So I present you the kick-off beer of the 1st Annual Beer Advent. Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale. Notice what I did there in how I lined the beer up, Celebration for the first day. I tried to synch up the days and flow of the beers, as well as tried to synch weaker showings with great ones, so there wasn't a down few days for Ed.
Ed and his girlfriend Lexi actually popped in for our ceremonious beer exchange, and we enjoyed a few randoms I had in the fridge from the last few years of the Samuel Adams Longshots collection. As excited as I as for Ed, I was bummed I had nothing to open until tomrrow.
Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale Review: This was a strong start for me. Weavy picked a fitting opening beer as he knows my love for IPAs as well as this being an elusive beer for me one year earlier when i tried to get it in a keg for my birthday/graduation party.
This is a hopfest but finishes smooth and doesn't dry you out too bad. I would definitely purchase a 6er of this in the future. As a side note i should really make more of an effort to try Sierra stuff.
Day 2: Bell's Amber Ale
Finally it was my turn!
I tore into this like it was Christmas Day. I was very excited to see it. They've changed the label since the last time I've seen this beer, so it took me a while to figure out if I had seen this beer before. I have seen it, but haven't had it before. I think Ed was a bit bold here given our past experiences with Bell's. Bell's Cherry Stout has the dubious distinction of being our whipping beer, one of the few we've dumped out without finishing. Don't get me wrong, Bell's is solid with Oberon and 2 Hearted Ale ranking very high on my favorite beers (Ed loves 2HA too, but hasn't had Oberon). Also, in terms of strategy, Ed's on the record of saying that he attempted a bit of a session order, light to dark, though he failed to divulge any more indformation.
From the picture below, you can see the dog was very interested in what was causing so much attention. Of course, that meant she wanted to eat it.
Bell's Amber Ale Review: This was a solid start, and very smooth and drinkable. The fact that Bell's has a generic name for this "Amber Ale" instead of anything interesting is an indication of the taste of the beer. It is a solid offering true to the name, but doesn't offer anything memorable to it. This would make a great 6 pack beer to share one night, but as a single bottle trying to make a name for itself, it comes up a bit short. Still, interestingness aside, this was still a pretty decent beer and a great start to Beer Advent. I wouldn't hesitate to reach for it again if I saw a good price.
Day 3: Fat Tire Belgo Belgian IPA
For me, it was tough to see Ed have this. I had had Celebration Ale before, so it wasn't too bad watching through text his experience. I've never had this, and I'm a big Fat Tire fan. Such is life in beer advent.
Fat Tire Belgo Belgian IPA Review: Belgian and IPA? Whaaaaa!? Delicious. This was a very light experience despite the IPA richness. It had a wheat like texture to it and was delightful to drink. It also paired exceptionally well with some pesto pasta that evening.
Day 4: Cisco Brewery Whale Tale Pale Ale
I attempted a new strategy in tasting. I opened the beer without looking at the cap, tasted it, then looked at the cap and tasted, and finally unwrapped it and tasted it. This was no help to me, as I wasn't familiar with the brewery or this beer, so I had no pre-determined notions of it. I have seen this beer in the beer before in the back pages of beer advocate, but have never come close to encountering it in the fridge or the beer shelf, so it was very interesting to finally unwrap it.
Cisco Brewery Whale Tale Pale Ale Review: This beer had some very strong malty notes, with a very Englishness to it. Nothing popped out at me with this beer, but it was solid. The best part was that it took me back to my days in the UK, enjoying some real British beers on cask. The bubbles in this were closer to a stout than a Pale Ale, making it very closer to a cask pull than a traditional pale ale. This was a very decent beer.
Just like Day 3, it was hard to see Ed open this beer without me. Even though I don't see that much Left Hand on the East Coast, what I have seen has been great. They also get bonus points for having a year round Milk Stout. Luckily Ed and I were exchanging, and he let me sprint across the street and steal a sip. We loved it so much, we made an emergency run to Total Wine to scoop up a 6 pack. More investigation led us to discover that this installment of Fade to Black was the 3rd volume, having done a Foreign Export Stout and a Smoked Baltic Porter in the previous two years. I think doing a new style dark beer every year during the winter is an awesome idea and a chance for a brewery to really flex its muscles while still having a somewhat standard release.
Left Hand Brewing Fade to Black Volume 3: Pepper Porter Review
This one takes the top ranking so far for a number of reasons. First, I've grown to love porters. Second,I've always been intrigued by pepper infused beers but often put off at the same time by poor reviews. I've also been stumped by which style of brew would actually compliment the pepper taste best and porter never really came to mind. The burnt flavor of the porter made for a roasty pepper flavor that was not overwhelming but rather smooth, unique, and surprisingly refreshing. I did not want this beer to end. Fortunately i have procured a backup from Weaver for my later enjoyment. This is a beer i would go out of my way for.
Day 6: Avery Ellie's Brown Ale
Ed, Lexi, Liz, and I got together on Friday for a beer release at Rock Bottom followed by beers, cookies, and Home Alone 1 & 2 on Friday night. We went to Rock Bottom to spend $5 we each had on our Mug Club Cards along with a free glass of their 15th Anniversary Ale. Not only was there a free beer, but free carrot cake. They paired together really well. We decided to forgo our free appetizers we had on our cards for our upcoming birthdays (we'll cash those in when they release a barley wine later in the month), and have dinner. I'm glad we did, because at 8.5% and the follow-up beer, a winter wheat, was 8.2%. Those were especially heavy beers, but just the tone of the night it turns out.
In addition to the two beers and Rock Bottom, and eventually Ellie's, Ed brought over a haul for tasting. We also went nuts on Untappd, the facebook of beers. You can find me on there as "batterybrewing". I'm happy to take you on as a friend, just add me. We unlocked the "drink 12 beer in one night" badge, if it says anything about the night. We a Rogue Dad's Little Helper Malt Liquor, Samuel Adams Hallertau Imperial Pilsner (aged 3 years), Dogfish Head Red & White (aged 2 years), Samuel Adams Longshot Mile High Barley Wine, Battery Brewing Leafblower, Battery Brewing Strawberry Kolsch, and a Fat Tire.
Avery Ellie's Brown Ale: Review I loved the label. I love any label with a dog. Ironically enough, Ed's beer tomorrow has a dog on the label too. This beer was so smooth, and my favorite from Ed so far. It was a brown ale, that almost had a sweetness similar to a Milk Stout. I had never had an Avery before, but had heard a lot about them, and this beer will have me aggressively seeking them out. So smooth and so tasty, it even held up to my taste buds after having this more than flavorful and high abv's from Rock Bottom.
So that's the first 6 days. We'll publish the next 6 as we finish them up. Lots to talk about as we got to have a Yards beer tasting while picking up our 6-er of the Pepper Porter and Ed's got a big bottle advent beer coming up this week. Stay tuned!
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