What are you drinking now?

[Clint Yeastwood]

Happy Halfwit Christmas Ale, at around 12.75%. I made the mistake of using a normal-sized glass. Time to try it, now that the gas and temperature are all set.

Ooh...ooh...this is nice. Kind of like Blithering Idiot without that flavor of Carnation milk that has been poured on a mattress and left to bake in a hot bedroom. Not all that far off from St. Bernardus Christmas Ale.

Not as sweet as I thought it was. That's a relief.

Served properly, on a water heater next to an air handler.

Glass is way too big for 12+%.

 

[Rish]

Bottling leftover from black currant wine. Smooth, nice flavor, slightly sweet.

 

[TheDudeLebowski]

At the club with some Bookers

And Sip of Sunshine

 

[Mtozbun]

Not the best lighting, but tasty beer.

 

[Rish]

Arancello bottled today. Not too sweet, great orange flavor and aroma.

 

[Brew_Dude41]

Heading out to continue the cleaning of the garage.  Taking a wee nip of barrel proof whiskey to keep me warm.

 

[ClaudiusB]

Cheers

 

[ThirstyPawsHB]

Another late match. GBR

HB Helles

 

[Pehlman17]

 

[ClaudiusB]

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

Hotel beer, it's almost noon and I was just in the car for 3 hours with 2 teenagers... justified.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Freshly ground and brewed, by the spouse today… I won’t complain.

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

Fiddlehead at reading terminal market. Fancy glassware.

 

[RumOnTheDocks]

Blueberry Strudel, a pastry fruit sour by Clef Brewery. This thing comes very close to sipping on a pleasantly sour pastry. The vanilla and cinnamon pairs amazingly well with the blueberries and the sourness rounds off the entire ensemble. All in all a very nice and pleasant beer.

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

Maine beer Co black barn program at monks with mussels.

 

[Brew_Dude41]

And to hell with this Keto crap! (For a few weeks)
A flight from "somewhere in particular " xmass ale, buckeye porter, dunkel, and barrel aged RIS. Dunkel is a bit disappointing and the RIS is a bit too forward on bourbon (just a hair), but others hit it just right.

 

[flipster]

I'm on my way to Frankfurt again and just grabbed by chance something out of the fridge in the store at Munich central station. Now and then I really do enjoy one of beers out of the Munich based breweries (I know - complaining on a high level.
Have you ever had a beer while shooting with 292 km/h through the country? ... Just one of the advantages travelling by train (btw: driving 300 on the German Autobahn is possible - but not a good moment to have a beer).

 

[MaxStout]

More than one way to skin a cat.

After my ill-fated attempt at making blueberry hard lemonade, I was left with a few cans of lemonade concentrate and raspberry and blueberry flavorings. Since the raspberry flavoring was opened already I made a gallon of lemonade from 2 cans concentrate and a Tbsp of flavoring. A few drops of red food coloring and it looks, smells and tastes like raspberry lemonade.

When life hands you lemons...

A glass of that on ice with some vodka and I'm good to go!

 

[MaxStout]

MIxed a 2nd one with dark rum. Even better.

 

[Rish]

SA Winter Lager

 

[Rish]

HB wheat

 

[TheDudeLebowski]

Unexpected friends and whiskey

 

[BongoYodeler]

 

[Hoochin'Fool]

View attachment 864925

How was it? Last Xmas, I had the opportunity to taste a BCBS bottle from 2016, and it tasted pretty weird -- whole lotta soy-sauce umami going on, sadly. No clue how my 2016 bottle was stored, it was a wedding-party gift that was re-gifted thrice before reaching me, so presumably stored in at least one hot garage...

 

[TheDudeLebowski]

Fantastic. Got a little more maple syrup in this years release

X2

The old train station across the street

 

[bailey mountain brewer]

Can't tell but a hazy ipa in philly. Merry Christmas.

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

This and cooking toffee.

 

[BongoYodeler]

How was it? Last Xmas, I had the opportunity to taste a BCBS bottle from 2016, and it tasted pretty weird -- whole lotta soy-sauce umami going on, sadly. No clue how my 2016 bottle was stored, it was a wedding-party gift that was re-gifted thrice before reaching me, so presumably stored in at least one hot garage...

