Widmer Brrr

Here is Widmer’s holiday seasonal. It comes in at 7.2% ABV, so they making sure that it’s a winter WARMER. A lot of malts used in this one including Pale, Munich, Caramel, Carapils, and Dark Chocolate. The hops include Alchemy, Simcoe, and Cascade.

Stats:
Winter Warmer. 7.2% ABV. 50 IBUs. Oregon. Available October to January.

A lighter color than most winter warmers with red hues. Head doesn’t last long.

Very hoppy nose, with citrus and pine coming through. A lot of tangerine and some caramel also coming through.

Definitely more carbonated than than some winter warmers, but mouthfeel is pretty typical.

The hoppyness really carries this beer, unlike most winter warmers, a lot of tangerines up front. Some caramel coming through a bit as well. Definitely some oak notes and piney. It’s like someone took my winter warmer, that I love, and then added a Douglas Fir to it, which I’m not really happy about.

I’m not big on this one. A little off balanced, and bitter on the back. The hops need to be toned down, which isn’t something I say too often. 83 points.

Alaskan Smoked Porter 2009

I just reviewed the 2008 vintage here, so I won’t go through the whole intro again.

Stats:
Porter/Rauchbier. 6.5% ABV. Alaska.

Very dark color, practically black. Doesn’t have much head.

Again, it has a pretty subtle nose. Smoke comes through. I also get quite a bit of chocolate I don’t remember from the ‘08

Not too thick or thin with a little bit of carbonation, nice mouth feel.

Again, not over the top, which I like. Very similar to the ‘08, raisins and molasses, chocolate, vanilla, and some burnt bbq on the back end.

I didn’t notice much of a difference from the ‘08, except for maybe a little more chocolate. I’m gonna stay with 87 points.

Thanksgiving V: Final

I hope everyone is having a good Thanksgiving, and is eating a bunch of food! I am thankful for the Internet, good friends, going to a great university, being able to drink lots of beer, and recently, having a pretty awesome girlfriend. Just to give an update on the blog: I hope you are enjoying it. Again, I’m always looking for suggestions. I have a lot of ideas that I’m going to try to implement in the next couple of weeks. Be safe everyone!

Thanksgiving IV: Lindemans Framboise Lambic

I’ve reviewed this beer before, and it’s essentially the same, so I’m just going to give a quick little review and then link to the original review.

Stats:
Raspberry Lambic. 4.0% ABV. Belgium

Ruby red color, looks like raspberry juice with a fluffy pink head.

Smells like raspberries, and a bit of yeastyness.

A bit sour and highly carbonated, easy drinking.

This tastes like a raspberry dessert, pretty delicious.

What can I say, its delicious. 85 points.

Thanksgiving III: St. Bernardus Christmas Ale

Stats:
Strong Belgian Dark Ale. 10% ABV. Belgium.

Kind of a winter warmer color, pretty dark brown. You can’t pour this beer without getting a ridiculous head.

Not the best nose, but I get a lot of spices and a bit of yeastyness. There is also this creamyness, and wait, are you ready…it smells like eggnog! Pretty good.

Pretty full bodied, and fairly high carbonation.

A lot of spices and yeasty. A little bit of vanilla and some dark fruits. Just a hint of alcohol, but very well contained.

This is good stuff. Worth the price if you can find it. 91 points.

Thanksgiving II: Primator Maibock

Stats:
Maibock. 7.5% ABV. Czech Republic.

Really light in color, with a nice fluffy, white head. The color is just a tad golden.

Smells pretty similar to the Spaten Optimator. It’s pretty biscuity, and bready with toasted malts. Very malty with a nice dose of fruits. A lot of apple and a little bit of banana in here. Good nose.

Not too heavy, but there is some weight, and good carbonation.

The palate is very similar to the nose. Lots of maltyness with a little bit of sweetness. Very toasty and apples.

