BeerBorg

Started with Blue Pants Workman Common, which isn't a common by my definition (citra and rye in addition to the traditional common recipe), but is not bad at all if you think of it as a pale ale. Moved on to Foothills Hoppyum (thanks LindseyWinstead!). Now am wrapping up with decaf and Crave Chocolate Chili Liquer. I like it fine, but it could use a bit more chili...

Mission Brewery El Conquistador Extra Pale Ale from a freaking huge can.

Homebrewed pumpkin ale!
Testing this batch early for my daughter and her fiance, since the last batch turned out to be gushers
because somebody got in a hurry when bottling!
This turned out much better!

Finished off the last of the Shiner Oktoberfest last night. Now having some new chocolate glazed donut coffee. Unfortunately without any actual donuts.

My Victory at all costs brown ale using for the first time Carabrown malt. What a nice toasty flavor. Cheers!

one of my American Wheats

Started with a Winter Ale homebrew (14 months in the bottle, and quite good), then an Arrogant Bastard (one of my first craft brews, and still quite good), followed by a Narwhal (2013), and finally a Hairy Eyeball. I'm a bit sloshed for the first time in a while (glad I have nowhere to go), but that might make wrapping the gifts we've thus far neglected to wrap a bit of a challenge. I suppose the kiddos won't really care how well they look... LOL...

We also did winter ales brewed last year, pretty fair, son likes it, I'm ehhh, take it or leave it. Brewed them bout 1.5 yrs back. Then we hit the peppermint schnapps while playing UNO, cut-throat style! What a night so far.

Some Sam Adams winter mix. Three of my homebrewed Christmas Red, NB's Brickwarmer. My hosts liked it.

SWMBO and I had Christmas eve dinner with my sons and my oldest's girlfriend. I watched with great pleasure as they ravaged my beer selection, drinking what I had made - Mackinac Island Red, Bewitched Red, Moosedrool, Blue Moon, Munton's Nut Brown, Raspberry Lager, St. Valentine's Cheeries in Honey, and I drank a 14 month old liter of Winter Dark before switching to a Mackinac Island Red. 8 different beers sampled.

On the down side, my inventory was depleted by around 3/4 of a case

Evil Genius Holiday Heater, not my favorite at all drank only half. I was given a six pack for Christmas by the neighbors so at least I got some nice bottles.

Saisons and Belgians (IMHO) pair wonderfully with turkey and other Christmas dinner items. Thus, now that I've finished cooking dinner, I've selected this fine specimen to pair... If you haven't has St. Somewhere, which is a one man nano operation out of Tarpon Springs that enjoys a surprisingly wide distribution, do yourself the favor. It is open-fermented, unfiltered, and bottle-conditioned Belgian style ales at their finest...



This is Saison Athene (2012 vintage), which is one of Bob's three core beers (I have one each in my fridge or closet when I can help it... darn... now I'm down to two).

What I love about this tiny brewery is that (if you call ahead and schedule it with him), you can help him bottle (he hand bottles everything) in exchange for six bottles and lunch. Pretty darn good deal, I would say...

Merry Christmas, all...

Trying a Christmas gift, HeBrew chocolate vanilla nibs coffee and cinnamon... not great, not bad...

We did the Cherry Christmas, Texas Y'all and Lost Colony Pumpkin Ale as a tasting session today and discussed how we thought they would go over at our sister's house.
I tried to take some pics but it was overcast again today and inside just doesn't show anything.

I'm going to wait and see what SIS says about these before I post but I will say that we sent a Style Guide print out for the ones we sent her so we are curious how the response will be.
That being said since we monitored them from a conditioning standpoint and gave a verbal "go ahead" on each we were very pleased with how each beer turned out verses our preconceptions.

Waiting for sister's report is actually more important to me now than I thought it when we decided to do this.

Mount Gay Black n Coke.