Beer Thoughts 12-23-12

Hey, guys.  Sadly, I wasn’t able to go to Beer School at House of Rock this month.  However, I brought Beer School to me by getting a make-your-own six-pack at HEB Plus.  Technically, it’s only a five pack, but they’re all beers I’ve never tried before.  This time I went looking for specifically winter and Christmas beers since Christmas is fast approaching. Here are my brief (non-expert) thoughts on them.

(Note:  I didn’t drink these all on one night.  I’m not that much of a lush.) 

Harpoon Winter Warmer - Has a sweet smell. Tastes slightly bitter when it first hits your lips but has a nice cinnamon/spice flavor as it goes down.  (Most winter beers have that spiciness to it to warm you up as you drink it or so the ads claim.)  The bitterness seems to subside as it sits.  Either that or I’m getting more used to it as I go along.

Breckenridge Christmas Ale - It has a tart smell a bit like a fruit.  Much more stronger tasting than the last beer but you can really taste the sweet flavoring.  A little bitter but not overly so.

Jubelale - Doesn’t have a very noticeable smell. Very strong, bitter taste at first, but seems to get less intense with each gulp.  Not as much as I would like though.

Noche Buena - This beer is an imported Christmas beer from Mexico, if the name didn’t give it away.  Definitely a Mexican beer by the smell, very cerveza.  Goes down very smooth and nowhere near as bitter as the last one.  As a side note, I really like the artwork on the bottle. Very appropriate for Christmas.

 

Alaskan Winter - An interesting thing about this beer is that it is brewed with spruce tree tips according to the label.  Has a pleasant smell perhaps because of it.  Smooth to drink but hard to pinpoint the flavor.  But then again, I don’t usually have beers mixed with bits of trees.

Jacob’s Best O’ the Bunch! - I didn’t think it would happen with this bunch but it was a close tie between Noche Buena and Alaskan Winter due to how both were very easy to drink. But it was hard for me to pick out the better beer, so it’s a tie.  I’m a little disappointed with Jubelale because the artwork on the label really sold me on buying it but it was way too bitter for my taste.  Alaskan Brewery, once again with this seasonal,  is quickly becoming one of my favorite breweries as each beer I’ve tried from them has been great.