The Twelfth Beer of Christmas 2019 - Cabotella

The brewery is only 30 minutes from Cabo San Lucas and Sammy Hagar's Cabo Wabo Cantina. Next time you're on the beach, wheather you're in Meixco or not, grab a Cabotella instead of the margarita. But if you see Sammy, you might want to go for the margarita instead.

Summary

• Appearance: Crystal clear gold with a thin head
• Aroma: Light orange aroma with vanilla and bread dough
• Taste: A bit sweet with a touch of orange and a little biscuit.
• Feel: Mildly acidic with a dry finish. Crisp with lots of carbonation

Stats

• Brewer: Baja Brewing Company
• Location: San Jose del Cabo, Mexico
• Website: https://www.bajabrewingcompany.com/
• Style: American Blonde Ale
• Alcohol Content: 5.5%

The Eleventh Beer of Christmas 2019 - Xingu

Xingu (pronounced shin-goo) is a 20th century beer based upon a recipe from 1557. That original recipe called for corn and yuca to be used in the beer.

Summary

• Appearance: Deep chestnut brown
• Aroma: Chocolate and licorice
• Taste: Less extreme than the dark color would make you think. Chocolate and licorice in the flavor, too, along with mild coffee and grass. A bit earthy and a bit sweet.
• Feel: Creamy like cream soda

Stats

• Brewer: Cervejaria Kaiser
• Location: Jacarei, Brazil
• Website: http://www.xingubeer.com/
• Style: Schwarzbier
• Alcohol Content: 4.7%

The Fourth Beer of Christmas 2019 - Russian Imperial Stout

From Russia with love, Baltika Breweries' Russian Imperial Stout sets a high bar for other Russian imperial stouts to follow. This is simply amazing.

Summary

• Appearance: Opaque black/brown with a nice head of tan bubbles that leave a lot of lacing
• Aroma: Unsweetened chocolate, dark fruit, charred coffee
• Taste: Dark roasted toffee, bittersweet chocolate, dark coffee, star anise, dates, cabernet sauvignon
• Feel: A touch short of really heavy, nice carbonation, dry finish, robust & complex

Stats

• Brewer: Baltika Breweries
• Location: St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
• Website: https://corporate.baltika.ru/
• Style: Russian Imperial Stout
• Alcohol Content: 10.0%

Adiós Pantalones - Rahr & Sons Brewing

The Fourth Beer of Christmas 2018 is Adiós Pantalones from Rahr & Sons Brewing in Fort Worth, Texas.

Summary

• Appearance: Straw color with a light haze
• Aroma: Lime and effervescence 
• Taste: Lightly sweet, with lemon & lime, almost like sprite
• Feel: Light, wet, refreshing

Stats

• Brewer: Rahr & Sons Brewing Company
• Location: Fort Worth, Texas
• Website: https://rahrbrewing.com/
• Fruit: Lemon & Lime 
• Style: American Pale Wheat
• Alcohol Content: 5.5%

Tangerine Express IPA - Stone Brewing

The Third Beer of Christmas 2018 is Tangerine Express IPA from Stone Brewing in Escondido, California.

Summary

• Appearance: Coppery yellow with a big head of white bubbles
• Aroma: Citrus, hops, and tangerine
• Taste: An assertive IPA with clementine rind
• Feel: Medium body, medium carbonation

Stats

• Brewer: Stone Brewing
• Location: Escondido, California
• Website: https://www.stonebrewing.com/
• Fruit: Tangerine
• Style: India Pale Ale
• Alcohol Content: 6.7%

Raspberry AF - Saint Arnold Brewing

The Second Beer of Christmas 2018 is Raspberry AF from Saint Arnold Brewing.

Summary

• Appearance: Cherry 7-Up color with light pink foam, a little hazy
• Aroma: Lightly sour, fruity
• Taste: Tart, a touch of acid, raspberries
• Feel: Light body, crisp carbonation, refreshing

Stats

• Brewer: Saint Arnold Brewing
• Location:  Houston, Texas
• Website: https://www.saintarnold.com/
• Fruit: Raspberry
• Style: Berliner Weisse
• Alcohol Content: 3.6%

Blueberry Hefeweizen - Wasatch Brewery

The First Beer of Christmas 2018 is Blueberry Hefeweizen from Wasatch Brewery.