I’m liking this one, and a good choice for the holiday. Should be good with turkey. 89 points.

Thanksgiving I: Stone Smoked Porter

Stats:
Porter/Rauchbier. 5.9% ABV. California.

Dark colored, with reddish hues. Leaves a nice lasting head.

Pretty subtle nose. A little bit of smoke, but not much. I get more malts than anything, slightly sweet and a little bit fruity.

Mouthfeel is fine, medium bodied and low carbonation.

This is a pretty subtle beer, not very flavorful, with is beyond me considering the type of beer that it is. I get a little bit of smoke, but there isn’t all that much here. Some maltyness here with just a hint of fruit.

I’m really not liking this, it’s like a crappy version of Alaskan Smoked Porter. Pretty light and a little too subtle. 81 points.

Thanksgiving Day

Just wanted to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving Day. I’ve got 4 beers for the occasion, and I’ll be going through and posting reviews throughout the day. Let me know what you guys are drinking.

Today, I’m drinking St. Bernardus Christmas Ale, a Beglian Strong Ale at 10% ABV. Stone Smoked Porter at 5.9% ABV. Primator Maibock at 7.5% ABV. and Lindemans Framboise Lambic for something sweet and fruity at around 4.0% ABV.

Deschutes Jubelale 2009

This was one of my favorite winter warmers last year. This is Deschutes seasonal, available from October to December. Just to review, a winter warmer is a highly malty beer, with a little bit of sweetness, and usually low on the hops. Some have fairly high alcohol, hence the term winter warmer.

Stats:
Winter Warmer. 6.7% ABV. Oregon.

Your typical winter warmer color, deep brown/mahogany. Little bit of lacing left on top.

Nice nose, I get some nice caramel coming through, also a bit of fruit. I get some nice cherries and apples. A little baked apple, and some brown sugar and cinnamon. I also get a bit of hops coming through as well.

Has some weight, which you wanna see from a winter warmer. And pretty low carbonation.

A little bit of malty sweetness comes through right at the front with a nice dose of brown sugar. I also get some of that fruit, noticing some banana on the palate here. I’m surprised by the amount of bitterness on the back end. I almost think they put more hops into this years than before. But it does remind me of some sort of Christmas pastry, with lots of spices coming through.

This is pretty good stuff, though I remember liking last years a bit more. It does seem like there is an awful lot of bitterness on the back for a winter warmer, and because I’m not really digging that, it’s gonna score a bit lower. 86 points.

What beer are you gonna drink for Thanksgiving?

Alaskan Smoked Porter 2008

Alaskan Smoked Porter is supposedly one of the first American made smoked-beers. This is probably Alaskan’s most well-known, and respected beers. A rauchbier, or smoked-beer, is a very old style of German beer making. The flavor is derived from smoking the malts used in the beer. Usually, the malts are dried over an open fire to produce the smoke flavor. The Alaskan Brewing Co. roasts the malts over alder wood for about 72 hours. The smoke also acts as a preservative in the beer, allowing it to be cellared for years. This is a limited-release, and vintaged beer. I’m drinking the ‘08, but the ‘09 was just released, and once I get my hands on one, I’ll post my review of that, as well.

Stats:
Porter/Rauchbier. 6.5% ABV. Alaska.

Very dark brown color, practically black. Thin head, but leaves a little espresso colored foam on top.

The nose actually is pretty subtle. Of course, the smoke comes out, but not obnoxiously, and there isn’t a whole lot more going on here. Smells a bit like a bbq restaurant, with a little bit of sweetness in here too.

Not too thick or thin with a little bit of carbonation, nice mouth feel.

So obviously there is quite a bit of smoke, again, not over the top, which I like. I get a little bit of raisin and molasses, chocolate, vanilla, and some burnt bbq on the back end.

So I’m not super impressed with this. I like it, and I think it’s solid, a little shallow on the back though. This one will probably get better with age, though. 87 points.