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)

12 Beers of Christmas: Troegs Mad Elf

Troegs Mad Elf

Know how you visit a city, have a good time and those memories stick with you forever whenever that city is mentioned? That's kind of how I feel when I visit a brewery, which I did a couple of weeks ago at Troegs in their new location at Hershey, PA. Beautiful, clean brewery and drinking their beer fresh from the tap realized that I've taken this brewery for granted, since it's close to home. No more! Mad Elf is their famous Christmas seasonal, a beer that celebrates the typical traits that Christmas beers have: high alcohol, sweet, spicy and a little crazy (or mad). This beer uses sweet and sour cherries and honey which come out huge in the taste. The Belgian Spicy Yeast is probably what makes this beer "mad." And the base malts, which include chocolate, give this beer one hell of a backbone. This beer is nothing to mess with at 11%, but it's a great beer to share with friends, especially if you're crazy enough to buy an enormous bottle of it to bring to a party (like me).

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

12 Beers of Christmas: Deschutes Jubelale

Deschutes Jubelale

I acquired this winter ale in a beer trade, one of my newest obsessions/hobbies that is awfully addictive. I enjoy trading because it allows me to drink beer that isn't normally distributed to my area, such as beer from Deschutes out of Oregon. This is the first beer I've had from Deschutes, aside from any quite possible forgotten tastings at beer festivals, but I have heard of their reputation and am much more curious after having this seasonal. This beer has a great amber color to it. Not so much full of spice but rather full of a delicious selection of malts. Some beer literally has that alcohol-tinged warming sensation when you drink it. At 6.7%, this beer is definitely not heavy on that alcohol warmth, however, it successfully achieved that warming sensation that you get when sitting indoors in the warmth when it's cold outside and drinking a good beer. Very, very smooth and drinkable. I wanted another one when I finished it. This would be a great beer to have on tap for a holiday party. This leads to the DOWNside of trading, when you really enjoy a beer but don't have the ability to easily get more of it! Looks like I'll have to set up some more trades or just plan a trip out to the Pacific Northwest...

Overall Rating: A (11 Pipers Piping)

12 Beers of Christmas: Jolly Pumpkin Noel De Calabaza

Jolly Pumpkin Noel De Calabaza

I mostly got into Jolly Pumpkin beers in the last year. They're a Michigan brewery that's big into open fermentation, oak aging and, like many other breweries, bottle conditioning. I especially liked a line from the description of this beer: "cashews betwixt rum laden truffles." Not only does that sound delicious, but any description that uses the word "betwixt" has my vote. The interesting thing about this beer is that you definitely don't get tart notes often in Christmas beers. However, beyond the initial tart is a slightly malty body, finishing with some spice. Jolly Pumpkin knows how to make some flavor trip kind of beers unlike most others out there, a lot of which have that tart element somewhere in the body. Though they're not all considered sour ales, they have that sour beer feature which a lot of beer drinkers are divided on. I'm 100% behind the sour beers, so any tart in the beer, as long as it works, works for me. This beer works for me.

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

12 Beers of Christmas: Bell's Christmas Ale

Bell's Christmas Ale

Bell's is a consistently fantastic brewery. They successfully span across different styles from Two Hearted to Hopslam, from Kalamazoo to Expedition. Interestingly, they put out both a Winter Warmer and this, their Christmas Ale. Christmas Ales are often full of different arrays of spices, but Bell's intention with this beer was to bring out that seasonal taste without the addition of spices, but rather fresh barley and hops. Many Christmas Ales are high-ABV too, which makes Christmas parties quite dangerous. This beer, however, is a subtle 5.5% ABV. I don't think the bottle I purchased was quite as fresh as I would have preferred, but the taste came through nicely anyway. Moderation is the word I would use to describe this beer. Unlike most Christmas seasonals, this is one that you should go after if intending to down a 6-pack at a holiday get together. Little sweetness. Little spiciness. Little bitterness. Overall, well balanced.

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

12 Beers of Christmas: Lavery Devil Bird Porter

Lavery Devil Bird Porter

I had never heard of Lavery Brewing Company before seeing this bottle on the shelf, but how could I pass up on a seasonal beer that's aged in bourbon barrels, from my home state, has an interesting name and served in a liter flip top bottle? As it turns out, Lavery is a pretty young brewery, founded just a couple of years ago in Erie, PA (Side note: it's pronounced Lav-ry...not Lave-ery). Bonus points for the fact that the name refers to an Irish tradition of carrying a dead wren through the streets on the day after Christmas, St. Stephen's Day (those Irish sure know how to warm your heart with their traditions, am I wrong?). Following in the footsteps of breweries such as Anchor, Lavery will change their recipe for this beer each year. Last year was a Spiced Ale. This year, it's an Imperial Porter aged in Bourbon barrels. The bourbon is strong in the aroma but the brown and chocolate malt come through more in the taste with faint bourbon notes. Sweet, chocolatey and a great beer for winter weather. Just make sure you have a friend or two to share it with.

Overall Rating: B (8 maids-a-milking)