Summary

• Appearance: lightly hazy, gold with a little green in the light
• Aroma: blueberries, sweet malt, honey, banana
• Flavor: Sweet, a little pepper and bananas, definitely blueberries
• Feel: Moderate carbonation, medium body to start and a little thin at the finish.

Stats

• Brewer: Wasatch Brewery
• Location: Park City, Utah
• Website: http://www.wasatchbeers.com/
• Fruit: Blueberry
• Style: Hefeweizen
• Alcohol Content: 4.0%

Plains Amber - Plains Brew Company

The Twelfth Beer of Christmas 2017 is Plains Amber from the Plains Brew Company in Lubbock, Texas.

Summary

• Appearance: Ruddy amber,
• Aroma: Malty sweet
• Taste: Sweet malt, light roasting, light hops.
• Feel: Light to medium body. Clean, crisp finish. Thrist quenching.

Stats

• Brewer: Plains Brew Company
• Location: Lubbock, Texas
• Website: http://theplainsbrew.com/
• Style: Amber Ale

Texas Ale Project - Somethin' Shady

The Eleventh Beer of Christmas 2017 is Somethin' Shady from the Texas Ale Project in Dallas, Texas.

Summary

• Appearance: Deep brown, ruby around the edges. Creamy cap of foam.
• Aroma: Malty sweet with dark roasted coffee and chocolate.
• Taste: Dark roasted malt & coffee. A touch of chocolate. Not much hop bitterness. More coffee bitter than hop.
• Feel: Medium body. Smooth finish.

Stats

• Brewer: Texas Ale Project
• Location: Dallas, Texas
• Website: http://texasaleproject.com/
• Style: Porter
• Alcohol Content: 5.5% ABV

Rahr & Sons - Winter Warmer

The Seventh Beer of Christmas 2017 is Winter Warmer from Rahr & Sons Brewing in Fort Worth, Texas.

Summary
Spiced just right with an extra dash of alcohol, perfect for warming you up on the inside.

• Appearance: Dark brown, burgundy around the edges.
• Aroma: Malty sweet, cinnamon, cherry pie
• Taste: Malty sweet, chocolate and toasted grain, cinnamon, raisins, crasins, & prunes, and warm gingersnap cookies. Finishes with spice and a warming boozy kick.
• Feel: Medium body, dry finish.

Stats

• Brewer: Rahr & Sons Brewing
• Location: Fort Worth, Texas
• Website: https://rahrbrewing.com/
• Style: Winter Warmer
• Alcohol Content: 8.0% ABV

Lakewood Brewing - Sin Mint Temptress

The Sixth Beer of Christmas 2017 is Sin Mint Temptress from Lakewood Brewing in Garland, Texas.

Summary
If it looks like a cookie, smells like a cookie, and tastes like a cookie, it's got to be a pretty tasty beer!

• Appearance: Nearly opaque black. Beige head of fine bubbles.
• Aroma: Smells like a Thin Mint along with some alcohol esters and toasted grains.
• Taste: Up front, sweet dark chocolate and that 9% alcohol. Finishes with a strong Thin Mint flavor.
• Feel: Medium to heavy body. Not ask silky smooth as their regular Temptress. I think the mint flavor breaks the silkiness.

Stats

• Brewer: Lakewood Brewing
• Location: Garland, Texas
• Website: http://lakewoodbrewing.com/
• Style: Imperial Milk Stout
• Alcohol Content: 9.1% ABV

Left Hand Brewing - Wake Up Dead Nitro

The Twelfth Beer of Christmas for 2016 is Left Hand Brewing's Wake Up Dead Nitro:

Summary
Cocoa, caramel, and licorice ... on nitro. A great combination.

Stats
Brewer: Left Hand Brewing
Location: Longmont, Colorado
Website: http://LeftHandBrewing.com/
Style: Russian Imperial Stout
Alcohol Content: 10.20% ABV

Oskar Blues - Death by Coconut

The Eleventh Beer of Christmas for 2016 is Oskar Blues Death by Coconut:

Summary
A suprisingly delicious combination of two of my favorite things: porters and Almond Joys.

