Cold Brew

In addition to my Pale Ale, I am enjoying some Sam Adams Winter Lager.  There are a lot of Christmas Ales out there this time of year, and believe me I am sampling as many as I can when out and about.  Great Lakes Christmas Ale was in my glass last night and was delicious.  This beer shares many of the characteristics with the holiday beers:   nice spice, deep rich color, and a little more alcohol kick.  Being a lager, this beer is lighter in mouthfeel and seems less malty to me.  The winter lager is also more effervescent.  I enjoy it and is providing a nice change of pace to the festive ales so pervasive at the bar and store.








One of my favorites and a new (for me) Sam Adams are in the beer fridge this week.  Raging Bitch is one of my all time favorites.  A combination of 2 of my favorite kinds of beer, pale and Belgian, this beer hits the spot.  Not to be enjoyed in large quantities, this is a fine sipping beer on dreary day - which is the norm in my neck of the woods lately.  I am anxious to try the Sam Adams Latitude 48 IPA.  This is a new one for me and I will post my impressions later. 

Update:  The Latitude 48 IPA is a nice beer as expected from Sam Adams.  Full hop flavor is on display here.  It does not have that strong bite you get from other Pales (which I love by the way), but it is a very full hop flavor spectrum. The malt balances out the hops nicely - very drinkable beer, not a just a sippin' IPA.

Cold Blue Moon begging to be un capped!

Enjoying Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale at the moment.  Fairly well balanced ale with nice spicing.  Nice beer for the  buck, but not the finest example of Pumpkin I have ever had.  It does not live up to the original Moon which I consider a pretty good beer for a high volume product.  It is hard to beat the original on a hot day with a slice of orange.


UPDATE:  Went out to dinner this evening and sampled the Thirsty Dog  Pumpkin Ale. Bigger, fresher flavor with a fuller feel as well.  Maybe just the freshness of this beer, but it has more "pop" to me than the Blue Moon - the flavor was bolder and more defined than the Blue Moon.  The spices hit first with the distinct flavor the pumpkin adds following.