Pimp My Sleigh: The Pink Tequila Barrel Edition

I don't drink hard liquor anymore so I never order anything such as a tequila shot or a margarita. The only way I would ever experience hard liquor is when I order a beer that has been aged in the barrels as the liquor. Back when I did many more beer reviews than I do now, I did quite a few bourbon-barrel aged beers, such as Brooklyn's Special Operations or Heavy Seas' Blackbeard's Breakfast. I've even done a review of Hitachino's XH, a beer aged in sake barrels. However, I have never done a beer aged in tequila barrels, let alone pink tequila barrels ... until now. 

The first question that I asked myself is what exactly is pink tequila? The answer involves the barrel aging process, as it is tequila that is aged in red wine barrels. To be sure, aging tequila is not new, there is reposado and anejo, each involving the aging of the liquor. However, that aging usually involves bourbon barrels, which impart specific desired flavors and attributes. There are significant differences when it comes to flavors, as well as color, when it comes to aging in wine barrels.

The use of wine barrels to age tequila is said to have been started by the Real family, who live and produce tequila in Amatitan, which can be found in the Jalisco State of Mexico. The red wine elements from the barrel are said to give the tequila its pink color (hence "pink tequila"), along with floral aromatic notes and berry elements in the flavor. The end result is a tequila rosa.

The Pink Tequila Barrel Aged Pimp My Sleigh pours a dark brown, with lighter tones nearer to the surface. The caramel foam quickly gave way to the beer itself. The alcohol elements are definitely the first things one notices when taking a sniff of the beer. The traditional aromatic elements of the Pimp My Sleigh Christmas Ale seem to get a little lost in the aroma, but that's okay for me. After all, I purchased a tequila-aged beer for a reason, and it was to get something more than the traditional elements. 

That something more is also present in the taste of the beer. With this being the first tequila aged beer that I have had, I was not sure what to expect. The taste tended away from a traditional Christmas Ale toward a barleywine, and even toward the 120 Minute from Dogfish Head. There was a heavy alcohol taste, but the sweetness from the Christmas Ale elements was more present in the taste than in the aroma. 

Only 100 cases of this beer were produced, and that was back around Thanksgiving of 2024. My guess is that the beer is no longer available. If Fat Heads decides to brew it again, it is definitely worth the purchase. You can cellar it and it can remain available longer at your home than at the brewery.

PEACE.

A Very Belated Gift from Three Wise Brewers

I am often intrigued by collaboration beers; and, recently, brewers have been banding together in threes to produce some rather interesting collaboration beers.  I've reviewed a couple of those beers.  There is the Saison du Buff (Dogfish Head, Stone and Victory), which was brewed with rosemary, sage and thyme.  There is also the El Camino (Un)Real Ale (Stone, 21st Amendment and Firestone Walker), which is brewed with fennel seeds, chia seeds and pink peppercorns, along with mission figs.  Both were very interesting and very good.

When I was in Chicago, I came across another one of these collaboration beers.  The beer is the Special Holiday Ale and it is a collaboration between Stone Brewing Company, Nøgne-Ø and Jolly Pumpkin.  The beer is a holiday ale brewed with certain spices and other ingredients including chestnuts, juniper berries, white sage and caraway seeds.  Although it is a holiday ale, it sat in our basement through the holidays until, recently, when I decided that I would try the beer. 

The Special Holiday Ale pours a brownish color, that somewhat resembles cola. The ingredients contribute to the aroma, because I could smell the juniper berries and the white sage.  These aromas are accompanied by scents of the malts and a little roasted aroma (most likely contributed by the chestnuts).  I had a harder time sensing the caraway seeds, which is a little unexpected because caraway has a strong aroma. 

The flavor of this beer is very good.  Despite the unusual ingredients, the Special Holiday Ale has the flavors of a traditional holiday or Christmas Ale.  The taste elements clearly focus on the chestnuts (which had to have been roasted, given the attendant roast and coffee flavors), white sage and juniper berries.  Unlike the aroma, I could sense some of the caraway in the taste of the beer, especially on the finish and on the tongue. The finish was a little dry, but that did not really detract from the overall experience of drinking the beer. 

