Christmas Beers, First Installment

I know I already blogged about the gingerbread beers so technically this isn't the first installment but this will be the first multi-beer post. Cool?

This is Southern Tier Brewing Co.'s holiday beer 2XMAS. (duh) It was one of the first ones out this season and we actually tried it a few weeks ago but I forgot to blog about it. I am a big fan of Southern Tier in general and their seasonal beers are unmatched (Pumking anyone?). So, I was pretty excited to try this out.

From the website: "We were inspired by a Glogg party, deciding on the spot to brew a beer in this Nordic tradition. 2xMas ale combines traditional brewing ingredients with fig, orange peels, cardamom, cinnamon, clove and ginger root. "

Sweet sassy molassy, I liked this one a lot. at 8% ABV it's got the extra warming quality you expect from a holiday brew. I loved the combination of flavors too. Nothing screams CHRISTMAS like the spices listed above. Recommended glass is a snifter which is what I used. It really lets the flavors expand. If you don't have a snifter, you should really invest in one. Mine was $2.00 and it really helps certain beers. This 6 pack retails for $10.99 so not the cheapest but expect most Christmas beers to be a bit pricier. 

Sam Adams' has a couple new Christmas beers every year. If you can get your hands on the mixed, seasonal 12 pack, you won't be sorry. White Christmas Ale is new to them this year.

From the website: "As crisp as the first snowfall of the year, this unfiltered white ale is blended with holiday spices including cinnamon, nutmeg, and orange peel.  The familiar citrus and wheat characters of the ale are complemented by the warmth of the spices for a festive brew that’s perfect for the season."

I liked this one too but John thought they missed the mark on it. If you are a fan of Blue Moon or Hoegaarden, you'll like this one. I know it calls out the same flavors as the 2xMas but these are VERY different beers. The 6 pack usually runs about $8.99 but if you don't want to commit to 6 of these, there are 2 in the multi-pack so you can try them in there.

And for your viewing pleasure, a couple we tried in North Carolina on vacation. 

First, here is only half of the craft beer aisle at Total Wine & More which we discovered in Raleigh. From this side and the other side, you can mix your own 6 pack, priced per bottle. The nice Kroger by us also lets you do that but the selection is tiny. We were like kids in a beer candy store and it took a LONG time to make our choices. They had so many we had never heard of. It was insane! The nice thing about this is the ability to try so many varieties without having to buy a whole 6 pack of something you might not like.

Apologies in advance that I did not instagram these pics all pretty. Please forgive me.

This one was okay but not nearly as gingerbread-y as the Merry Mischief I wrote about the other day. 

This is the End of the World Midnight Wheat by Shock Top. John's had his eye on this for awhile because of the curious addition of chocolate, chilies and other spices. Yes, I said chili. However, there was no heat in this and very little chocolate. Kind of a disappointment.

Festive Ale is the Christmas offering from SweetWater Brewing Company located in Georgia. It was okay but not too memorable. It's also probably hard to come by, depending on your geographic location. Flavors of cinnamon and mace and smooth drinking but not terribly special.

What's been in your glass lately? Any good Christmas beers to put on my list to try?

TELL ME!