Sugar, spice, and everything nice

Brewers like nothing better than an excuse to whip up more batches of beer, so it’s only natural that the holidays and the new year mark the season where loads of new kegs get tapped. A lot of beers came out in late December and more are coming this month. For a taste of everything delicious, local and fermented, here’s a list of new releases from local breweries.

Brewers like nothing better than an excuse to whip up more batches of beer, so it’s only natural that the holidays and the new year mark the season where loads of new kegs get tapped. A lot of beers came out in late December and more are coming this month. For a taste of everything delicious, local and fermented, here’s a list of new releases from local breweries.

Rogue
Rogue released three beers on Dec. 21: Yellow Snow IPA, Mogul Madness Ale and Santa’s Private Reserve. The IPA is a medium-bodied beer with hoppy fruit flavors, while the Mogul is for the heartier drinker, featuring notes of coffee, chocolate and caramel. Santa’s Private Reserve is a red ale that’s double-hopped and extra malty. Each stands as its own beer, but Rogue rarely comes out with anything less than mouthwatering.

Bridgeport
Bridgeport released an even heftier beer in December: the Highland Ambush Scotch Ale. This beer was brewed and aged in bourbon barrels formerly used for producing Maker’s Mark whiskey, so it’s akin to drinking a Scotch with more body. Highland Ambush has been a seasonal for over 20 years at Bridgeport and this year the hops are toned down so that the ale goes down smooth with its hints of vanilla and caramel.

Alameda Brewhouse
Alameda now has four seasonals on tap at its Northeast pub. The Brickhouse Brown Ale and Papa Noel’s Olde Ale both draw their inspiration from English-style ales, the Brown Ale being a crisper, more malty beer while the high alcohol content in Papa Noel’s reflects the Brits’ love for, well, alcohol. The Germans, too, have some influence this season, as Alameda’s other two seasonals are brewed in traditional German styles. The East Village Amber is an Altbier, which uses warm, top-fermenting yeast in the brewing method. The other is Beaumont Bock Lager, a bock, which is typically aged for a month or more and carries a lot of sweetness.

Cascade Brewing Co.
In December Cascade came out with a red ale that was almost as unusual as its name: Drie Zwarte Pieten “Sang Noir 2009.” Portions of the beer were aged in bourbon barrels, pinot noir barrels and even on 100 pounds of bing cherries. Unfortunately, it tasted more like cherry-flavored wine than beer, though it was made in a limited supply and disappeared as quickly as it came. Next time, Cascade might do best to stick to what it knows—plain, simple beer.

Widmer Brothers Brewing Company
Widmer usually comes out with some decent brews, though nothing special. This month the brewery releases a W’10 Pitch Black IPA, following the fad of brewing black IPAs. Making a black IPA requires a black malt, which—needless to say—gives the beer a black color. It’s for show more than anything else, though, because black IPA still tastes light and hoppy like any IPA. This one is guaranteed to be extra hoppy, so it might supply a kick for those who seek it.

New Old Lompoc Brewing
For those who like some spice in their beer for wintertime, Lompoc’s Brewdolph is more than satisfying. In the Belgian style, a lot of clove was thrown in to give it a kick. The head-spinning high alcohol content also takes its tradition from Belgian ales. Brewdolph is yet another brew to keep warm with in the winter.