I found this beer at a Binny's outside of Chicago.  Although I don't recall the price, the other collaborations usually sold for about $3.00 to $4.00 a bottle.  

ENJOY!

Bridgeport Brewing Company's Ebenezer Ale

With the holidays quickly approaching, craft brewers have begun to roll out their Christmas Ales, Holiday Ales, and Winter Ales.  I have reviewed a few of them last year, such as the Great Lakes Christmas Ale, the Abita Christmas Ale and the Breuwerij Huyghe Delirium Noel.  This year, it is Bridgeport Brewing Company's Ebenezer Ale. 

Bridgeport Brewery is Oregon's oldest craft brewery. The origins of the brewery lie with one of the families in Oregon's well established wine movement, the Ponzis.  Richard and Nancy Ponzi worked with brewer Karl Ockert to establish Columbia River Brewing in 1984.  Columbia River Brewing eventually became Bridgeport Brewing Company.  Today, Bridgeport Brewing Company has grown in size and capacity, producing more than 100,000 barrels of beer per year.

My beautiful Angel and I visited the Bridgeport Brewpub and Bakery during our honeymoon. When I planned our honeymoon, it was to be a foodie, craft beer and wine experience.  The craft beer part of the experience appropriately began with the first craft brewer in Oregon.  We stopped in for a couple of beers, such as the India Pale Ale and the Blue Heron.  We both enjoyed the beers a lot.  Unfortunately, we have not been able to enjoy Bridgeport beers since our honeymoon because the craft brewer does not distribute to the East Coast.  However, I was able to find Bridgeport Brewing Company's Ebenezer Ale during a recent trip to Chicago.  So, I bought a six pack for the holiday. 

The Ebenezer Ale is a beer produced in the Winter Warmer Ale.  The brewer uses four different roasted malts and a few different hops. The beer pours an orangish-brown in color with a thin layer of foam.  The aroma of the beer highlights the roasted malts, with hints of the hops.  There is also an aroma of caramel.  The taste of the beer suggests cinnamon and, perhaps, a faint cardamom, nutmeg and/or clove flavor.    The flavors of this beer are lighter and more subtle than I expected.  This is not a bad thing, because it provides a contrast to other holiday ales or winter warmers that I have tried. 

Generally speaking, winter warmer ales are meant to be enjoyed alone, not necessarily paired with food.  These ales are usually a digestive, enjoyed after a good meal. Nevertheless, if you have some Christmas cookies, there is nothing wrong with having a couple with a beer like the Ebenezer Ale. 

Bridgeport Brewing Company's Ebenezer Ale has an ABV of 6.4% with an IBU of 40.  I found this beer at a Binny's outside of Chicago, Illinois, where a six-pack sold for about $8.99.

ENJOY!

Abita Christmas Ale

With the Christmas holiday, attentions turn to holiday ales.  I've already reviewed a couple of holiday ales, such as the Delirium Noel and Great Lakes Brewing Company's Christmas Ale.  These two Christmas Ales roughly represent the two poles of Christmas Ales.  On the one hand, the Delirium is a very good Belgian ale, but it does not have many of the Christmas aromas or tastes that one would expect from a holiday ale.  On the other hand, the Great Lakes Christmas Ale has a more pronounced ginger and cinnamon flavors.

And, in between these two poles, there is the Abita Christmas Ale.  Abita makes some great beers, like the Save Our Shores and Restoration Ale.  It's Christmas Ale is also a very good beer, which changes from year to year.   For 2010, Abita brews its Christmas Ale in the style of an American Brown Ale.  The brewery also gives a good hop kick to the Christmas Ale though the use of Willamette, Cascade and Columbus hops. 

