Day 30 "Christmas Ale" from Anchor Brewing

It's beginning to taste a lot like Christmas..... la la la la.  With December only a day away, Black Friday and Cyber Monday behind us the Christmas season is officially upon us and tonight presented the perfect excuse to break out a magnum of Anchor's Christmas Ale.  With notes of nutmeg and gingerbread this exceptional ale rounds up our 30th day of great beers.  Although Anchor has been brewing this delicious holiday treat since 1975(click here for some history), 2010 is the first time that I have had the pleasure of sampling it.   

Anchor Brewing has played a significant role in California  brewing history. For the past 36 years the Christmas Ale has been brewed using a top secret and anually adjusted  recipe. 

Even after sampling 29 beers I still had a plethora of options when it came to filling the final post of the 30 Beers of November Blog.  Somehow Anchor's Christmas Ale just seemed to be the best choice.  You can find the Magnum of Christmas Ale at BevMo and Nugget Markets.  The magnum makes for a great gift to bring to a holiday dinner and you can purchase six packs to keep in the fridge.  If you happen to find it on tap please let me know where.

I would like to send out a huge thank you to all of those that followed the blog.  I had a lot of fun creating it and I hope that you enjoyed reading it.  My lovely wife suggested that I continue the tradition once a season so keep an eye out for future posts.  Also look for auxilary posts with beers that were great but didn't quite make the cut.

Cheers,

John

Day 29 "Alaskan IPA" from Alaskan Brewing company.

Surfing in Alaska???  You bet.  The inspiration for this beer is comes from Alaska's own surf mecca Yakutat.  The label features a surfer riding a wave while Mount Saint Elias looms at an impressive elevation of 18,000 feet in the background.  Who would have thought to go surfing in Alaska?  Probably the same adventuresome folks that will enjoy this bold and tasty brew.  I normally stick to the Alaskan Amber but had to try the IPA since I had never seen it on tap before.

Tasting notes come from the http://www.alaskanbeer.com/ website; "Alaskan IPA is honey gold in color with a fruity, citrus aroma. An enticing blend of hops and our dry hopping process, in which hops are added directly to tanks during fermentation, give this brew a very intense, complex aromatic character with a refreshing hop finish."

I enjoyed my Alaskan IPA at Plainfield Station (see day 28 for more info) where we braved the cold(but sunny) weather to enjoy the back yard/picnic area.  The kids played football and others played horseshoes while I sat back enjoyed the late afternoon sun and sipped my Alaskan IPA. 

Alaska has a long history of brewing and beer drinkers from the explores in the 1700s through the miner's gold rush there was plenty of local beer to be had.  Of course prohibition put a damper on most of the local production.  In 1986 Marcy and Geoff Larson opened the first brewing company in Juneau since prohibition and the Alaskan Brewing Company has flourished ever since.

Day 28 "Guiness Stout" at Plainfield Station

Well of course Guinness needs no introduction as it is probably one of the most recognizable beers in the world.  When you have been making beer for over 200 years you certainly know how to do it well.  But in case you haven't taken the leap of faith and tried a Guinness it is about time that you give it a taste.  As my sister stated today "That's pretty good for a beer of that color".

I enjoyed my Guinness at one of my favorite watering holes, Plainfield Station.  Plainfield Station is an old gas station on Road 98 between Davis, Woodland and Winters, Ca.  It is a place were a group of hunters in their orange hats can sit next to two nurses in scrubs who are sitting next a pair of burly looking bikers in black leather.  At the table across the room a young couple (with their newborn asleep in the car seat on top of the table) dined on half pound burgers while I along with 7 other family members enjoyed a large plate of nachos.  This hole in the wall bar has a substantial selection of beers on tap which ranges from Pabst to Guinness and from Widmer Heff to Boont Amber Ale.  And of course they have all the old standby beers like Coors and the line of Buds.

Plainfield has a very large back yard with picnic tables, a horseshoe pit and a stage for small concerts.  The food is great and the menu boasts everything from jalapeno poppers to teriyaki chicken sandwiches but for my money the Tacos are the best around. If you are ever in the area you must stop in a grab your favorite libation and game of pool.  Everyone is welcome and the staff (at least these days) is very helpful and friendly.  The beer is always cold and the people watching is second to none.

