Pabst Blue Ribbon

Heineken? Fuck that shit! You want Pabst Blue Ribbon!

The ultimate Winter Warmer. I fucking love this and so does my friend who moved to Washington DC and wants me to send him one. Sad bastard.

Ninkasi Sleighr
7.2% ABV
50 IBU

Poured a nice large, creamy head with excellent lacing. Kind of a ruby red color that is pretty hazy. Good carbonation.

I could smell the malts in this one. I got some toasted caramel toffee in this and some raisins. I also got some piney hops in here as well. Pretty balanced though.

Medium body with a somewhat slick texture. My body felt warm as I drank this bad boy. I can understand why this is called a Winter Warmer. Could taste the malt and some spices.

I may send my friend a bottle if I don't drink it instead.

Hopworks Urban Brewery - Abominable Winter Ale

Hopworks Urban Brewery - Abominable Winter Ale
7.3% ABV
70 IBU

Poured into my Laurelwood pint glass. Little to no head, and the little that it gave disappeared quickly. I didn't see much lacing on this. The color on this bad boy is an amber/rusty color that is very clear.

I get a light toffee malt at first then it becomes more prominent while I drink this. I also get great piney hops with slight grapefruit and some nice carbonation.

This is a very delicious beer. Light body with a slight bitter finish. I am a little surprised that this light beer is Hopwork's Winter Ale. I would expect this to be a Spring offering.

What's next for craft beers?

1. IPAs will continue to fractionalize. There are black IPAs featuring darker malts, white IPAs with spices, and red IPAs such as Green Flash's Hop Head Red and Samuel Adams' Tasman. Look for more takes on the red-hot (white-hot? black-hot?) IPA style.
2. Breweries will retrench. From the East Coast (Delaware's Dogfish Head) to the West (Oregon's Deschutes) are pulling back from ambitious cross-country marketing plans.
3. The rise of the hyperlocal beer. Breweries are strengthening their local ties by emphasizing uniquely local ingredients -- Abita, outside New Orleans, has a pecan beer; Lazy Magnolia in Mississippi a sweet potato beer.
4. The decline of the extreme beer. 100-plus IBUs, 20-plus percent alcohol by volume? That's so 2011. "I don't think we can get any more extreme than we've gotten already. And after awhile people are looking for something more than high ABVs and heaps of hops."
5. Europe goes its own way. "The American influence on international craft brewing cannot be over-stated." But after turning out their own versions of West Coast IPAs and pale ales, brewers in Norway, Belgium, Italy and other countries are dabbling with their own local ingredients and flavor profiles.
6. The return of the lager. For years, ale's older and fussier brother was ignored by brewers who saw it as the exclusive domain of megabreweries like Anheuser-Busch, Miller and Coors. But new places like Bull Jager in Portland, Me., focus exclusively on lagers, while others (like Poway's Lightning) emphasize lagers while producing some ales.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/dec/12/whats-next-craft-beers-six-predictions/

Delirium Tremens

Delirium Tremens

Belgian Strong Ale - 8.5%

Poured into a pint glass. Golden yellow with about three finger head. Pretty clear with lots of carbonation.

I get a sweet, banana like smell to it and it smelled like that all the way through. And I kind of got a bready smell to it, but I will have to try it again to make sure.

Like the smell it tasted a bit fruity. I got a mild bitterness in this, but it was somewhat sweet.

I will have to drink this at home and not in a restaurant to give a better review. I will then get to see it better and really get a better smell and taste. Belgians are beers I want to get to know better. This is the beer that wine lovers should like. Maybe I am not used to the style but they seem pretty complex, a lot going on. It is a really good beer though, and I will enjoy drinking a lot more.

Lagunitas Sucks Holidy Ale

I heard a lot about this and knew I had to try it.

Poured into a mason jar from Chuck's Hop Shop. Light yellow gold, pretty hazy with little head and not much lacing. Lot of carbonation.

The piney hops punched me in the nose and made it bloody...in a good way. Really bitter in a good way. While it smelled piney had more of a fruity taste, like orange peel. Light bodied. I didn't get much malt in this and it had a nice dry finish that didn't linger too long.

This was pretty good. I will really have to get this again if I see it.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/220/74986

Woodchuck Amber Cider

Going to parties at my friends house can be tricky because they dont like the beer that I like. So I brought some cider that I had from a tasting the night before.

It was tasty, tasted kind of like a sweet apple juice. I can see people get into trouble drinking this because even though it is only 5% you can drink a lot of this and fast.

It was a hit at the party. Now I know what to bring for everyone.

Red Hook Long Hammer IPA

It has been awhile since I have had a Long Hammer from Red Hook. Friend brought some Red Hook beer to a party and I decided to give it a try.

Poured what looked like apple juice into a pint. Light golden color, pretty hazy, and some decent carbonation. Poured about an inch and a half head and it disappeared pretty quickly. Not much lacing.

