Brooklyn Monster Ale

      This will be the fiftieth Winter Beer and I'll finally be done.  This year.  Next year I'll try and divide the Winter Beers into some sub sets so it will all make more sense.  This is one off the other seasonals from Brooklyn, Monster.  It pours out copper with an herb, caramel and fruit.  There's quite a bit of herbal hop here, but also a lot of alcohol, body and dried fruit that more than balances this out.  This is a classic Barleywine, nice flavors good pop, yummy alcohol.  It's good.

Jenlain Noel

      This is a French Christmas Beer so I'm sure it will surrender it's flavor to me.  And, of course the Germans.  It comes in a nice beautiful big bottle with a fancy cork.  Looks like it would make a nice gift if it tastes any good.  Jenlain pours out copper with that skunky hop, caramel, mocha and a touch of spice.  There is quite a hop presence, along with nice caramels and a touch of vague spice.  It's also quite fizzy, but with very little head. This is a straight up good beer in the Farm House Ale mode.  I'm getting a bit of mocha on the finish.  It's good, but not special, I wouldn't pay a lot for it.

Scuttlebutt 10 Below Ale

      Scuttlebutt is a new Brewery for me, and I like their nice big bottles.  This one has a fitting seasonal polar bear on it.  10 Below pours out a cloudy dark brown and has a huge mocha, citrus and caramel nose.  It's surprisingly crisp with big flavors of mocha, coffee, caramel and a bit of spice.  10 Below has few flaws, a great mix of flavors with some hop pop and a nice overall balance.  This is really good Winter Beer, I heartily recommend it.Look forward to their other offerings.

Lancaster Winter Warmer

      Again with the Winter Beers.  It's amazing how I tirelessly plow through beer after beer just to bring knowledge to the people.  I should be sainted.  Anyway, Lancaster's Winter offering pours out a dark brown with nice coffee, mocha and caramel.  Wow, this stuff has very rich mocha and coffee flavors that really linger on the finish.  The malts here are massive leaving the hops much in the background.  You do get bitterness from the coffee that makes up for it.  This is a big flavored thick beer, exactly what I like in the Winter.  I really like this and would seek this out if it's your style, a real winner.

St. George Winter Scotch Ale

      I love me some Scotch Ale.  This is a seasonal from the VA based St. George Brewery.  It pours out a dark orange amber and has a weak mocha nose.  The flavor, however has a lot going on.  There's a weighty dried fruit Flavor as well as mocha, burnt caramel and vanilla.  This is a strange mix of tastes that works for me, but others could find this pretty odd.  I think I'll try this again if it comes out next year, but I'm not telling you to run out and get it.  Interesting though.

Noche Buena

      I ended up finding a few more Winter Beers that I really wanted to try.  So Iv'e decided to go back to the topic briefly.  And one of the reasons is Noche Buena, a Mexican Winter beer from the people who make Dos Equis.  I like Dos Equis, it's a great warm weather beer, and I really want to see what they do for a Winter Beer.  Noche pours out a copper to light brown and has a strong caramel and citrus nose.  Strangely, this starts out very bland, then it blossoms.  First, the crisp citrus hop comes out, then you get lovely caramel and sweet mocha.  The tingly hop continues through the finish as the flavors linger.  This is a really good beer, although it still strikes me as more of a warm weather beer.  I guess that's understandable, considering it's origin.  Very nice, I would have this any time, and will seek it out again next year.

Mother Earth Weeping Willow Witt

      Not a huge fan of witt beers, but I like Mother Earth out of NC.  Let's see, it pours out a very pale yellow with a caramel and white spice nose.  There's nice hop crispness and the caramel and coriander.  This is fine for what it is and I'm sure many people might enjoy this during warm weather.  Me, I'll never buy one ever again.  As always their bottles are great.

Bell's Hell Hath No Fury Ale

      Bell's has pleased and puzzled me.  I was not particularly pleased with their Christmas Ale, but have enjoyed some of their other offerings.  I like the bottle.  Anyway, Fury pours out black with a fresh mocha nose.  Well, this is a step up, with lush mocha and coffee flavors.  There is a burnt smoky character on the finish and nice medium hop throughout.  It also has a nice sweetness to it and lovely body with a 7.5% ABV.  Fury is superbly balanced  with sweet and smoky,  Alcohol and hop, and big mocha and coffee flavors.  This is a very good beer and this should be one of their Winter Seasonals, it's a great cold weather beer.  Highly recommended.

