December 2011
6 posts
5 tags
Schlafly Christmas Ale
Name: Schlafly Christmas Ale
Brewer: The Saint Louis Brewery, St. Louis, Mo.
By the numbers: About 240 calories per 12 oz; 8 percent alcohol by volume
Notes: I often refer to the Saint Louis Brewery as the best brewer in Missouri - a dig on the Anheuser-Busch behemoth. Another of their seasonals, Schlafly Pumpkin Ale, made it into my Top 12 of last year. So it should be no surprise that this...
4 tags
Fordham Helles Lager
Name: Helles Lager
Brewer: Fordham Brewing Co., Dover, Delaware
By the numbers: About 160 calories per 12 oz.; 5.4 percent alcohol by volume
Notes: This is my first beer from Fordham. It just goes to show you how many beers there are in the world. Two years into the Year in Beer and I’m still trying beers from brewers I’ve never had before. Fordham traces its roots to Benjamin...
Saranac Vanilla Stout
Name: Saranac Vanilla Stout
Brewer: Matt Brewing Company, Utica, N.Y.
By the numbers: About 170 calories per 12 oz.; 4.8 percent alcohol by volume
Notes: This is the first Saranac beer I’ve ever had, I think. It’s part of their 12 Beers of Winter collection and one of their current seasonals. The Matt family has been brewing beer in the Adirondack foothills since the 1880s and the...
4 tags
Powder Hound
Name: Powder Hound
Brewer: Big Sky Brewing Co., Missoula, Mont.
By the numbers: About 215 calories per 12 oz.; 7.2 percent alcohol by volume
Notes: It’s been a while since I had a Big Sky beer. I remember most of them I had in 2010 as being pretty respectable craft brews and this one was no exception. This is a pretty hoppy take on the winter warmer style of beer. It’s really more...
5 tags
Shiner Holiday Cheer
Name: Shiner Holiday Cheer
Brewer: Spoetzl Brewery, Shiner, Texas
By the numbers: 193 calories per 12 oz.; 5.4 percent alcohol by volume
Notes: Regular readers of the Year in Beer will note that I’m not a huge fan of Shiner beers. The flagship Shiner Bock is in the same vein as the overrated Yuengling, and there are many, many beers better. I do appreciate Shiner trying something a...
4 tags
Black & Brew
Name: Black & Brew
Brewer: Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Co.), Boston, Mass.
By the numbers: 208 calories per 12 oz.; 5.6 percent alcohol by volume
Notes: This is the newest Samuel Adams beer. It’s part of the 2011 Winter Classics box. Last year, Sam’s added Chocolate Bock to the box to replace the awful Cranberry Lambic, but then erred again by putting a spring beer (White Ale) in...