Tis The Season....To Try New Brews

You know what is great about this time year? I am not talking about spending time with friends and family or getting gifts. No, the great thing about this time of year is all of the seasonal beers that come out. Seems nearly every craft brewer has a few specialty brews that they bring out around Christmas. And if you are spending a lot of time around family, "sampling" as many as you can can help you cope.

The gang over at A Blog About Beer put together their list of the Twenty Best Holiday Beers. There are a number of them I have not yet tried (Several are not available in the St. Louis area), but I have to rearrange their top three. I would have to put Odell Isolation Ale in the #1 slot. I would also add Schlafly Coffee Stout. While not a pure holiday beer, it is only available in the Fall and Winter. It is my "go-to" beer so I like to stock up when it comes out.

So what are some of your holiday favorites? Leave a comment and let us know.

Top 5 Favorite Beers Right Now Today

Much like my favorite song, my top five favorite beers are constantly rotating. It all depends on what I am in the mood for, the season, who I am hanging out with, etc. Besides, it is more fun to have an ever evolving list than to be stuck with the same favs, right? So here is where I am at as of today:

5. Racer 5 from Bear Republic – I loves me the IPAs and this one is superior to most. I’ve had it on tap and I have had it from the bottle. It is consistently outstanding with a grapefruity finish. We always have it on hand it home and everyone we have sampled it with goes out and buys a few bottles.

4. Coffee Stout from Schalfly – You have to support your local craft brewers and Schlafly is one of the many in St. Louis. While I do not drink coffee, I seem to love al things coffee flavored and this beer is no exception. In beer industry jargon, this is my most often brand. Whenever I simply want a beer I grab a Coffee Stout.

3. Hoptimistic from Charleville – Yes, another IPA from a regional craft brewer. I have only ever had this on tap but it is nearly the perfect IPA. This right amount of body and bitterness to suit my palette.

2. Biere de Garde by Schlafly – Yes, another Schlafly product. It is a bottle conditioned French farmhouse ale. I like everything about this beer – the smell, the appearance, the taste. It is slightly sweet yet still earthy. I always stock up on it when it is available. A quick checks shows I have eight 750 ml bottles on hand. Which is fine since this one gets better with age (though it rarely has a chance to so).

1. Breakfast Stout from Founders – My wife actually deemed this a “destination beer” because it is not available in St. Louis. Thankfully, you can take a short trip across the river into Illinois and pick some up. As the name implies, you could drink it for breakfast. It is almost like a glass of coffee with some chocolate if your coffee was 8.3% ABV. It has more body than a lot of stouts. While you won’t sit and drink a lot of these at one sitting, you will want to start off with this truly amazing beer.

So those are the current favorites. Who know what Spring will bring. So what are some of your favorite beers right now? Leave a comment and let me know.

O’Fallon Cocoa Cream Stout

I had O'Fallon Cocoa Cream Stout on tap at The Stable. It has a rich dark color and I could immediately smell the chocolate when our server Amy set it down in front of me. I had a distinct cocoa flavor and tasted a bit like coffee. I loved it and I also like Schafly Coffee Stout, which is odd because I do not like coffee itself. Anything flavored like coffee I tend to like. I will say that there was a powdery aftertaste but hey, you just drink quicker than, right? This is definitely a beer worth seeking out and trying. It’s not for everyone but if you like stouts then be sure to order one up.

O'Fallon Cherry Chocolate Ale

I have to say that I found this one surprising. Surprising because I liked it. I am not into fruity or sweet beers and O'Fallon Cherry Chocolate Ale is not overly sweet. It pours a bit cloudy with a slight head. I found it tasted a bit like a chocolate covered cherry but not as sweet. More like a bkers chocolate than a milk chocolate flavor. You wouldn't want to sit down a drink several of these but you might want to have one after dinner. If you see it, I say pick it up, especially if you are at a place where you can make your own six pack. Grab 2. That's all you will need. 5.7% ABV.

Bell's Cherry Stout

Picked this Bell's Cherry Stout Saturday at Lukas Liquor. It's 7.0% ABV and pours with very little head from the bottle to the glass. It has a deep red, almost black color. You can definitely smell the cherry. It is tart, almost sour yet has a sweet aftertaste. It is almost wine-like and since I like bitter, hoppy beers I don't think I will be trying this one again. Kathy says it's tart with a smoky finish. She says she would not likely try it again. Surprising since this is more up her alley but she has been leaning toward the IPAs lately.

I hear that The Corral in Granite City has Founders Breakfast Stout. You can't get it on this side of the river so I trip is in order.

Presidential IPA from Bear Republic

I was introduced to Presidential IPA from Diamond Bear at The Flying Saucer in Little Rock, Arkansas by the wonderful bartender Jessica. IPAs are my favorite. I prefer dark, bitter, and hoppy. It's a solid, typical IPA, but it won't soon appear on my top ten favorites anytime soon. It was a fitting choice after visiting the Clinton Library. It's pretty drinkable and mild. If you are in Little Rock it's a solid choice to been seen drinking. It was enjoyable enough that my wife and Jessica decided that we should have celebrity couple names. She and her husband are Messica and Kat and I are Brat. If you are in Little Rock stop in and say hello. Try the Presidential IPA and then try something else. It's a good beer, not a great beer and you will get the idea after 1.