Holiday Beers Part II - Ho ho the mistletoe!

The holidays are upon us, and you know what that means? Pine needles everywhere? Moths in your wallet? Untangled Christmas lights? Cats knocking over your tree and scattering your heirloom ornaments across the living room while you scream? Yes. All that, and BEER!
Its the time of the year for those delicious holiday beers. In the age of craft beer popularity, there is a wide assortment to choose from when you head to your local liquor store or beer spot, and we are going to sample them for you! Well, we were going to sample them anyway...but we are going to TALK ABOUT THEM for you! So here are some of the ones gracing our fridge this year:

ANCHOR CHRISTMAS
Oh Anchor! Your Steam beer alone is reason enough to love you, but your Christmas brew is something we look forward to every year. San Francisco's Anchor Brewing has been delighting the beer world with their Christmas beer since 1975. That's a long time, so its no wonder they have mastered it by now. Their bottle is graced with a Christmas tree that you might not know changes every single year. Not only that, their recipe changes every single year. It also remains a complete secret right down to what hops they use. This years is crisp and delicious. A subtle but tasty blend of flavors. Not too bitter. No weird aftertaste. Its a delicious compliment to friends, food, sports, or just a cold night while the weather outside is frightful. The folks at Anchor Brewing assure us that kept sealed and refrigerated, their seasonal remains delicious for years. We are just not that patient. Last year we cleaned out our local beer store of this tasty brew. They should expect the same from us this year.

SIERRA NEVADA CELEBRATION
This was a new one for me this year. Another oldie but goodie seasonal, Sierra Nevada has been brewing their Celebration since 1981. A hoppy IPA, this brew is a good take in a Christmas style beer but remains its very own thing. Its a real nice, bold brew. Celebration stands out among the holiday beers in that it is an IPA and has a taste that the folks at Sierra Nevada describe as "hop forward" with Centennial, Cascade, and Chinook hops. A nice 6.8% brew. It pairs very well with friends and merriment. Have it with your holiday dinner, your holiday leftovers, your holiday leftovers' leftovers, or a good hockey game. That is what we are doing right now.

ELYSIAN BIFROST WINTER ALE
This is a lovely, hoppy brew! It was a surprise to taste! I would have billed this as a Pale Ale myself. It's best served in a glass as its unfiltered and tastes better that way. It has a light crispy, fruity start with a hoppy finish that warms the belly. Seattle's Elysian Brewing Company doesn't have too much on the web to check out, so I don't know too much about the brewery itself except that they operate three pubs in the city of Seattle. Lucky city...its good beer! I am glad it made its way to New Jersey so I could taste it.

EVIL GENIUS NAUGHTY OR NICE
Oooooh...this was a tasty find! Connecticut's Evil Genius Beer Company is fairly new and already doing things right. This tasty, tasty spiced brew with notes of clove and cinnamon is a real holiday treat. Brewed with Tettnang hops and caramel and chocolate malts (to name a few), it delivers a spiced yet evenly yummy beer. This one just screams cold weather with friends and a fireplace, a football game, or sitting in front of the Christmas tree. It's a pretty amber 7.2% so get warm and cozy with a six pack and pair it with someone special. I paired it with nachos. It works great.

HARPOON WINTER WARMER
They got this one right on the money with their label description of "Full bodied spiced ale with a touch of cinnamon and nutmeg...a classic holiday beer." Vermont's Harpoon Brewery is already a favorite in this house, and they did not let us down with this winter brew. A lovely copper color with a modest 5.2%, its a medium bodied, super tasty brew. They have been making this tasty treasure since 1988. Its no mystery why they continue to bring this one to the masses. It's just sweet enough to make you notice with a spice that makes you stop and go "ohhhh!". Well, that's what we did anyway. Look for the cool red argyle diamonds on the bottle and pick yourself up some! Really yummy.

GOOSE ISLAND MILD WINTER
Chicago's Goose Island Beer Co. delivers us a perfect winter ale. Eric describes this one as "Ridiculous!". The best way possible. It's absolutely delicious. A very subtle winter ale. Its light, but not the way a traditional light beer is "light". Its perfectly balanced. A very drinkable 5.6% with a pretty light toffee color. It would be really great with any kind of really great food. Or really great friends. Mild Winter has that flavor that just reminds you of cold weather when its welcome. The smell in the air of clean winter. Its really great poured into a pint glass and served cold. This is a favorite so far in our tasting travels.

So there you have it kids...but we are hardly done! We will have a whole new batch of tasties coming this weekend...stay tuned!!!