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December 23, 2018

Beer and Brewery

Pecan Brown Ale

Sibling Revelry Brewing Company

Weslake, OH

Beer Haiku

A Wonderful Ale

Brewed Dark, Savory and Sweet

Good to the Last Drop

Review

I had never had a beer from Sibling Revelry before and was pleasantly surprised by this American brown ale that was brewed with candied pecans and brown sugar. According to the UnTapped app, this Brew is receiving an average rating of about 3.75 however I personally have it a 4.25. It was good cold but as it came up to room temperature it remained a high quality beverage. I would recommend this to anyone.

December 13, 2018

Brewery

Three Ho’s Amber Ale

Saucy Brew Works

Cleveland, OH

Beer Haiku

Cinnamon is Nice

Red Ale, Great Presentation

Taste Didn’t Live Up

Review

This beer had all the possibilities in the world to be great. Strong spicy smell, beautiful amber color, 7.5% ABV, and a name that would do well at any holiday party! Unfortunately, it left a lot to be desired. With any holiday beer, you expect the smell and flavor to blend perfectly with every sip, but with this beer, the taste did not live up to the much anticipated expectations.

With over 2,100 ratings on the UnTapped app this beer is settled at a 3.30 rating out of 5. I’ve had two friends rate this beer on the app and they rated it a 3.12, I’m slightly less at a 2.50.

December 12, 2018

Brewery

Dad’s Hoppy Holiday Ale

Rhinegeist Brewery

Cincinnati, OH

Beer Haiku

One Hoppy Red Ale

Crispy, Smooth and Very Clean

Rhinegeist, Always Good

Review

It’s been two years since my last post, my last review. Part of it had to do with the fact that Beercember had come to an end, life got busy.

For those of you that like hoppy beers, this one will not disappoint. It’s smooth, crisp and with 48 IBU’s it packs a nice little punch.

With 125 ratings on UnTapped, this Amber Red has an average ranking of 3.60 out of 5. I was slightly lower than the average at a 3. I look forward to enjoying this six pack. Cheers!

AND THE WINNER OF BEERCEMBER 2016 IS…

Average Year At Best Beercember Was A Tight Race The Dog Had It’s Day

Congratulations Thirsty Dog Brewing Company! 12 Dogs of Christmas is our winner of Beercember.

This was an interesting year for winter beer to say the least. A lot of good beer but I, for one, rarely felt the desire to go out and look for a sixer of something that we just had during our Beercember Tradition. It was kind of disappointing actually. To go an entire month of trying beer and only thinking maybe twice, “Man, I want another one of those!”

THE TWO SURPRISES

In saying that, we did have a few surprises that need to be recognized. Two new beers added to our Beercember list ranked in the Top 5 and they were:

Platform Beer Company Esther Belgian Christmas Ale Cleveland, OH

This Belgian Dark Ale was strong at 9.5% ABV and full of flavor with hints of cherry and honey, which I could definitely smell but according to their website there were hints of plums and toffee as well. This was a well balanced beer that had a great pour and was good until the last drop. I rated it an 8.5 out of 10.

The other was another Cleveland, OH beer.

Portside Brewery & Distillery Ice Cutter Winter Warmer Cleveland, OH

This was by far my favorite beer of Beercember!

I rated Portside a hefty 9.5 out of 10. Wow, this was a great one! I wish I could find it, but have yet to see it in the stores. In fact, this was a late addition and wasn’t even on our original list of 24 for distribution. Thankfully, one we released for Beercember was unable to be found and this was quickly added.

This Winter Warmer sits at 7.5% ABV and had a wonderfully rich aroma full of holiday fruits and spices.

NORTHEAST OHIO RULES THE BEERCEMBER MARKET

Northeast Ohio had another strong year in rankings for winter beer as 8 out of our Top 10 were from the region and since we’ve been doing this all 3 winners have been from this market.

The benchmark was set high long ago with Great Lakes introducing their Christmas Ale in 1992. So if you were going to enter this market you had extremely tough competition right off the bat. The market responded to the challenge though with strong breweries like Fat Head’s, Thirsty Dog, Brew Kettle, and Hoppin’ Frog popping up and giving Great Lakes a run for their money. Sadly, Hoppin’ Frogs’ Frosted Frog will never be in Beercember because it’s not sold in a 12 oz can or bottle. This beer may be untouchable in my humble opinion.

The only two outside of Ohio were by Victory Brewing Company from Downingtown, PA and Flying Dog Brewery from Frederick, MD. Their uniqueness in the beer market adds a wonderful assortment of fun brews to our little tradition. Victory’s Winter Cheers is a light and refreshing wheat ale. Flying Dog came to the market with two winter ales, “Naughty” and “Nice.” I had both this winter but Naughty is the one that was chosen to participate in Beercember. This Egg Nog inspired brew was enjoyable, full of holiday spices and hints of bourbon flavor.

