Xmas Beer 2011: Day 1

It's that time of the year again. Yes, this is one of my favorite months out of the year (second only to my birthday month). It's beer month! I never really get excited about Xmas until probably the week before Xmas. But this year, I'm super elated because beer gives me a reason to enjoy the whole month of December. Everyday up to December 25th I will unwrap, drink and rate a different bottle of beer. Seems like most of the beer we got this year are American craft. I. AM EXCITED.

Here we go again :)

Day 1

Beer: Blue Moon Belgian White
Style: Witbier (Belgian Style White Ale)
Brewery: Coors Brewing Company
Region: Colorado, USA
Vol: 5.4%, 12 fl oz.
Taste: Light, crisp and not very wheaty. Overall it's a good everyday beer, but not overwhelmingly unique.
Rating: 3/5

Merry Christmas! Beer #25

I've finally reached the end of my Christmas beer journey. Today's beer is not wrapped and is the ultimate beer I've been waiting for (because I chose it). I was initially lured by the packaging. While examining the bottle today, I discovered that it's a limited edition beer, designed by an American cartoonist Ron Regé Jr., it even comes with a mini comic book. I got even more excited. The bottle is reusable earthenware, which is fantastic! I can use it as a water bottle!

Although the journey seem to have ended when I drank my last Christmas drink, it's really not over yet. I've learned quite a bit about beer, but I think there's still a lot more to explore. The journey into beer discovery is just beginning for me. BevMo, I will conquer you once more!
________
Beer: Yeast Hoist / St. Sebastiaan Golden Ale
Brewery: Brouwerij Sterkens, Meer, Belguim
Vol: 7.6%
Taste: Exquisite taste, light ale with a hint of wheat. The first taste won me over, but subsequent tastes didn't hold up to the initial taste. It was good, but does not have the complexities I've had with other top rating beers of this month.
Rating: 4.5/5 (If packaging were involved in the overall rating, then this beer will deserve a 5/5)

X'mas Beer: Day 24

It is actually Christmas Day as I am posting my final beer blog before the ultimate Christmas beer finale. I am exhausted after two days of Christmas extravaganza. I came home late tonight having only the comfort of sleep on my mind. But for the love of beer, I decided to finish this one last wrapped drink before my special Christmas bottle tomorrow (actually today). To my surprise this last bottle is one amazing work!

Beer: Stone Levitation Ale
Brewery: Stone Brewery
Region: North County San Diego
Vol: 4.4%
Taste: Medium Body, Exquisite, Extreme Hoppiness, with a slight citrus taste.
Rating: 4.5/5

X'mas Beer: Day 22

Beer: Turbodog
Brewery: Abita Brewing Company
Region: Abita Springs, LA, USA
Vol: n/a (perhaps a 5.5%, it's not very strong at all)
Taste: Dark brown ale, without the bitter taste. Malty, goes down really smooth. I really enjoyed the drinkability of this one, and will definitely buy more to drink leisurely.
Note: The name Turbodog suggests something extreme, but this wasn't much of an extreme beer since it goes down really easy and smooth. I can't say it's got a lot of complexity to it, and it's not very strong either. But overall, i'm not disappointed.
Rating: 4/5































On a different note, roomie made a Swedish Christmas casserole for Christmas. It's got anchovys! Can't wait to try it.

X'mas Beer: Days 17, 18 & 19

I have been behind on my beer postings. But I am all caught up once again.

Day 17: Mirror Pond Pale Ale

This is a repeat from Day 3. My thoughts remain the same for this one. I actually guzzled it down in two minutes to get ready to go out for dinner. It was actually a perfect beer for just that!


















______________________
Day 18: Hofbrau Original

Region: Munich, Germany
Volume: n/a (it's not a heavy beer, so I'm guessing around 4.5%)
Taste: Light, fizzy and pure lager. Very enjoyable and a thirst quencher beer, although I can start to taste a slight bitterness the more I drink. But overall not quite bad.

