Winter Beers: A Look So Far

I took a bit of a hiatus from this blog to focus on other stuff (namely, finding a fucking decent job and putting in some work with the movie blog I write), but now I'm back and promise to update at least once a week.

I want to make something perfectly clear: I DIDN'T STOP DRINKING. I just stopped WRITING ABOUT DRINKING. A new season is upon us, with a ton of excellent beers, and I'll be sure to share as many as I can with you. I'm also trying a new format so I can write less. Writing less = drinking more. Let's begin!

Wailau Wheat
5.40% ABV
Kona Brewing Co.
Passion Fruit Wheat Ale

Passion fruit would be a good idea for a fruit smoothie or flavored vodka, but is it really something you want to add to a beer? Let's find out!

This is a limited release wheat ale, brewed by the Kona Brewing Company, and it's described as:

Wailua is Hawaiian for two fresh water streams mingling. This was just the inspiration we needed for our limited release wheat ale brewed with tropical passion fruit. A refreshing, citrusy, sun-colored ale with the cool taste of Hawaii.

First of all, when I think of the "taste of Hawaii" the first thing that comes to mind is lava, quickly followed by pineapple. But passion fruit? This brew, while not quite "sun-colored" is a clear, light gold in color (it legit looks just like apple juice to be honest with you). The smell is just what you would think a beer with passion fruit brewed into it would smell like: passion fruit. The initial smell is also joined by some hops, but the fruitiness is what holds most of the aroma- I think the hop/passion fruit mix gave it a nice grapefruit smell as well... pretty pleasant. The taste is extremely fruity and sweet, maybe too much for my liking, although I did find that the more I drank the less "fruity" tasting it became.

The two main things I found wrong with this beer was the intense fruit taste right up front, and the almost complete lack of carbonation- this was a very watery beer. It was an enjoyable brew and a nice change of pace, but I'm not sure I would drink it again as I'm not really looking for a sweet, fruit taste when I drink a brew.

I would recommend this beer to anyone looking to try something really different, or someone who wants a beer but isn't a huge beer drinker- a mixed drink person, if you will. I'd really like to try other beers from this particular brewery, so I'll keep my eyes peeled.

Hardcore
5.5% ABV

Hardcore Cider Company (Boston Beer Company - Sam Adams)
Hard Cider

This is basically Sam Adams' take on the alcoholic beverage that we all know and love: hard cider. I'm a big hard cider fan- from Woodchuck to Hornsby's to Strongbow, I love boozy ciders!

Light-pale to golden in color, it looks like carbonated apple juice. The smell is fantastic, apples with a little bit of malt added in. The taste is just what I expected from the smell- very sweet, like apple juice, with a malt kick to it. Great carbonation in this cider, it's not very watery like other hard cider's I've had in the past. There's a slight alcohol kick to it, but it's pretty much undetectable after the first drink- at 5.5%, this could be a very dangerous drink.

Alta Gracia Coffee Porter
Otter Creek Brewing Co/Wolaver's
American Porter with Coffee (!!?)

First off, I don't like to drink straight coffee. I have no idea why I drank this beer- it was probably because I wanted to see what the hell a coffee beer tasted like. Turns out... not bad, actually.

Wolaver's is a branch of the Otter Creek Brewing Company (the Copper Ale and Pale Ale are great), except instead of normal beer, Wolaver's is usually certified organic. I've had quite a few organic/gluten free (Red Bridge) beers, and to me there really isn't much of a difference in taste. Wolaver's has a great Oatmeal Stout and an even better Pale Ale- definitely worth trying if you ever get the chance.

Anyways, on to the Coffee Porter.

The color on this thing makes Guinness look like a pale ale; this is one dark beer. Black in color with maybe a bit of chocolate dark brown and red thrown into the mix when held to the light, it has brownish head to it. The smell is amazing- pure roasted coffee with not much else, maybe a bit of hops and mocha to it. I'm not sure if the roasted aroma is from malt or the coffee beans, but it is heavy. The taste is... wow. This is beer? Almost no alcohol taste to it, just pure, sweet coffee. Nice toastiness to it with the rich taste of coffee, just like the aroma. I taste a bit of toffee in it as well

Besides the whole coffee flavor gimmick, I really enjoyed what Wolaver's did with this brew. Great carbonation, great color and smell, even better taste... this is hands down one of the best beers I've had this winter. The coffee, while a bit overpowering, is great and makes this beer stand out. I don't think I would want to have many of these in one sitting, as the flavor would get a bit stale- this is one of those beers to have over dinner or in front of the fire. A great winter porter.

Dundee Festive Ale
6.20% ABV
Dundee Brewing Company
Winter Warmer

Dundee Brewing Company is pretty awesome. The Stout and Irish Red Lager are probably its best two beers, but the Summer Wheat and India Pale Ale are right up there with them. I feel like Dundee is one of those breweries that isn't given credit for making a great product and people maybe tend to pass over it, which is a shame.

Anyways, on to the beer!

The color on this is how a winter beer should be- a brownish, dark copper with a white head to it. It has a malty smell, but is surprisingly sweet. A little bit of cinnamon adds to the aroma and caramel blends in as well. The taste is similar to the smell, but a lot more malty and full of carbonation. A blend of spices mix with a slight hint of orange and maybe some clove. A roasted... I don't know, maybe wood (?) flavor is on the back end along with some bread and dark fruit hints (this has to be the hops). In the end, this beer is dominated by the hops, but the spice makes a nice cut to that.

This beer is all over the place with flavor, which is in no way a bad thing. A nice winter beer for sure, I would drink more than a few of these if given the opportunity.