Peak Organic Brewing Company Winter Session Ale

Strap your boots on and don't get your tongue stuck to a pole, you goober, and get ready to hit the slopes with this review of Peak Organic Brewing Company's Winter Session Ale.

I've reviewed a ton of Peak beers on this blog before (like at least 6 of 'em), so you might be thinking that Peak beers are fucked out by now (like tucking your pants into your shoes). Well, they're not. They're all pretty GD (that's the religiously-correct way of saying "goddamn") good, and the Winter Session Ale is no exception. The Winter Session Ale is classified as a "American Dark Wheat Ale" and its so GD dark because Peak uses a lot of dark malt. They also use Citra hops from their friend Brad's farm. That must be cool to have a friend like Brad. You just call him up and say "heyy Brad, we're gonna make some winter beer today, can we stop over on the way back from the Piggly Wiggly and pick up some hops? When it's done you can come over and get drunk with us and compare penis sizes."

I was surprised at how much of a pungent, strong taste this beer had on first imbib-ation. The phrase "chestnuts roasting on an open fire" is popular this time of year, and that's what I thought of when I first tasted this. Roasted nuts. It didn't taste nutty at all like, but it had this roasted, malty quality to it. And it was quite delicious! I simply had to have a few more. It was easy to drink, and despite the strong taste, it is only 5% ABV. But it's a great beer to knock back a few while sitting in front of a fire watching the Jim Carrey version of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. I got a six-pack of this on sale for $7.99, normally priced at $8.99 (I saved 100 pennies!!!!).

This beer will only be on sale a short time, as winter doesn't last forever, unless you live at the McMurdo Research Station in Antarctica. I doubt they sell it down there too, so you're gonna be stuck there being cold and sober. How boring!

Drinkability: 7/10

Taste: 7/10

Value: 7/10

Curb Appeal: 7/10

Overall: 7/10

New Belgian Brewery's Snow Day Winter Ale

There's nothing in the winter like a crisp delicious beer while bitchin' about the bastard weather outside. I'm one of the people out there who's happier when they are miserable. I like to complain; babes say its totally attractive.

But I can't complain about this beer. I mean, man, it's simply delicious. I mean most winter ales are. We originally covered New Belgian here in the review of their Belgian Ale; so if you wanna know more about 'em, just click the link, you ding-a-ling! Imagine your tailgating on the east coast and it's colder than piss out. You've been drinking since 7:00am and you piss on a tree and you literally piss so much that it warms the air in front of you, and you never wanna quit peeing. You know that? Then you walk back to the grill to warm up and you grab a beer and the taste just...makes you warm. Rich, deep bodied, and tasty enough that, in this weather, you could drink it warm. And after a dozen or two you puke on that same tree you pissed on earlier and it doesn't leave such a bad taste in your mouth.

This stuff is real crisp, it'll stimulate your bitter tastes buds on the sides of your mouth a little, but it doesn't have a bitter, annoying aftertaste or a gross, hoppy sensation on your tongue. There's a dry, chocolate taste mixed with a little caramel. It's a touch nutty with a little hoppy tang you might expect from a pale ale. It's real tasty though. It's aroma is a smoky, caramel odor and it's dark in color with a tan head.

They use wheat malts on this baby and Centennial, Styrian Goldings and Cascade hops. This along with the wheat malts we talked about blended with some pale malt and something called C-80 malts, which I think is the same thing Luke Skywalker ordered at the space station where they met Han Solo.

She's got an ABV of 6.2% which is a little lower than I would have guessed. It's got an IBU of 55, so it'll rank around the hoppiness of a Pale Ale. The label is okay. I would have done of a "Bear in the Chair" approach, but that's me. New Belgian is a well respected name in the beer game, so everyone will respect if you roll deep with a case of this. A 12-pack will run you $15.

Other New Belgium Reviews:
Ranger IPA
Fat Tire
Belgian Ale
Pale Lager

Drinkability: 6/10

Taste: 8/10

Value: 4/10
Curb Appeal: 6/10

Overall: 6.0/10

New Belgium Brewery's Ranger IPA

This beer should be enjoyed in nature, outside in the woods, preferably in the cold and with moose all around. It should only be drank by men with beards, flannel shirts, and in the possession of big blue oxen. This is an outdoors-man's beer. It's called f'in RANGER for cripes sakes.

