The Spirit World

Magic Hat Saint Goötz (5.9% abv) is billed as a Dark Winter Wheat (Dunkelweizen). This beer certainly stands apart from the other winter/holiday beers I’ve selected for this twelve beers of Christmas series because of its noticeable tartness and fruity nose.
Eyes: This clear chestnut colored beer has a slight cloudiness to it which is […]

So, you love sparkling wine but were looking for something a bit different than just a simple glass of bubbles? How about one of these ideas?
Bellini
The original Bellini was created at Harry’s Bar in Venice. (That would be Italy, not California!) That recipe calls for a scant ¼ cup of purée of […]

Nika Boyce is a scientist, writer, food photographer, homeschooling mom of two, living in New England. She first drank Little Kings Cream Ale in college in New Orleans and has been a Guinness drinker ever since. While not likely to drink wine or beer with most meals, she is very interested in exploring […]

I’ll be going local for the next beer of Christmas. I live on Long Island and I support my local brewery, Blue Point Brewing Company down in Patchogue (bless you!). My friend, Daniel, lives across the street from this brewery and, more importantly, their tasting room where the regular line up can be […]

What other drink can I suggest for this weekend that would be more appropriate than Champagne? Or really I should say sparkling wine… because anything that bubbles, tickles your nose and is a party in a glass will do! All celebrations are just a bit more festive when you are holding a glass of […]

Singing: “On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love…” Okay, I promised I wouldn’t sing on his blog. The fifth beer of Christmas is Winterhook, a muddy, brownish red Winter Ale brewed by Redhook Ale Brewery. This is a national brand and should be readily available in North America.
Eyes: The beer […]

Today’s Christmas Beer is Corsendonk Christmas Ale. You might have seen those brown bottles of Corsendonk Brown or Blonde in the beer cooler of your local beer shop. Corsendonk is a readily available brand of Belgian Ale (almost as ubiquitous as Chimay). If you’ve never reached for one of these beers, then […]

As mentioned in the Welcome Message, Food & Wine magazine has declared 2006, “The Year of the Cocktail”. Along with this increased focus on cocktails, they have recognized that some bartenders have as much influence as celebrity chefs when you are talking about creativity and direction in the world of cocktails.
In the […]

In mid to late November you’ll start seeing some wonderful new bottles appear on the shelves of your local beer retailer: the Christmas and Winter Ales. These darker, hoppier, stronger ales make the holiday season an exciting time to be sampling beer.
Almost every brewery has some kind of special Christmas or Winter […]

The next beer of Christmas is Anchor Christmas Ale by Anchor Brewing Company. It is one of my favorite holiday beers. It’s dark, rich, and spicy. The beer is a little different each year. Anchor has produced a new Christmas Ale for the last thirty-one years. (By the way, for […]