Winter Beer Naughty and Nice Lists

      Wow, 44 Winter Beers later I'm finally ready to compile the lists of the best and worse.  Let's get right to the  nice list and then a slew of comments.
                                                          NICE  LIST

1. Duck Rabbit Baltic Porter
2. Joseph Brau Winterfest
3. Blue Moon Winter Abbey Ale
4. Gordon Biersch Winterbock
5. Duck Rabbit Wee Heavy *
6. Trader Joe's Vintage *
7. Corsendonk Christmas Ale *
8. Michelob Bourbon Cask Ale
9. Full Sail Wassail *
10. Buffalo Bill's Blueberry Oatmeal Stout
11. Noel des Geants *
12. Harpoon Winter Warmer
13. Anchor Merry Christmas ***
14. Highland Cold Mountain Winter Ale
15. Weyerbacher Winter Ale
16. New Holland Cabin Fever
17. Lagunitas Brown Shugga *
18. Anderson Valley Winter Solstice
19. Troegs Mad Elf 
20. Mendocino  Oatmeal Stout
21. Old Dominion Baltic Porter
22. Saranac Seasons Best
23. Outer Banks Brewing Santa's Little Sledgehammer *
24. Avery Old Jubilation Ale
25. Magic Hat Howl
26. Smuttynose Winter Ale
27. Sam Adam's Old Fezziwig Ale
28. Boulder Never Summer
29. Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome
30. Sam Adam's Holiday Porter
31. Winterhook
32. Bell's Christmas Ale
33. RJ Rockers " The First Snow "
34. Flying Dog  K-9 Kruizer
35. Sam Adam's Winter Lager
36. Starr Hill " The Gift "

      First off, regardless of how they ranked there are a couple of beers I think you should try because they are unique or compelling.  Lagunitas Brown Shugga and Buffalo Bills Blueberry Oatmeal Stout.  Next, I consider hte top twenty to be very good with a dramatic drop off after that.  I could also say the top ten are a good notch above the others.  Also, Anchor and to an extent TJ's Vintage are being punished for being too young.  If you could age the anchor a year it might top this list.  " The Gift " and " The First Snow " are being punished for their names.  Furthermore I put an asterix * by all the beers I thought you could cellar.  Lastly it's your civic duty to drink all of the top twenty beers, now.
      Now we move on to the naughty list, with nasty commentary to follow.

                                                             NAUGHTY  LIST

1. Victory Old Horizontal
2. Long Trail Hibernator
3. Abita Christmas Ale
4. Heavy Seas Winter Storm
5. Sierra Nevada Celebration
6. Stoudt's  Winter Ale
7. Brooklyn Winter Ale
8. Southern Tier Old Man Winter Ale
9. Flying Fish Grand Cru Winter Reserve

      First off, Old Horizontal is only on here because it could have been so good and they messed it up.  The rest are all terrible, but I reserve special hate for the expensive Flying Fish Grand Poo.  The worst beer I have ever had, I despise you.  Well that about wraps it up.  We'll be jumping all over the place for a while then the Spring Beer Tournament will begin.

1. 
   

Mendocino Oatmeal Stout

      This will be the last of the Winter beers for this year.  It sure has been taxing for me to have to plow through these 44, for the most part, Delicious beers.  But, before we get to the final lists, one last beer to go.  This Oatmeal Stout is from the people at Mendocino, who are much warmer than me.  This stuff pours out impressively black, even the head is really dark.  The nose is a bit weak with caramel and mocha.  But the flavor is rich with mocha which turns into a powerful coffee flavor.  Tis rich and creamy with nice body, and packed with flavor.  I like this beer quite a bit although its fairly simple.  But that's not always a bad thing.  A very solid stout that is well deserving of a place on the nice list.  On to the lists.