The beer pours a reddish brown color and the aroma does reveal some of the hops used in the brewing process. The beer does have some of the flavors that you would expect from a Christmas ale; however, those flavors are a little subdued when compared to other ales of this style. The one taste that does come through is cinnamon, which seems to be the dominant "holiday" flavor in this beer.  This beer is a good example of the Christmas Ale style.

Like all Christmas ales, Abita's Christmas Ale is available only for a limited time in November and December.  During that time, it is available at beer and wine stores.  So, if you are interested, you may have to wait until the next holiday season.

ENJOY!

Great Lakes Christmas Ale

Great Lakes Brewing Company makes many great beers, like the Lake Erie Monster and the Nosferatu.  But the most sought after Great Lakes beer comes only one time a year.  It is the Christmas Ale, which has won five awards at the World Beer Championship.

The "Christmas Ale" style has a lot of leeway for brewers.  According to the Beer Judge Certification Program ("BJCP," which issues style guidelines for individuals who are training to become beer judges), "many interpretations" are possible when it comes to the flavors of a Christmas Ale, as well as the aromatics of these beers.  With regard to flavors, the spices used should complement, but not overwhelm, the beer.  Brewers have a wide array of choices when it comes to spices, whether it is dried fruit peels (such as raisin, plum, fig, orange or lemon) or holiday spices (like allspice cinnamon, clove, ginger,or nutmeg). 

In addition to using all natural ingredients (barley, hop, yeast and water), Great Lakes brews its Christmas Ale with honey and spices it with fresh ginger and cinnamon.  The beer pours a nice amber color.  The aromatics are subtle.  The spices provide some aromas that are evocative of the holiday season.  The cinnamon and ginger are much more pronounced in the taste of the beer.  Overall, it is a great beer and definitely worth having in the refrigerator for the holiday season.

Great Lakes Christmas Ale is usually available in November and December every year. However, the brewery makes only a limited amount of the beer and it tends to sell quickly.  The beer can also be expensive, costing more than $12.00 per six pack.

For more information about Great Lakes' Christmas ale, check out the profile provided by the brewery.  For more information about the Christmas Ale style, check out the Beer Judge Certification Program.

Breuwerij Huyghe Delirium Noel

It is that time of year, when craft brewers bring beer geeks much cheer ... in the form of Christmas and Holiday ales.  I often look forward to this time of year, because there are a lot of great beers in this style.  In the days and weeks to come, I plan to review some of those beers, such as the Great Lakes Christmas Ale and the Abita Christmas Ale.

But today, it is the Delirium Noel.  If you were to ask someone, what beer comes from Belgium, probably ninety-five percent of the people would respond, "Stella Artois."  Of the remaining five percent, I think a sizeable number of them would answer Delirium Tremens.  The beer of the pink elephant.

Well the brewer of the pink elephant beer also brews a Christmas ale.  Breuwerij Huyghe boasts of being the oldest brewing activity in Ghent, Belgium, dating itself back to 1654.  Well, Leon Huyghe started brewing in 1906 and, for more than one hundred years, the brewery has produced some commonly known Belgian beers, the Delirium Tremens and the Delirum Nocturnum.

As for the Delirium Noel, it is a lot like the Nocturnum.  The beer pours a deep amber, with little foam.  When drinking the beer, you definitely taste the alcohol.  The ABV is about 10%.  Although I wish I could say that I can taste some flavor when drinking the beer, I really can't.  The beer does actually taste a lot like the Nocturnum.  I don't taste anything that you would normally associate with a Christmas Ale, like clove, cinnamon, or cardamom.  The Delirium Noel tastes a lot like the other Deliriums. 

Still, that is not necessarily a bad thing.  Breuwerij Hugyhe produces some good beers.  But, if you are looking for a "Christmas Ale," as that is understood in the American craft beer market, then I would suggest other beers for you.  If you just like Belgian beers and would drink it anyways (kind of like me), then you can find it at most beer stores and supermarkets (where beer is sold).  It sells for about $10.99 a bottle.

ENJOY!