Beer Review: Anchor Merry Christmas Happy New Year 2016 Ale

What better beer to enjoy on Christmas Day than Merry
Christmas & Happy New Year from Anchor Brewing? This is their special ale
that they create only once a year and each year it is changed in some way, this
happens with the beer and even the label that is used. They have done it 42
times thus far and the 2016 edition comes in at 5.5% ABV as a Winter Warmer.
Let’s see how this one compares.

Commercial Description:

A deliciously smooth winter warmer with notes of seasonal spices and a malty
backbone, our 2016 Christmas Ale marks the 42nd annual release of this
celebrated Anchor tradition.

It is sold only from early November to mid–January. The Ale's recipe is different
every year—as is the tree on the label—but the intent with which we offer it
remains the same: joy and celebration of the newness of life. Since ancient
times, trees have symbolized the winter solstice when the earth, with its
seasons, appears born anew. With a heavily guarded, secret recipe, Christmas
Ale is a highly anticipated seasonal delight, complex and full in flavor with a
velvety texture and alluring, yet subtle, spiced aroma.

Our tree for 2016 is the “1,000 Mile Tree” or the lone pine found during westbound
construction of the transcontinental railroad. Discovered in 1869, it was a
lone pine amidst a vast and desolate landscape. The tree on this year’s label
was hand-drawn by Bay Area artist James Stitt, who has been creating Anchor’s
Christmas Ale labels since 1975. His charming illustration of the 1,000 Mile
Tree includes a person at the top of the tree with a mug of beer, honoring an
old legend that railway passengers sometimes attempted to climb the tree.

The 2016 Christmas Ale is a deep mahogany brown with a creamy, tan head and boasts
aromas of fruitcake, molasses, and fresh cut wood. The beer tastes of roasted
caramel malt, with notes of spiced chocolate and nuts. And it has a rich,
smooth, and velvety mouthfeel. Every year the Anchor brewers look forward to
formulating a new Christmas Ale recipe and tasting the fruits of their labors.
We are always excited to please beer fans with its ever-changing recipe and
label. Cheers from the Anchor brewers!

Brew Facts:

First Brew – 1975

First Bottling - 1975

Alc. by Volume - 6.5

Availability - Nov.-Jan.

