The Brew Site
No discussion of Christmas beer is complete without talking about Belgian Christmas beers. The Belgians are not shy about brewing rich beers with a variety of spices as end-of-the-year specialties, and arguably our modern notion of “Christmas beer” can be credited to the breweries of Belgium. I always include some … Continue reading
Since today’s Beer Advent Calendar post highlighted Winter Warmer from Harpoon Brewery, I decided to post the reviews of Harpoon’s fall beers the brewery recently sent me. Harpoon leaned heavily into the autumn theme with these offerings (three beers and a cider), three of which are brewed with pumpkin. (By … Continue reading
For this third day of December, the Advent beer selection is a New England classic and another long-running craft tradition: Winter Warmer from Boston, Massachusetts’ Harpoon Brewery. For over three decades this ale has heralded the holiday season with its signature spice profile—cinnamon and nutmeg. Harpoon was founded in 1986, … Continue reading
For 34 years, Louisiana’s Abita Brewing Company has been crafting a wide range of beers that focuses on easy drinking and embraces the brewery’s southern, New Orleans-adjacent roots. One of the oldest and largest craft breweries in America, Abita offers up a seasonal Christmas Ale which was first brewed not … Continue reading
Deschutes Brewery introduced the latest addition to its “Fresh” family of beers in September, Royal Fresh Imperial IPA, joining the year-round lineup alongside best-selling Fresh Squeezed IPA, Fresh Haze IPA, and Lil’ Squeezy Juice Ale (and now, apparently, Squeezy Rider West Coast IPA). It’s a behemoth at 9% ABV and … Continue reading
What a year 2020 has been! I don’t know about you, but I’ve been looking forward to this year’s Beer Advent Calendar as a bright spot to help count down and celebrate this holiday season. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced how I’ve picked beers to feature each day; … Continue reading
I’m glad to see Zupan’s Markets is still able to collaborate with Oregon breweries on its Farm to Market beer series (you never know with how this year is going), and the latest in this series sees the Portland-based specialty market chain teaming up with Hood River’s Ferment Brewing on … Continue reading
My latest article for The Bulletin came out last week — on Thanksgiving day, in fact. In it I highlight the latest State of Excitement Oregon collaboration beer from the Oregon Brewers Guild, the third iteration this year: Harvest IPA. Originally intended to be a fresh hop IPA, the September … Continue reading
Here’s the final installment in my fresh hop beer mini-reviews for this year. It certainly wasn’t the year any of us expected, but we made the most of it and I still managed to enjoy two dozen fresh hop beers. This final roundup sees beers from Seattle and Eugene. Field … Continue reading
Recently Paulaner USA sent me a can of Paulaner Pils, as part of a marketing blitz to reintroduce the German-style pilsner to the U.S. market. Paulaner, arguably one of the best-known German breweries when it comes to imports, offers up several iconic beers including Weissbier and Oktoberfest Märzen that are … Continue reading