Rating: 3/5


















______________________
Day 19: Paulaner

Region: Munich, Germany (again)
Brewery: Paulaner Brauerei
Volume: 5.8%
Taste: Hoppy, light ale with a sweet then metallic taste.
Note: Reading some reviews from the beeradvocate.com website, I'm suppose to taste banana here. Interesting. I do taste a strong hint of metallic, perhaps this is the potassium from the banana. But my beer taste buds are not as sophisticated to distinguish the ingredients...maybe someday I will get there.

Rating: 3.5/5













______________________
Aside from beering. I had a wonderful Swedish/Turkish snack today. It was turkey meatballs with apple and beets (pictured below) and Turkish cheese pastry (not pictured). Exquisite!! Thanks Popnea and Leogra!

X'mas Beer: Day 16

Beer: Brrr Seasonal Ale

Region: Portland, Oregon, USA
Brewery: Widmer Brothers
Volume: 7.2% (the highest I've had thus far, I mean in this beer tasting)
Taste: Like an IPA, perhaps it's an IPA. A lot of hops with a bitter tone and a hint of sweetness. Now that sums up Christmas for ya!
Note: I like beer labels with a personal touch, it says "To: You, From: Rob & Kent". Now how cute is that? Just makes one so special.

Rating: 4/5

X'mas Beer: Day 15

Beer: Quilmes

Region: Argentina
Volume: 4.9%
Taste: Light lager, no complexity. Bland. Blah.
Note: It's Argentina's "favorite beer"...I wonder why? I am very underwhelmed. I decided not to pour it into a glass today, this one does not deserve special glass treatment.

Rating: Sorry, but you only get a 1/5



















Every beer I drink gets me closer to Christmas. It's suppose to be exciting, but Christmas is losing its charm for me. Not sure why, maybe it's the fact I'm getting older, maybe I don't believe in santa or the holiday spirit (whatever that is), maybe shopping during this time is hell, or maybe I'm at a point where I just don't exude my shiny disposition. All in all, Christmas is drawing near, but I'm just not excited.

P.S. Sorry to sound so sad and bitter, but I promise, I will be better next time. Maybe this beer does that to people...

X'mas Beer: Day 14

Beer: Rogue

Region: Oregon, USA
Volume: n/a (perhaps a 5.8%, since it's a porter, maybe even 6% or higher)
Brewery: Brewmaster
Taste: Rich, aromatic, robust, chocolaty taste that goes down smooth. Definitely a full flavored beer that will go well with a meaty meal.
Fun Fact: "Porter is said to have been popular with transportation workers of Central London, hence the name. " - BeerAdvocate.com, article 305

Rating: 4.25/5

Note: I believe my rating system may be flawed because I've been drinking my beer at the very end of the day...uaually after a few drinks in (okay, not "usually", but all the time).

X'mas Beer: Day 13

Beer: Anchor Steam Beer (since 1896)

Region: San Francisco, California, USA
Brewery: Anchor Brewing Co
Volume: n/a (perhaps 4.8%)
Taste: Smooth creamy taste with a hoppy finish.
Note: I had an Anchor Steam from Father's Office once, and the bartender told me it's California's first craft beer. Pretty cool eh? I think I'm quite "hoppy" with this beer (har har). Also, I am drinking from a fancy glass again!

Rating: 4/5

X'mas Beer: Day 12

Beer: Mothership Wit

Region: Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
Brewery: New Belgium Brewing
Volume: 4.8%
Taste: Light wheat taste that goes down smooth with a zesty finish.
Note: I love how the bottle gives instructions on how to "Fly the Mothership", so I did. This is the first time from this beer tasting experience that I've poured the drink into a glass (a fancy one nonetheless). Drinking it is much easier and gives one a new appreciation for tasting beer.

