Weihenstephaner Sampler Pack

In January I purchased a sampler case of Weihenstephaner that included a really cool glass (so tall I had to adjust my shelf spacing).  This purchase was made at Beverage Warehouse and I think it ran me about $15 and it included 5 beers.

Weihenstapher Original… kind of weak and sort of tasted like Bud Light

Weihenstephaner Dark… was all kinds of awesome

Weihenstephaner Kristall Weissbier… was awesome, smelled good and tasted good

Weihenstephaner Hefe Weissbier… awesome! loved it! would drink it often1

Weihenstephaner Korbiaian Doppelbock… I haven’t had the nerve to try it yet as the description frightens me

Beverage Warehouse

Back in December, S’s brother asked us to be on the look-out for Troeg’s Mad Elf because it wasn’t available in his area.  At that point I was still early in my Beer Project and I was only buying odd/funky beers at World Market.  While World Market has a pretty good selection and allow the purchase of singles, they only had Bad Elf and not Mad Elf. 

So I Googled where to find Mad Elf and I was directed to Beverage Warehouse on Mayfield Road.  It looks like a little hole in the wall and like it would probably only sell Coors or Schlitz, but it is my beer Mecca.  They have everything and then some.  They have supplies for making your own brew.  They have all the seasonals.  They have cases of Troegs.  They have all the special promotions like a 12 oz bottle of Mad Elf with a special edition tulip glass.

I love Beverage Warehouse.

Winter Warmers/Holiday Brews

This was the first year that I tried the Christmas Ale from the Great Lakes Brewing Company.  I now regret every Christmas season that has gone before. Christmas Ale was a religious experience for me.  I couldn’t get enough of the stuff. S did not so much care for it. I think she is insane.  Actually, she did not care for any of the Holiday brews. 

Great Lakes Christmas Ale… G_d’s own nectar.

Rogue Santa’s Private Reserve… I really enjoyed it.  Also, the bottle was wicked cool.

Goose Island Christmas Ale… there are people who prefer this to GL Christmas Ale.  I am not one of those people.  However, this did have a very similar taste to GL Christmas Ale and I did enjoy it.  I even bought a 6 pack of it one time when the store was out of the GL Christmas Ale.

Troeg’s Mad Elf… this was an awesome experience.  It was nothing at all like beer, but in a good way.  It warmed my gullet on the way down the way that a liquor does.  The cherry taste was not at all offensive.  It will get you wicked drunk.  That said, I only had one bottle, which I shared several sips with S.  I don’t think I would by a 6 pack (even if I could afford it) but I do plan to have a bottle or glass of this every holiday season from this year forward.

Delerium Noel… again, not at all like beer and in this case it was not a good thing.  It was difficult to get it all down and I didn’t want to waste a drip considering the price.  S hated it. The bottle is cool though.

Anchor Steam Christmas Ale… I was turned on to this Christmas brew by a friend who swears by it.  I enjoyed it, but I just don’t see myself ever having the “must have” feeling about it.

Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale… I am not a Sierra Nevada fan.  As such, I did not care for this beer.  S is a big Sierra Nevada fan and yet she did not like this beer.

Breckenridge Christmas Ale… sadly, I do not remember much about it, but my notes tell me that I liked it and S hated it.

Cabin Fever Brown Ale… this beer has a cool label and tastes awesome.  S even liked it.

Samuel Adams Winter Lager… this beer is delicious.  Really delicious.  Even S liked it.  I wish I could have it all year long.

The Cider House Rules

I’m just making this post for S because she loves herself some cider.

Wyders Dry Peach Cider… she loved it beyond words

Harpoon Cider… she enjoyed it even though it was a bit dry for her

The Beer List

I’ve been keeping a sheet of legal sized paper on our kitchen cork board and everytime we tried a new beer I would write down the name and a short opinion.  It’s gotten a bit messy, so I am going to transfer it to this blog.  Keep in mind that these are beers that purchased without guidance at either World Market or Beverage Warehouse.  Both places allow for buying individual bottles of beer, rather than six packs and cases.

He’Brew Messiah Bold… I grew to love it by the 2nd bottle, S not so much

Brooklyn Lager… we both enjoyed this lager

Rogue American Ale… we bother enjoyed it

Sierra Nevada Pale Ale IPA… S really liked it, me not so much

Mojo Risin’  Double IPA…  we both hated this beer

Flying Dog Tire Bite Ale… we both liked it, but wouldn’t go out of our way to buy it again

Breckenridge Raspberry Ale…  so foul we thought we might die

Hoppy Devil… we we both ‘meh’ about it

Harp Lager… we were both ‘meh’ about it, as it was just like plain old cheap beer

Breckenridge Avalanche… we both thought it tasted like water

Leinenkugel’s Fireside Nut Brown… I thought it was awesome

Great Lakes Nosferatu… we both thought this beer was foul

The Beer Project

There was a time, not too long ago, that I rarely drank at all unless my in-laws were visiting or it was a special holiday.  We didn’t keep beer in the house unless we had company.  When we went out for dinner I would get a soda or coffee, but never beer.  When I did drink, it was always beer and almost always Bud Light.  I thought I was discerning because I rejected Coors and Miller.  If I opted for something fancy I would order a Becks or Killians Red.

But now I am branching out and trying all kinds of beer from all over the world.  I’ve even joined the Winking Lizard Tavern’s 2010 World Tour of Beers.  This blog is all about the beers I have tried and what I thought of them.