Great Divide Hibernation Ale

8.7 ABV

Holiday Beer Series Part I

Since the first snow fell in Fort Collins this past week, we feel it is only appropriate to kick off our holiday beer tasting.  The first in our series is Great Divide’s Hibernation Ale.  It was the perfect beer to start with – a very malt dominated festive winter ale with a dry quality that earns its place in the category of English style Old Ales.

The beer pours a light toffee colored head atop a reddish, mahogany colored backdrop.  The aroma is very malty – it reminds us of a rum cake, with rich toffee aromas that gain hints of the holiday spices as it warms.  It smells “hot” – you immediately notice the strong alcohol presence in this 8.7% beer, which is exactly what we wanted on a cold, winter night.  At the end there is almost a floral hop note, but it is subdued and barely detectable. 

The first sip is ever so smooth; it has a rich, roasted toffee flavor that matches its aroma and color.  The taste starts sweet and malty, transforming into a mild earthy hop flavor with hints of coffee bitterness, and finishes dry on the back of the tongue, leaving you with a lingering, spicy note reminiscent of cognac.  This beer is multilayered and complex – the malts have such a strong dominant presence, but their taste is very well blended with the finish: earthy, spicy, hot.    

This beer is highly recommended for a cold night.  It makes us want to sit in the dark and watch the snow fall while it warms the belly.  This beer is only available through January – so grab one now and enjoy!

http://www.greatdivide.com/

Anchor Steam Beer

4.9% ABV

Anchor Brewing Company is one of the oldest breweries in America, first starting their brewing operations in 1896.  The brewery has a long, and unique, history.  Much like the brewery itself, Anchor Steam Beer is a unique style of beer – Steam Beer (which is trademarked, so is known as California Common for non-Anchor brewed beer) is an American style lager that utilizes special lager yeast adapted for warmer fermentation temperatures. 

Anchor Steam Beer pours a bright amber hue, with a yellowish head topping the brilliantly clear beer.  From the first whiff, you know this is definitely a lager.  It has a clean, malty smell that finishes with a slight fruity aroma – it’s not over the top, but it’s apparent at the end. 

The first sip is creamy – it starts with a nice grain bite and ends in the slight taste of hops.  It feels heavier than you’d expect looking at this beer – that clear, bright color is deceptive.  It is definitely malty, but not over the top sweet – it tastes like they added rye to smooth out the sweetness, but this beer is made from all 2-Row Barley.  It finishes dry, almost bitter like the initial grain taste, but the bitterness is subdued, much like the sweetness of the malt.  The finishing notes bring a bright, crisp taste that reminds us of that slight fruity aroma.  Overall, this has a nicely balanced flavor – a medium body with a creamy mouth feel. 

The head really contributes to the taste of the beer – it gives it a full flavored, full bodied kind of feel.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t last as long as we would like it to –more head retention would be great, because it really enhances the flavor of the beer. 

Anchor Steam Beer is a great summer and fall beer that would be an excellent companion to a burger, or fish and chips.  It would probably make an amazing beer-batter too – we’ll have to try that sometime! 

http://www.anchorbrewing.com