I know it's only November and way to early to be thinking about Christmas. I'm usually the guy that gets frustrated with the Halloween stuff in the same isle as the Christmas stuff at my local Walgreen's. In years past I would think it was absurd that the department stores at the mall would have Christmas decorations up before November 1st. This year has been a year of change for me and through those changes I have learned to just go with the flow. One great old cliche is "If you can't beat'em, join'em." and that's what I intend to do this year.
Why not start Christmas early, it's the greatest holiday and greatest season of the year...every year. People tend to be more giving and a lot happier. The decorations look nice, especially when they are well done. Everyone loves Christmas, even the Grinch liked it in the end. To kick off my holiday mood I decided to give this years Anchor Brewing Christmas seasonal brew a shot. I have tried their seasonal brew in past years, every year for the past 5 or 6 to be exact. However, I can get away with using this beer under my try one new beer a week umbrella due tot he fact that Anchor changes the recipe every single year. So this years beer is brand new and I have never tried it before. I know it's a technicality, but hey it's a great brewery with great beer so I'm going to go with it.
Anchor's bottle just looks inviting, adorned with a Norfolk Island Pine in addition to the terms Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Even the writing is in a traditional red and green. When I opened up the bottle, the aroma of spices perked up my senses. The beer is deep brown almost black in color with a brownish tint to the head. It looks like a beer that will warm you up on a cold winter evening. The first sip is full of spices and the warmth goes into effect. This beer is so perfect for the season that it makes me want to run out to Old Navy and buy a gaudy winter sweater with a red nosed reindeer on it. This is a brew that makes me wish I was at a cabin with a fireplace and it was snowing outside. It makes me angry that it was sunny and 80 degrees today where I live.
Questions: Does this beer crack the top ten? If this was a beer that was made all year round, every year, I would place this in my top ten or maybe even top three. Due to the fact that I will have to buy 5 cases of it before the season is over and ration it off throughout the rest of the year only to never have it again once it's gone makes me unable to place this beer in the top ten. I do have to say that also due to the fact that it is limited, makes it that much more enjoyable when drinking it. This brew is almost like a bottle of wine that you saved for a special occasion. Was it worth the price? Absolutely! I paid $8.99 for the six pack and there is no doubt that this will be stocked in my fridge from now through the new year.
I have to say that Anchor Brewing never disappoints. From the original Steam Beer to the Liberty Ale to the Summer Beer, Anchor Brewing knows how to make really good beer. I highly recommend trying this beer this season and stocking up before it's gone for good. This will be a beer that you will love to have throughout the holidays and beyond. Check out www.anchorbrewing.com for more information about their very tasty brews.
Merry early Christmas everyone!
Monday, November 12, 2012
Friday, November 2, 2012
Samuel Smith's India Ale
Last weekends Patriots / Rams game in London got me thinking. How ironic is it that a team named after the colonial men that fought for freedom from England played a game and were cheered for in London?! Our obsession with the royal family that we broke away from goes hand in hand with England's new found obsession for America's sport. Amazing how far we've come in a few hundred years. The game probably wasn't much to watch for the fans in London, the Patriots blew out the Rams 45-7. Good for my fantasy football team, bad for trying to create an atmosphere of competition. I guess the NFL feels like anything is better then an "exciting" 1-0 soccer match...snooze.
All of this got me thinking about all of the beers I've ever tried from England. Boddington's is very popular and very good; Newcastle Brown Ale, a very commercial brew, but also from England; and Hobgoblin, one of my new found favorites, are the only beers I've ever enjoyed from the English Isle. I decided it was time to again expand my taste mates and try another English brew.
This weeks new brew hales from Tadcaster, N. Yorkshire, England. Samuel Smith's India Ale caught my eye this evening at my local beer store. It was only sold in individual 550 ml bottles, so I decided to pick one up and give it a go. Mainly because it's brewed in England and in the town of Tadcaster, which sounds a little like Lancaster, where I used to live. I was a little leery because the bottle states that the beer is brewed from well water from the original well sunk in 1758. I spent a lot of time on my grandparents farm as a kid and if you don't know well water is not the greatest thing in the world. But I figured it's 2012 and it can't be that bad for you, might even be better then some of the "purified" water of today.
The bottle has a bright gold seal at the top, reminding of a Michelob I stole out of my grandmothers fridge at age 13. Getting the seal off was a bit of pain as well, but once opened it was well worth the trouble. The beer is amber in color and smelled of malts and caramel, with a brownish tinted head. It makes you think that this can't be an IPA it must be an amber beer. But a few sips later the hops showed up much to my delight. This is a very well made, very good beer. The hops are not overwhelming, but there with just enough of a hint. I was impressed overall with this brew.
Questions: Does this beer crack the top ten? I can't place this in my top ten only because in my opinion it just doesn't beat out any beer I currently have in there. This is a very good beer that I will definitely enjoy again, but I can't put it in my top tan. Was it worth the price? No question here. I paid $3.99 for the bottle and I would say it was well worth it. I got a little over a pint and half out of it, so not quite two beers, but it was just enough to sit down and enjoy on a Friday night.
My overall rating would be a 3.5 out of 5. Quite an enjoyable beer with plenty of flavor to get you through a calm evening. If interested please check out www.samuelsmithsbrewery.co.uk and I would highly recommend giving this beer a try if and when you can find it at your local store. I don't think you'll be disappointed at all.
Long Live the Queen!
All of this got me thinking about all of the beers I've ever tried from England. Boddington's is very popular and very good; Newcastle Brown Ale, a very commercial brew, but also from England; and Hobgoblin, one of my new found favorites, are the only beers I've ever enjoyed from the English Isle. I decided it was time to again expand my taste mates and try another English brew.
This weeks new brew hales from Tadcaster, N. Yorkshire, England. Samuel Smith's India Ale caught my eye this evening at my local beer store. It was only sold in individual 550 ml bottles, so I decided to pick one up and give it a go. Mainly because it's brewed in England and in the town of Tadcaster, which sounds a little like Lancaster, where I used to live. I was a little leery because the bottle states that the beer is brewed from well water from the original well sunk in 1758. I spent a lot of time on my grandparents farm as a kid and if you don't know well water is not the greatest thing in the world. But I figured it's 2012 and it can't be that bad for you, might even be better then some of the "purified" water of today.
The bottle has a bright gold seal at the top, reminding of a Michelob I stole out of my grandmothers fridge at age 13. Getting the seal off was a bit of pain as well, but once opened it was well worth the trouble. The beer is amber in color and smelled of malts and caramel, with a brownish tinted head. It makes you think that this can't be an IPA it must be an amber beer. But a few sips later the hops showed up much to my delight. This is a very well made, very good beer. The hops are not overwhelming, but there with just enough of a hint. I was impressed overall with this brew.
Questions: Does this beer crack the top ten? I can't place this in my top ten only because in my opinion it just doesn't beat out any beer I currently have in there. This is a very good beer that I will definitely enjoy again, but I can't put it in my top tan. Was it worth the price? No question here. I paid $3.99 for the bottle and I would say it was well worth it. I got a little over a pint and half out of it, so not quite two beers, but it was just enough to sit down and enjoy on a Friday night.
My overall rating would be a 3.5 out of 5. Quite an enjoyable beer with plenty of flavor to get you through a calm evening. If interested please check out www.samuelsmithsbrewery.co.uk and I would highly recommend giving this beer a try if and when you can find it at your local store. I don't think you'll be disappointed at all.
Long Live the Queen!
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