The Winter Beer Report

[chupe666]

i'm trying to concoct a cranberry-related recipe that is akin to new belgium's frambozen, but i'm thinking the outcome will be poor. i should probably just give it up. probably just a light brown ale with 5lbs thawed frozen cranberries in the secondary. tartness is my aim rather than sugary sweet cranberry crap.

i know i should stick to recipes for another year, but my penchant for creating my own tends to overtake that logic.

 

[chupe666]

also, picked up frambozen earlier this week. the only other winter brewz they had were the delirium noel (which is awesome, but a tad expensive) and the usual sierra nevada celebration, sam adams winter, samuel smith's winter, and a couple others. no snow cap and can't really afford the anchor. a growler of the local brewery's barleywine will be bought for sure though.

 

[avi]

I can never find delirium noel, but it's not my favorite, so whatever.

frambozen: not yet

saw a local cranberry beer for sale here, but decided to pass. I think it could definitely work, especially if you try to emphasize the tart flavors.

 

[avi]

okay, I've been seriously neglecting this thread.

many winter beers have been drunk, top picks for 2004 are same as before: affligem noel, marin hoppy holidaze, anderson valley solstice, alaskan winter & smoked (which I bought a case of)
new discovery: some crazy belgian saison with a name I can't remember, but I know the label.

 

[TheNewChupe]

local place bottled a Holidaze brew which is a dark ale with some minty tones. works well, kind of choco-mint. not as pine-y like the Anchor or Snow Cap (which they finally got here). tried a Berghoff Hazelnut that was pretty decent. think i'll try and pick up some Barleywine tonight from the Stl Tap Room for New Yrs.

btw- can you get the Ommegang brews out there? their Three Philosophers is a really good Belgian with a little cherry in it. not a lambic, more a dark Belgian with a hint of cherry. can't get it here yet, but they have other ommegangs- really good brewery.

 

[avi]

I *hated* the three philosophers and actually poured it down the drain. but I do love all of their other beers, especially Hennepin.

 

[TheNewChupe]

WHAT


well, i loved it. haven't had the hennepin.

 

[avi]

remember, I don't really care for lambics at all either. I was expecting something more like Frambozen, but I was oh so wrong.

 

[TheNewChupe]

hm. i only had it once, but i thought the reason i liked it was it was more belgian ale-ish than a lambic. it's been a year or two i think since i had it. but actually i don't really dig lambics much either - too sticky sweet.

although what you're describing is what happened when i tried the Samichlaus beer that everyone raves about and is 14%. i thought "beer!" but it tasted nothing like a beer and i ended up throwing half of it out. if i tried it again i might be able to appreciate it more knowing not to expect the beer flavor.

 

[chupe666]

i found a place that has the main 3 Ommegang 750 ml bottles (Rare Vos, Hennepin, and the brown Ommegang) for $4 each so i stocked up. they're usually at least $6 around here.

also, the cranberry brown ale has been brewed and is in secondary fermentation with the 5 lbs of cranberries. it got a little over expanded for the carboy i had so i had to drain a bit off. tasted pretty good actually- basically what i was aiming for, which surprised me. it was only a few days on the cranberries so another week or so should help, but the tartness was coming through while still having a brown ale as the core of the beer's flavor.

next up is a rogue brutal bitter clone with tons of crystal hops.

 

[cash]

"Dreaded Sierra Nevada Celebration"... are you insane??? This is one of the finest beers made in America. Sorry you dont like hops so much.... maybe you should stick to Coors Light.

 

[4LAO]

pabst.

 

[avi]

I don't like cascade hops. on the other hand, the Sierra Nevada Harvest Ale was/is surprisingly delicious.

 

[FrostGiant]

I wait all year for this stuff. For the next 3 months I am going to drink the hell out of this.

 

[metaghost]

Is today random post resurrection day?

One of my bandmates drinks Hennepin like nobody's business, especially not mine.

 

[4LAO]

I will drink Japanese winter beer.

 

[metaghost]

I will drink Japanese winter beer.

You will drink Chu-Hai and cry softly into your Karaoke microphone.

 

[4LAO]

The reverb will echo my sobs... "You wa shock, ai de sora ga... OCHITEKURU!!!!" as I wipe my tears with used panties from a vending machine.

A leaf falls slowly.

 

[kleo706]

I have to keep beer in my fridge. It's currency to repay peeps who move my furniture in while I'm at work. Currently have a Blue Moon autumn ale dealie . Figure maybe I'll use this thread as a guide when buying for me but until then...

 

[TheNewChupe]

Boulevard Nutcracker Ale is on sale.
I need to try Widmer's Brrrr now that they actually distribute here.
Celebration Ale, yum.
Other than those, maybe something Belgian-y like Delerium Noel. It's been about 5 years since I tried that.

Also, I have 3 kids and lead music at church now. What happened?