# Favorite Winter Brew



## HD333 (Dec 9, 2009)

What is everyones favorite winter Brew so far this year?

I'll start.


----------



## ta&idaho (Dec 9, 2009)

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale.


----------



## drjeff (Dec 9, 2009)

My personal favorite year in and year out







Although many years I do enjoy the special winter brew that magic hat puts in their winter variety packs (yet to try this years offering though)


----------



## Sky (Dec 9, 2009)

ta&idaho said:


> Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale.



+1

I haven't seen it yet this year...although I have not hunted for it either.

One of those a day does the trick for me.


----------



## WJenness (Dec 9, 2009)

drjeff said:


> My personal favorite year in and year out
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Winter Warmer is quite simply... awesome...

-w


----------



## drjeff (Dec 9, 2009)

WJenness said:


> Winter Warmer is quite simply... awesome...
> 
> -w



If I had one in the house right now, I'd drink to that! :beer:  And in my book, that alone is all the excuse that I need to stop by my local packie on the way home from the office and buy my 1st 12 pack of Harpoon Winter Warmer of the season


----------



## redalienx11 (Dec 10, 2009)

i like Troegs Mad Elf myself.

(but not as much as Alaskan Winter ale...)


----------



## frozencorn (Dec 10, 2009)

Sky said:


> +1
> 
> I haven't seen it yet this year...although I have not hunted for it either.
> 
> One of those a day does the trick for me.



+2 Had it Friday night before the Phish show in NY. Good Lord what a great beer. My favorite winter ale by far, but instantly creeps into the top any-season beers for me.


----------



## Riverskier (Dec 10, 2009)

Shipyard Prelude Ale

Honorable mentions: Sierra Nevada Celebration and Gritty's Christmas


----------



## RootDKJ (Dec 10, 2009)

I actually haven't been drinking much lately.  Has some Sam Adams Winter Lager a few weeks ago, that always goes down well.


----------



## Grassi21 (Dec 10, 2009)

Saranac Black Forest or Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout


----------



## wa-loaf (Dec 10, 2009)

Guiness


----------



## WJenness (Dec 10, 2009)

Riverskier said:


> Shipyard Prelude Ale
> 
> Honorable mentions: Sierra Nevada Celebration and Gritty's Christmas



I also enjoy Prelude... Will probably have a few this weekend while up skiing SR.

-w


----------



## BackLoafRiver (Dec 12, 2009)

Big fan of the Sierra Nevada Celebration.  Recently I have had their Anniversary ale which I thought was tasty as hell.  

Houblon Chouffe is also pretty great.


----------



## severine (Dec 12, 2009)

Had Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome last night and I thought it was pretty good. Very drinkable.


----------



## jaywbigred (Dec 13, 2009)

Last night I had a Stille Nacht from De Dolle Brouwers. Delicious!! I like most belgian offerings, though. IMO, they do it best. 

Fun label too:


----------



## Johnskiismore (Dec 14, 2009)

Fosters Oil Cans!

:beer:


----------



## severine (Dec 14, 2009)

NOT fond of Full Moon. There's something too...sweet?...about it. Too bad I have 5 more of them in the fridge.


----------



## Johnskiismore (Dec 14, 2009)

severine said:


> NOT fond of Full Moon. There's something too...sweet?...about it. Too bad I have 5 more of them in the fridge.



If you need help I will sacrifice them to the beer gods


----------



## severine (Dec 14, 2009)

Johnskiismore said:


> If you need help I will sacrifice them to the beer gods


Only if you'll exchange them for something good!


----------



## deadheadskier (Dec 14, 2009)

Grassi21 said:


> Saranac Black Forest or Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout



this.



wa-loaf said:


> Guiness




and this.  

Never been a fan of fruity, nutmegy flavored beers, which many winter brews seem to consist of.  I like beer flavored beer


----------



## Johnskiismore (Dec 14, 2009)

severine said:


> Only if you'll exchange them for something good!



Tuckerman 6288 Stout.... not a winter brew, but damn good!


----------



## severine (Dec 14, 2009)

Johnskiismore said:


> Tuckerman 6288 Stout.... not a winter brew, but damn good!



Works for me! Though you're near one of my favorite breweries...Woodstock Station.


----------



## jaywbigred (Dec 14, 2009)

Went looking to get more Stille Nacht, but the best beer places near me either didn't carry it, or had to order. Could be a few weeks...grrrr...I finally find a winter brew I like, and its immediately out of stock...

I tend not to like the over-spiced American micro and semi-micro offerings, though there are worse beers out there.


----------



## Mike P. (Dec 14, 2009)

In the winter a decent Porter is always nice.  The Tuckerman 6288 Stout & Saranac Black & Tan are nice too.  I haven't had the Harpoon Seasonal, I'll have to keep an eye out for it as I like their offerings also.....