Victory Old Horizontal

      Victory has provided us with a Barleywine Ale for our Winter enjoyment.  Well, we'll see if it's enjoyable.  It pours out a red amber and has a very dead nose with hints of grape and herb.  As I thought from the nose it's a bit hop heavy for a barleywine.  There is strong caramels, some mocha and grape,raisin flavors.  I like a nice barleywine and it's delicious 11% ABV, but the strong herb of the hop clashes with the fruit making a flavor I do not favor. ( pathetic hack writing accomplished. )  It's quite drinkable, but it is a fail to screw up a potentially awesome beer with their stupidity.  It goes on the nice list, no screw you jerks it goes on the naughty list.

Lagunitas Brown Shugga

      Lagunitas brings us their Winter seasonal that's apparently made with brown sugar.  It pours a light brown with a very sweet caramel, herb and sugar nose.  The flavor is pretty unique, it has a powerful rush of sweet herb, that becomes a sugar, herb, raisin flavor.  Somehow, the brown sugar mixes very well with the giant herbal hop.  If not for this odd blending, I would find this insanely over hopped.  But it all works producing a pretty flavorful beer with great body and a generous 9.9 ABV.  I'm not sure this is for everyone, but you need to try it at least once.  I like it, I will get it again, and it's on the nice list.

Sam Adams Holiday Porter

      Another of Sam's regular Holiday offerings.  Holiday Porter pours out a very dark brown and has a sweet mocha and caramel nose.  HP contains the usual mocha and coffee flavors with a bit of herb.  The herb blends poorly with other flavors which creates an off flavor I don't like.  This is so far below the other porters it's sad.  Still it's not terrible, so it goes reluctantly on the nice list.  Don't buy it though.

Anchor Merry Christmas Happy New Year

      Last years Anchor Holiday offering was the second beer I ever reviewed.  It was really good and I pulled one out from last year this X-mas and it was great.  Anchor X-mas is a very good beer to cellar, I put away a 6 pack for the future.  I can't wait to see what this years offering is like.  It pours out a beautiful dark brown with strong mocha, molasses, spice and vanilla on the nose.  The first sip comes off a bit harsh with a lot of clove and herb .  But this gives way a bit to reveal the mocha, cinnamon, and vanilla.  It gets better as the flavors balance out  nicely.  The flavors are really good and so is the body. I like it a lot, but it reminds me of a young wine that isn't ready yet.  It will be much better next year.  This goes into the top ten, but it gets downgraded for not being ready.  people want to drink their beer now.

New Holland Cabin Fever

      New Holland brings us a nice Brown Ale for the Winter.  How charming.  Fever pours out a dark brown, duh, with a very strong mocha nose, very strong.  It's chock full of big mocha flavors with nice tingly hop.  Fever is rich and creamy with a nice body and no real flaws.  This is the epitome of a one note beer, but it hits that note with perfection.  A very good Brown Ale, one of the best I've ever had.  Go try this, it goes high on the nice list.

Sam Adam's Old Fezziwig Ale

      One of the standards from Sam Adams, that the roll out every year.  Fezziwig pours out a medium brown with a fresh mocha, spice, herb and dried berry nose.  It starts with a medium hop that fades on the finish.  There's also lots of caramel, mocha, spice and herb.  The aftertaste strikes me as less than pleasant, some clash between herb and spice.  I also find the body and the malts to be weak.  It's fine and certainly strikes me as a classic Winter Beer, but there's a lot better out there.  Down on the nice list.

Corsendonk Christmas Ale

      Another foreign beer this one from Corsendonk.  This comes in a very swell bottle with a nice cork Suitable as a giftt and I suspect for cellaring.  Donk pours out a heady dark brown with mocha caramel malt on the nose. It has excellent flavors of sweet mocha, and burnt caramel with nice medium hop.  This has a nice body and a lot of maltiness.  Overall, a very nice warming comforting Winter Beer.  This is great for now and later, very much on the nice list.

