why we're friends. So, let us continue on this wintery adventure with two more six pack offerings, doofy Santa hats optional (though encouraged). Today we feature the Christmas Weirdos, like that uncle after drinking a bit too much of that scotch that you buy just for him (I don't actually have one of those, but I imagine it's a thing, right?) Tasty in their own right, they do something a bit different and unexpected than their chilly weather cousins.

Snow Day 
Winter Ale , 6.2% ABV
New Belgium Brewing
Fort Colins, CO

Snow Day is something of an odd brew, a seasonal beer with a bit of an identity crisis. From the outset , the color - deep, dark and nearly black - has you expecting a stout, but the body is lighter and the typical stout staples - like chocolate and coffee - aren't really present. The flavors arrive in layers - a hoppy opening is supplanted mid taste by the yeasty malts before you can label it anything close to resembling an IPA. A confusing beer, indeed.

It combines bits of pieces from a lot of different varieties and assumes its own identity. The flavors are mellow and mingle well; a bit of smoke and a lot of toasty flavors lend well to its classification of a seasonal beer - don a fez and grab a fireplace and this beer would suit you very well (if you're so inclined). Read A Christmas Carol aloud while you're at it for a festive kicker.

While White Christmas and Winter Solstice are crowd pleasers, Snow Day's slightly off-kilter flavors might not appeal to everyone. The psuedo-stout might appeal to fans of  your Guinness of New Castles (I personally liked the pint I had, but couldn't imagine chugging through a six pack), but beer newbies would probably find the mixed bag of flavors a bit too bizarre to really get into.

Kitschy scarf not required for enjoyment, though it hardly hurts ya know? Image from  NewBelgium.com 

Brown Shugga' 
American Strong Ale , 9.9% ABV
Lagunitas Brewing
Petaluma, CA

Another enigma in a bottle, Brown Shugga' takes everything you expect it to be and defies you in one festive swoop, like some sort of tricky elf, if that exists in the Christmas mythos. With something that contains, according to Lagunitas themselves, "boatloads of brown sugar," you'd expect desert in glass, right? Not so much. But that's ok, actually, because it's something that's still pretty tasty. As it were, the brew itself was borne of a mistake - the brewery botched up another of their seasonals, and in hopes of resurrecting it, added all of that brown sugar. The result was something entirely new and as such has entered their annual offerings.

The brown sugar is certainly there - the flavor, that is, but not really the sweetness. In fact, the bitterness from the hops balanced with a bit of sourness is what really prevails here. It's surprisingly dry - the brown sugar notes flicker quickly at the beginning before hiding behind the hop flavors. It's tongue-tingling, and it activates your entire tongue (if you're into that).

It's called Strong Ale for a reason - at 9.9% abv its no slouch in the alcohol content, and its from this that it garners its "warmth." Still, as Lagunitas says, "Life is short, don't sip," and Shugga' went down surprisingly fast given its heft.

I personally enjoyed this beer but I anticipate many people would walk away from it after a sip or two. I won't say it's misnamed, but if you come in expecting some sort of sugary brown ale, you're in for a (tricky) surprise.

Photo from Lagunitas.com

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