It’s finally starting to get a bit wintry out there.
For a little while there, it seemed like we might just get away with an entire fall and winter without freezing temps or snow, but, alas, that wasn’t in the cards.
In light of all this, we decided to get a beer. Why not, right?
Since last week saw the first snowfall of the year, we went out in search of a winter beer, something to warm the body and spirit in these cold, dark times.
We stopped into Cheers on a slow afternoon last week to see what they had to offer. After asking what was available for winter seasonals, we were told there were two options: Sam Adams Winter Lager and Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale.
Since we were already quite familiar with the Sam Winter, we went with the Sierra Nevada this time, for the sake of stepping out of our comfort zone.
First impressions were that this beer looked lighter than most winter beers. It was surprising to see a rich, almost amber color in the glass as opposed to a dark, almost black one.
The taste matched the color – this is a very light winter ale. That’s probably because, unlike most winter brews, this is an IPA – fresh hop IPA, they call it.
Therefore, it has a crisp, bitey feel to it that you don’t get with most winter beers. The flavor is very hoppy and beery – this isn’t loaded up with cinnamon and vanilla and cranberry and all that holiday mumbo jumbo. Nope, this is a beer drinker’s beer.
It is fairly potent at 6.8 percent alcohol by volume, so just make sure you’re careful with this one.
