More Beer Consumed This Weekend

Sure, there was a lot of beer sampled this weekend, but there are a few a really had my eyes on. There was the incredible selection on GCD, but the weekend did not end there.

We supplemented the weekend with various Boulevard, Bells, and Schlafly selections, but I pinpointed particular beers to consume over the holiday. Here's a rundown of what i drank...

GCD (Genocide Celebration Day, aka Thanksgiving)


Coney Island Lager
To open up the taste buds, I drank one of my favorite lagers. What sets Coney Island apart from the others is their liberal use of hops. You always get a light hoppy bitterness from a Coney Island lager.

Southern Tier Hoppe Extra Pale Ale
To compliment the cheese selections before dinner, I went with another favorite, Hoppe. Citrus adds to this hoppy IPA, making it crisp and not too heavy on the bitterness.

Brother Thelonius
This Belgian-style dubbel gave off a bourbon aroma (nothing wrong with that) and tasted of choclate and raisins...I'm starting to taste the raisins in good, craft beer.

Bell's Pale Ale
This is one of those session beers that's lost in a bottle. But pour it into a glass and let it breath, it becomes a golden caramely, floral, hoppy dream.

St. Bernardus Abt 12
The only way to overcome all those hops before dinner is to hit them with something high in alcohol but with plenty of flavorful balance. This Belgian Strong Ale did the trick. There really is nothing like Belgian beers. It added spectacularly to the meal's decadence.

Schlafly Reserve Imperial Stout
I bought this stout last winter with the intention of saving it for this weekend. I was not disappointed. The vanilla and chocolate richness was still there, but the bourbon flavor really came out over the months of aging. This was the perfect dessert beer.

Schlafly Reserve Barley Wine
Like the stout, I have been saving this barley wine for a special occasion. This beer finished off the night perfectly. This was the caramel to top off the chocolate-ness of the stout. A perfect ending to GCD.


Black Friday (besides other random beers to fill time and bellies)

Collaboration Not Litigation Ale
I've had this beer before, but I thought I'd have it around for the weekend. This was absolutely my favorite drink of the weekend. I love this beer.

Unibroue's Maudite
This, like the beer above, was originally purchased for Thursday's dinner, but it somehow lasted an extra day. It was really alive with carbonation, sweet malt, and spice. I'd rank it third out of the four Belgian-style beers I had over the weekend, but that still ain't bad.

Saturday

Sierra Nevada 12th Release Harvest Wet Hop Ale
I have grown to like Sierra Nevada again. It might be that beer distribution has improved enough that I can taste hops instead of skunk. This beer brought the hops and they were welcomed. For a special release, one would expect an imperial IPA, but this is just a solid American IPA. Of course, for less than four dollars for a 22-ounce bottle, who's complaining?

Left Hand Warrior IPA
Typical American IPA. Hoppy. Maltier-than-expected. Drank this right after the Sierra Nevada and it didn't hold up as well as expected, but still...

There are a couple of beers in the basement and in the fridge awaiting to be sampled, but will most likely hold off. It may be time to revisit the diet.