Warming up to Ebenezer

May the seasonal beer tasting continue with Bridgeport's Ebenezer Ale! I found this beer to be aptly named, with it having much in common with Dicken's famous character Ebenezer Scrooge. At first sip, I was taken aback - offended almost by strong malty flavor that was a tad harsh. But just like the story's Scrooge I warmed up to it as time passed.

This is a very malty beer with a distinct caramel flavor and just enough hops to keep it from getting too sweet. I tried it for the first time in a pint glass, but would recommend a goblet or something similar that is easy to hold on to and warm up the beer. It will stand up to most traditional holiday family meals which gets a thumbs up from me. While not my favorite, not a bad beer either and if available, is definitely drinkable.

First Up, Frambozen

Do you ever have a beer that you look forward to all year? That when you see it in your local store you stand there dumbfounded with a big goofy grin like you found your long lost friend? My old friend in holiday beers is New Belgium's Frambozen.

This raspberry brown ale pours a deep ruby color and provides the lucky drinker with a delicious experience. The flavor of the raspberries balances perfectly with the rich malty brown ale. The beer is not over-the-top sweet or sour like some raspberry beers (especially lambics), but rather provides a highly addictive full flavor that allows you to enjoy more than one in a session. The other great part is that they use real raspberries from the northwest, not a manufactured syrup or artificial flavor.

As many of you know I also have a fine appreciation for all baked goods. That is probably why I love this beer so much, it is a perfect partner for a good ole fashioned chocolate brownie but also pairs well with flan and fresh berries.

Cheers to the season of new Beers!

I will be the first to admit this is a tad over the top. I stopped by my favorite Total Wine & More tonight and went a little crazy picking up holiday and winter seasonal beers. What can I say, some indulge in chocolate, cookies and other items each holiday season and even though I do enjoy my chocolate and cookies, beer is really my favorite indulgence each holiday season. The anticipation of trying a limited edition set of beers is awesome....knowing that some will rock my world and others will be hard to choke down. So, I must officially mark the beginning of the holiday season with this shopping trip and what is sure to be a lot of blogging as I work my way through the collection I amassed tonight.

Belgian fun with St Bernardus

Who knew that my day was going to take a fabulous turn when I poured a bottle of St. Bernardus Abt 12? I knew it was going to be good, I had no idea it was going to blow me away! This is hands down one of the best beers that I have had the pleasure of consuming to date. The brewery has past connections with the Trappists and sits in Watou, West Flanders in Belgium. No, I didn't know that off the top of my head but pulled it from one of my new favorite books, Michael Jackson's Great Beers of Belgium 6th Edition.

Ok, so what makes this so good is that the beer is huge but disguises how strong it is amazingly! 10% ABV in a 11.2 fl oz bottle. You don't really notice the alcohol until you hit the warm finish of the beer, as you have a virtual cornucopia of flavors you experience first. So far I have picked up raisin, vanilla, dark fruit, brown sugar in a syrupy way, a little phenolic and am sure I will get something different and more complex with each sip. For a beer of this style that is this big it drinks impossibly light bodied while remaining it's complexity with many different flavors that play shockingly well together.