Buffalo Bill's Blueberry Oatmeal Stout

       Buffalo Bill's makes some unique stuff.  Last we visited them was their entry in the Spring Beer Tournament, Orange Blossom Cream Ale, which quickly exited.  But, I like blueberry beers, they have become a solid style.  It pours out black with a massive blueberry nose with a hint of herb.  The flavor is dominated by fresh blueberry, and mocha with a nice tingly hop.  The finish adds a little coffee and herb with your blueberry.  The body is O.K. , but a tad weak for an oatmeal stout.  If you like blueberries and stout, this is amazing.  The blueberry really tastes of fresh berries.  I can't say that it's really a Winter Beer, but it's so good it has to be in the top ten.  I love this beer.

R. J. Rockers " The First Snow "

      Another awful name for a Winter Beer from RJ Rockers, itself a stupid name.  Snow pours out a very cloudy light amber with a strong sweet caramel and herb nose.  First has nice caramels, a strong herbal hop presence, and some spice.  It's kind of nice going down, but the herb on the finish is too much.  I'll keep going to see how it fairs.  It doesn't get any better, and it leaves me unfulfilled.  Land s a low spot on the nice list.

Noel des Geants

      I thought I'd throw in a few more International Winter Beers as I wind down my extensive foray into this seasons wares.  This is an X-mas beer from Waffle-ville, enough said.  On the bottle it says 11.2 ounces.  Those damn foreign bastards cheated me out of .8 of an ounce.  Geants pours out a very cloudy light brown with a caramel, sugar, banana and spice nose.  Really nice.  It's surprisingly crisp up front with nice flavors.  It's very fruity and spicy, sort of cherry, berry, cinnamon and clove.  Unique and pleasing to the palate.  My only complaint is a touch of that yeast/ cardamom flavor I don't like.  Overall, this is very good, if only I could get that .8 ounce I would love it.  A winner of a Winter Beer.  Nice.

Full Sail Wassail

      Full Sail has done very well by me.  I loved their Session Lager and Session Black.  Those were both excellent, and their Amber is good too.  Hope they don't let me down.  Wassail pours out a medium dark brown and has an herb, mocha and strong caramel nose.  Wassail has strong herbal hop that lasts throughout.  Luckily, there's also strong mocha, light spice and a decent, but still too light body.  The other flavors come out more and more as you enjoy this beer.  Wassail went from a not great first impression to being really good.  This is a first class Winter Beer, and goes high up in the nice list.  Full Sail rocks.  

Starr Hill " The Gift " Winterbock

      I sure love Winterbock, but " The Gift " is the most annoying, pretentious name ever.  It better be liquid gold for me not to hate it, even though Starr Hill is  kind of local.  This stuff is hard to pour, it's all head.  Had to wait a while even though I poured carefully.  It's a hazy pale straw with strong caramels and citrus on the nose.  Eeehhhh. O.K. there are some caramel, citrus and yeast.  There's also quite a bit of strong herb that clashes with the yeast and leaves a poor aftertaste.  I'm gonna plow through and see where this goes.  It gets better as you go, but this " Gift " needs to be returned.  This hovers on the lower end of the nice list, it's drinkable.  I should put it on the naughty list just for the name, and it's not very good.

Long Trail Hibernator

      Long Trail is a brewery out of Vermont that I've never heard of.  Hibernator pours out a cloudy amber with a syrupy caramel, herb and mocha nose.  And the herb sort of runs over everything else and is particularly aggressive on the finish.  There are perhaps some caramels lingering about, but this is not very good.  Boy the aftertaste is lousy.  On the naughty list.

Duck Rabbit Baltic Porter

      I am filled with joy at having two seasonal beers from my true love Duck Rabbit.  Their Wee Heavy was really good, I hope this is in the sane class.  DR Baltic pours out black with coffee, mocha and a touch of yeast on the nose.  The taste is heavy with coffee, mocha and malts out the ass.  This has massive body and strong alcohol, defines what a big beer is.  I am drinking it cold, but you should take this out of the fridge a while.  One of the rare beers that would be great at room temperature.  You have to be found of coffee flavors and strong malts.  But if you are, this is the ultimate brew.  I love this beer beyond comprehension and it goes to the top of the nice list.  One of the best beers I have ever had.  Again am am inspired to write a stirring poem to commemorate this beer.

