Hello. New years is upon us and I figured I'd drop a line again about a few drinks. I haven't really been much of a participant in cocktail culture of late Spending more time drinking good beer. So I'm going to write this one about winter beers. And follow it up with a recent cocktail fave “the Rusty Nail”
Back in the day brewing was a seasonal activity and many beers had their distinct times, for instance Marzen, better known as Oktoberfest beer in the states. Was brewed typically in March, thus the name Marzen, German for March. Due to the advantages of the modern age, Refrigeration, year round grain and hops etc. Many styles of beer are now made the whole year. But there are still some brewers due to tradition or the intricacies of their brew, that choose to still make special beers for the holiday. I'm going to outline three. Sammichlaus, Cervezaria Moctezuma's Noche buena, and Anchor's Christmas Ale.
Sammichlaus.
The first of these that I'm writing about is the Swiss Beer Sammichlaus. This beer named in the Zürich dialect word for Santa Claus. Has the distinction of being the strongest beer ever brewed, at a whopping 14% alcohol by volume. First brewed in 1980, Sammichlaus is brewed every year on St Nicholas' day, December 6, and is lagered (a slow secondary fermentation wherein it is aged under cold conditions) nearly a whole year. In fact the total process, brewing, fermenting, lagering, and bottling takes a whole year as it is bottled on St Nicholas' day of the following year from which it was brewed! This brewing time and the use of champagne yeasts make the famous strength. The Beer comes in s light and dark version, but they should be called dark and darker. I bought the only type they had at my local BevMo but judging from the bottle pictured in Micheal Jackson's “Ultimate Beer” (DK 1997) I believe I tried the light one. Traditionally the beer is drank in espresso cup sized steins but as I don't have one of these, my father and I sampled it in cognac snifters. The flavor is rich and full with a wine like mouth feel. It's a little sweet and has more of a wine like acidity than typical beer like bitterness. But the flavors are all malt and hops, being a lager the yeast doesn't play into flavor. It's texture is a little oily not dissimilar to an ice wine or a single malt. It was quite good, and even in the snifter goes straight to the head. I'll have to try it in a pint sometime for science.... of course. The beer is of course seasonal, but due to it's low profile out of hop head circles it's pretty much available year round wherever good beers are sold.
Noche Buena.
Named Noche Buena (the good night) the Spanish term for Christmas Eve. Noche Buena is a great German style lager. Though known for cheaper beers like Corona or Tecate, there are many a great German style beer coming out of Mexico. In fact many styles like the Vienna lager which aren't made much in Germany Austria anymore are still quite popular in Mexico. Noche Buena is made by La Cervezaria Moctezuma, and starts to appear on the shelves around Thanksgiving. It is everything a German lager should be, good malt flavors, a nice zing of hops and a fizzy, but not too fizzy mouth feel. I believe it is Mexico's best beer. I usually find it in holiday party packs at Costco with it's popular brothers Dos Equis Clara and Obscura (itself one of the aforementioned Vienna lagers).
Anchor Brewing's Special Holiday Ale.
Commonly called the Christmas ale, due to it's Christmas card style label. It's an excellent ale made with spices. Brewed by the Anchor Brewing Company, famous for reviving “steam beer”, since 1975. Each years Christmas Ale is a little bit different. Each year gets a different group of spices in the wort, and a different Tree adorns each years label. The spices used are a trade secret, but I can usually spot coriander (a favorite beer spice), orange peel, and I suspect pine. This beer has been a family tradition in my house for the last couple of years and I've tasted two vintages. Both where actually quite similar so I'd say they have a base recepie, that they modify it to suit the spices chosen for that year. The Christmas Ale is a complex flavor. It has a very rich malt presence with a bit of nuttiness from the yeast, and a nice session bitter hop character. Then the spices hit you adding to the bitterness, in an almost medicinal way (this is a good thing). It's meant to be drank in pints, but I prefer taking it in a snifter or tumbler because it's very, very rich, and a pint would become monotonous on the palate. I highly recommend it, I've tried 2009 and 2010s. And I prefer 2010, so check it out while it still lasts. You can find it at most good liquor stores, wherever Anchor is sold. It is sold in both 12oz. bottles and magnums, I prefer the magnum as I get it as part of our Christmas feast, and it's just more celebratory. As it is a vintage ale it supposedly ages well, but I've never had it last that long aging beer and wine for me is a task.
And last but not least the one new drink I've discovered this year. The Rusty Nail. It's a simple drink made of Scotch Whiskey and the cordial of Drambuie Drambuie is one of those super secret cordials that everywhere in Europe seems to have, So I have no idea what it is other than Drambuie The drink goes thus.
1.Old Fashion glass (tumbler)
2.4oz. of blended Scotch Whiskey.
3.1oz. of Drambuie
4.Ice.
Fill the glass with Ice and build the drink by first pouring the Scotch, then topping it off with Drambuie Give it a stir then drink.
Well that's it for me this year so I hope you have a great new year and keep safe on New Years Eve.
David
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