Author: doug

Beer Advent Calendar day 16: Allagash Day’s End. “Ale brewed with Lambrusco grape must, Angelica root, and bitter orange, aged in bourbon barrels. Inspired by the Boulevardier cocktail.” See, this is why I’ve essentially stopped homebrewing. If I tried something like this it would turn out the flavor equivalent of Kindergarten Brown. But the pros have the experience — and the practice runs — to pull it off.

Beer Advent Calendar day 15: Jack’s Abby Red Tape Amber Lager. Tonight’s selection continues the theme of beers I would walk past (and probably have) in the beer store, but are pretty good. Or maybe it’s just a confirmation of my status as a Beer Omnivore, that any beer past a certain level of quality tastes good to me.

Beer Advent Calendar day 14: Zero Gravity Extra Stout. Yup, it’s a stout, and a pretty good one. This beer is a good example of how the selections for this calendar are notable for being good, rather than (with one notable exception so far) extreme brews.

Beer Advent Calendar day 13: Dublin City Brewing Renegade Red Ale. So far this is the most non-local beer, from Dublin, Ireland (beating out Sierra Nevada by a few hundred miles). This is a very nice beer, with a surprising amount of flavor (roasty / grain giving way to hop bitterness) given the low ABV (4.2%).

Beer Advent Calendar day 12: not beer at all! Today’s selection is Stormalong Happy Holidays Holiday Spiced Cider. In pie form I would like these flavors. But as a beverage it’s too one-dimensional, too far in the sweet direction. I may add some cocktail bitters to try to balance things out.

Beer Advent Calendar day 11: Notch Dunkel, Munich-style dark lager. The 2nd Munich dunkel in the calendar. Compared to Beer 7, this one is significantly darker with more roastiness and bitterness.

Beer Advent Calendar day 10: Smuttynose Cherry Cheesecake Sour. Now, that’s more like it for a seasonal beer. I do in fact get the flavors mentioned in the name. We’ll see if it’s enjoyable for an entire pint, or if the novelty wears thin.

Beer Advent Calendar day 9: Redemption Rock Edelstein hefeweizen. This is a very competent hefeweizen, but I’m not sure what this style is doing in a (presumably consumed during cold weather) beer advent calendar.

Beer Advent Calendar day 8: Brick & Feather Half-Light Sunbeam

The second New England IPA so far. This one has a light, almost citrusy flavor. Brewed in Norwood, MA, less than 15 miles from my house.

Beer Advent Calendar day 7: Focal Point Munich Dunkel Lager. This is the second lager in the calendar. Nice roasty grains in this one, as you can tell by the color. The can says, “Each case of this beer supports 109 square feet of local farmland.”