Brewed by New Belgium, famous for their Fat Tire Amber Ale (and also their Trippel, reviewed here), the Ranger IPA packs a punch that would make Joe Frazier proud. At 6.5% ABV, it'll get you nice and drunk, if you can handle more than a couple that is - the flavor on these babies is astoundingly delicious, but heavy as a ton of feathers, so it's better for sipping than bonging. As with most IPAs, the Ranger tastes of citrus and flowers and bitterness, which is all wrapped together in a wonderful taste-gasm. It truly is a very tasty and delicious beer. I got a 12 pack of this for $15, which is much cheaper than a 12 pack of snow tires. According to the New Belgium website, one 12oz serving of Ranger gives ya 185 calories, not that you should care. If you are thinking about calories while drinking beer, go get your head checked out. Or maybe you are just a drunkorexic. Either way, you need help. Or more beer. Or both. Sigh.

Give the Ranger IPA a shot, and I betcha you love it if you are an IPA fan. And if you don't like it, you'll have to answer to the most bad-ass Ranger out there. Sucks to me you, dead guy!

Other New Belgium Reviews:

Fat Tire

Winter Ale

Belgian Ale

Pale Lager

Drinkability: 6/10

Taste: 8/10

Value: 6/10

Curb Appeal: 7/10

Overall: 6.75 /10

New Belgian Brewery's Trippel Belgian Ale

Hi pals. New Belgian Brewery is in Colorado, Fort Collins in fact. Their flagship is the Fat Tire but they have tons of beers, like over 10 on a semi-regular basis and a handful of experiments that they conjure up. The started it around 1989 and began mass producing two years later. So the rest is history.

This beer is their Trippel, the Belgian one. It's pretty tame at 25 IBUs and will knock you on your lilly with an ABV of 7.8%. Most Belgians beers are pretty tough, which is why I usually end up wandering around the streets of Sharpsville after a few. The use Saaz, Target and Liberty hops and Victory, Munich and Pale malts. And they toss in some coriander in there. I don't like the taste of coriander but I like the name. It's like the spice's accordion. The taste is a sour, Belgian style. Hints of coriander and a dry finish. It's fragrance is a bitter mistress. Belgians always remind me barleywines, or if you put a beer and white wine in the same glass, it probably has the same strength! It's crystal clear with minimal, white head.

I got this guy as part of a sampler. They had 12 beers for $15 which isn't as bad as a kick to the balls, or slap to the breasts if you're a babe. But I'd shovel these to other people at a get-together and leave more room for other stuff. It's not bad for a Belgian but I don't like Belgians. Not many other big name breweries have Belgians on their regular roster, so it is a bit of a treat, I guess.


Other New Belgium Reviews:
Ranger IPA
Fat Tire
Winter Ale
Pale Lager

Drinkability: 4/10

Taste: 5/10
Value: 4/10
Curb Appeal: 6/10
Overall: 4.75/10

Brouwerij Corsendonk – Christmas Ale

Ahhh it’s that time of year again, a lot of people consider the fall season to be the best time of year for seasonal beer, but I consider the winter styles to be just as welcoming. For all you stout and porter fans, you know what I’m talkin about.

Corsendonk was brewed by a bunch of monks dating back to the late 1300’s, but was shut down by an Austrian Emperor in the 18^th century because he didn’t like their beer, or that they taught Latin, but more likely because they were spreading religion. Most likely getting their followers drunk and really pushing god on them. I use this tactic when I want someone to stop talking to me at a bar, try it out, works like a charm. In 1982 it was reintroduced and has been a top Belgian in my eyes ever since.

I drank this one at the Sharp Edge in downtown Pittsburgh, on Light Up Night, so the theme really fit the bill. If you have a chance to go to a Sharp Edge location, there are a few around Pittsburgh, I highly recommend it. They have hundreds of beers to try and the staff is very knowledgeable. The price is high but there are beers there you won’t find anywhere else, plus each beer is served in its designated glass.