Stats
Brewer: Oskar Blues
Location: Longmont, Colorado
Website: https://www.OskarBlues.com/
Style: Porter
Alcohol Content: 6.50% ABV

Uinta Brewing - 23rd Anniversary Birthday Suit

The Sixth Beer of Christmas for 2016 is Uinta Brewing 23rd Anniversary Birthday Suit:

Summary
A soft, sour raspberry ale with a champagne-like finish. Those who are new to sours will like this. There's just a little bit of pucker and a whole lot of flavor.

Stats
Brewer: Uinta Brewing
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Website: http://www.UintaBrewing.com/
Style: Sour Ale
Alcohol Content: 6.50% ABV

Kona Brewing Co. - Big Wave Golden Ale

For the Twelfth Beer of Christmas, I dreamed of warm, sunshiny days far away from the snow in my yard.

Kona Brewing
Big Wave

This year my snow shovel learned its true purpose. It's a week after the snowfall and there's still snow everywhere. This in a city that's usually clear of snow in a day or two. What better way to get my mind off the snow than to drink a cold beer from a warm locale?

Golden certainly describes this one as it creates a glass of transparent gold with a head of solid white foam. Moderate lacing lines the glass as the head fritters away to almost nothing after just a few drinks.

The aroma is lightly sweet with a strong peach component. Other scents that come to mind are lime and toast on the lowest setting of my toaster.

With a light to medium body, Big Wave starts out lightly sweet and finishes with a distinct wash of lime. Have you ever had a sour lime at Sonic? That's lime and carbonated water. It's kind of like that. It leaves your mouth clean and ready for the next drink. At 4.4% ABV, this is a dangerous combination. You could accidentally drink 6 or 8 after mowing the yard on a hot Saturday afternoon. But hey, you earned those 6 or 8, right? Of course you did. Enjoy!

Light, clean, and refreshing. This is another that any beer drinker will enjoy.

Stats
Brewer: Kona Brewing Company
Location: Kailua Kona, Hawaii
Website: http://www.KonaBrewingCo.com/
Style: American Blonde Ale
Alcohol Content: 4.40% ABV
Interesting Note: I have two interesting notes for this. First, about the brewery, you may be thinking as I did, "Isn't it expensive to ship beer from Hawaii to the mainland?" Yes, yes it is. Consequently Kona joined the Craft Brew Alliance along with founders Redhook and Widmer Brothers to expand their brewing footprint and share other resources. So that Kona you're drinking, while designed in Hawaii, probably came from Portland.

Second, I was introduced by my friend Wyatt who had it while on one of his trips to Hawaii. Wyatt is also a homebrewer and liked it so much that he decided to try to brew his own. As many homebrewers are wont to do, he tinkered with the clone recipe until he came up with a bigger & bolder Big Wave. He named it Tsunami. While still clean, crisp and citrusy refreshing, it is medium bodied and clocks in around 7% ABV. Yes, also dangerous after mowing the lawn Or watching TV.

Wyatt brewing his Tsunami

Lagunitas Brewing Co. - A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale

For the Eleventh Beer of Christmas, I opened a big ol' beer.

Lagunitas Brewing Co.
A Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale

Lagunitas rolls out hit after hit. I've never tried this one before but it's definitely up to spec with the rest of the line up.

This one needs an over-sized glass. The medium gold beer quickly foams up a large, soft-white head that leaves outrageous lacing. Check out the picture at the bottom.  Here's why: wheat has higher protein levels which contribute to foam stability. That means better, longer-lasting head on the beer and it gives the beer a fuller feel.

It smells of orange juice, spices, and sweet malt. At first it made me think of wassail. Piney hops continue to enhance the Christmasy feel. There's enough of a hop punch to ward off non-IPA drinkers.

The taste clocks in a little closer to that of an American IPA except smoother and thicker. Floral and fruity hops give it an IPA punch in the mid- and after-taste. However, the edges are rounded off making this beer very sessionable. Light alcohol esters come out as the beer warms and become more obvious in the taste.

Carbonation streams out to the last drink keeping the body crisp and the head charged.

The style proclaims it as an American Pale Wheat Ale, but I'd call it more of an India Pale Wheat Ale. Just fuller and softer. It's a great drink.