FINAL BEERCEMBER RANKINGS FROM 24 to 1

For the first time since this began in 2014, we have a different brewery that came out on top. In both 2014 and 2015, Fat Head’s Brewery out of North Olmsted, Ohio stole the show with Holly Jolly and Pimp My Sleigh respectfully.

This year a beer ranked in the Top 5 in both 2014 and 2015 prevailed but by a very, VERY close margin beating out newcomer Portside Ice Cutter by 1 TENTH of a point.

Here are the rankings from 24 to 1.

24. Founder’s Backwoods Bastard, Grand Rapids, MI 23. Columbus Brewing Citra Noel, Columbus, OH 22. Deschutes Jubelale, Bend, OR 21. Sierra Nevada Celebration IPA, Chico, CA 20. Ommegang Lovely, Dark and Deep, Cooperstown, NY 19. Market Garden Festivus, Cleveland, OH 18. 21st Amendment Fireside Chat, San Francisco, CA 17. Revolution Fistmas, Chicago, IL 16. Southern Tier 2Xmas, Lakewood, NY 15. Alaskan Winter Ale, Juneau, AK 14. Boulevard Nutcracker Winter Warmer, Kansas City, MO 13. Heavy Seas Winter Storm, Baltimore, MD 12. New Belgium Accumulation, Fort Collins, CO 11. Anchor Merry Christmas, San Francisco, CA 10. Victory Winter Cheers, Downingtown, PA 9. Flying Dog Naughty, Frederick, MD 8. Fat Head’s Pimp My Sleigh, North Olmsted, OH 7. Lagerhead’s Winter Mischief, Medina, OH 6. Fat Head’s Holly Jolly, North Olmsted, OH 5. Great Lakes Christmas Ale, Cleveland, OH 4. Platform Esther Christmas Ale, Cleveland, OH 3. The Brew Kettle Winter Warmer, Strongsville, OH 2. Portside Ice Cutter, Cleveland, OH 1. Thirsty Dog 12 Dogs of Christmas, Akron, OH

Rankings were compiled by 5 individuals who love beer. This is a unique group because we each have very distinct tastes and likes when it comes to styles of beer we enjoy.

Hope you enjoyed reading and I wish everyone a safe and happy New Year!

December 1, 2016 Lovely, Dark and Deep Ommegang Brewery Cooperstown, NY Lovely, Dark and Deep New to the Beercember List Thick and Creamy Head Beercember 2016 has arrived and what a true joy it is. We have 24 distinct beers from 24 different breweries across the US to talk about amongst friends and fellow bloggers. I absolutely love this time of year, especially when we start the month off right with a great brew. The first one up is new to our holiday tradition and OH Boy, did this Oatmeal Stout by Ommegang come in and make it's presence known. The rich blend of chocolate malts mixed with flaked oats did not disappoint. I found myself wishing more snow was on the ground and a fire was crackling while I sipped on this wonderful beverage. It was thick and creamy but smooth going down. Definitely looking forward to another one. 8/10

#ommegang #brewery #oatmeal #stout #seasonal #winterale

November 25, 2016

Nice Flying Dog Brewing Company Frederick, MD

This was a beer that narrowly missed being added to our Beercember this year (we chose Naughty by Flying Dog instead). Nice is a Holiday Milk Stout at 7.2% ABV and had 20 IBUs. The highlighted specialty malts are Roasted Barley, Chocolate, Caramel and Oats. This stout is very creamy and would be great for a post-meal/dessert time beverage.

Flying Dog is quickly becoming one of my favorite non-Ohio breweries right there along side New Belgium in Fort Collins, CO. Flying Dog has amazing label art which isn’t overly important but I love looking at it while I’m drinking their beer and reading the fun phrases they put on some of their bottles. The one on this bottle had me cracking up – I will not spoil it – but after drinking this beer I am one of those jolly assholes they talk about.

This is a great stout and I’m looking forward to having another. If you like stouts, it’s a must grab. I gave this a 4.5 out of 5 on UNTAPPD.

9 out of 10

#flyingdog #brewery #milk stout #Nice #maryland #craft beer #craftbrew

Pray for Snow 10 Barrel Brewing Bend, OR

I was excited about this beer, new to the Ohio market and from Oregon. In my experience with brews from Oregon, they normally don’t disappoint and are very close to the Ohio competition. Unfortunately for this beer, it was terrible – freaking gag me – as I said on the UNTAPPD app.

