If you are not a fan of the Wire, go straight to Blockbuster/ Netflix/ where ever and rent it. Watch all 60 episodes and then join with the crowd who has seen the best TV show ever.
And after my shameless plug, on to the beer!!! Tonight I am drinking two bottles of XMas ale; one from Great Britian and one from Belgium. The British beer is the Samuel Smith Winter Welcome Ale. I am going to add their website to my sidebar when I am done here. To date, they are the only brewer to earn a perfect "5" rating for a beer (India Ale) and it has withstood the test of time. I just drank some at Kevin's about a month ago and it was outstanding. There is a 4 pack in the fridge right now as a matter of fact. UMMMMMMM. I might get crunked up tonight! If only my wife was home for some lovin'! She is scrapbooking the entire weekend. Whoooohoooo! Bring hime some pretty pages hun. Miss you!
I will get to the second beer later in the post so without further ado...
Brewer: Samuel Smith, England
Beer Name: Winter Welcome Ale
Beer Style: Winter Ale
Price: Can't remember as I bought it before I got the awful head/chest cold that has kept me from drinking the last couple weeks. Maybe $5 for the pint; probably less.
Here is the rating:
Appearance: Light Amber, very clear for a beer; I can actually see things through it.
Mouthfeel: Slightly fizzy, a medium body, good overall.
Smell: My nose is still a little off but it has a hint of citrus behind the hops which dominate. A very strong aroma that reminds me of the Griswold family XMas tree. A very nice winter beer aroma.
Taste: No surprise here but the hops are the predominant flavor. Not nearly as bitter as the India Ale but much more then your average beer; not a lot of citrus taste to match the smell but it is very smooth. Very smooth and refreshing. Like drinking snowflakes (wow- poetic and cheesy). I'm digging this a lot (part of it could be the fact that I haven't drank anything in two weeks or so. Paint thinner in a rusty Colt 45 can might be good tonight). Regardless, this is a repeat buy for me; next time I'm at Friar Tuck's, I'm going to grab some more.
Overall rating: 4.5-could be slightly fuller bodied for me (read more hops) but overall a very nice beer. I have yet to taste a bad beer from Samuel Smith and they are quickly becoming an old faithful to me. I would recommend anything they brew; even if I haven't tasted it. This is going to be stiff competition for the next beer:
COMMERCIAL: JUST CALLED SQUARE ONE BREWERY- SCOTCH ALE COMES IN 1/20 (OR THEREABOUTS). ANYONE FOR A TRIP TO SOUTH CITY? I NEED A GROWLER OR THREE FOR THE FRIDGE...
Back to the regularily scheduled beer blog:
Brewer: St. Bernadus
Beer Name: St. Bernadus Christmas Ale
Beer Style: Winter/ XMas Ale
Price: Don't know. This beer was given to me last XMas by Goose. The label says that it can be aged up to 15 years and still be enjoyed by the most discriminating connoisseurs. (Really, it says that). By the way, THANKS GOOSE. You and I are going to do the blog for the beer you gave me this XMas along with the beer I'm giving you. Let me know when you are available and I'll drive down and spend the night in the guest room. Kelly- before you start, remember you are scrapbooking ALL FRICKING WEEKEND!!!!!! XOXO...
I just finished the Sam Smith- man that was good and I have a buzz already... And in the red corner: the challenger St. Bernardus!!! The bottle is entering the arena. "Fight Like a Brave" by the Chili Peppers is blaring on the PA. Let's get it aaawwwwwnnnnnnnnnnn!
Appearance: Medium brown but very cloudy; not checking out my Playboy through this glass; just kidding honey- I'm reading The Wall Street Journal!
Smell: Bubblegum- really. Possibly the weirdest beer smell ever. It smells like cotton candy. I am having my 9 year old smell it right now. Nick, after much prodding, smelled it and when I asked if it smelled like bubblegum, he smiled and said, Kind of, yeah- can I try it?" I sent him back to the kitchen. Justin just took a whiff and said "AWAAACCKKK- it smells like a bunch of alcohol- it makes me want to throw up." If only that would continue through high school...
Mouthfeel: Very substantial. A very thick beer. I king of have to gnaw on it.
Taste: Very, very wierd but Belgiun. (Sidenote- Nick just told me he wants to start a sweater blog by the way. I'm not really sure why.) Back to the beer. It is very sweet but actually tastes pretty good. The typical Belgiun aftertaste is parte of the real taste and doesn't linger. I actually like it quite a bit. And, it's 10% alcohol (CRUNKED UP YA'LL). But, for a 10% beer, it does a good job of masking the alcohol taste. I am going to have to drink more of this before giving the overall rating. Be back in a bit. (I'll publish now and edit later).
Overall rating: After much deliberation and the full bottle, I'll say a 4.0. Best Belgiun beer I have tried. Very sweet but very drinkable. I will buy another bottle next XMas for sure.
And, until the next one, thanks for reading. I have some Sam Smith IPA to drink :)
