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.