Rating: 3.75/5

X'mas Beer: Day 10

Beer: Prohibition

Region: San Francisco, California
Brewery: Speakeasy
Volume: 6.1% (woah!)
Taste: This one is quite good. You can taste the maltiness initially, then the hoppiness kicks in leaving a nice tingling sensation.
Rating: 4/5

X'mas Beer: Day 9

Beer: Estrella Damm

Region: Barcelona, Spain
Volume: n/a (I'm guessing it's around 4.5%)
Taste: Light lager, crisp, refreshing and clean. It goes down smooth without any after taste.
Rating: 3/5 (it's a high rating for such a simple lager, but I suppose the claim "since 1876" gave it that extra 0.5 points. It's lasted this long, it must be good!)

X'mas Beer: Day 8

Beer: Winterbraun

Region: Eureka, California
Volume: 6.5% (on the stronger end, awesome!)
Taste: Surprisingly full of aromas. It is complex, full bodied, yet smooth with a malty taste. You can definitely taste the chocolate malt. In summary, it's a sophisticated dessert drink!
Rating: 4.5/5 stars (I'm saving my 5 stars for the white unicorn of beers, which i'm not sure if it even exists...but I want to believe in it!)


















P.S. Dark man skiing! Har! I get it now!

I forgot to attach this image to my first beer post. This is only a fraction of all the beers we exchanged. Pretty awesome huh? huh? That's 28 completely different 6 packs!












Oh, and also, random image of the day. I made breakfast this morning and found a little surprise. Two yolks in one egg! I heard it's a good omen.

X'mas Beer Cheers

It's Christmas time again! My friend and roommate came up with this brilliant plan to count down to Christmas with our favorite beverage, BEER. It's like the countdown to Christmas we did when we were kids with chocolate, only this time it's with beer. A grown-up version. So the idea is to drink a different bottle of beer a day till Christmas Day! Wheee. A group of us bought a bunch of different beers, wrapped and traded with each other. That way we would come home with a surprise beer each night! Something to look forward to after a long work day.

I decided to record each and every bottle I drink at the same time learning about the various tastes of beer. I will document and share my experiences to all of you.... (which most likely will be cricket silent, since I believe i'm the only person reading my own blog. har har).

Here it goes!!

























Day 1: Super Bock

Region: Portugal
Volume: 5.2%
Taste: Mild, Crisp, Not much after taste, a bit flat as well
Rating: 2/5 stars













































Day 2: Mythos

Region: Greece
Volume: 4.7%
Taste: First Impression was bland (just by looking at the label), but the taste was actually light, but malty and very refreshing.
Rating: 3.5/5












Day 3: Mirror Pond Pale Ale

Region: Bend, Oregon
Volume: 5.0%
Taste: Nice, Fine, Mild Taste, not bitter at all for an IPA. Might be more enjoyable on a hot summer night.
Rating: 3.5/5


















Day 4: Lhasa Beer

Region: Tibet
Slogan: "Imported from the Roof of the World" (I love this, thus I noted it)
Volume: n/a
Taste: Clean, very pale lager, kinda boring, but might be because it represent the monks of Tibet. It's satisfying, but not interesting
Rating: 3/5












Day 5: Saigon

Region: Vietnam
Volume: 4.9%
Taste: Light, malty (but a little stingy on the malt). A boring treat for your taste buds, but satisfies the thirst, perhaps on a very hot summer day.
Rating: 2/5


















Day 6: Orange Wheat

Region: Redlands, CA (Hanger 24 Craft Brewery)
Volume: n/a
Taste: Definitely wheaty. Can taste a bit of orange, but not overpowering at all. It's got a bit of a country feel in the taste.
Rating: 3.5/5


















Day 7: Hoegaarden

Region: Belgian
Volume: 4.9%
Taste: Wheat with spices. Light, refreshing, easy and smooth, clean, but not complex and all. Very simple drink to quench the thirst.
Rating: 3.5/5