Sound Ursus Speleus

Back in September, a good friend came to visit and brought me some beer from Washington from the gone but not forgotten Sound Brewing.  And on Christmas i finally enjoyed the Ursus Speleus, a 10% Belgian strong dark ale brewed with coffee.  The beer pours a dark black with a tannish head and smells of malts, chocolate, coffee, and notes of fruit and spice.  The flavor is full of those same chocolate and coffee notes with splashes of dark fruit and Belgian yeast to keep it balanced.  Sound, we will miss you.

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Jester King Moderne Dansk

Over halfway through January, and i'm finally getting around to writing about my Christmas beers.  All year long, i pick up bottles to store and save and age for use over my holiday, and here i am.  Moderne Dansk from Jester King is a 7.1% ABV wild ale aged in aged in Danish cherry wine barrels and refermented with Danish Stvensbaer cherry juice.  I picked one of these up over Father's Day weekend and had been waiting anxiously for it ever since.  Pouring a deep reddish hue with a pink head, the beer smells of cherries (naturally) and some subtle hints of oak.  The flavor is a tart, but not too tart, mix of cherry and oak with a slight hint of alcohol, a wonderful meal accompaniment.

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Cigar City Margarita Gose

This is probably more of a beer for the spring or summer, but when something new from Cigar City pops up in your berg, you try it out, regardless of season.  And so we have the Margarita Gose.  Pouring a wheaty gold with a frothy white head, the 4.5% ABV beer smells of tart lemon and lime.  The flavor is a mix of said lemon and lime, salt, and a slightly sour punch.  And it's ridiculously easy to drink too.  Bring on the spring.

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Anthem Uroboros Stout

A couple of days after Christmas, i drove up to Oklahoma City to visit my sister and her family.  I will never cease to amazed that you can find damn good craft beer in Oklahoma.  During my visit, i had the Uroboros Stout from Anthem Brewing.  Pouring black with a tan head, the 8.5% ABV brew smells of malt, sugar, chocolate, and maybe a hint of pepper.  The flavor is biting and just slightly bitter, the chocolate and sugar notes keeping things level along with a hint of oak and spice.  Great, great stuff.  Good on you Oklahoma.

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