The Beer Tap

Winter...my favorite beer season

While we are still a month away from the official start of winter, I think winter as a beer season has arrived.  Today I went to Whole Foods and saw my first 6 pack of Sierra Nevada Celebration.  This is one of the two Sierra Nevada winter beers, with this one specifically for the holiday season.  It also happens to be one of my favorite beers!  A few years back I made a homebrew version of this beer which is now part of  my regular rotation.  Of course mine has never been spot on, so I always look forward to tasting the real thing each year.  Celebration is an IPA and if you like Sierra's Pale Ale, you should definitely give this one a try.

I am drinking one as I type this blog so here are my thoughts on the 2006 version:

• 6.8% ABV - I'm not sure how that compares to past years but I am sure it is in the same range.
• A big hop aroma but not over powering like some of the super IPAs out there now.  The signature Cascade hops shine through but are balanced by the other two hop varieties as well - Centennial and Chinook.  I also notice some sweet malt aromas.
• Bitterness and hop flavor balance nicely with the malt, but make no mistake about it...this is a bitter beer.  The bitterness and hop flavor linger long after you take a sip.  And just to clarify...bitter does not mean bad!  Many people associate bitter with bad.  It can be if not balanced with other flavors, but the sweetness of some beers allows for a good dose of bitter.  If you worry about "bitter beer face"...maybe you should check out a beer by Coors.  They make some very mild beers that even bragged about the lack of bitterness in commercials back in the day. 

Overall another great beer by S.N.  Now I can start the countdown until February when they release Bigfoot, their barleywine.  Luckily I have some Celebration and a whole host of other great winter beers that are soon to be released.  I'll review each of those as well. 

And now if you will excuse me...time for my second Celebration! 

Braveheart in a bottle

Its been a while since I have posted, so hopefully I have a few readers left out there!  Starting a new job has taken up much more time than I expected.  Today at work included a beer tasting which guilted me into hitting up the beer store to find a beer to review.  Tough work, eh?

Three Floyds Brewing Co. is located in Munster, Indiana east of Chicago.  I have tried their Alpha King Pale Ale before and was delighted to see another of their beers on the shelf.  Especially a Scottish Ale!  Fall, and in some cases winter, is here and a cool day calls for a full bodied, malty beer.  So here are my notes on Robert the Bruce:

• A nice dark brown beer with a twinge of red that supports only a small head
• The aroma jumps out of the glass and you can tell that this beer is going to have a great roasted malt flavor
• RTB is extremely well balanced with just enough hops to ensure that it isn't too sweet
• The roasted flavors and sweetness hide a good amount of alcohol very nicely.  It wasn't until I went to their website that I realized it was 7.2%!
• The beer finishes very clean with and after taste that fades nicely on the tongue
• With all of the malt flavors, it is never overly sweet.  I could drink several of these in one sitting

If you get the opporunity to pick up RTB or any of the Three Floyds beers, I highly recommend  it.  I know that I have seen them stocked on shelves throughout the Midwest and in CA.  So paint your face blue, put on that kilt (yes that means you, Mook!), pop Braveheart into the DVD, and start drinking.  Just remember that this beer packs a hidden punch.