According to their website, 10 Barrel was started in 2006 by three guys who shared one simple mindset:

1) Brew Beer 2) Drink Beer 3) Have fun doing it

That’s a great mindset but one very important word is missing from the first two statements - that one simple word is GOOD. This beer is not good. It’s very close to awful, in fact, this beer was very close to undrinkable and almost ended up down the drain. I’ve only done that one other time in my life, this almost became the second.

See it’s ok to brew beer and to drink it but when you take that beer out into the market and hope to profit off of other people’s love for seasonal brews, please put some effort in. If this beer is your best effort, go back and work on your craft, don’t waste the market’s money. I will never buy this brew again and will probably never buy another beer from 10 Barrel again.

2 out of 10

#craftbeer #10barrelbrewing #beer #oregon #beerblog

SOHIO Stout Columbus Brewing Company Columbus, OH

This beer is so worthy of one of my haiku’s, the problem though is that I’m not sure I can write a haiku that lives up to the quality of this stout. Brewed with Brioso Coffee, the infusion is brilliantly done and the notes open up the longer the beer sits. There’s just one problem – it doesn’t sit very long because it goes down so smooth.

Great for a cold night as it’s very filling. It comes in a 4 pack at 8.5% ABV with an average rating of 3.98 stars out of 5 on UNTAPPD. I’m not a huge Stout fan but gave it 4.25 stars.

If you like Stouts and/or Coffee give this a whirl, you won’t be disappointed.

#Columbus Brewing Company #ohio #columbus #Beer #Stout #Coffee

Cerberus Thirsty Dog Brewing Company Akron, OH The name in and of itself let's you know this beer isn't messing around. At 10% alcohol, this Belgian Trippel is full bodied and golden in color. Cerberus is from Greek Mythology -- meaning a three headed hound, which is why I'm guessing they used the name...three, Trippel...anyway...this beer is very smooth with some nice complexity to it. If you ever have a chance to visit Thirsty Dog, get this off the tap or if you see it available for a You Pick-6, this beer deserve one of those 6 spots. Not one you can drink again and again but one you want in the fridge for a hard day...this will take the edge right off and provide the refreshing yet bold flavor that allows you to hit reset and get moving again. 9 out of 10

#ThristyDog #Beer #Cerberus #Akron #Ohio

Night Owl Pumpkin Ale Elysian Brewing Company Seattle, WA I didn't know what to expect...pumpkin beer from Seattle? Really? I gave it a try, took a leap of faith. By the way Elysian, the label art is what got me. Who could say NO to those two evil looking eyes? You felt like if you walked away from the 6-pack the owl was going to chase you down and scratch out your eyes and taste buds. The beer is very good. Made with 7 lbs of pumpkin per barrel, roasted and raw pumpkin seed, spiced in conditioning with nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, ginger and allspice. It's refreshing until the last drop and unlike other pumpkin beers, you could go back for seconds or in my case, thirds without over doing the pumpkin. If I see this in the store again I'll buy it. 8.5 out of 10

#ElysianBrewing #craft beer #Seattle #Washington

April 9th, 2016 Blackout Stout Great Lakes Brewing Co. Cleveland, OH A Bold and Dark Beer. One too many Say Good Night! It's Worth the Headache. Straight from the bottles label: "Bold and dark as a power-less metropolis, our Russian Imperial Stout commemorates the infamous 2003 blackout that briefly left some 55 million people utterly unplugged." You don't need power to enjoy this beer. In fact, I pray for a blackout so I have no worries about getting up in the morning. Great for a chilly moment. Mine would be with a faint sight of your breath in the air, hanging out on the deck, enjoying the night sky. Hitting your soul with 9.0% ALC and 50 IBU's this was the beer that turned me on to stouts and sadly, I haven't found one that can compete with it. Definitely pick this up. It comes in packs of 4 and it's well worth the $9-$11 you'll shell out. I promise you won't be disappointed. I drink it from a chilled glass and enjoy every...last...sip. My Rating: 9.5. Out of 10

April 8th, 2016 Blueberry Maple Stout Saugatuck Brewing Co. Douglas, MI I didn't know exactly what to expect when I bought this 6 pack from the grocer last weekend. I love maple syrup, fresh blueberries and a good stout, so, yeah, totally intrigued. The first couple of sips you can definitely taste the maple goodness which slowly gave way to the blueberry flavor the further you get into the glass. A six pack will go along way with this beer for the simple fact that it's thick and heavy, more than one or two and you're completely full. I'm enjoying this 6er, trying to figure out if I'd grab it again if I saw it... Rating: 6 out of 10

December 19, 2015

Cabin Fever Brown Ale New Holland Brewing Company Holland, MI

I Got That Fever! The Cure Would be Another. Hook me up Now, Bitch!