Photos by Shoop's Photography

Day 27 "PU 240" from Auburn Ale House

With Thanksgiving past us I have heard that the "autumn beers" are about to give way to the Christmas beers (4 weeks ago I had no idea that beers changed with the seasons).  As I understand it the Christmas beers have more of a lean towards maltiness and sweetness.  If that theory holds true I am glad that I had a chance to sample this 100+ IBU creation from the Auburn Ale House before switching to the "holiday beers". 

The Auburn Ale house puts out some seriously flavourful brews to match their tasty food offerings.  The PU 240 is no exception to this rule. 

"Named after the isotope essential for nuclear grade weapons, this
“Weapons Grade Ale” is the hop bomb you didn’t see coming!
At 100 bittering units, PU240 captures the explosive hop flavor and aroma necessary to achieve a critical mass that you won’t find in other high-hop ales. A classified and combustible amount of Summit and Galena hops along with a double Dry-hop bombardment of Simcoe, Columbus and Nugget contribute to PU240’s high rate of spontaneous hop fusion."

If you enjoyed "Pliny the Elder"and the beers profiled in Day 12, Day 21 and Day 23 then you will love PU 240.  Word of warning, this is nuclear grade stuff so be careful with it.  You can find this wonderment at the Ale House located in Old Town Auburn or in Old Town Folsom at Samuel Hornes.

Day 26 "Powerhouse IPA" from Lockdown Brewing Company

Long before I moved within miles of Folsom Prison and called “Old Town Folsom” my home I was a fan of Johnny Cash’s ”Folsom Prison Blues”. I have long been fascinated by the lure of the famous granite walls that surround one of the most infamous correctional facilities in our American culture. My morning jog often includes touching the perimeter fence of the area aptly named Represa, CA.

Accordingly I have been intrigued by the beers produced by Lockdown Brewing Company (LBC). Since I moved to “Old Town Folsom” I have heard rumors that LBC would open a brewery on our famed Sutter Street. I have heard friends rave of their beers for years. So when I noticed the hand written Lockdown IPA label on a tap at the local Beach Hut Deli I had to try it out.

The Beach Hut Deli is known for their enormous sandwiches so I was pleased to find that the the Lockdown “Powerhouse IPA” was a bold enough libation to wash down my mammoth sandwich. Further investigation of this almost "underground" brewing company produced more intrigue. I have discovered that LBC has recently opened a facility in nearby Rancho Cordova.
LBC’s most recent release is an exquisite example of an American IPA with a ABV of 7.5 and an unknown (to me) IBU which I estimate around 80-90.  This IPA is a crisp and very drinkable brew with enough flavor to catch my interest even after 26 days of tasting many wonderful beers. If you are lucky enough to find it I insist that you try it out.


Cheers.

Day 25 "Painkiller IPA" by Paul Crescione

Home brewer and member of Team Pain Train (a local cycling group) Paul Crescione's most recent brew is humorously named Painkiller IPA.  Paul is an established home brewer and friend of mine who lives just across the river from us.  His Painkiller IPA is an example of a true home brew using Chinook and Cascade hops grown in the backyard hop garden of one of his neighbors in Orangevale, CA.  In his words the beer is not as hoppy as he intended but I felt it was a perfect mix of flavor and drinkability.  The members of Team Pain Train like to train hard and require a beer that will take the edge off after a hard ride.

After 9 years of producing exclusively kegged beer Paul chose bottled this brew to test out a beta version of a mini keg that another friend is developing.  The mini keg is a whole other story which will most likely be making its way to the commercial market soon.  You won't find Painkiller in stores but if you are lucky enough to know Paul you may just get to try some.

Cheers.

Day 24 "Celebration Ale" from Sierra Nevada

Day 24 brings us back to Folsom and my trusty neighborhood pub Samuel Hornes.   With 16 beers on tap I don't expect to run out of unique beers to profile.  That said I have whittled away at more than half of their selection for this Blog.  Luckily their inventory rotates on a regular basis so I should be able to sample a few more of their offerings before the end of the month.

Today's beer comes from Chico, California's Sierra Nevada Brewing Company.  Officially dubbed Celebration Fresh Hop Ale this seasonal masterpiece was originally brewed in 1981 and has continued as a holiday tradition to date.  Here is the stat sheet for the 2010 version of this dry hopped ale:

Alcohol content 6.8% by volume	Bittering hops Chinook
Beginning gravity 16.0 Plato	Finishing hops Cascade & Centennial
Ending gravity 4.0 Plato	Dry hopping Cascade & Centennial
Bitterness units 65	Malts Two-row Pale & English Caramel
Yeast Top-Fermenting Ale Yeast