Jimmy VerVaecke is great homebrewer as his win at last year's NHC has shown, but now is a chance to find out yourself. Stop in at Tyler's Taproom tonight and talk with Jimmy and try the beer he and his fellow Beer Camp team brewed. For details.

Winter Warmer
San Tan Brewing

San Tan was one of those breweries that opened in 2007 not long before I moved to North Carolina. Because of that I never had the chance to try their beers before moving. Thankfully a friend resolved that at the New Years party I attended. In fact the first beer thrust into my hands was their Winter Warmer. They describe the beer as "an English Strong Ale spiced with fresh ginger and honey for the Holidays. Huge caramel and roasted malt character. Strong alcohol content (~10%) and served in a brandy snifter."

Initially I noticed it had a brown bordering on garnet color with a tan head. The beer had a thick nearly chewy texture with plenty of body. In the flavor the roasted malt was dominate with a bit of caramel to the background. It reminded me of a Russian Imperial Stout. My friend who is quite the hophead surprised me by mentioning he loved the balance of the beer. My only complaint about the beer was perhaps a bit of diacytel to the nose, that or something about the yeast wasn't quite right, I hope this is a unique issue with their beers but as I haven't had other examples it's tough to say. I do look forward to sampling other beers from them in the future.

Jubelale ale
Deschutes Brewery

Deschutes is one of those breweries I drank on a regular basis when I lived in Arizona but they haven't been able to enjoy in North Carolina. As much as I liked their regular beers I think I always enjoyed their seasonal offerings just a bit more. This year's Jubelale had a deep garnet color, slight brownish-tan head that dissipated quickly. It retained this deep reddish amber color throughout the glass with good clarity. There was a hint of cherry to the nose with other dried fruits character in the background, but no hop aroma detectable. As I sipped it I tasted sweet malt character with hints of roast in the background but not subtle. The beer finished with a bit of lingering sweetness on the tongue that evaporated quickly. The notes of cherry were present in the initial flow over the tongue. The ale had a nice carbonic bite that kept it light on the tongue was you drank it. It was almost Belgian like for the highly carbonated nature. At 6.7% it's larger than a session beer, but not so big you couldn't enjoy a second one. What surprised me is that the beer is listed as having 60 IBUs. It carries them well it really doesn't seem to be a bitter beer just nicely balanced.

This month's edition of the Session is New Year Resolutions

So we want to know what was your best and worst of beer for 2009? What beer mistakes did you make? What beer resolutions do you have for 2010? What are your beer regrets and embarrassing moments? What are you hoping to change about your beer experience in 2010?

My best beer of the year is always a tough subject akin to picking a favorite child. This year in particular I got to enjoy a number of great beers but here are some highlights Lone Rider Shotgun Betty, it's great to see a local produced Hefeweizen in North Carolina. Next up Aviator Kracken Stout, they have since renamed it but when I had it last Spring it impressed me as one of the top beers I would enjoy last year. Another high point would include casks ales, they are really coming into fashion and when done right are a great experience. Both when I traveled to Vermont and in North Carolina they are starting to become unique events bringing the brewers and beer fans together.

Worst beer was probably tied between some homebrews that customers brought into the shop and a couple of casks that went wrong at a group cask tasting. Homebrewers make mistakes, heck I lost a keg recently to infection. As for the casks I think these were brewers not used to cask conditioning their ales and so they had some missteps in priming that lead to the issue, hopefully they learned from the experience. Another mistake or regret was due to a side project I was over committed so I couldn't spend the time I wanted to exploring NC beer culture.

In 2010 I would like to attend more special tastings, beer dinners and help judge at more homebrew competitions. I'd like to get to know more about the people in the craft beer community. Also now that I have the 10 gallon all grain system up and running I like to brew more experiments like my recent saison. Side by side batches are a fun way to see how beers can be effect by minor changes in a recipe. 2010 as Monday Night said is the year of beer!

Christmas Ale
Abita Brewing Company

Abita's website had little to offer about the beer, but that it changes yearly. It struck me as an IPA with a bit of dark color more in the Sierra Nevada Celebration model. Nice drinkable ale but no characteristic of it bespoke a traditional holiday ale. I asked others who were trying this beer and while it was clean there were no notes of spice to the beer that any of us were able to detect. It was a pleasant enough ale but nothing remarkable to make me seek it out again. A mediocre offering which considering the quality and diversity craft brewing produces these days was disappointing. I hope we just had a six pack that had problems in shipping and served fresh this is a more interesting beer.

