12 Beers of Christmas - 2023 Edition

[Rish]

a bit more body on this one.

I agree. I was a little disappointed in the body and considered adding some maltodextrin when bottling. Probably should have. Glad you liked the taste.

 

[Rish]

Very tasty lambicky ale, @JAReeves ! I really like sour beers and this is a good one! Good taste, aroma and color. My grandson is a big fan of sours also, so looking forward to sharing one of yours with him.

 

[JAReeves]

I am glad this is pleasing. I blended this with a little wild-fermented passionfruit cider (barrel-aged) and 2-year old Flanders Red to add balance. I need more room for aging beers!

 

[tdf]

Merry Christmas everyone and thanks again for the beers! I've been drinking and taking notes and I'll post when the family whirlwind is over!

 

[GoodTimeCharlie]

Merry Christmas everyone. I have enjoyed this season a lot as well as the great beers.

 

[JAReeves]

I'll third that and Merry Christmas!

 

[thetick]

@thetick Honey Ginger IPA

Pours slightly cloudy, head dissipates quickly. Low carbonation.

Aroma of ginger for sure, even without the help of carbonation lifting the aroma (and I'm using a glass with activation sites on bottom).

Thanks! Sorry for the low carbonation. At some point I will have to break down and get a counter pressure filler. I‘ve been using the “We don’t need no beer gun…” technique found elsewhere on the forum. It works great for my thicker swing tops that hold the cold while filled, but I’m getting inconsistent results with standard bottles.

Cheers!

 

[thetick]

Merry Christmas everyone. I have enjoyed this season a lot as well as the great beers.

And I’ll echo it again. Merry Christmas and thanks to everyone on the thread for some great beers.

 

[4_Sons_Brewing]

Merry Christmas all! Cheers to good beers and a prosperous 2024!

 

[Beekeeper]

@passedpawn Just opened the Christmas Spice Cabinet Gruit. Bay leaf really works well in this. Clarity is phenomenal! Great festive ale.

 

[mjdonnelly68]

11th Beer of Christmas - @passedpawn's Christmas Gruit
Beer pours a beautiful orangey-amber. Crystal clear with a thick white head that dissipates slowly. Absolutely stunning clarity - just a gorgeous beer. I'm a gruit virgin so I have nothing to compare it to, but I really enjoyed the flavor. Delicate spiciness with each spice being distinctly present but none being prominent. Was pleasantly surprised that the anise doesn't dominate. A really well brewed, enjoyable beer - perfect for the season. Very nice beer @passedpawn. Cheers and Merry Christmas to everyone!

 

[Rish]

This is an tasty beer! Nice color, mouth feel and carbonation. Interesting blend of subtle flavors, especially as it warms a bit; I get the anise, orange and a little rosemary, with the rest a mix I can't really describe but do like. Good job, @passedpawn .

 

[passedpawn]

@4_Sons_Brewing Caramel Quadruple

Base seems like a very good quad. Great body and color. Medium clarity. Small head that does hang around for a bit. Low - medium carb, but I don't see this as a fault - seemed good for the style.

Definitely spice on top. Very good holiday style - one of the best of the year. Great job! (and I have canning envy... might need to look into it this year). Label is GREAT, despite the AI spelling atrocities.

 

[passedpawn]

@GoodTimeCharlie Saffron Tripel

Lost most of this beer when it opened - gushed all over the place. Sooooo, didn't expect much. Boy was I wrong. It's EXCELLENT!!!

Slightly citrussy, great body, turbid (cloudy) as hell, but after the 'splosion, not a surprise. No head.

I could drink this all night. Too bad 50% of it went down the drain.

 

[mjdonnelly68]

@GoodTimeCharlie Saffron Tripel

Lost most of this beer when it opened - gushed all over the place. Sooooo, didn't expect much. Boy was I wrong. It's EXCELLENT!!!

Slightly citrussy, great body, turbid (cloudy) as hell, but after the 'splosion, not a surprise. No head.

I could drink this all night. Too bad 50% of it went down the drain.

View attachment 837517

My thoughts exactly. I have one bottle left that I'm hoping to be able to salvage somehow. A really nice beer.

 

[mjdonnelly68]

I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for all the beers they sent to me this year. I really enjoyed them and am looking forward to working my way back through them all over the long Upstate New York winter.

I don't have to wonder about the effort it takes to pull an exchange like this off. I understand and appreciate the care you put into making your beer. I understand and appreciate the care you put into fermenting your beer. I understand and appreciate the care you put into the packaging of your beer. I understand and appreciate the care (and treasure) you put into shipping your beer. I know how busy this time of year is and I know that you had many other demands on your time. I know you didn't have to take on an obligation like the 12 BOC - but I'm damn glad you all did.

You are fine folks, excellent brewers and it was my pleasure to make this journey with you. I hope you all have a safe, happy and prosperous new year.

 

[Rish]

thank everyone for all the beers they sent to me

Amen! Thank y'all for the great brews!

 

[passedpawn]

I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for all the beers they sent to me this year. I really enjoyed them and am looking forward to working my way back through them all over the long Upstate New York winter.