Never had a New Holland Beer before, which is surprising because I’ve heard amazing things about their Dragon’s Milk. With that, I would probably not ever turn down a brew out of their brew catalog. Truly enjoyed this beer. Nice malty taste that would be great for a day hiking through the woods in the winter time. Another great time to drink this would be for a guy or gal grilling some nice steaks on the grill in late December or early January.

This beer has 25 IBU’s and settles in at 6.5% alcohol.

My Rating: 7 out of 10

Beercember Crew: 7.1 out of 10

#new holland #brewery #Cabin Fever #brown ale #holland #michigan

December 18th, 2015

Beercember Review and Haiku #18

2XMAS Southern Tier Brewing Company Lakewood, NY

Winter Warmer Bliss. One of my Favorites This Year. Great Mix of Spices!

This was our second beer we reviewed from Southern Tier Brewing based out of Lakewood, NY and this was by far the better of the two. This is one of the true winter warmer’s that can compete with some of the better local breweries here in Northeast Ohio and that’s no easy task. This beer is close but needs a little help with a brown sugar and cinnamon rim for that extra kick of spices.

This beer has been brewed since 2012, so it’s a rather new beer in the Christmas Beer market. They call this a Double Spice Beer, but I think they are way off on that description. The spice is weak in comparison to what I am accustomed to. The good thing is that it is brewed to about 8.0% alcohol content. The first and only spice I really smell and taste is the cinnamon, I was hoping to get some other flavors, but it was minimal. Orange peel became noticeable later. The hops (2) and malts (4) chosen made this an enjoyable Ale.

My Rating: 8.5 out of 10

Beercember Crew Rating: 7.8 out of 10

#southern tier #2XMas #Beer #Craft Beer #Lakewood #NY #Beercember

December 17th, 2015

Beercember Review and Haiku #17

Pimp My Sleigh Fat Head’s Brewing Company Middleburg Heights, OH

Dark Ale, Great Flavor. Full Belly Needed to Drink. I’m Thirsty for More!

Wow! If you are looking for a dark beer seamlessly aged in bourbon barrels this beer is it! I love this style of beer, but as friends have described if you are not properly nourished while drinking this beer you could easily drift off to the Spirit World. You get tipsy after one, you feel like nothing can bring you down from this amazing beer.

The full bodied flavor is exciting and truly refreshing. This beer is not for the faint of heart. The only beer comparable to this is Founder’s Backwoods Bastard. This will be the only brew review where I am anxiously looking forward to a side-by-side taste test!

If you can grab this, DO IT and do it NOW! Don’t hesitate. You will regret it if you do.

My Review: 9.5 out of 10

Beercember Crew Review: 9.2 out of 10

#beer #craft beer #brewery #Brewing #PimpMySleigh #FatHeads #Middleburg Heights #Ohio

December 16th, 2015

Beercember Review and Haiku #16

Winterhook Redhook Ale Brewery Portsmouth, NH

Enjoyable Ale. Surprise of Beercember List. I Want Another.

Redhook is a beer I learned about via Dan Patrick and his lemmings when listening to Sports Talk Radio. They talked about it and went on and on about how good it was. I thought is was to good to be true. However, I’ve yet to have a Redhook brew that I didn’t enjoy.

Now, saying that, I have yet to have one that I was like, I need to go get another 6-ear right freaking now, but in saying that, I truly enjoyed this beer and every beer brewed under the Redhook label.

If you like an amber style of beer that has a hint of caramel and dry hops, get this beer and get it NOW – you won’t be disappointed.

My Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Beercember Crew: 7.7 out of 10

#beer #craft beer #redhook #winterhook #portsmouth #new hampshire

December 15th, 2015 Beercember Review and Haiku #15 Festivity Ale Goose Island Brewing Company Chicago, IL New Tastes Every Year! Malt Flavors and Caramel. Enjoyable Brew. The ingredients change but Goose Island always brews a Brown Ale for the Christmas Season. This year, Festivity Ale was not quite as good as last year. Sadly, it just didn't have that full bodied flavor I look for in a winter beer to make any significant increase in it's rankings over last year. Part of the problem is that we dump 15 of the lower ranked beers off the list and add new ones. Festivity finished 11 on the list last year and I see it being a little lower this year. It was not well received by the group. In saying that, I liked the caramel notes and the malt flavor. That, mixed with the 50 IBU's and the 7.7% alcohol as well as the fact they change it up every year makes you want to keep it in the rotation with the hopes that one day they absolutely nail it. My ranking: 6.0 out of 10 Beercember Crew Rating: 5.2 out of 10

#Beer #Craft Beer #Goose Island #Chicago #illinois #Brown Ale

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