Long Time, No See

So, it's been a while since I've had a chance to sit down and write something to go on here (mainly because I'm finally done with classes), but I decided that with Christmas and the other snowbound holidays approaching, it was time to return once again to the world of Beer.

The fact that I haven't been blogging should not in any way suggest that I haven't been partaking in tasty beverages lately. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Winter is my favorite time of year for beers. Something about the cold weather makes it the perfect time to smash as many dark ales as possible. To make up for the long Beer-Reviewless Draught, I will attempt to paint a word picture of the magical Beer Journey I have taken over the past months.

For the sake of this blog entry, I will touch on a few of the beers (both good and bad) that I have tried recently. They are (from most tasty to least tasty):

1. Sweetwater Festive Ale,

My Current favorite beer. So good! Caramel, Malt, and chocolate flavors as well as a sweet spiciness. Tastes like Christmas! The best part is that this beer isn't super hoppy which I expected from Sweetwater. AND it's 9% abv.

2. Lips of Faith Clutch

A really neat dark beer from New Belgium's Small Batch Lips of Faith series. The first time I actually had this beer was in Charleston, SC and I love it. Its dark brown in color and has a slightly sour kick at the back end. It's labeled a Dark Sour Beer, but is in fact a blend of dark beer AND sour beer.

3.Left Hand Fade to Black #3

A great porter from Left Hand Brewing's small batch Series Fad to Black. #3 is a pepper porter. Its dark, thick and has quite the peppery bite to it without giving too much of a burn.

4. Shiner Cheer

This is the beer I'm going to have at my wedding. Cheer is a Dunkelweiss with flavors of peach and pecan. Although different from the traditional dark and heavy winter brews, this light tasty beer is a great holiday option.

5. Breckinridge Vanilla Porter

Sweet. For those of you who don't like your beers to have a touch of sweetness, this beer is not for you. The flavor of the vanilla bean comes through very strongly. I personally loved it, but I could see how it could be too much for stout and porter purists.

6. Sweetwater Exodus

My current favorite of Sweetwater's non-seasonals. This is just a really good porter. Its not to much or too little of anything. It's got a thick head and a great aroma.

7. Red Brick Porter

Not as good as Exodus. Red Brick's Porter is easily the best beer that they produce year round; however, it's somewhat unremarkable.

8. Sweetwater Happy Ending

Not my favorite. Sweetwater's "Imperial Stout" should actually be labelled an American Stout. This is the happiest stout I've ever had. I bought the beer because I wanted a stout. Not an IPA.

9. Anchor Steam Christmas Ale

One of the weirdest beers I've ever tasted. The 2011 Christmas Ale smells and tastes like potpourri. If you love the smell and/or taste of potpourri, be my guest, but for me? No thanks.

10. Dogfish Head SahTea

Yuck. This beer was such a good idea. It smells amazing. And the idea of combining Tea and Beer? Brilliant. Too bad it tastes really nasty.