Category Archives: United States

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Silver City Old Scrooge Christmas Ale & 2013 Bourbon Barrel-Aged Old Scrooge Reviews

Silver City Brewery of Bremerton, Washington began operations in 1996 and is one of the most award-winning breweries in the State. Old Scrooge Christmas Ale is an English Barleywine. In the past, I’ve aged Old Scrooge and love how it transforms over time. Silver City also makes a Bourbon Barrel-Aged Old Scrooge Christmas Ale. I’m reviewing a 2014 bottle of Old Scrooge and a 2013 of the barrel-aged.

The elves and I warmed bottles to 55 degree fahrenheit for our tasting. Old Scrooge Christmas Ale pours

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Midnight Sun Cohoho Imperial IPA Review

Midnight Sun Brewing of Anchorage, Alaska brew a crazy number of excellent beers. Cohoho is one of their Christmas beers, it’s a malted and Christmas-ized version of their favorite Sockeye Red IPA.

Cohoho, with its Coho Salmon in the Santa hat, pours reddish brown with a cream colored head of fine foam that stays. It smells of caramel malts, white pepper, floral hops, and

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Hair of the Dog Doggie Claws 2014 Review

I stopped by Hair of the Dog Brewery in Portland, Oregon the other day and picked up a bottle of Doggie Claws, their Christmas Ale. It’s a Barley Wine made for aging.

2014 Doggie Claws pour muddy brown with almost no foam. The lack of carbonation is something that brewmaster Alan Sprints is unconcerned by. He once wrote, “Beer is more than bubbles.” The aroma has strong sweet malts, blackberry, a bit of cherry, and orange zest from the hops. The taste is sweet caramel, syrupy malts, big floral hops, with dark fruit, molasses and orange. It has almost no carbonation, that some will find off-putting. I don’t mind the lack of carbonation. There are a lot of malts and hops (70 IBU), but the malts win out in the body and hops in the finish. It’s 11% ABV and has a long finish.

Alan Sprints states on the bottle, “Doggie Claws is made with Organic Pilsner and British Crystal malts. I used simcoe and amarillo hops along with dark wild flower honey collected on Mt. Hood.”

I’ve tasted a number of vintages of Doggie Claws including 2004, 2005, 2010, and 2012. The 2014 Doggie Claws has the same flavor profile as other vintages and should age the same way.

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Bridgeport Ebenezer Ale Review

Bridgeport Brewing of Portland, Oregon is one of the early micro-brewing pioneers. This year Bridgeport celebrates 30 years of brewing. Ebenezer Ale is a Winter Warmer.

Ebenezer pours the color of dull penny with a light tan head of fine foam. The aroma is light caramel malts, slight citrus and floral presence. It’s medium-bodied, with caramel malts at first and some nuttiness. There’s some citrus, earthiness, and vegetal notes from the hops. It’s very drinkable, with no spices added. There’s strong, smooth carbonation and 6.4% ABV in this limited release beer.

The label features a package-toting, smiling Ebenezer Scrooge, of A Christmas Carol fame. This picture is obviously after his visitation with the 3 ghosts, who were actually none other than yours truly with a little make up. May your own life transformation be as gracious as Ebenezer’s.

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Samuel Adams White Christmas Review

The Boston Beer Company, better known as Samuel Adams, make a couple of Christmas ales, White Christmas is their spiced wheat beer.

White Christmas pours cloudy straw-orange with a fine white foam head. The nose is nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon and a touch of yeast. It tastes crisp with the aforenamed spices right up front. There’s also some citrus notes from the orange peel brewed in. Spalter Noble hops originating in Bavaria make up the 6 IBU. It’s medium bodied with good carbonation and 5.8% ABV.

White Christmas is widely available. If you like witbier give this one a try.

Samuel Adams’ other Christmas beer is Merry Maker Gingerbread Stout, which I reviewed last year.

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The First Hanukkah Beer

Shmaltz Brewing of Clifton Park, New York make a full line up of He’brew (“The Chosen Beer”) Jewish themed beers. Hanukkah, Chanukah: Pass The Beer sports a 9 candle menorah on the label. It is the first Hanukkah beer and it’s quite good. I thought it deserves a mention.

Hanukkah, Chanukah pours dark copper with a light tan thin head of foam. The aroma is caramel malts, nuts, and a hint of cocoa. The taste is toasted malts (8 of them), burnt caramel, nuttiness, a nice balancing bitterness from the hops (8 of them), semi-sweet cocoa on the finish. It’s 8% ABV – can you see the theme here? It’s medium bodied and drinks like a Winter Warmer. And, of course, it’s kosher.

With hundreds of Christmas beers available, I’m surprised this the first Hanukkah beer. Eight nights of this beer would be a joy. Happy Hanukkah!

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