Malt - Top Secret

Hops - Top Secret

Dry Hops -Top Secret

Press Release: Third Annual Ohio Craft Brewers Conference Schedule Announced

THIRD ANNUAL OHIO CRAFT BREWERS CONFERENCE SCHEDULE ANNOUNCED   Keynote speech to address economic impact of Ohio’s booming craft beer industry CINCINNATI – The third annual Ohio Craft Brewers Conference presented by The Cincinnati Insurance Companies will take place Feb. 8-9, 2017 at the Duke Energy Convention Center in downtown Cincinnati. Dr. Bart Watson, Chief Economist for the Brewers Association, will deliver the keynote address on Feb. 8, discussing the economic impact of the growing Ohio craft beer industry. The two day conference will feature over 25 presentations and panel discussions on a broad range of industry topics. 50 Ohio Craft Brewers Association Allied member businesses will also hold a trade show at the convention center during the conference. Member registrations for the two day event are available for $200 per person. Non-member registrations are also available for $250 per person. Registration includes breakfast and lunch on both days of the conference, a flash drive featuring all conference presentations, admission to the trade show and post-conference events at OCBA member breweries in Cincinnati. Registration available online at www.beerfesttickets.com/OCBConference2017 The Hyatt Regency Cincinnati adjacent to the Duke Energy Convention Center is the official hotel of the Ohio Craft Brewers Conference. Reservations can be made online at https://aws.passkey.com/event/16225600/owner/2603/home The Ohio Craft Brewers Conference presented by The Cincinnati Insurance Companies is supported by Proforma Graphic Services, Brewers Professional Alliance, Frantz Ward Attorneys at Law, Reminger Attorneys at Law, Hunter Consulting Company, Ohio Beer Counsel, Heidelberg Distributing Company, Wholesale Beer & Wine Association of Ohio, Briess Malt & Ingredients Co., Craft Connection Brewery Tours, BLEFA, Sprinkman Brewing Systems, Baker Tilly and System Plast. CONFERENCE SCHEDULE: WED. FEB. 8 Duke Energy Convention Center, 525 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202 7:30 – 9:00 AM Breakfast and registration Trade show hours 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM 8:00 – 10:30 AM Breakfast Beverage Bar sponsored by Proforma Graphic Services 9:00 – 10:00 AM Main room: Welcome address with Mary MacDonald, OCBA Executive Director and Chris Alltmont, Fat Head’s Brewery, OCBA Board President Keynote speaker: Dr. Bart Watson, Chief Economist for the Brewers Association 10:00 – 10:45 AM Main room: Franchise Law and the Impact of Recent Case Decisions with James Niehaus and Colleen Murnane of Frantz Ward Fundamentals room: What’s the deal with commercial leases? With Adam Armstrong and Kevin Connell of Ohio Beer Counsel Special topics room: R&D tax credits with Stephen Smith of Graydon Head and Kevin Begley of MCM CPA 11:00 – 11:45 AM Main room: Panel Discussion: Building a Relationship with your Retailers with John Lane of Winking Lizard, Jason Milburn of Kroger and Todd Wiggs of Jungle Jim’s. Moderated by Adam Lane of MadTree Brewing. Fundamentals room: Trademark Overview with Calder Mellino of The Mellino Law Firm Special topics room: Brewing Strategically for a Small Brewpub with Chris Davison of Wolf’s Ridge Brewing 12:00 – 1:00 PM TRADE SHOW TIME Main room: Recruiting and Motivating Sales Reps for Independently Distributed Breweries with Nick Bowman of Warped Wing Brewing Company and Justin Carson of Platform Beer Co. 12:45 – 2:00 PM Lunch in the Junior Ballroom 2:00 – 2:45 PM Main room: Multiple Knock Out Brewing: Maintaining Consistency with Subsequent Brews with Eric Baumann of Christian Moerlein Brewing Company Fundamentals room: Brewery Layout and Basic Overview of Applicable Codes with Brian Grafton of FMD Architects, Inc., Colin Vent of Seventh Son Brewing and Andy Tveekrem of Market Garden Brewery Special topics room: Ohio Malts and Trends in Malts with Andrew Martahus of Haus Malts and Matt Cunningham of Rustic Brew Farm 3:00 – 3:45 PM Main room: Panel Discussion: What do Distributors want from Their Brewery Partners. Moderated by Jacob Evans of the Wholesale Beer & Wine Association of Ohio. Participants include Dale Cox of Premium Beverage Supply, Jason Edwards of Superior Beverage Group and Austin Philips of Southeast Beverage Company Fundamentals room: Site Selection and Economic Incentives Available with Gary Horsfall of RSM US LLP Special topics room: Conservation Goals and Energy Usage in Your Brewery with Kevin Ely of Wooly Pig Brew Farm (formerly with Uinta Brewing) 4:00 PM – 4:45 PM Main room: Souring Organisms and Yeast with JT Rea of Moody Tongue Brewing Company Fundamentals room: Demystifying Digital Advertising with Matt Moore of Great Lakes Publishing and Stephanie Cooper and Jackie Meddles of Scripps Digital Special topics room: High Gravity Brewing Tips and Tricks with Tim Hawn of BrewDog USA 5:00  – 6:30 PM Join us for Happy Hour in the Trade Show Room at Duke Energy sponsored by Graydon 6:30 – 8:30 PM Shuttle available to the reception at Christian Moerlein Brewing Company with food, beer and music, including tours of the Kaufmann Cellars. Sponsored by Heidelberg Distributing and Ohio Beer Counsel 8:00 – 11:30 PM Shuttle among downtown breweries provided by Craft Connection Brewery Tours 8:00 – 11:00 PM North Row Brewery and Distillery tours and tasting in the former Christian Moerlein ice house (108 Henry Street, 45202) 8:00 – 12:00 AM Ohio Rare at Taft’s Ale House featuring 9 rare beers by 9 Ohio breweries including The Brew Kettle, Fat Head’s, Great Lakes, Jackie O’s, Little Fish, Taft’s Ale House, Triple Digit, Willoughby Brewing Company and Yellow Springs Brewery. Sponsored by Festivals Unlimited and Madison Chemical. 8:30 – 10:30 PM Rhinegeist FREE specialty food and beer pairing with Head Brewer/Quality Control Jim Matt and local chef and restauranteur Jimmy Cornwell including some rare and never released offerings from our sour, barrel and unique beer creationists including 2014 GABF silver medal winning Sherry Ink paired with meat and cheese mall plates at 8:45, 9:15 and 9:45. VIP tours on the ½ hour. Rhinegeist employees around for sharing. THU. FEB. 9 Duke Energy Convention Center, 525 Elm Street, Cincinnati, OH 45202 8:30 – 10:00 AM Breakfast and registration Trade show hours 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM (3rd Floor Lobby) 9:00 – 10:00 AM Trade Show Time 10:00 – 10:45 AM Main room: ODLC overview with Elaine Moore, Assistant Chief, Beer and Wine Division, Ohio Dept. of Commerce 11:00 –11:45 AM Main room: Ohio Hops State of the Union, Sourcing and Trends with Frank Rogers of Full Circle Hops Farm and Dave Volkman of Ohio Hop Growers Guild Fundamentals room: Quality Control in Canning with Terry Royse, Retired Expert in Canning and Seaming from Anheuser Busch, BJ Solomon of Buckeye Mobile Canning and Mike Raczynski, Double Seam Specialist of PackTech International Special topics room: Panel discussion: Best in class and How to achieve it with Brady Duncan of MadTree Brewing, Jack McCraine of Baker Tilly, Greg Michalec of Heidelberg Distributing and moderated by Scott Ebert of Baker Tilly 12:00 – 1:00 PM TRADE SHOW TIME 12:45 – 2:00 PM Lunch in the Junior Ballroom (Trade Show ends at 2:00 PM) 2:00 – 2:45 PM Main room: OSHA Record Keeping & Creating a Culture of Safety with Cliff Gerbick of Great Lakes Brewing Company and Ryan Blevins of MadTree Brewing Fundamentals room: Five Critical Quality Checks for Small Breweries with Trent Leslie of MadTree Brewing and Larry Horwitz of Four String Brewing Company Special topics room: Starting a Barrel Program with Brad Clark of Jackie O’s Brewery and Sean White of Little Fish Brewing 3:00 – 3:45 PM Main room: Production Planning for Small and Medium Sized Breweries with John Haggerty of Warped Wing Brewing Company and Matt Rowe of MadTree Brewing Fundamentals room: Sanitation 101: Basic Plant and Environmental Sanitation with Gary Graf of Ecolab and Rudy Othmer of Enerco Corporation Special topics room: Wastewater Solutions for Small to Medium Breweries with Mitch Long of Quasar Energy Group For more information, please contact: Justin Hemminger, Communications Manager Ohio Craft Brewers Association justin@ohiocraftbeer.org 614-560-1948