I don't have to wonder about the effort it takes to pull an exchange like this off. I understand and appreciate the care you put into making your beer. I understand and appreciate the care you put into fermenting your beer. I understand and appreciate the care you put into the packaging of your beer. I understand and appreciate the care (and treasure) you put into shipping your beer. I know how busy this time of year is and I know that you had many other demand on your time. I know you didn't have to take on an obligation like the 12 BOC - but I'm damn glad you all did.

You are fine folks, excellent brewers and it was my pleasure to make this journey with you. I hope you all have a safe, happy and prosperous new year.

What a nice thing to say. Yer a good dude. So happy to be a part of this with you.

 

[thetick]

I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for all the beers they sent to me this year.

Yes! This was a lot of fun. Thank you all for the time and effort you put into your brews. This is a tough time of year to pull something like this off. Appreciate the dedication of you all to make it happen and the awesome beers I got as a result!

 

[JAReeves]

Thank you to all for participating, the camaraderie, and the tasting notes. Truly a great experience!

 

[Beekeeper]

Finally getting around to this one. Bonus bottle provided by @mjdonnelly68 and a real winner in my book.
The spices are complex, but no overpowering the malty ale. Nice job!

 

[mjdonnelly68]

Finally getting around to this one. Bonus bottle provided by @mjdonnelly68 and a real winner in my book.
The spices are complex, but no overpowering the malty ale. Nice job!
View attachment 837587

Glad you liked it - Cheers!

 

[JAReeves]

Sooo, a couple of you mentioned the blackberry cider seemed stronger than the label. As I was doing my winter desk-cleaning, guess what I found. The actual label for that brew, and um, sorry, it is a 9.7% Blackberry Sauvignon Blanc, Barrel-Aged and Sparkling. Oops?

 

[tdf]

I hope everyone had a successful holiday season! Finally I have a moment to share some tasting notes.
@Rish Gingerbread Brown. I love a nice session beer and I drank all 3 of these in one evening. There's some great spice that's backed up by a light caramel + bread maltiness. Yum.

 

[tdf]

@thetick Honey Ginger IPA. I seem to have missed a photo of this one (though I have 1 bottle left). The aroma and initial flavor were heavily candied ginger. I didn't get a lot of hop flavor initially, but there's some earthiness in the finish as it warms up. Super drinkable.

 

[tdf]

@GoodTimeCharlie Saffron Tripel. Thanks to the warning from others I opened this one outside. The first try was quite explosive and I didn't manage to get any in the glass. Undeterred, I put the second one in the freezer for a while and I was able to have a more manageable opening. I got about half of it in the glass and wow, this is a delicious beer. Crisp and just the right amount of peppery yeast character. I'm going to put the last one in the freezer for even longer to see if I can get a proper pour.

 

[tdf]

@4_Sons_Brewing Caramel Quad. Delicious. When I opened this one I had to hand off the second half to a friend, what a potent beer. Caramel comes through as it warms and there's some great fruitiness. The second one has my name on it for this weekend (when I can drink the whole thing!)

 

[tdf]

Last but certainly not least (and finally):

@passedpawn Gruit
What a pretty pour. I got a lot of anise but if I focus on getting past it I pick up a bit of what I think is rosemary. It's a nice crisp drink, and one of few if not the first gruit I've tasted.

@JAReeves Lambicky Ale
Assertive sourness gives way to a great cranberry flavor. There's a lot of depth to this unlike a lot of commercial sours. Delicious!

Thanks again everyone, what a fun experience!

 

[mjdonnelly68]

8 degrees in Albany today, feels like -5 degrees. Smoking some wings for the Bills game. @4_Sons_Brewing, your beer is keeping me from freezing - any chance you can brew me a Quintrupple for next year?

 

[SteveH aka shetc]

8 degrees in Albany today, feels like -5 degrees. Smoking some wings for the Bills game. @4_Sons_Brewing, your beer is keeping me from freezing - any chance you can brew me a Quintrupple for next year?View attachment 839740View attachment 839740

Unfortunately, you're gonna need a few more.

 

[4_Sons_Brewing]

Sorry about your Bills! But I was in attendance for my Detroit Lions victory earlier in the day!

 

[mjdonnelly68]

Unfortunately, you're gonna need a few more.

Yeah - at least the beer didn't disappoint.

 

[passedpawn]

Sorry about your Bills! But I was in attendance for my Detroit Lions victory earlier in the day!

I grew up in MI. If my bucs were going to lose to anyone, I'm glad it was the Lions. I hope they go all the way.

 

[JAReeves]

Is this of interest to anyone for 2024?

 

[4_Sons_Brewing]

I was thinking about this today… I’d be game again if someone would be willing to organize.

 

[passedpawn]

Wow. It was always organized by now! In fact, I think I'd brewed by now when I was participating.

 

[hilljack13]

I had looked into this after all was settled last year. I'm a noob so if you need one to finish the deal and don't mind something not quite right, I'll be here.

 

[4_Sons_Brewing]

@passedpawn are you interested in organizing?

 

[tdf]

I had my last quad from @4_Sons_Brewing a week ago or so. If anything it's better than I remember.

I'd probably participate again but not organize.

 

[passedpawn]

@passedpawn are you interested in organizing?

Naw, I don't think I'm going to participate this year. Shipping is getting out of control.