Christmas Ale
Great Lakes Brewing

I had the chance to try a few of the Great Lakes beers when I did a beer exchange over the Summer, they were quite tasty, so I was pleased when I when this ale showed up from Chip (go checkout the Scotchcast). Great Lakes was the first craft brewery in Ohio. They first opened in 1988 and still are one of the leading brewers in the state. Their Burning River Pale ale and the Edmund Fitzgerald Porter are great examples of their regular offerings.

The Christmas ale is described by Great Lakes as a "robust style of beer made with spices to celebrate the festive season". It had a rich caramel nose with hints of dried fruit. The color was a deep amber with orange notes, the head was slightly off white. The beer had been filtered because it had a perfect clarity. As I tasted it I picked up a rich crystal malt sweetness with little hop character. The beer did have a slight warming sensation which is not unexpected for the 7.5% beer. As the beer warmed I noticed an increasing alcohol from the aroma. This beer did have distinct Winter Warmer character to it, though a bit more of ginger and cinnamon might have been nice, because while they are mentioned in the description I did not notice them. Though that said what I do appreciate in any beer that is brewed with a subtle hand in regards to spice so it is a beer worth seeking out.

Frosted Frog
Hoppin' Frog Brewing

Since they won a Gold for their Russian Imperial Stout at GABF I have been interested in the beers of Hoppin' Frog. Until recently they weren't available in North Carolina since the hail from Ohio. Even while we do get access to some of their ales, the seasonal offers don't make the trek yet and I have Chip from the Scotchcast to thank for this sample. Sidenote they have a great podcast and if you enjoy a good Scotch go give the show a listen.

In the nose I immediately noticed a hint of cinnamon with a bit of malt sweetness. The beer appeared a deep reddish-brown shade. The garnet like color became more prominent over time. I had the beer after the Trader Joe's Vintage ale and this ale had a thinner body in comparison. The first thing I noticed as I tasted was a bit of chocolate malt. While it had 8.6% abv, not much different from the Vintage ale but it was far less warming effect giving the perception of having a much lower alcohol, sneaky. Probably a tribute to Hoppin' Frog's experience in brewing Russian Imperial Stouts so effectively. I noticed plenty of spice character in this beer. The beer had a moderate amount of carbonation. As I sipped it became definitely red as it less in the glass. The sweet, rich caramel character was dominate with plenty of spice as the beer warmed. The beer is only has 12 IBUs according to the website which left me thinking it has too much sweetness, that the beer needed a bit more bitterness to balance it but Foodgeek enjoyed it. In fact she thought it would be perfect to enjoy by a fire.

Trader Joe's Vintage Ale
Unibroue Brewing

One of my fondest beer memories throughout the 1990's was Trader Joe's Holiday beers. They were produced by a brewer in France, I don't remember who exactly, in a large corked bottle and had a distinct Belgian character. Something about the sales and cost of shipping them over from Europe lead to them eventually being discontinued as an offered item. I always felt it a shame because there were a great offering, perhaps just a bit ahead of their time considering that seasonal beers now top the craft beer categories. But last year Trader Joe's brought the seasonal beer back this time brewed by Unibroue in Canada. Despite the new production source this beer still leans towards it's Belgian roots. At $4.99 for 750mL it's a bargain for the beer's price.

It's called a "Dark Ale on Lees" on the bottle with a 9% alcohol per volume. The description notes that they are using a different recipe from last year and will vary it again next year. Which is like Anchor's Our Special Ale and many other seasonal offerings. I do enjoy when breweries change their seasonal beer yearly, it makes each offering a unique present. This beer did contain a best before date 09-12-2012, though I suspect it will not be harmed by proper aging.

When I sampled this dark ale I noticed dark fruit and hints of licorice in the aroma. Over time I did get a slight warming in the throat from the higher alcohol in this ale. It also features an aggressive carbonation typical for Belgian styles. At the low price point I'd argue it's worth buying a case of bottles and enjoying one or two now, but saving the rest for vertical tastings over time it could be the great to the start of a new holiday tradition.

