Silver City Wonderland Winter Lager

I'm gonna sneak in a couple more winter/holiday brews while i still can.  It's warming up around here, so my window is closing.  Because i have amazing friends (Aleena, you're the best!), i got a little stockpile of Washington beers for Christmas that i've been enjoying immensely.  First at bat was the Wonderland Winter Lager from the always dependable Silver City Brewing.  This 7% ABV Vienna-stile lager brewed with 5 different German and domestic malts pours a lovely brown with a minimal white head.  Aromas of malt, spices, and chocolate abound.  The flavor is malty mix of chocolate notes, caramel, dark fruit, molasses, and spice, with just a hint of booze.  What a fantastic winter time brew!

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Ski Jeans

I love when different brewers around the country get together and collaborate.  It generally leads to some pretty unique creations.  Case in point is the fantastically named Ski Jeans, a limited release 7.5% ABV Colorado-style session IPA from the brewers at Austin, Texas's Austin Beerworks and Ft. Collins, Colorado's Odell Brewing.  During the brewing process, the hops are infused with liquid nitrogen, causing them to burst, and then said remnants are used for the beer.  Science!  And aside from some excellent can art, the beer is pretty damn good too.  Pouring a slight hazy gold with a frothy off-white head, the beer smells of citrus, fruit, pine, and florals with just a hint of spice.  The flavor is sweet at first, notes of pineapple, grapefruit, and more citrus hitting the tongue before bittering up a bit on the back end, the notes of pine and malt smoothing things out.  Hops abound.  And considering that 7.5% ABV, the beer is remarkably smooth, perfect for drinking in a lodge on the mountain...or in your living room while your kids watch episodes of "Sesame Street."  I write from experience.

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Family Business King Biscuit ESB

Yesterday, before my Saints lost in spectacular and heart wrenching fashion, my wife and the kids and i ventured into the Central Texas hill country to check out a brand new brewery that just opened this week, Family Business Beer Co.  Out in the hilly, shady ranch land of Dripping Springs, the set up is pretty cool, a big open taproom with some killer woodwork on the walls and ceiling of the bar, and spacious grounds with plenty of picnic tables, games, an on-sight food truck, and an enclosed playground.  With the kids set with slides and rock walls and such, my wife and i sampled the wares.  Everything was good, but my favorite of the day was the King Biscuit ESB, a 5% ABV English style bitter that poured a nice brown hue with a frothy, white head.  Aromas of malt, caramel, and spice were prevalent with some floral hints, and the flavor was a nice mix of sweet and bitter, caramel and toffee notes combined with some subtle earthiness that really rounded the whole thing out.  A great beer for a cool and sunny day around Austin.  Give it a shot.  We want these kinds of things to stay in business.

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Note: That is my child in the orange laying on the ground with a bunch of rocks on stomach.  He's cool.

Eureka Heights Nuke The Whales Bourbon Barrel Imperial Milk Stout

I love how when i visit a city i haven't been to in a little while, in this instance it was Houston, my friends there will somehow take me to a brewery...often times a new one i had no idea existed in the first place.  That's pretty awesome.  What's also pretty awesome is Eureka Heights Brewing, the brewery and taproom my Houston friends hooked me up with last month.  All their offerings were solid, but i did bring one home with me, a bomber of Nuke The Whales Bourbon Barrel Imperial Milk Stout.  Pouring a dark black with a tan head and weighing in at 13% ABV, this is as about a winter brew as i could hope for.  A mix of malt, molasses, coffee, toffee, cream, and booze both on the nose and on the tongue.  It kept me warm over Christmas.  I must get back some day.

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Whitestone Melted Snowman Winter Warmer

Generally speaking, having kids means New Year's Eve is spent at home...on the sofa...often struggling to stay awake before midnight.  And i'm okay with that.  I am perfectly content to sit and watch a movie with my wife, winter brew in hand, fire burning, and then call it a night.  BUT, it's still nice to get out every now and then...sans kids.  Yesterday while my older son was being entertained with some of his aunts and my younger one was napping at home with a grandmother, the wife and i made it out of the house for a couple of hours to ring in the new year at around 4PM.  It was great, the crowds super manageable, football still on the TV, ice and snow not yet on the ground, and the wonderful and delicious Melted Snowman Winter Warmer from Whitestone Brewery in Cedar Park, Texas.  The beer pours a dark brown with subtle hints of amber and a nice, frothy white head.  Aromas of roasted malt, nutmeg, and cinnamon abound, while subtle caramel and coffee notes combine with the aforementioned spices in a smooth, 7.4% ABV brew.  Sweet and roasty, this is one i'm going to want to revisit before the heat returns.  Happy New Year!

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