Rubaiyat of Beer Pt. 1

Wake! For the sun from its dark bed begins to rise
And placing warm bright kisses on your eyes
Bids them open that you may learn the
Little death, like you and me, also dies.

And as the light illumes the towers of glass
Wherein the wage-slaves their dull hours pass
Rather than wages let us seek
Our wealth in drunken hours to amass

The street lamps yielding to greater lantern fade
We enter the ready store to gain the aid
Of six packs and forties of liquid gold
And mere coins for this heavenly elixir trade

See part 2 here

Maximus

In contrast to the Hop Czar, this beer really utilizes its hops well. The taste is curled and whole like a wave that lifts you up and overwhelms you with its delicious bitterness. This is a beer I want to share with others and it inspired me to start planning a Hop into Summer event for the solstice, when people should all bring their favorite hoppy beers. We'll see what becomes of that.

Hop Czar

For a long time, Bridgeport IPA was my favorite beer, so, as my hop tolerance has increased, I was looking forward to trying this bigger and badder version. But I was disappointed because the flavor is just a big blunt hammer of hops. I didn't even really taste the delicious bitterness I love from hops because the beer just killed my taste buds.

Mocha Porter

After the good experiences I'd had with coffee beers, I was looking forward to trying this one, but it was a disappointment.

Chocolate Bock

Another one I had at the Halloween party. This one I had late at night, and it certainly was not a good choice for that time of night. As far as the taste goes, I remember it being perhaps a little more bitter than it oughta be. Probably one of the worst beers from this generally reliable brewer.

Old Fezziwig

I'm putting this in out of sequence b/c I'd forgotten it. I actually drank this beer at David's Halloween party, which I think was on the 30th. Not bad, but not the best winter warmer I've ever had.

Yeti Espresso Oak

Also a pretty good coffee beer. I split this one with a coworker while hammering out the basic training manual for our new writer. Perhaps a bit strong for the situation--we didn't get as much done as we ought've.

Cappucino Stout

I loved this beer. So delicious it was distracting. I was trying to drink it and cook at the same time, and I kept leaning to the drinking, and periodically I had to remark out loud--this is a great beer. This is definitely the best coffee beer I've had.

Foret

My first Belgian saison. A couple of generous friends got me a bottle of this as a Christmas present, and I thought it the perfect beer to have with Christmas dinner. So I bought a second bottle to share. I was not hugely impressed, and neither were the others at the table, mostly because it had the strong sour character that seems characteristic of a lot of imported beers.

I have been told that it's better in the summer, and since no one else drank much, I have a second bottle I'm saving for the dog days.

Anchor Porter

An okay porter. Nothing too special, but not too bad, either.

Winterfest

Winterfest is actually not a bad beer if you're a malt-lover. I thought the malt profile of this beer was pretty solid, and not much else to interfere. Tasty enough that I'll have another when the opportunity arises.

Holiday Cheer

Seriously, Shiner, this is your attempt at a celebratory beer? I guess maybe in Texas it's not considered a good party until everyone is gagging in disgust, but not where I come from. Peaches. I taste peaches. Nasty peaches. Gross, and it didn't get any better, though I did manage to choke down the entire glass.

Celebration

This is Sierra Nevada's Celebration, the longest-running seasonal and one of the best fresh-hopped beers I've ever had. Great beer if you like hops.

Liberty Ale

This particular trip, they'd broken out the Anchor beers at my liquor store. This was another one I wasn't especially enthused with.

Anchor Steam

I did not know that "steam" was its own style, sort of. As this is the only representative of the genre I've had the opportunity to "enjoy," I'm going to go easy on it and say I thought it was a little bland.

Smoked Baltic Porter

I was promised that this brew would be pretty light on the smoke. Not so. Definitely too smoky for my taste. Not recommended unless you really like smoke. A disappointing brew from Great Divide.

Cuvee Van De Keizer Blauw

Well, if you like strong, liquory-tasting Belgian ales, then this one might be for you. For me, though, I thought this was pretty nasty.

Big Moose Ale

With a name like "Big Moose" it has to be . . . average. Or, anyway, that's how I feel. Another kind of okay entry in the Sarnac series.

Trippel

I think it's odd that New Belgium has a number of branded beers and then they have these odd generic ones, like "Trippel." This was a pretty good trippel. Nothing too special, but not too bad, either.

Doggie Style

Not a very tasty pale ale, IMO.

