Another winter brew found at Jungle Jims in Fairfield, Ohio. Snow Cap Winter Warmer by Pyramid breweries from out on the west coast. Cool label, it is a nice winter scene with snow flakes, a crescent moon, a reindeer and two snow capped pyramids. (does it snow in Egypt? Or are there pyramids in the north pole?)
It poured a dark mahogony, almost as black as a cola. It has a thick tan head that laced itself all the way down to the last drink, a definite plus. It had a nice balanced aroma of malts and hops, and it tasted just like it smelled. At first, you taste the malts but the hops make a sudden appearance as it passes over your palate. A nice sipping beer for cold winter night.
Ok, enough snob talk. As the beer got warmer, it seemed to change flavor. The malt taste went away and the hoppiness showed up. It was almost as if someone switched beers with me while I went to my humidor to get a cigar. When I opened a second one I expected nothing but the hoppy ale taste the first one finished up with, but I encountered the exact same experience. Malty at first, then the transition to hops. This is a pretty unique brew with lots of character. It is definitely in the running to make it’s way the Porch Christmas dinner table.
I went shopping at Jungle Jims the other day and as I was walking out of the humidor, I noticed two guys standing at the tasting counter. One was pouring a beer I’ve never seen before into two glass chalices and the other guy was smiling. I butted in with a polite “Hi, that looks interesting.” (nothing like intruders, huh?) The gentleman behind the counter was very hospitable and poured a glass for me. We had a very informative conversation about this beer. Very seldom do I buy a beer where the employees know what they are talking about. In this case, I was the student and the employee was the professor. I wish more beer retailers were like this.
The beer was a YuleSmith Holiday Ale from AleSmith brewery in San Diego, California. (birthplace of the lovely Mrs. Porch) It poured a somewhat cloudy (but not as cloudy as a wheat beer) dark amber. I always like to sniff the beer before I take that important first drink and I could smell the hops as I was lifiting it up to my nose. It had a nice thick tan head that left a fair amount of lacing until the final drink. Most “winter warmers” have a good amount of spices that balance out the malts, but this one seems to have more hops than spices. As it warms to room temperature, the hops and spices come alive and it actually gets better. Next time I think I’ll not put it in the fridge before I drink it. It does leave a dry taste on the palate, more common with IPA’s BUT it held on to the malts and spices that make it a winter beer.
It seems to have the characteristics of many craft brews. A bit cloudy like a wheat beer, very hoppy like an IPA, malty and spicy like a good wintertime beer. There are so many situations for this one, but my recommendation is a good book, a snowy night and a warm fire in the fireplace. I know, I know, you are saying “but they brew it in San Diego.” Well, there are plenty of mountains in southern California, find one. I might suggest Big Bear. This is one of the best Ales I’ve had in a while. I hope they have some left when I go back to Jungle Jims this week, this just may make the Porch dinner table on Christmas eve. It packs a lofty 8.5% ABV so it might be an early turn in for me and Santa would have plenty of time to fill my stocking.
The only foods I can think of that would go with this holiday ale is finger foods. You know, cheese and crackers, a veggie tray, popcorn chicken and definitely shrimp.
P-O-R-C-H rating: H
P.S. Jungle Jims is a multi-cultural grocery store in Fairfield, Ohio, just north of Cincinnati. If you are ever in the area, I would strongly suggest you make the trip there. They have more beers and wines than anywhere I’ve ever been. If it can be got, they will have it.
Last weekend Mr. Porch and I sat at the campfire, poured an ice cold Samuel Smiths brew and decided to endulge in a Don Carlos. (5 pack sampler at Cigars Direct) I selected the #2, and Mr. Porch decided to go with a Don Carlos Robusto.
It was rather dark outside, so my pre-light inspection wasn’t as thorough as normal but it didn’t matter; I’ve had Arturo Fuente cigars before and I know these are top notch.
When I made the cut, it felt a bit dry. I’ve been battling humidity for the last couple of weeks with the cool fall air but when I pulled them out, we were right at 62%rH.
After lighting, I came to the conclusion that the cigar wasn’t as dry as I had thought. The cigar had a relatively easy draw to it. As with other Arturo Fuente cigars I’ve smoked, this was a very smooth cigar. Mr. Porch made a comment that it had a bit of a grassy taste to it, and that he kinda likes that flavor. Other than the so-called grassy flavor, no other tastes jumped out at me. It was an overall great tasting medium flavor cigar.
While smoking at the campfire, my son made a s’mores for me. I was afraid I would contaminate my palate with it, but in trying to be a good father I ate it anyway. The chocolate and marshmallow complimented the cigar quite nicely!