----------



## drjeff (Dec 14, 2009)

Mike P. said:


> In the winter a decent Porter is always nice.  The Tuckerman 6288 Stout & Saranac Black & Tan are nice too.  I haven't had the Harpoon Seasonal, I'll have to keep an eye out for it as I like their offerings also.....



Harpoon winter warmer is quite worthy! Especially if you enjoy gingerbread


----------



## drjeff (Dec 14, 2009)

Tried Magic Hat's 2009/10 winter offering over the weekend, their Howl Black Lager






Solid offering and a bit different than their previous winter seasonal offerings of the last few years which to my palate had a sweet finish prior to the final hoppiness. This year's offering has a distinct smoky finish to go with a moderately hoppy finish.  Goes down smooth, another good winter offering from Magic hat (much better IMHO than their perenial Roxy Rolles! )


----------



## Johnskiismore (Dec 14, 2009)

severine said:


> Works for me! Though you're near one of my favorite breweries...Woodstock Station.



Yum, I like almost all of their brews.  Haven't had this winter brew yet, I think a plan has been set for tomorrow evening!


----------



## ZYDECORICH (Dec 15, 2009)

redalienx11 said:


> i like Troegs Mad Elf myself.
> 
> (but not as much as Alaskan Winter ale...)



+1
All their products are excellent...having a Hopback right now... like the pale ale too.. haven't heard much from the Northern New England crowd about these brews.... do their products get up there? Probably the best brewery I've come across in quite awhile.


----------



## jaywbigred (Dec 15, 2009)

ZYDECORICH said:


> +1
> All their products are excellent...having a Hopback right now... like the pale ale too.. haven't heard much from the Northern New England crowd about these brews.... do their products get up there? Probably the best brewery I've come across in quite awhile.



Troegs is a great brewery, right up there with my other favorites Victory, Ommegang, Ithaca Brewing Co., and Southern Tier. Hopback is delicious and the Pale Ale is good too. I wasn't in love with their summer brew, Sunshine Pils, but I will have to give the Mad Elf a shot. 

I have to be honest, over the past 2 or 3 years, I've been largely disappointed with the Vermont breweries: Magic Hat, Long Trail, Otter Creek, Rock Art, Trout River...have all underwhelmed me despite giving them repeated shots. I'll even put Harpoon in this group, to a lesser extent (I know there from MA).

My fave New England beers have been coming from Allagash, BBC, and Cisco. Shipyard, too, to a less extent (I like to drink their regular old Export, imo a simple, tasty brew, as an alternative to AMC beers)


----------



## jaywbigred (Dec 18, 2009)

Ok, I picked up some Mad Elf for this weekend. V. intrigued to give it a shot!


----------



## redalienx11 (Dec 19, 2009)

yes, troegs is a great brewery. the brothers are a riot and give a great brewtour as well. hopback is one of my favorites, and the souped-up version of hopback, nugget nectar, is also wonderful.

im not sure i could drink alot of mad elf. not quite syrupy but pretty sweet. a pint every once in a while is extremely enjoyable to me.


----------



## ZYDECORICH (Dec 19, 2009)

redalienx11 said:


> yes, troegs is a great brewery. the brothers are a riot and give a great brewtour as well. hopback is one of my favorites, and the souped-up version of hopback, nugget nectar, is also wonderful.
> 
> im not sure i could drink alot of mad elf. not quite syrupy but pretty sweet. a pint every once in a while is extremely enjoyable to me.



that nugget nectar is the only one i haven't tried i saw it once in the cooler at my beer place and the next day it was gone. the owner says it goes fast.


----------



## Grassi21 (Dec 19, 2009)

drjeff said:


> Tried Magic Hat's 2009/10 winter offering over the weekend, their Howl Black Lager
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I tried this winter brew a few weeks ago.  Unfortuneyl I was already tuned up and can't remember the taste.  I do agree that Roxy Rolles leave something to be desired.


----------



## RootDKJ (Dec 19, 2009)

I picked up two bottles of Trader Joe's Vintage Ale.  One to have at Christmas with my brother...one to save for next winter.


----------



## jaywbigred (Dec 22, 2009)

Had the Mad Elf this weekend. It was good but not great. I agree that it was somewhat syrupy and a touch sweet. Like a lot of higher alcohol content beers, it got a little better as it warmed up.

If anyone is looking for a fun, new, digestif to have with or after dinner (esp. a savory or salty meal), I recently was introduced to a Scandinavian liquor called Akvavit. Its basically a vodka that tastes like rye bread, and its very drinkable, 80 proof. Serve it as a half shot, straight from the freezer.


