Christmas Beers, part two

THIS is it. This is my favorite Christmas beer so far this year. It's not new but I had never tried it before. 

Say hello......

12 Dogs of Christmas Ale by the Thirsty Dog Brewing Co. is what we picked up this weekend upon the recommendation of our friendly beer monger. (What is the proper term for "beer salesman"? I realize it's probably not monger but I thought it had a nice ring.) When I asked his opinion he let me know that it was a top notch choice. Apparently, the brewmaster at Great Lake Brewing Co. abandoned ship and took the recipe for their beloved Christmas Ale when he went to Thirsty Dog. Hopefully this story is valid because I love a good scandal. While I don't go gaga for GLBC's Christmas Ale like everyone else in the world, THIS Christmas Ale is something worth writing about.

From the site: "Spiced for the holidays with honey, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and Santa's secret recipe." It stands at 8.3 % ABV (alcohol by volume) and carries 21.5 IBU's, relatively low on the bitter scale. 

Holy Christmas in a snifter, batman! Even though this is a dark beer that honey flavor comes through loud and clear. Believe me when I tell you that this is my new favorite. I loved this spice mixture and it reminded me of GLBC Christmas Ale when I first had it and the flavors were clearer than they are now. If this is on tap, it's what I'm ordering. Otherwise, it's $10.99 a 6 pack. Well, worth it.

After going on at length about that, I do have another one for you. It's much less exciting but I didn't want to be accused of neglect.

This is Cabin Fever from the New Holland Brewing Co. I chose it for two reason: 1) New Holland makes a delicious Ichabod Pumpkin Ale, 2) I thought the name was cute.

From the site: "Robust in character yet smooth in delivery, Cabin Fever is a roasty, brown ale and a hearty, comforting companion for long mind-bending winters. Its rye, roast and raisin notes carry off a subtle caramel sweetness and culminate in a dry finish."

I liked this one because I like a reliable brown ale but I don't know that I'd go out of my way to get it again. I was able to buy just one bottle of it, which was lucky. Any time someone at the beer store drops a 6 pack, the bottles that didn't break get sold as singles. If brown ales are your jam, give it a try. Otherwise, move on to more exciting seasonals.