Reviews of Fine Beer
New Belgium 2° Below
2° Below Ale is a winter seasonal beer from New Belgium Brewing in Fort Collins, CO. It's an Extra Special/Strong Bitter (ESB) style beer, which is a bit of an odd choice for a winter seasonal beer. While it's not brewed in a more traditional winter beer style, such as a winter warmer, 2° Below is an easy drinking, well balanced brew.
2°Below pours a nice copper color with a hearty off-white head. The head is a finger and a half to two fingers and leaves nice lacing as you drink.
The beer has an intriguing aroma dominated by caramel malts with hints of citrus and tropical fruits. It's brewed with Sterling and Liberty hops and is dry hopped during fermentation, giving the beer a floral nose with a bit of pepper and spicy undertones.
The beer is a fairly big-bodied brew, with moderate carbonation. The hops are prevalent in the first taste, but as the beer warms up you notice more of the malt flavors. The hops taste fresh, and the beer strikes a nice balance between the malts and hops. The alcohol content is 6.6% by volume, which is a bit high for an ESB, but it hides well. I think the malt character and spiciness make it a great winter brew. We've given it a rating of 4 pints, and recommend trying a New Belgium 2° Below Ale this winter.
Anchor Christmas Ale
The 2008 Christmas Ale from Anchor Brewing in San Francisco, CA, is the 34th version of the beer. Since it's initial run in 1974, each year both the beer and the label are slightly different. What has remained the same is that the ingredients are a secret, and the beer is outstanding. Anchor's 2008 Christmas Ale is a Winter Warmer style of beer.
Christmas Ale has a dark brown color that is complimented with a hint of burgundy. It pours with about a half-inch of cream-colored head that shows good retention and decent lacing on the glass. The aroma is dominated with tree-like scents, along with notes of gingerbread and cinnamon. Any beer that has hints of Christmas tree and gingerbread aromas is definitely appropriate for Yuletide drinking!
The taste isn't as strong as the smell would lead one to believe, but the pine, cinnamon and spices introduce themselves immediately. It finishes with an earthy bitter taste that hints of cookie spice and dark chocolate. The beer feels somewhat light for a darker beer. It's a dry beer with moderate carbonation. The alcohol is hinted at, but 5.5% ABV isn't strong by any means.
Anchor's Christmas Ale is one that should be on your seasonal beer list every winter. Despite a slight change in the recipe from batch to batch, I find all versions share a spicy, evergreen character, as well as quality craftsmanship. We've rated the beer 5 pints.
Boulevard Nutcracker Ale
Boulevard Brewing Co. (Kansas City, MO) schedules the brewing of their Nutcracker Ale around the annual harvest of the Chinook hop. Nutcracker is a Winter Warmer style of beer, and is one of the few I know of that is brewed with fresh hops. Like all Boulevard beers, Nutcracker is bottle conditioned by adding an extra bit of yeast and sugar as the beer is bottled.
Nutcracker is a fairly clear, dark amber color. The head yellowish, thin, and quickly dissipates. The fresh Chinook hops give spiciness to the aroma, which is backed up by hints of molasses and caramel malts. The beer's flavors are indicative of the aromas. The balance of hops and malts is apparent in the combination of citrus and spice along with caramel and roasted malt flavors that are similar to toasted whole wheat bread. There is a hint of the beer's 5.9% abv, along with a slightly bitter finish.
Nutcracker has a medium body and is a very well balanced, drinkable beer. Nutcracker pairs well with hearty foods, like red meat entrees or desserts containing dark chocolate. We've rated the beer 4 pints.
If you would like to see a favorite beer reviewed for this site, please use the form below to give us information and your thoughts on the beer:
