St. Bernardus, my friend...

St. Bernardus in a St. Bernardus glass.  Is there a better way to end the day?  I closed out a long day with the Pater 6.  This solid, pleasant Belgian was not overwhelming, not extraordinary other than it is Belgian and that's always a keeper.  This pours with a nice fine head and toffee color.  It had a gentle, slightly bready aroma, was lightly carbonated through the entire taste, smooth, with a slight sweet caramel overtone.  It also provided a nice kick with a 6.7 ABV.  Find it.  Drink it.

Prost.

The Year End Tourney Results...

And so we ended the year on a boisterous, highly attended beer club meeting.  Though we were missing some regulars, we welcomed some out-of-towners to the fold to vote on this year's DrS Beer Club Tournament Winner.

As usual we pit the winners from earlier in the year, or those of similar style if the winners were not available, in a bracket formula.  The 8 style selections ranged from wheat to bock to Belgian.  There were some previous winners that didn't make it out of the first round (Boulevard's Wheat), some that fooled the crowd with their complex flavors (Ommegang's Abby Ale), and some newcomers that made a solid impression (Troegenator's Bock and Green King'a Abbot Ale).  The winner, however, was the Schneider Weisse Aventinus - a complex bock with overtones of a dark wheat beer - a banana nose, a rich malty body.  The pictures below presents the contestants and how they fared in the bracket; drink from the second and third rounds and you'll be well served.
Prost.

Christmas in a bottle...

This selection out of Three Taverns Craft Brewery, Cecatur, Georgia, Feest Noel, was a Georgia Christmas present in a bottle - it brought with it a strong character, strong flavor (read ABV), and a strong spice that was consistent from start to finish. The color was dark and welcoming and thankfully enjoyed with a friend otherwise I'd probably have found myself climbing up a chimney. This a Christmas keeper.
Prost.

Football Magic...

What do you do when everyone is asleep in the house, the NFC divisional game is on (still within 7 points), and you're a bit thirsty - you reach for a Christmas present > a Samuel Smith Tadcaster Yorshire Stingo. This bottle conditioned ale is smooth like butter with an oaky armoa(and not a single hint of hops); it is a classic English ale with some yeast in the bottom of the bottle. This 500ml, 9.0% ABV bottle conditioned ale is aged in oak ale casks matured for over a year and puts a smile on your face when you drink it alone. The bottle I had was brewed in 2011 and was good to the last drop. It's a keeper. Find it. Try it. Prost.

OK, so these results are a a bit late, but they still are valid...September pitted a group of Oktoberfest beers against a wildcard growler from NJ. As one would expect, the German Hacker-Pschorr steam rolled the competition with it clean, clear, crisp traditional German flavor. The wild card NJ ale (a mild hoppiness and clean finish) and the Yuengling (a tad spicy) tied at a distant second, and the Great Lakes pulled up the rear. (I had the Great Lakes on a spearate occassion and I wouldn't get it again). Prost.

Ringing in the New Year with International Flair

What do you do on New Years' Eve when you've got three kids <12?  You treat yourself to a nice beer (in the appropriate glassware) and add some international flair.
I chose a Belgian Ale - a Brugse Zot from De Halve Mann Brewery - a slightly cloudy pour with a nice small bubble head with a tad of carbonation on the swig; it was smooth with no bitterness, but I was hoping for a bigger taste.
Mona chose a Franziskaner Weissbier - a classic wheat beer - clean, clear, with a bit of a clovey aroma. (Yes, I took a swig, enjoyed it, but had no beer remore.)
Happy New Year.