Duck Rabbit Baltic
Fill me with warming goodness
Perfection bottled

Highland Cold Mountain Winter Ale

      Highland is a North Carolina Brewery that makes some good stuff with an occasional slip-up such as their awful Oatmeal Porter.  It pours a brownish amber with a fresh herbal hop and caramel nose.  The scary amount of hop on the nose isn't as bad as I thought it would be.  There is a strong current of herbal hop throughout, but there's also nice caramel and vanilla.  The flavors are more than enough to balance out the hop.  This is quite good.  It doesn't seem Wintry at all, but this would be a good beer anytime.  This is a solid entry on the nice list, I just wish it had more alcohol.  But I always wish that.

Outer Banks Brewing Santa's Little Sledgehammer

      Outer Banks Brewing Station bottles some of their stuff, although it's not widely available.  And, it's stupidly expensive at 8 bucks a pint.  It better be freakin great.  It pours out a very dark brown with almost no head.  The nose is very sweet with sugar, caramel and spice.  The flavor is quite unique.  There's a lot of sweet sugar, burnt caramel, prune and spice.  The aftertaste is very strong, but it doesn't linger unduly.  The body is huge and it has gobs of yummy alcohol.  Still, I don't know what to think of this.  The flavors are odd, it's too sweet and the prune flavor is weird.  Even so, I kind of like it, but I'm not sure how many other people will.  For the price it's not worth it unless the description sounds great to you.  I guess this goes on the nice list, just not very high.

Michelob Winter Bourbon Cask Ale

      Michelob Bourbon Cask is of course aged in bourban casks and its infused with vanilla bean.  Bourbon Cask pours out a hard red amber with caramel, a little vanilla and a hint of whiskey.  It drinks great with lovely strong vanilla, engaging caramels and some bourbon.  There's also a nice tingly hop throughout and a nice full body.  This is a damn good beer.  It's really lovely to drink, and I would gladly enjoy many of these through the Winter.  This stuff belongs high on my nice list.  

Sierra Nevada Celebration

      Sierra Nevada Celebration is a fresh hop ale, I.P.A. style.  I could not be more sceptical.   I.P.A. stands for India Pale Ale.  I can see why they would put this out now, seeing as India is known for it's harsh Winters.  I.P.A. is a warm weather style you morons.  Well, let's see how much I enjoy this.  I will say the bottle is delightfully seasonal.  Celebration pours out an amber with a strong herb and mild caramel nose.  This doesn't look good.  And it's not.  This is a massively over hopped I.P.A.  There are no flavors here but a typhoon of herbal hop.  No malt or alcohol upgrade to balance it out.  Not only have they put this out at the wrong time, but there would never be a right time to put out this garbage.  I had to pour it down the sink after a brave effort to choke it down.  Grab your pitch forks and torches we're going to California.  So Fail.

Duck Rabbit Wee Heavy Scotch Ale

     If you've been paying attention, I love everything Duck Rabbit makes.  So far I have loved each of their beers so much, that I have composed a poem to celebrate their greatness.  This is one of their two seasonals for the Winter,  and I can't wait.  Wee Heavy pours out a very colorful red-orange.  The nose is heavy with fruits and alcohol, ummm alcohol.  The flavors are amazing.  It has concentrated fruits, a jammy apricot like flavor, kind of like a lot of Barleywine's.  There's also a deep dark burnt caramel, in a really good way,  and even a peaty sort of flavor you might find in a single malt.  This is a very unique beer.  I can see how some wussies might find this too heavy and too strong, but they can go sip a wine cooler and shut up. Wee Heavy is warm and cozy perfect for guzzling in front of the fire during the long cold Winter.  Travel to wherever they have this and purchase it immediately.  Even if you have to fly.  I will now compose a Haiku too express my love for this beer.

Wee Heavy Winter
I bask in your warm embrace

The snow melts away    

Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome

      Here we have an entry from across the pond.  Samuel Smith's is from merry old England, and their beer better make me feel jolly.  Welcome is a very orange light brown and has a sweet caramel and herb nose.  It has a lot of hop up front, but there's a lot of sweet caramel here too.  Unfortunately,  it comes of as a very average beer, and it's not making me jolly enough.  Meh, middle of the pack somewhere.  So many better Winter Beers, but the bottles nice.