Nutcracker Ale

This is a tasty winter warmer from Boulevard. Is it sweet? Yes, it is. Is it a little weaker than you'd like for a winter warmer. Maybe (ABV less than 6%). But it is still a pretty good beer and recommended for a little bit of holiday cheer.

Shiner Smokehaus

It's hard to make a good smoky beer. This one succeeds in something many do not: being non-offensive and not totally nasty. Otherwise, this is not a recommended brew. Germanizing the spelling does not help the flavor.

Hop Trip

Deschutes, a fresh-hop ale--need I say more to explain why I was excited? But this just didn't work out as well in practice as it did in conception. Overall, this is a pretty well-received beer, but some reviewers indicate that it ages poorly. Mine may have been old.

In Heat Wheat

I'm not generally a huge fan of Hefeweizen as a style, so I'm probably not the best judge of this particular beer. Still and all, I was not impressed.

Winter Warlock

My second beer from Bristol, and like the Compass IPA, I was not impressed.

Hibernation

Hibernation has a pretty stiff alcohol content, but it'll make you want to do anything but go to sleep. Its vigorous flavor makes this an energizing beer. Any time, day or night, it's a warming beer and a motivating one. The best of the local winter seasonals, it's worth the little extra it costs if you're looking for a beer to make for a great winter's night.

Frambozen

I've said it before that New Belgium sometimes gets knocked by beer aficionados, but they do make some pretty fine beers. Frambozen is the best raspberry beer I've had. Light and tasty, fruity but not overdone, a really nice complement to a wide variety of foods. I think that because this starts with a more flavorful beer than most, it's easier to keep the raspberries from overwhelming the flavor.

Cocoa Porter

I got this one at the brewery when working on my article for American Beauty. I was surprised how tasty it is--sweet and delicious. Made with genuine cocoa powder and Colorado wildflower honey, the brewer was pretty proud of this beer, and rightfully so. Strongly recommended for anyone who can find it.

Manger Danger

If you live in Denver and like beer, you've probably heard of Dry Dock Brewing. They're the brewery responsible for 7 Seas Double IPA. I stopped in to try some of their seasonal selections, which come out of their Ho Ho Ho Smackdown where all the brewers try to come up with the best beer they can, then pit them head to head. This was the winner & rightfully so--it's the best quad I've had. Strong as you expect, but doesn't taste like it, all it tastes is delicious. The other two entries were not bad. The stout seemed pretty standard & the raspberry beer was a bit too fruity, but this one won on its own merits.

This is a beer I am glad to have had the chance to try, and I am sad for all the people who will never be so lucky.

Adam's Free Rye'd

I stopped in at Rock Bottom hoping they would have a winter seasonal I could write about, but, alas, no such luck. Instead, I thought to try this offering because I have enjoyed so many rye beers in the past. This beer is really, really bland. No texture, no flavor, and really watery.

2 Below

This is Fat Tire wearing a winter coat of extra dark malts and some extra hoppiness. This gives it a distinct character appropriate to the winter while keeping it unified with its beer-brothers.

Isolation Ale

This beer was an excellent start to a) my company casino night and b) my exploration of local seasonal beers. A really solid, tasty winter warmer that isn't too strong either in flavor or in alcohol to diminish its drinkability for a long night.

Sawtooth

This beer didn't really make much of an impression on me. Kind of bland & a little disappointing.

Brrr

This entry into the winter warmer category by Widmer was a little disappointing. It didn't seem like a winter warmer to me at all, just a repackaged IPA with a little bit of extra color from slightly darker malts. But if the malts also added additional flavor, that didn't stand out to me at all.

5 Day IPA

The 5 Day IPA was voted the best beer in St. Louis. I've only ever spent a few hours in St. Louis. It was predawn at the Greyhound bus terminal in East St. Louis. This beer confirms all the impressions I gained of the city at that time.

Winter Lager

A winter lager is an intriguing idea, but it's got to be something a little more special to win me over.

Holiday Porter

See my previous post for my feelings about Sam Adams' beers generally. This one holds true to that categorization.

White Ale

Sam Adams' White Ale is reasonable. Sam Adams produces consistent beers that generally fall to the middle of the style--good, but nothing to rave about.

Mountain Standard Double Black IPA

I know I wrote in my gift guide that this is a great beer to share, but it's sooo good,I'm glad I had it all to myself. Delicious example of the style, and to my mind the best of Odell's awesome line of beers.

Sublimely Self Righteous Ale

This is a pretty darn good black IPA, but, who am I kidding, I love this style and if anybody does a halfway decent job at it is likely to put me in a great place.