Stats
Brewer: Lagunitas Brewing Co.
Location: Petaluma, California
Website: http://www.Lagunitas.com/
Style: American Pale Wheat Ale
Alcohol Content: 7.50% ABV
Interesting Note: Back in the early days of Lagunitas, the brewery used to throw parties every Thursday afternoon at 4:20pm. Yes, that 4:20. On Thursday, March 17, 2005 - St. Patrick's Day - the brewery got a surprise visit from the police. The small company survived that encounter and every spring they brew Undercover Investigation Shut-Down Ale to commemorate what they now call the St. Patrick's Day Massacre. Check out the video below for the whole story.

Lots of lacing on this Little Sumpin' Sumpin'

Nebraska Brewing Co. - Brunette Nut Brown Ale

For the Tenth Beer of Christmas, I thought the bartender tore open my can.

Nebraska Brewing
Brunette Nut Brown Ale

The first time I had a beer from Nebraska it was their hefeweizen while at The Boot, a Cajun restaurant in Houston. BTW, I highly recommend it if you have the chance to go there. Anyway, the bartender opened the can and I thought she'd tore the whole top of the can off. Picture at the bottom of this post.

Rust colored and murky, the beer has an ominous look. But it's the kind of ominous that you know you have to investigate. The head is cream colored with big bubbles. It disappears quickly (about three to five sips in) leaving no notable lacing and a light ring of tiny bubbles where the beer meets the glass.

Lightly scented, the beer's aroma combines hazelnut with a bit of sweet toast, sort of like brown sugar on bread and toasted just long enough to get it to caramelize.

The taste follows the nose with sweet, caramel malts and a hazelnut coffee flavor. There's also a light hoppy bitterness at the end. This light bodied beer carried only a tiny amount of carbonation through to the last third of the glass giving it a very smooth finish.

What can I say, I'm a fan. Over the last six months, this has become my go-to brown ale. I randomly pick up a six pack every month or so. Their hefeweizen and IPA are also good, just not as good (in my opinion) as their brown ale.

Stats
Brewer: Nebraska Brewing Company
Location: Papillion, Nebraska
Website: http://www.NebraskaBrewingCo.com/
Style: English Brown Ale
Alcohol Content: 4.80% ABV
Interesting Note: In September 2015, Nebraska Brewing received a Gold Medal at the Great American Beer Festival for their Mélange a Trois Belgian Golden Strong Ale (it comes in a bottle, not a can.) I noticed that Nebraska has won a lot of awards.

My first beer from Nebraska Brewing

Founders Brewing Co. - Founders Porter

For the Ninth Beer of Christmas, we turn to the dark side.

Founders Brewing Company
Founders Porter

Maybe Palpatine offered this to Anakin. If so, who could blame him for going to the dark side?

Disclaimer: Porters are my favorite style of beer. That doesn't mean I love all porters, but I do want to try them all.

This one pours up almost as black as Vader's helmet. Can you tell that I haven't been to see The Force Awakens yet? Held up to a light, there are some coffee brown edges, but other than that it's like looking into a starless night sky. The head is tan and composed of tiny bubbles that leave only minimal lacing along the glass.

Dark chocolate is the primary scent. Floral hops combine with smokey malts and toasted pumpernickel to round out the aroma palette. The smoke and toast are faint while the chocolate and hops are pronounced and combine for a robust experience.

The flavor profile starts smooth and finishes robust. Bitter dark chocolate and roasted chocolate malts make up most of the flavor with bittering hops and smoke filling in the gaps. Big and bold, thick and chewy, Founders Porter defines the style "robust porter."

This isn't a starter porter. If you don't love a strong, dark beer, pass by this one. It might not be for you. However, if you like or love porter or stouts, grab a six pack of this. The Force is strong with this one.


Stats
Brewer: Founders Brewing Company
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Website: http://www.FoundersBrewing.com/
Style: Porter (American)
Alcohol Content: 6.50% ABV
Interesting Note: Founders takes it upon themselves to educate people about the craft beer. If you're in Grand Rapids, check out one of their classes: Sensory Evaluation, Palate Exploration, and Beer 101. If you can't make it up there for a class, you can at least download a desktop, phone, or tablet wallpaper: http://foundersbrewing.com/downloadables/.

Santa Fe Brewing - Imperial Java Stout

For the Thirteenth Beer of Christmas, our final night in this Brewer's Dozen Celebration, we salute the Land of Enchantment with a beer that's worthy to come from such a magically named place.

