Some of my (and probably not Oprah's) favorite things
Let’s face it: although your friends and family members mean well, they will more than likely NOT be buying what you really desire this Christmas- beer. Instead, you’ll get stuck with big ugly Christmas sweaters, unidentifiable hard candy, and a load of smelly soap. So, to facilitate the gifting process this year, I compiled a list of the top 10 (local, national, and international) beers that I would like for this Christmas (also known as holiday) season:
1. Samuel Adams’ Utopias. This is arguably one of the strongest beers ever brewed, containing up to 27% ABV. Brian Yaeger goes into some detail describing the brew and its taste in his Utopias article. The Utopias beer arrives non-carbonated, is fermented with champagne yeast, and contains up to four different hops. Due to its ABV as well as its high price, this is definitely a beer to be savored slowly.
2. Ale Asylum's Tripel Nova. I never thought I’d be a fan of Belgian ales, but the 10% ABV Tripel Nova from Ale Asylum has my head spinning- in more ways than one. The beer is surprisingly light, given the excessive candy sugar used for raising the beer’s alcohol content. One does come off tasting a bit of the fruity esters, which are characteristic for a tripel- though not much.
3. Unibroue's Trois Pistoles. You have to give credit to those Quebecois; they certainly know how to brew some great beers. Unibroue Brewery, in operation since 1991, offers an impressive line-up of quality beers, each one unpasteurized and fermented in the bottle (in Unibroue’s own words “It is unnecessary to add preservatives or to pasteurise the beer, a process that makes the beer sterile and without a soul.”). There are many Unibroue beers that I absolutely love. Having to pick one, I choose Trois Pistoles, a 9% ABV dark ale wonder.
4. Capital Brewery's Blonde Doppelbock. This seasonal beer, released in late February during the brewery’s annual Bockfest, is a glorious brew to behold. Hailing at 9-10% ABV, it is refreshing, filling, and gets one happy rather quickly. Because it is a seasonal, local area pubs in Madison run out of it long before I am satisfied- but hey, there’s always next year.
5. Capital Brewery’s Autumnal Fire. Yes, I did just reference a beer from Capital Brewery again. However, I would never live it down if I could not talk about my other favorite beer from Capital- the Autumnal Fire. This marzen style barleywine-esque brew clocks in at an ABV of about 7-8%. Like the Blonde Doppelbock, it is also a seasonal brew, and runs out quickly.
6. Great Dane’s Velvet Hammer Bock. People kept telling me to try this beer. Last weekend, I finally got my first whiff of this ~10% ABV brew and I’m hooked. The “Hammer” is around for only a month or so, and has so far made its appearance only at the Great Dane location in Fitchburg, WI. Because it’s not bottled, you are truly lucky when you have a chance to bask in its glorious presence. The brew is smooth and strong, and has a characteristic dark color. Unlike other dark ales, though, there is no smoky or charred aftertaste on your palate when you’re done with it.
7. New Belgium's 1554. This dark ale has a lot going for it, namely, taste. Supposedly, this beer's recipe is derived from a centuries' old Belgian concoction. While one would expect this dark ale to be heavy on the alcohol, it is not; the beer goes at about 5.5% ABV. Eli Shayotovich, the Colorado Springs Craft Beer Examiner, discusses the New Belgium Brewery in a number of his articles.
8. New Glarus's Cherry Stout. I love fruit. I love beer. New Glarus decided to combine my two great loves in its Gold Medal-winning Cherry Stout ale. This beer is aged in oak barrels, and eight barley grains are used for its production, along with Wisconsin Montmorency cherries. Not an easy beer to come by, one usually has to travel into the Swiss-style town of New Glarus itself in order to procure this brew. However, the journey is its own reward- a rich, dark, cherry-tasting, 6.5% ABV reward.
9. Lakefront's Local Acre. All local, all the time- that's the motto of this Imperial Pilsner lager. Lakefront Brewery teamed up with local Wisconsin farmers that were located just 100 miles away from Milwaukee to supply six-row organic barley, as well as some Cascade hops, for this unfiltered 7% ABV lager beer.
10. Tyranena's Shantytown Doppelbock. There's something about this beer that is so fitting, especially for someone who lives in a town surrounded by 4 lakes. Imagine Wisconsinites setting up small shanties on the ice in preparation for a day of ice fishing. Now imagine what kind of beer is in their hands. Yep, only this malty/toffee-flavored 6.5% ABV brew will do when sitting all day on a bucket in the middle of a frozen lake. Too bad the brewery is all out of Shantytown this year, though....so sad.
Comments
I like that you pine for mostly local beers. Always good to see. And as someone with two bottles of New Glarus Wisconsin Belgian Red in his beeradise, a cherry stout from them sounds like a must-try. Sorry I don't have any leftover Utopias to trade.
A fantastic list. I have a feeling your choices would make great gifts for ANY beer lover.
Gourmet Food Examiner
Knoxville Healthy Food Examiner
Beer...a PERFECT Christmas gift, if I ever heard of one.
You told me you wanted Tequila for Christmas. I would have given you beer if you would have had that on your wish list.
Love how hyper-local your selections are. Really want to try the Hammer! Cheers and happy holidays!
Great list for a beer drinker!
Third culture kids examiner
Seattle stay-at-home moms examiner
Great list, Halina. And that's the great thing about this whole Beer Examiner thing... it allows each of us to get hyper local. Even the hardest core Beer Geeks can't know everything about every brewery in every city. The only way for us to hear about many of these brews is through the hopvine known as the Beer Examiner!
So, do you do shipping? Sounds like a great list maybe we could start our own beer of the month club!
It's official! You know your beer. I'm a real novice with this stuff, and just stick to the same old stuff. Bud Light or Miller Light.
Too bad for Oprah, LOL!
You'll have to let us know if Santa brought any of these.
Wow, I'm surprised you don't have more New Glarus, We FIB's (F***ng Illinois B**tards to you non-Midwesterners) generally thirst for the mad stuff that springs from the brewmaster's noggin there. A trade may be needed, or maybe I can get away for a visit to NG. At least I'm comforting myself with some Southern Tier Krampus now.
I'm a huge fan of New Glarus -- will ask the family to get some of that cherry stout- sounds yummy!. The Local Acre sounds like a must-try next time I'm in the area, too. I'm also a big fan of New Belgium's offerings (Fat Tire is my "house" beer) and I'm sipping on their Trippel right now. It's wonderful. :D
My husband would probably love to try some of these. Great list. :)
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