Beer-a-Day #358 
A double-hopped Red, reddish in color, with a roasty, malty flavor and a hoppy spruce finish.
Deep amber with a thick, beige head. Light aroma that deepens as it warms. Roasty flavor for sure; perhaps a bit too much.
Rogue Ales – Santa’s Private Reserve
Beer-a-Day #357 
Samuel Adams® Cream Stout is a true cream stout, balancing body and sweetness with the natural spiciness of grain and hand selected English hops. Our Brewers use generous portions of roasted chocolate and caramel malts as well as unroasted barley to impart a fullness of body, a roasty malt character and rich, creamy head. Its dark mahogany color make it almost as easy on the eyes as it is on the palate.
Deep dark color with ruby highlights. Roasty and bready aroma. Creamy and roasted flavor; very smooth. Almost too smooth. I could have plenty more of these.
Beer-a-Day #356 
The Mad Elf, a cheerful creation to warm your heart and enlighten your tongue. The combination of Cherries, Honey, and Chocolate Malts delivers gentle fruits and subtle spices. Fermented and aged with a unique yeast, this ruby red beer has significant warming strength that underlies the pleasant character of this intriguing yet delicious Ale. The Mad Elf, a jolly and delicious beer for the Holidays.
Reddish gold. Rich aroma, sweet and spicy, with dried cherries. Quite sweet. It’s good, but I think this one could have stood to age a bit.
As seen on Nanjing Road in Shanghai, China.
(via Boing Boing (via Inhabitat (via Recyclart (via Chine Informations))))
Beer-a-Day #355 
After yesterday’s selection, I don’t hold out much hope.
Pale blonde and fizzy. Slightly vegetable smell. Not much flavor.
Give it a pass.
Beer-a-Day #354
Once in every generation a brand comes along that simply defies convention. This generation’s brand is Ed Hardy. With a cult of customers that is the envy of any brand, a fanatical celebrity following, and a worldwide marketing machine that spans more than 40 countries.
From the golden touch of Christian Audigier and the masterful brush stroke of Don Ed Hardy, The Godfather of the modern tattoo.
The time has come for Ed Hardy Beer. No Rules, No Expectations, No Limitations.
Apparently I’ve been living under a rock, because until I saw this beer at my favorite retailer I’d never heard of the guy. My wife tells me that anyone between the ages of ten and twenty-nine will buy just about anything with Ed Hardy’s name on it. From a beer perspective I don’t get it. I’ve certainly seen more interesting and/or artistic labels.
Pale straw with a white head. Slightly fruity aroma with a bit of sulfur. I’d call it fizzy and tasteless, but it’s fairly flat.
If you like Ed Hardy merchandise, well, this is something you could add to your collection. If you like beer, don’t bother.
Beer-a-Day #353 
We use three mashes to brew each batch of this beer, achieving a luscious deep dark chocolate flavor through a blend of specially roasted malts. We brew it every year for the winter season. It is delicious when newly bottled, but also ages beautifully for years.
This is an old favorite. Dark as night, with a thick, tan head. Deep, roasty chocolate aroma. More roasty chocolate in the flavor. This is darn good, but at 10% ABV it’s a occasional treat. I’ll need to cellar some.
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
Beer-a-Day #352 
This hearty American pale ale contains a rich blend of spices that warms the soul on a cold winter’s night. Chill the mug, stoke the fire, and savor this quality seasonal brew. Available only during the Winter season.
The D.C. area is about to be pelted with the biggest snowstorm since 1987. This seems an appropriate choice, then.
Golden yellow with just the slightest chill haze. Creamy head. Cinnamon and nutmeg in the aroma. The spices don’t overwhelm the beer, though. I rather like that.
Remember the space beer? This was beer brewed from barley grown from some that had spent five months on the International Space Station.
Well, now it’s available at retail.
From Kirainet.com:
Sapporo has put on sale 250 six-packs of beer produced in space. The six-packs, holding 330-ml bottles, are available at a price of ¥10,000 each (around 75 euros, 110 dollars). What makes the beer special is that the original barley seeds were stored for five months in the International Space Station. It is the first time “Space beer” is produced. Sapporo Breweries Ltd. promises that the money earned from the sale of the beer will be destined to promote scientific education in Japan.
I’d love to have some of that to finish out my Beer-a-Day project. Any kind soul with deep pockets care to help make that a reality?
Beer-a-Day #351 
Our family’s Better Red. Brewed since 1993 with five barley malts, two of which are specially roasted, and Cluster and Mt. Hood hops for a smooth, hearty, robust taste no other Red can match.
Clear amber with an off-white head. Light malty aroma. A bit sweet with a bit of roastiness. Pretty good.