Busy holiday season so posting has been light, but for the last few weeks I have had an idea for a series of beer reviews based on different seasonal and holiday beers. Thirty one seemed a nice round number so today I'll begin. There will be some national, some very local brews and hopefully most of them good. Let the holiday cheer commence!

Highland Cold Mountain Winter Ale
Highland Brewery

It was a crazy, busy day at the homebrew shop when Thinkingbrew brought me a sample of this tasty ale. I was able to share a bit of a homebrew with him. What first struck me was a mild nose with hints of alcohol that reminded me of a barleywine. Which made sense since this was a bottle of 2008 edition he happen to discover. Rich malt character was apparent in the nose, but unfortunately the glasses we had on hand weren't clear so I was able to appreciate the dark color of the ale, but the offwhite head was. As I tasted the ale I didn't notice the bitterness from any hops just a rich malt character with a depth of caramel. The beer had vanilla with hints of cinnamon with minimal ester character. The vanilla character seemed to increase as the ale warmed. If the opportunity arises while working on this review series I hope to be able to compare this to this year's edition of the ale. A fine beer and great kick off to the 31 Beers of Xmas.

This month's Session post is about Stubbling home or favorite watering holes. A rather easy one, because when I think of my favorite pubs this one always tops the list. It doesn't have the most impressive tap list, though 30 taps dedicated to mostly craft brews. It's not the most tech savy, the website is a bit dated and they swore for years they never have wireless internet (they do now). It's because it's Home.

Uptown Billiards opened not too long after I returned from Germany and had the best selection in beer in Flagstaff for many years. But it isn't just that why it's my favorite, it's always been the staff and the regular customers that make it a comfortable place to be. From the days of Roger and Juron (sp?) to now with Aly, until recently Nancy, and the rest of the crew the customers are friendly to regulars and first timers alike. There is certain house rules, Never Ever play Hotel California, even the Gypsy Kings version on the jutebox.

What started out as the first upscale pool hall in Northern Arizona grew a little worn around the edges, but in the process has become a more comfortable place over the years and a move. The tables are still well kept. But the more relaxed atmosphere keeps me coming back.

Calendar
Lone Rider Peacemaker Comes to Town (Night 2)
December 4th 6pm
Ruckus Pizza
Cary

Lone Rider Beer Tour
Decemeber 5th 12pm
Lone Rider Brewery
Raleigh

Dogfish Ancient Ales Dinner
December 6th 7pm
Tylers Apex
Apex
$45 if it's anything like the recent Dogfish dinner at Busy Bee the beers will be well worth the effort.

Sierra Nevada Dinner
December 6th 6pm
Elaine's on Franklin
Chapel Hill
$49 gets you into this delicious line up, details are Tri-Beer

Beer Geek Winter Cage Match
December 8th 7pm
JuJube Asian
Chapel Hill
Details here

Beer Geek Winter Cage Match
December 9th 7pm
Dos Perros
Chapel Hill
Details here

Olde Rabbit's Foot Release
December 12th 11am
Foothills Brewing
Winston-Salem
This will be much like Foothill's Sexual Chocolate release each year. Rules for the offering are here.

Big Boss Tour
December 12th 2pm
Big Boss Brewery
Raleigh

Homebrewing Class - High Gravity Brewing Techniques
December 15th 7pm
Tir Na Nog
Raleigh
American Brewmasters continuing homebrewers education classes this month looks at strong beers, tips for high gravity brewing and a tasting for more information click here.

Triangle Bourbon Aged Abbey & Stout Release
December 16th 5pm-8pm
Triangle Brewery
Durham

Beer Appreciation Class
January 16th 1pm-2pm
Aviator Brewery
Fuquay-Varina
$35 for details check the website.

This morning Draft magazine posted about a store that is opening that is purely a beer apparel store. Now not to get off on the wrong foot, I like my craft beer clothing and gear as much as the next beer geek. I suggest to craft beer community keep your eyes on the ball, the business of making great beer.

It reminds me of the late 1990s in some respects that people were so interested in the quick buck that they forgot what truly matters is making amazing beer. The tshirt, the lip balm, the hats are all mementos to help your recall and celebrate a great experience with the beer, but if the beer isn't memorable all those things are marketing junk. In a society that is so advertising driven we don't need more junk. So enjoy the gear but remember it's about the beer.