Jingle Beers

It was hard enough to try 25 different beers in 25 days, blogging about each one certainly did not happen. However, let it be known that Jingle Beers 2008 was conquered in good form. We tasted 25 Christmas or Winter Brews in the first 25 days of December. Below is a complete list of the beers we sampled.

Full details after the break.

    I HATE pale ales. I hate IPAs, I hate APAs, I hate all of the extremely hoppy beers. I like hops as a compliment to other flavors and textures. I don't like hops as the only flavor in a beer. I can understand when people don't like fruit beers or specialty beers that have a strong alternative flavor, and that's how I about IPAs. Don't get me wrong, I like a good hoppy beer, Oktoberfests and Ambers are among my favorite types of beers, because they have that hoppy bite. I don't see the point of drinking a beer that is all bite, where's the flavor... So, enough anti-Pale Ale rant. What does all of this have to do with Jingle Beers? Aren't Christmas ales supposed to be warm, dark and a little sweet? Well, I think so... This is where Sierra Nevada's Celebration Ale come in. Celebration ale is the 4th beer on our Jingle Beer list.

For our third selection, we ventured to the world of Colorado craft beers which are best known for their quality and distinct flavors. I have heard of Breckenridge but never sampled this Denver-area brewery. I was expecting a crisp beer with full aroma and flavor and was not disappointed. This ale was balanced, spiced with subtle winter flavors and a nutty aroma. However, despite its quality, it didn’t strike me as anything unique as far as Christmas Beers go. It lacked the “Christmas spice” I crave in holiday brews. Breckenridge did deliver an excellent beer full of flavor, just not my favorite. (Though probably my favorite label.)

   Our second Jingle Beer is Samuel Adams' Winter Lager. Boulevard's Nutcracker Ale was a great way to start the holiday ale season but how will Sam Adams' offering stack up? I'll preface this by saying that I'm not a big fan of Sam Adams most of the time... That's not to say I hate their beer, they make a fine product. It's just not my favorite beer... that being said, I do enjoy their Oktoberfest seasonal quite a bit. The Sam Adams Oktoberfest has a warm and mild flavor, just like this Winter Lager. Sounds like we're off to a good start, but I expect a little more out of a good christmas beer...

    Jingle Beers has officially begun! After a minor hick-up, our inaugural Jingle Beer this year is Boulevard's Nutcracker Ale. Boulevard is a local brewery here in Kansas City. They have a pretty decent selection of beers to choose from. My favorite would have to be their plain Wheat beer, followed by the Bully Porter. Boulevard's seasonal beers are pretty hit or miss though... I was never much of a fan of their Oktoberfest seasonal, Bob's 47. I like hops as much as the next guy but I don't think your Märzen should taste like an IPA. Call me crazy. But anyway, the Nutcracker is a different story. Boulevard did a great job with this seasonal.