The ale itself is dark, smooth and malty, with a frothy head. I’m a big brown ale fan (not to be confused with brown eye) so this was right up my alley. The taste was a bit fruity, maybe some plum, raisin, and cherry, but with a spicy, nutty undertone and finish. This guy boasts an ABV of 8.5%, so perfect for the Holiday season when you wanna sit back relax and numb your mouth before shots come your way at the lube on Christmas night.

That said, this beer is a favorite for the holidays, but at 8 bucks a bottle, I don’t think I’ll be having many. Is Beast Ice still 8 bucks a case?

Drinkability: 8/10

Taste: 8/10
Value: 2/10
Curb Appeal: 7/10

Overall: 6.25/10

Pabst Brewing Company's Old Style Lager

From the geniuses who brought you PBR, I pronounce to you, Old Style Lager! Jam it!

We covered a little bit on Pabst Brewing Company in this review of PBR or Old Milkwaukee but I'm sure I can find some more banter to discuss

First of all, we should mention the stellar line up Pabst has to offer us beer drinkers and hell raisers. Pabst beers are the "Don't you mess with me buddy" beer I like to drink at bars. These beers typically are drank but righteous dudes in dive bars that you know not to mess with and, of course, hipsters. Fortunately, the hipsters haven't moved to Old Milz yet, so there is still time.

So Pabst's root go back to 1844 where Jacob Best started a brewery and later named it after brew-druid Frederick Pabst. They currently are the holding company for such brands (brace yourself) as Schaefer's, Schlitz, St. Ide's, and Stroh's to name a few; talk about a line-up. I am loving these guys the more I read about em.

They hail from Woodbridge, Illinois; which is west of Woodbridge, Virginia and currently making it's move to it's new home in, bleh, LA.

Old Style, itself, was first brewed in 1902. I like to think it was to commemorate the death of Jack the Ripper. It was brewed in the Heileman Brewing Company in 'Consin. It grew some serious popularity in the midwest. The brewing moved to another location when the brewery was sold to City Brewing Company. Apparently their LaCrosse beer is identical to Old Style.

Plus, Old Style is Kräusened, which means wort is added to the beer when it is bottled. This encourages the yeast to further ferment. This will clean up the flavor and OBVIOUSLY reduce the levels of diacetyl and acetaldehyde you bozo! Go back to school, damn! This is pretty common in Belgian beers apparently, if you didn't already knoooww thaaat.

This baby tips the scales at 4.7% ABV and this 24oz goliath only rang up like $2. You'd have to be as smart as baboon-lobster lab experiment if you don't buy it.

It pours easy, don't much head on it and a crisp, clean look to it. I hardly saw any acetaldehyde. It has a yeasty, lagery smell to it. Drinks heavier than a light beer, but comparable to it's Budweiser and Coors counterparts. Pretty enjoyable. Having a profound appreciation of Old Style can get you pretty far with Chicago-ians.

It's a good beer for a good price. You might see Jay Cutler sipping on one of these or some classy bum in the street.

Drinkability: 7/10

Taste: 6/10

Value: 8/10
Curb Appeal: 8/10

Overall: 7.25/10

Flying Dog Brewery's Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale

The moment I first sipped on this beer I said, "mm." A couple moments later I sipped it again and said, "oh wow, this is a special little treat." That's what this beer is; a special little treat. If I could end this review like that I would. But I gotta write more stuff to make Butala happy.

Flying Dog Brewery can be found down in Frederick, Maryland. These guys follow the great Hunter Thompson's quote "good people drink good beer." If you don't know who Hunter Thompson is go read a fucking book, dude.

This pale ale is one of the best brews made my Flying Dog. Those birds over at the New York Times even named it the number one pale ale in America. I wish everything tasted like this. It's quite refreshing so you can drink a lot of them after you finish your morning workout and at 5.5% abv, you can drink a lot of them and still do your daily activities. Its got a 35 IBU. I don't know what that means, but I like it.

All the artwork done for the brewery is done by Ralph Steadman, the same guy who drew pretty pictures for Thompson. The artwork on this bottle is Steadman at his finest.

At $10.50 a sixer this beer is a little tough on my college budget. But it's made in America so who gives a shit?




Drinkability: 10/10
Taste: 10/10
Value: 9/10
Curb Appeal: 10/10
Overall: 9.75/10