Charger's Wine (and Beer) Club

[Charger]

Charger's Wine Club Christmas Beer Edition Part 4.

Today we have an American Brown Ale from Savonlinna Finland called Santa Olaf Christmas Ale.
This brown ale is very dark in color almost black and it has flavours of nuts, plum and some sweet caramel and maybe just a hint of citrus. Not a lot of seasonal flavours part from the plum.
This is midly hoppy and has a flavour of roasted malt.

Somehow this manages to taste a bit like watered down porter. Or that someone took a bottle of good porter opened it up and left it sit there for a week and then re-canned it into this. Basic taste is okay but there is just this watered down effect that comes with every sip. Almost like this would be light beer or something, but it is not. The alcohol content is 4.9%.

If this would have bit more...in lack of a better word...kick it could be a very good beer...now it's just watered down good beer.

*  *  ½

[Charger]

Charger's Wine Club Christmas Beer Edition Part 5.

This time we have a doppelbock from Bamburg Germany called Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche which has a twist. It is infused with Oak smoke! That's right this is smoked beer!

The bock is quite murky brown in color and the first thing you smell is the smoke, it is quite powerful but when you actually taste it the smokiness falls in to the background and some maltiness and sweet almost syrupy taste comes out. There is also a slight bitterness from the hops but this isn't a overly hoppy beer at all.

I've had some smoked beers before and they are a bit of an acquired taste for sure. But this isn't too bad. Smoke is there and present but it isn't overpowering. Kind of like smoked ham, you can taste the smoke but you can also still taste that you are eating ham not a burned log.

This also has a higher alcohol content of 8% which you can also sort of taste...or atleast feel. This is starting to be at the top range of alcohol content for beer.

Not something I'd have on a weekly or monthly basis but I could also imagine having it again...maybe next christmas...but not sooner.

*  *  ½

[Zzzptm]

Looks like the best of this season is that Winterfestbier.

[Charger]

So far yes. Hands down.

But I think I have two more to go.

[Charger]

Charger's Wine Club Christmas Beer Edition Part 6 New Years Special.


This time we have a Porter from Lammi Finland called Pakkas Porter (Which translates to Freezing Porter).
A very dark brown Porter with flavours of roasted malts, some cocoa, maybe some dark bread and vanilla. Quite a hefty beer. There a strong old school porter vibe with this one but that's not really surprising considering Lammin Sahti Brewery is the oldest small brewery in Finland. They do know traditions...

This is a good porter...not among the best I've had but good non the less.

Bit too eager to be drank though as it came out of the can as soon as I popped it...needed a tissue or two to clean the mess up...luckily didn't end up on my keyboard this time like a certain other domestic beer did once upon a time.

*  *  *

[Charger]

Charger's Wine Club Christmas Beer Edition Part 7

This time we have a craft brewed Pale Ale from Ireland called O'Hara's Winter Star Spiced Pale Ale.

This dark amber brown colored Pale Ale indeed lives up to it's Spiced name with flavours of Vanilla, Cardamom and loads of cinnamon...this tastes like a bowl of christmas porridge and that's not really a good thing. I'll have my porridge on christmas eve morning and that's it...don't need it in my beer.

Some spiced beers can be good when it's not overpowering but here it seems like the good people at O'Hara's Brewery in Carlow Ireland have dumped enough cinnamon in the brew to make a 100 apple pies!
The thing with cinnamon is that it is STRONG...so it feels like I'm just drinking liquid cinnamon...and that's not...I mean...it's just...





*  ½

[Zzzptm]

So which one wins overall as your Happy New BEER?

[Charger]

Out of all I've had in 2022?

[Zzzptm]

Out of all I've had in 2022?

Well, just the memorable ones. The forgettable ones are likely forgotten, let them stay that way.

[Charger]

I'm not sure...looks like I didn't post a whole lot of reviews this year for some reason...

I don't really recall having something that was truly "Special"...but kind of interestingly the new O'Hara's Irish Stout was a good one. I've had several really good Czech beers as well... I used to slightly look down on those Czech beers but I've really gotten to like them. But it's really hard to raise that ONE beer above everything else...

Tonight's gonna be the last entry for the Christmas Edition...

[Charger]

Charger's Wine Club Christmas Beer Edition Part 8

In the final part of the Christmas Beer Edition we have a Rye Ale from Tallinn Estonia called Hypothermia Nordic Rye Ale.

This bit murky brown colored ale has a very earthy taste with flavours of sweet caramel a touch of hoppyness with a bit of maltiness...but ofcourse that maltiness comes with a twist as this has Rye, Oat, Wheat and Barley malts...It's an interesting mix...generating a very soft tasting ale.

This is actually a very good beer. There is a touch of bitterness but just a touch and in the after taste.

Overall a very enjoyable beer. This and the Hohenthanner from germany are the cream of the crop for sure. And it is kind of funny that neither one of these are actually branded as christmas beers but winter beers...

*  *  *  *

[Zzzptm]

Looks like the moral of the story is to go with beers for the season, not the holiday.

[Charger]

Yes so it seems....for this year atleast.

[Zzzptm]

Could be true for other seasons, as well.

Like summer in the USA...

"Ew! Is that burnt gunpowder I taste?"

"Yeah, isn't it awesome how I got that in there?"

"No, it's horrible. I need a blowtorch to get the taste out of my mouth. I thought you said this was a summer beer?"

"It's a summer *holiday* beer. July 4th, in fact."

"OK, good to know. Remind me not to try your World Earth Day beer..."

[Charger]

Charger's Wine Club Beer Edition

This week we have a Dunkel (A german dark lager) from Ayinger called Altbairisch Dunkel.

The dark amber colored beer as flavours of plums, syryp and sweet cocoa with a hint of maltiness and very mild hoppyness.
This is quite sweet for a dark lager with very little to no bitterness at all, which is great.

Very well balanced beer with a soft flavour profile. This is something that I could easily recommend for someone who doesn't normally drink darker beers.
Extremely enjoyable dunkel.

*  *  *  *  ½