----------



## frozencorn (Dec 22, 2009)

Grassi21 said:


> I tried this winter brew a few weeks ago.  Unfortuneyl I was already tuned up and can't remember the taste.  I do agree that Roxy Rolles leave something to be desired.



Speaking ill of Roxy? Aghast! 

I will admit though, I am less of a fan since they changed the recipe. It's a lot less hoppy now, more malty.


----------



## mattchuck2 (Dec 23, 2009)

Definitely agree with the Magic Hat Howl . . . I got it once, and now it's my go to winter beer:


----------



## faceplant (Dec 23, 2009)

severine said:


> Had Samuel Smith's Winter Welcome last night and I thought it was pretty good. Very drinkable.


 after you mentioned winter welcome a couple weeks back I tracked down a 4 pk
good stuff, nice taste
i like thename to...apropriate


----------



## severine (Dec 30, 2009)

faceplant said:


> after you mentioned winter welcome a couple weeks back I tracked down a 4 pk
> good stuff, nice taste
> i like thename to...apropriate


Definitely liking it! Found out that the packy where I got the pint individual bottle has 4-packs so I picked one up tonight. The guy at the checkout massively approved, telling me that when they first got it in, he was bringing home cases on weekends. He said they will definitely continue carrying it.  Which is good because they stopped carrying the few offerings they had from Woodstock Station, one of my favorite small breweries.


----------



## severine (Dec 30, 2009)

RootDKJ said:


> I picked up two bottles of Trader Joe's Vintage Ale.  One to have at Christmas with my brother...one to save for next winter.



Intriguing... I wonder if ours has it. Weird CT laws prevent them from having wine in the CT shops so no 2-buck-Chuck here. But they do have beer now (recent development in the last year) so I'll have to check that out when I'm there tomorrow....


----------



## SKIQUATTRO (Jan 4, 2010)

Guiness
Sammy Winter

I try to stay away from the crazier beers as I get bad migranes....i know what works and dont risk the pain.


----------



## frozencorn (Jan 8, 2010)

RootDKJ said:


> I picked up two bottles of Trader Joe's Vintage Ale.  One to have at Christmas with my brother...one to save for next winter.



Broke one of these out last night. Wasn't all that impressed. I'll let the other one I have age and give it a go next year.


----------



## happyjack (Jan 8, 2010)

you guys in n.e. have a much better shot of finding this than i do...i first found it on a business trip to burlington (on tap at american flatbread).  i dream about this stuff...






but i scored some last weekend at brickskeller in d.c.


----------



## tarponhead (Jan 8, 2010)

uniebroue is brewed up in eastern cannuck land. Should be pretty easy to find at most large beeratoriums. Awesome stuff. They don't make a bad beer. I love belgians......:beer:


----------



## frozencorn (Jan 8, 2010)

happyjack said:


> you guys in n.e. have a much better shot of finding this than i do...i first found it on a business trip to burlington (on tap at american flatbread).  i dream about this stuff...
> 
> 
> 
> ...



That's actually what the Trader Joes is, a Unibroue Black Ale on Lees. Except the TJs one was 9%


----------



## jaywbigred (Jan 8, 2010)

happyjack said:


> you guys in n.e. have a much better shot of finding this than i do...i first found it on a business trip to burlington (on tap at american flatbread).  i dream about this stuff...
> 
> 
> 
> ...



WOOT Brickskeller!!! 21st Birthday locale!!! Back in 2001, good beer was a little harder to come by, I loved that place! Had a Delerium Tremens there and it opened a whole new world to me...


----------



## happyjack (Jan 8, 2010)

yeah, brickskeller is still pretty cool.  i hadn't been there in years and was thrill to find terrible on their list.  i've not been able to find it anywhere around me...*sigh*



frozencorn said:


> That's actually what the Trader Joes is, a Unibroue Black Ale on Lees. Except the TJs one was 9%



ha! i just noticed the font on the label is the same.

too bad trader joe's (or any grocery store for that matter) can't sell alcohol here in maryland...*sigh*


----------



## tarponhead (Jan 10, 2010)

jaywbigred said:


> I loved that place! Had a Delerium Tremens there and it opened a whole new world to me...



yes, and a second bottle will close your world for you too :lol:


----------



## skidmarks (Jan 13, 2010)

McNeill’s Firehouse Amber Ale a Brattleboro VT Brew would be my choice.
I stop at the Gulf Station off Exit 2 I91 on my way north to visit friends at Sugarbush or on my way south going back home to the hell hole we know as CT. It is a verry tasty brew. I also like their McNeill’s Dead Horse IPA.