After about an hour and a half, I was finished. This cigar is top shelf and I highly recommend it. There will always be a place for Arturo Fuente cigars in my humidor. As for the score, I’ll give it an A-.
As with other High Quality cigars, you can conveniently pick these up from our friends at cigarsdirect.com.
This review begins back in the early 1970’s, so grab your favorite brew and light up a good stogie and try to follow along.
When I was a young boy, I remember walking to Toms Cigar store in Hamilton, Ohio with my dad. We would go once a week so dad could buy his lottery tickets. I would always run straight to the fishing section hoping there would be a long line at the lottery counter so I could spend more time looking at every lure and pole they carried. I would also page through the many outdoor magazines and check out all the camping gear. Dad always knew where to find me, and when he was done, we would walk home and talk about our next camping trip.
Skip ahead now about 30 years. While at work the other day I was just chatting with Shaggy, a longtime friend and co-worker, and the subject of cigars came up. Turns out Shaggy is a cigar smoker. I told him about this site and the next day he brought me in a couple of Flor Extra Fina stogies to review. As fate would have it, he told me that he gets these all the time at……you guessed it, Toms Cigar store. Man you talk about a blast from the past.
These Flor Extra Fina’s come pre-punched, so there is no cutter needed. (I know, I know, most cigar snobs NEVER buy cigars unless they are hand rolled somewhere in Central America and a cutter is required. But I’m not above smoking a freebie, whether it needs a cutter or not.) It’s dimensions are 7 X 36 with a dark brown wrapper. Upon lighting, it gave a sweet aroma and my first impression was that this was going to be a sweet cigar that leaves a bad feel on the palate. But it quickly gave way to a nice peppery taste that left my nose tingling. It had a medium flavor and it burned even throughout. The only negative I could find was, the ashes didn’t hold very tight, but that is a very small issue hardly worth mentioning due to it’s otherwise quality characteristics. The thing I liked best is, it smelled sweet but tasted peppery. I don’t know if I’ve ever had a cigar that tasted that much different than it smelled. In total, it lasted about 40 minutes and was a very enjoyable cigar.
Another twist of fate with this story, Shaggy and I grew up a half a block away from each other and didn’t know it until we started working together about 6 years ago. Man you just never know who you’re going to meet next. We seemed to have so much in common, I’m surprised we’re not related. But we can’t be, I’m much better looking.
One of the best things about winter being right around the corner is the number of winter lagers and ales that begin showing up on the store shelves this time of year. Mrs. Porch and I went grocery shopping tonight, and in my weekly walk through the beer aisle I spotted the winter ale of my favorite local micro-brewery, Christian Morlein.
Christian Morlein has a varied line of craft brews that include Double Dark Lager, Helles Lager, OTR Ale and a few others. My favorite is the Chrstkindl Ale Winter Warmer. It pours a dark amber, looks a little like a thin root beer. It didn’t have a very thick head and it dissapated fairly quickly which was a little disappointing. It had a nice malty aroma with a little bit of spice, perfect for a cold winter night. It’s taste is beyond my ability to describe, but I’ll try. It has a definite taste of malt that makes it a bold and hearty brew, a touch of chocolate with an almost perfect amount of hops to make this the most flavorful beer I have ever tasted. This one has a very wide range of food it could be coupled with. If you try it, I would suggest something hearty like beef stew, pot roast, turkey and dressing or baked pork chops with fried apples. Too bad it’s not brewed in the summer time because it would be a good cookout beer too. If you are not bothered by the cold and feel like braving the midwestern elements in mid- January, this beer would go well with cheeseburgers or bratwursts. (or both) It really is too bad people outside of the Cincinnati marketing area don’t have access to this beer.
The day after Thanksgiving marks the day that I begin my annual search for the “Official beer” of the Porch household for Christmas. I couldn’t help myself this year to start a bit early. Although, I think I will stick to this tradition by buying more of this one on November 28th. Some of you may think this is just an excuse for me to drink more of this beer, but in the name of tradition, I will sacrifice and give the rest of the winter brews a fair chance. If you happen to find yourself in the greater Cincinnati area this holiday season, this is a must try.
Another winter brew found at Jungle Jims in Fairfield, Ohio. Snow Cap Winter Warmer by Pyramid breweries from out on the west coast. Cool label, it is a nice winter scene with snow flakes, a crescent moon, a reindeer and two snow capped pyramids. (does it snow in Egypt? Or are there pyramids in the north pole?)