I couldn't smell much. Very light hop and not much malt. As it warms up I got a slight grapefruit hop, but not much. The taste was like it smells, faint and not much. It was pretty bland but seemed like a beer for parties where it was easy to drink but not much to taste. I didn't hate it, but will only drink it if there is nothing else around. I do not see myself buying this.

Dubhe Imperial Black IPA

I went to a party last weekend where most of the people don't quite like the beer I like. My friend who was the host of the party had this in his fridge and gave it to me because he didn't like it. I was happy to take it off his hands.

From notes:

Dubhe Imperial Black IPA

Poured dark black into pint glass with a two finger light brown head. Good lacing.

Smelled a light piney hops but didn't smell much malt at the beginning. As the beer warmed up the malt notes came out more and I got more caramel smell.

Though I can smell caramel, it tasted more like coffee with a slight bitter finish.

This is a really good Black Imperial IPA and would totally drink it again. It comes from Uinta out of Salt Lake City, Utah. If I remember correctly I have a barleywine from this brewery in my fridge waiting for me.

Reviews from Beer Advocate

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1416/67046

Green Flash West Coast IPA

Poured into a pint glass from The Yard in Greenwood.

Poured a dark, rusty color. Clear with nice carbonation. A inch of fizzy head. Nice lacing.

Very clean fruity/piney hops with slight caramel malts. Had a lighter/medium body and slight bitter finish.

Very refreshing beer which I will gladly have again.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2743/22505

Avery DuganA Double IPA

Had this at the Yard in Greenwood. Came here after the Winter Fest.

Avery DuganA Double IPA

8.5 ABV

Poured into a snifter glass. Poured a copper color with a half inch head.

Had citrus hops and also a sweet smell to it. It smelled the way it tasted the same. Had sweet, yet heavy body with moderate carbonation.

Phenomenal beer. If you love IPAs than you need to try this.

http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30/53167

2011 Winter Beer Fest

The girlfriend and I attended the Winter Beer Fest at Hale's Palladium in Ballard. Drank some really good beers. I didn't write down notes for these so the reviews will not be that detailed, just try to rely on what I remembered. It will give me an excuse to drink them again.

Two Beers - Infused EVO IPA

This was our favorite beer at this fest. It was infused with peaches, mangos, apples and marigolds. Fruity aroma and taste, but not too overpowering. Very drinkable and will drink again when I see it. Good job!
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/17005/65418

Schooner Exact Hoppy The Woodsman Bourbon Aged Winter Warmer

Who is Hoppy? I want to meet him, shake his hand and drink a beer with him. They turned the lights down so it was hard to really see the color, but it was dark with a decent sized head. The bourbon flavors really jumped out and there was some hop bitterness to it (I think piney?). This is a beer I can see myself buying and sipping on all night.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/19764/53944

7 Seas Brewery Wheelchair Barleywine


Isn't that beautiful? And the barleywine looked nice too. ;) I believe this is the only barleywine offered at this fest, and if not then someone played a mean joke on me. I remember smelling caramel and dark fruits and then it kind of went away. Couldn't tell if it was an American because I didn't get much hoppiness that you find in American Barleywines. Pretty smooth. This one cost me two tokens. It was ok and I would drink it again.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/20658/66845

Boundary Bay Cabin Fever Winter Ale



The beer I really wanted from Boundary Bay was their Scotch Ale. They said another barrel was coming later so I decided to try this. I remember I really liked it. I remember the dark fruits and a little bit of hops. And I also remember it took me awhile to drink this. Only means I will have to go out of my way to drink it again.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/701/7070
Naked City Big Lebrewski White Russian Imperial Stout


My girlfriend loves White Russians. She loves them so much that we sometimes call her "The Dude." She also liked this beer. This beer won third place at the fest and it was a good beer. This was my girlfriend's beer so I only had a taste. Luckily I live up the street from Naked City so I can have it when it goes on tap.
http://beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/18353/54741

American Brewery Sour Brown Ale


From the recommendation of someone we met, my girlfriend got the Sour Brown Ale from American Brewery. She didn't like it so I ended up drinking it, and I enjoyed it. At this point I really wish I wrote some notes for these beers. All I really remember is that it was sour and I liked it. But with most sours, I couldn't drink too much of it. Maybe a half pint at most.

That is about what I remember from the fest. We had a blast! Next time I will try to write more notes.

Sierra Nevada Celebration IPA

When I first picked this up, I didn't read the description and thought it was a winter warmer. Nope. American IPA.

Sierra Nevada Celebration IPA

Poured into a snifter from a 12 oz bottle. Pretty large creamy/frothy head with excellent lacing. Poured a beautiful amber copper that is a bit hazy.

Piney hops and very mild citrus. I could smell the malt but couldn't quite make it out. As it warmed up a little got a little bit of caramel.

It went down very smooth. Very drinkable beer. This is an IPA I would recommend to non-IPA drinkers. Had a medium body and average carbonation. Moderate bitter finish.

A very good IPA. Not my favorite, but if I heard that it was available somewhere, I would buy it.