It tasted really good. Medium carbonation, very smooth with a nice chocolate/coffee flavor, and a touch of bourbon. No alcohol heat at all. It was refrigerated the entire time, I'd say it really held up well.

 

[TheDudeLebowski]

More friends to the north.

F this! Bagged! Not getting on the bad list

Handed Santa some Long Shadow

baltic porter on Mott the Lessor barrel

alt bier

 

[Snuffy]

Cigar City Maduro.

 

[TheDudeLebowski]

Santa put a p.

ker in it. Dangerous and delicious on the Solstice Baltic Porter

 

[MaxStout]

Some EdWort's Apfelwein.

 

[flipster]

Had a mulled Äppler in Frankfurt

 

[Brew_Dude41]

HB Xmass. Darker this year than usual, have to look and see whit did there.

 

[Beermeister32]

Today I’m kicking off the Beermeister32 tour of Czech, Austrian and Swiss beers. A few of you may remember my IPAFest done here last January and February. In the same spirit, I’ve been rounding up the “available” Czech, Austrian and Swiss brews available here in SoCal. We don’t give enough attention to these me thinketh. Today is their day to shine and my holiday gift to you! (Or “y’all” as now being said by Beer-Loving Daughter #3!)

I have to say, considering the amount of breweries in these countries, their respective “Departments of Commerce” (or whatever) need to do a better job at loosening things up (or getting the heck out of the way!) to allow the free flow of beers from these countries. Either that or the breweries need better sales reps, there really is a blight going on, especially with Swiss brews. I had to round these up over many months, you just can’t run down and fill up the cart with these, they show up only intermittently at the stores. For Southern California, consider this a rare collection!

I’ve included some Radlers, beer hybrids in this collection. For Austrian Trumer, I have their Berkeley California production, that’s what’s available. Also notably is a can of the heavyweight Samichlaus (“Santa Claus”,) originated by Hürlimann in Switzerland, now being brewed by Schloss Eggenberg out of Austria. We’ll save that one for Christmas Day!

Compared to IPAFest 2024, this group seems tame – most come in at the usual easily drinkable 4-6% ABV range, Samichlaus being the noteworthy exception. Compare that to the insanity of the current IPA suspects - Double, Triple and Imperial IPA’s 8%, 9%, 10% and more.

I know it’s not complete, but this is the best I can do folks. I hope you enjoy reading these reviews as much as I enjoy drinking them!

 

[Beermeister32]

Today’s glugger kicks off with one of the most famous brews from the Czech Republic. In fact, it is a PRODUCT and OWNED by the Czech Republic. How’s that for saving your jobs brewery workers? Brewery Brothers Unite! Take on the Man!

This is a beer that has been embroiled in controversy and legal wrangling for decades. Budweiser Budvar, the original Czech “Budweiser” has tangled up with the US Anheuser Busch Budweiser trademarks for many years. Their offering is known as “Czechvar” here in the US. There’s a lot of heavyweight legal between them, let’s just summarize by saying it is the same beer with different regional labelling.

So how is Budweiser Budvar/Czechvar? Well it is a 5% ABV brew. Super clean and easy drinking, Budweiser Budvar/Czechvar is a delicious and chug-worthy Czech Pilsner I’d enjoy with a sandwich (or maybe my Government cheese!) Nice head, great lacing and perfect carbonation, very restrained Saaz hops. Czech Pilsners taste a bit like Golden Lagers to me, I’m so used to drinking the Bavarian versions.

I’m still getting freaked out with each Euro brew in green glass, thankfully there’s no skunk here. Na zdraví!

 

[Knightshade]

Guava Assam hard tea.

Time to finally kick this one to the curb. Thought about dumping it because the keg is pretty light, and I’m not that big a fan of guava anyways….but…I should make sure it isn’t worth drinking first!!!

Good decision, I’m really enjoying this.

 

[Rish]

Abita Maison Blanc. Ale with wheat and Sauvignon Blanc grapes. Decent beer, slightly sweet with a hint of grape. 6.5%. I'd prefer a little more grape presence.

 

[Knightshade]

Same stuff..yep, the keg is almost empty. Almost all nectar. Won’t be taking another pour tonite because I’m REALLY not in the mood to clean a keg and beer line this late in the day.

 

[RumOnTheDocks]

A kellerbier by Mahrs Brau.

Followed by a HB Smoked Porter