----------



## ctenidae (Jan 14, 2010)

Just brought home 10 bottles of various Belgians (reward for getting a gas heater to work without A) calling a service person and 2) Blowing myself up). I love teh BElgians.

Unibroue = all purpose beer- if there's one avaialble, I'll drink it. 

Trader Joes in CT does not have the vintage ale. Guy said the closest store that woul have it is in Queens.


----------



## severine (Jan 14, 2010)

ctenidae said:


> Trader Joes in CT does not have the vintage ale. Guy said the closest store that woul have it is in Queens.


Glad I didn't make a special trip for that then!


----------



## happyjack (Jan 14, 2010)

ctenidae said:


> Unibroue = all purpose beer- if there's one avaialble, I'll drink it.



hmmm, all purpose?  ...are you talking specifically about terrible?

admittedly, i'm much better versed in english style ales than belgians, but terrible is just about the yummiest thing i've ever tasted that came out of a bottle.  so if you're saying it's sort of run-of-the-mill for a belgian, then i'm really interested to hear some recs for an above average belgian.


----------



## ctenidae (Jan 14, 2010)

happyjack said:


> hmmm, all purpose?  ...are you talking specifically about terrible?
> 
> admittedly, i'm much better versed in english style ales than belgians, but terrible is just about the yummiest thing i've ever tasted that came out of a bottle.  so if you're saying it's sort of run-of-the-mill for a belgian, then i'm really interested to hear some recs for an above average belgian.



Not at all average- Unibroues are overall fantastic. I'm saying they're all pupose, because I will always drink one if it's available. Except maybe for Ephemere. Not so much a fan of that one.

Ommegang also does a very nice job with their Belgians (and everything else, really).

So far, from my stash, I've had a La Rulles Tripel, which I liked quite a bit. Beer Advocate gave it a B+, I thougth it was highly drinkable, nice malty sweetness with just enough hops to keep it light. Also got a La Divine, which I've had before and liked a lot.

Chimay and Leffe are both totally solid, though Chimay is becoming more mass-produced and widly available- haven't noticed any change in quality. 


Beer Advocates top 20 most reviewed Belgians are HERE.


----------



## ZYDECORICH (Jan 30, 2010)

Don't know if you guys up north can get this but Troegs Brewery has just released it's NUGGET NECTAR for 2010... quite possibly the best beer all around beer i have had. 7.5 %alc. great hoppy taste but smooth... just delicious. they only make so much so ask your  local beer dude.


----------



## KevinB (Jan 31, 2010)

I've been laying off the sauce for the most part, but for value I always like the Saranac samplers their winter pack has a nice mix. Last weekend I pick up some Stone bastard and Leviation, I've heard about their beer for awhile, they finally came to CT a couple of months ago, good stuff, little too pricey though. Think I will stick to Berkshire Jugs and other local favs.


----------



## SKIQUATTRO (Jan 31, 2010)

Guiness
Sammy Winter Lager
Long Trail Ale
Harp (on tap only)


----------



## frozencorn (Feb 1, 2010)

ZYDECORICH said:


> Don't know if you guys up north can get this but Troegs Brewery has just released it's NUGGET NECTAR for 2010... quite possibly the best beer all around beer i have had. 7.5 %alc. great hoppy taste but smooth... just delicious. they only make so much so ask your  local beer dude.



Interesting. Will have to check that out. I like a lot of Troeg's stuff, but had the Java Head last night and it left me a little disappointed. Pretty tame for a coffee stout.


----------



## ZYDECORICH (Feb 2, 2010)

frozencorn said:


> Interesting. Will have to check that out. I like a lot of Troeg's stuff, but had the Java Head last night and it left me a little disappointed. Pretty tame for a coffee stout.



i haven't tried that one but will check it out...see if i can get my brother to buy it for the superbowl.


----------



## jaywbigred (Feb 4, 2010)

ZYDECORICH said:


> Don't know if you guys up north can get this but Troegs Brewery has just released it's NUGGET NECTAR for 2010... quite possibly the best beer all around beer i have had. 7.5 %alc. great hoppy taste but smooth... just delicious. they only make so much so ask your  local beer dude.



Troegs is one of those breweries were I seem to like every single beer they put out. Will have to hunt some down.


----------



## ZYDECORICH (Feb 4, 2010)

jaywbigred said:


> Troegs is one of those breweries were I seem to like every single beer they put out. Will have to hunt some down.



Yeah, they have some good stuff. track that nugget nectar down fast all the places by me said they would only get in 4 cases each. made sure i got a case... a little pricey $12 but nice to mix in with all the other types i buy.


----------



## ctenidae (Feb 5, 2010)

My wife, being the mostest awesomest person ever, just brought me a case of Trader Joe's 2009 vintage ale on lees. Hells, yes.


----------