Santa Fe Brewing
Imperial Java Stout

In October 2013 I visited Santa Fe, New Mexico, to attend a conference. The #2 item on my list for that trip, just below giving my presentation at said conference, was to visit the brewery that makes the magically delicious Imperial Java Stout. Yes, I know, I'm mixing geographic genres with Ireland's leprechauns with New Mexico's general air of enchantment.

Filled with a rich, cola colored brew that's capped with a thick, chocolate milk colored head of bubbles, you might think you've just poured yourself a coke float. Don't let the look fool you, this is much, much better tasting than any coke float! The head settles down and is just minimal traces across the top by the time you're halfway done. Lacing on the glass is spotty.

The aroma is a mix of roasted malts and roasted coffee beans. It's dark and rich with a bit of dark chocolate and a touch of sweet caramel to round it out. Despite being 8% ABV, there is little to no alcohol scent.

Similarly, the high alcohol content is masked by the intense flavor explosion of coffee and roasted malt. Coffee comes through at the forefront - fitting with "java" in the name - with roasted malts coming in not far behind. There's a bit of bittersweet baking chocolate in there, too. Hop flavor is minimal. Medium to full bodied with low to moderate carbonation, the drink clears the back of the tongue with a bittering that is more coffee than anything else.

The low alcohol feel and the subdued hops make me think this is more "coffee stout" than "imperial stout." However, the body and actual alcohol content tell a different story.

This is one of my all time favorite beers, which is why I chose to make it the final beer in this year's special Brewer's Dozen. If you're in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, or planning a trip to New Mexico, you owe it to yourself to stop by Santa Fe Brewing. It will be a treat. Try the Chicken Killer Barley Wine, too. I'm not generally a barley wine fan, but they made me a believer.

Stats
Brewer: Santa Fe Brewing Company
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico
Website: http://www.santafebrewing.com
Style: Imperial Stout
Alcohol Content: 8.00% ABV

Interesting Note: Possibly because this beer is so good and so coffee flavored, the folks at Santa Fe Brewing added some helpful instructions to the can. As seen in the picture above, there's a beer mug on the can with the words "after noon." On the opposite side of the can as seen to the right, there's a coffee cup with the words "before noon." So, coffee before noon and this beer after noon. Or, maybe they mean that in the mornings you should drink this from a coffee cup so that no one realizes what you're drinking. Yeah, I think that's a pretty good plan!

Southern Star Brewing - Walloon

For the Eleventh Beer of Christmas, we got our hands on an extinct species that has recently been brought back to life. Think Jurassic Park, but tasty and available in six-packs.

Southern Star Brewing
Walloon (a fabled grisette!)

I've had the good fortune of visiting Southern Star in Conroe, Texas, several times, but this is the first time I've had their Walloon. If you're ever there and they have Black Crack on tap, order a glass immediately. Well, call me first so I can head that way. Then order your drink.

Hazy and apricot in color, like sunset on a foggy day, the beer has lots of little floaties in it. Given the style (see more below in the interesting note,) this isn't a surprise. Brewed with wheat, floaties are expected. After filling the glass, the beer foams up with a half inch thick head of off-white bubbles which dissipate fairly quickly into random a random scattering of bubble islands atop the brew.

The aroma is both sweet and spicy, enough of the latter that it reminds be a bit of the White Rascal witbier we drank on the as the First Beer of Christmas. There's also a little yeast and long, uncut lawn in there.

The flavor it interesting. A bit of a grape juice & coriander start with bananas & cloves in the middle or the drink, The just lighter than medium bodied beer finishes with a sweet & yeasty taste that doesn't linger.

It's incredibly drinkable and thirst quenching. Although not too thirst quenching because I am wanting another one right now. I mean now. This very instant.

Psssst.

Ah, fresh glass. That's better.

Stats
Brewer: Southern Star Brewing Company
Location: Conroe, Texas
Website: http://www.southernstarbrewing.com
Style: Saison
Alcohol Content: 5.50% ABV
Interesting Note: The style is listed as "Farmhouse-Style Ale," which typically means saison. However, down the side of the can is a word that was new to me: grisette. According to Southern Star's website, this beer is not actually a saison, although saison is the closest style of beer that is currently in production. The style is actually a "grisette" which was brewed in the French region of Belgium where the Walloons live. It's nearly extinct at this point and doesn't even have a Wikipedia entry. I'd type that in, but I'm too busy getting ready to open another can.