12 Beers of Christmas: Hoppin' Frog Frosted Frog

Hoppin' Frog Frosted Frog Christmas Ale

Well it's Christmas, so I'm posting about one more Christmas seasonal beer because I won't be drinking anymore after today (which reminds me to be sure to drink any others in the fridge today). As a side note, the order in which I posted the 12 Beers of Christmas is of no importance; I just posted as I drank them. Anyway, tonight's beer comes from Hoppin' Frog out of Ohio. They make some pretty bold-tasting beer from what I've had, so I was definitely curious to try their Christmas seasonal. It's a traditional winter warmer style at 8.6% ABV. Holy Nutmeg Batman! I've never had a Christmas beer, or even a pumpkin beer, with this amount of nutmeg and cinnamon in the taste. It wasn't overbearing for me but I could definitely see how it would be for others. Even though the spices were extremely evident, the base of the beer wasn't very strong. I rarely use good beer to cook with, but I could definitely see this beer making for a great ingredient for certain desserts. Apparently they barrel-aged this beer too, which I'd be very curious to try. With that, 12 Beers of Christmas has come to an end this year. Until next year, Merry Christmas everyone!

Overall Rating: B- (7 Swans-a-swimming)

12 Beers of Christmas: Ommegang Adoration Ale

Ommegang Adoration Ale

Since Ommegang, from NY, is a Belgian-style brewery, they brewed their winter seasonal, Adoration, in the Belgian-style: dark, strong, malty and spicy. Spices used in this beer include coriander, cumin, mace (don't worry, not spray mace...mace, the spice, is a type of nutmeg), cardamom and grains of paradise. This beer definitely has a dark side, but even at 10% ABV, it's very smooth. Almost too smooth. Don't get me wrong though...you can definitely taste some booze in this one. I love trying the great beer that comes out of this brewery because it stands up to the great beer of Belgium but it's even fresher because it's made a state away from me.

Overall Rating: A- (10 Lords-a-leaping)

12 Beers of Christmas: St. Arnold Sailing Santa

St. Arnold Sailing Santa

This is the first beer I've had from this brewery out of Houston, Texas which pays tribute to the patron saint of brewing, St. Arnold. I acquired this beer from a trade as they do not distribute up this way. This seasonal beer is an interesting one though. They blended two of their beers into this 22 oz bomber: their Elissa IPA, a dry-hopped beer, with their Christmas Ale, a malty, spicy award-winning beer. Hopheads often have to hibernate in the winter when malts and spices come forward more in seasonal beers, so it's refreshing to see a beer targeted at this beer drinker demographic. However, although the hops are definitely present on the aroma, it seems like they're overpowered by the ingredients from the Christmas Ale as they come to the forefront. Still there...just not strong. I'm not sure if this was a 50/50 blend or what, but it'd be interesting to see some more experimental blends. Regardless, this is a good beer with an original concept. I'd also like to try the Elissa and Christmas ales respectively to get a better feel for the blend (so for any Texan beer traders out there, halleluia holla back).

Overall Rating: B- (7 Swans-a-swimming)

12 Beers of Christmas: Bruery 4 Calling Birds

The Bruery 4 Calling Birds

The one thing I made sure to point out last night in my writeup on Anchor's Our Special Ale was that I really enjoy how they've made it an annual tradition, changing the recipe each year. Along with Cigar City, The Bruery has established itself as one of the best craft breweries in the country. Just as I'm sharing 12 beers of Christmas this year, The Bruery started a 12 Years of Christmas tradition back in 2008 with Partridge in a Pear Tree. This line, as you can imagine, has also become a favorite in the cellars of many beer drinkers. This year, they put out 4 Calling Birds, a spiced strong dark ale. They've loosely based their recipes in the past on the name, using turtle candy and "French" (french oak), so they used a lot of poultry seasoning in this beer. I'm joking but there's probably some zany brewer out there considering this for a moment. Anyway, this beer basically just follows the Christmas beer formula again: strong, dark, sweet and spicy. Very malty and sugary. Toasted bread, molasses and dark fruit in the taste. It would be interesting to see how this beer mellows out over time.

Overall Rating: B (8 Maids-a-Milking)

12 Beers of Christmas: Anchor Our Special Ale 2011

Anchor Brewing Co. Our Special Ale 2011

It just isn't a Christmas season without having a bottle of "Our Special Ale" from America's first craft brewery, Anchor Brewing Company, from San Francisco. Anchor has been producing their Christmas seasonal beer since 1975 and every year, they change the recipe and artwork on the label. It's a great tradition they've kept; something else they keep is the recipe: top secret. Many beerheads keep multiple editions of this beer for a vertical tasting, though it's probably best to keep them cool because they're typically in the 5-6% ABV range. Each year is a spiced ale, but obviously that hardly reduces the flavor possibilities. This year, particularly, I tasted some herbal notes, even licorice-like. I'm going to go out on a limb and say they used a bit of anise this year. Other than that, the beer has a nice malt flavor with a bit of pine and traditional spices that possibly could be allspice or brown sugar. Whether the version is one of their best or not, I definitely recommend adding Anchor's annual beer to your Christmas season every year.

Overall Rating: B (8 Maids-a-Milking)

12 Beers of Christmas: Cigar City Warmer Winter Winter Warmer

Cigar City Warmer Winter Winter Warmer

Is it me or is the amount of quality beer that Cigar City is pushing out unreal? They have been brewing a lot of quality, different styles of beer and aging a lot of them too. It's definitely safe to say that Cigar City has become one of the most coveted breweries in the country. That in mind, it was an easy decision to pick up this winter seasonal from them. For those unfamiliar with Cigar City, they are located in Tampa, Florida, thus the beer's name. This beer definitely followed the sweet formula. As you can see from the picture, there was a lot of carbonation. Dark fruits, molasses, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Very complex but definitely tasty. They definitely followed the typical traits of a holiday ale and don't take it lightly at 10% ABV. As with many of the Cigar City beers, this one is definitely worth aging.

Overall Rating: A (11 Pipers Piping)

12 Beers of Christmas: Delirium Noel

Delirium Noel

So far, I've only covered U.S. beers in this series. Since Europe is largely responsible for the prototypical Christmas ale with high alcohol and sweet taste, I figured it would make sense to include one. Delirium, from Belgium, with their instantly recognizable white bottles, offers their Christmas seasonal, Noel, which is a strong dark ale. Delirium is more of an infamous cafe in Brussels than a brewery, but the beer is produced among other Belgian brands. Noel has that sweet taste, heavy with dark fruits. The alcohol is strong on the nose and in the taste. A little hot and spicy. I try to have one of these every winter now, because when else do you see a pink elephant skiing?

Overall Rating: B+ (9 Ladies Dancing)