This Week In Beer 1/12/17

This week in beer 1/12/17 Edition...

Rod J BeerVentures:
http://www.youtube.com/c/RodJBeerVentures4U

Tonya Makowski:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBgtSHN_ULbZO8792eU9RxQ

ThomasMetal75:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcGmtwbq2xiw6q4b9Pf3XZA

Reviewing Under Influence:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCelJeO1ZZdmJI21rmR-3ASQ

EricALionsFan:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5ucenf13Dhrhw9OqpCJMBA

RampantLionsReview:
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Beer Review: Thirsty Dog 12 Dogs Of Christmas Ale

Akron is home to Thirsty Dog Brewing Company and once a year, they release their 12 Dogs of Christmas Ale. This Winter Ale comes in at 8.3% ABV and 21 IBU and for many it signifies the Christmas Season. Let’s see how it compares.

Commercial Description:

This beer’s name sums up the ideas of bringing the best together to celebrate. It is filled with seasonal flavors from generous amounts of toasted and caramel malts, mixed with equally generous amounts of honey, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. We feel it is the perfect libation, filled with flavors of the season.

Beer Review: Abbaye de Maredsous 6° Blonde (5 YR Vintage)

During a recent beer run I stumbled across
this ale from Abbaye de
Maredsous. The Maredsous 6° Blonde is a Belgian Blonde Ale that
comes in at a respectable 6% ABV. But, what I didn’t notice is that this is
also a 2011 vintage, so what would be the effect on it over a five year time
frame. Well there is only one way to know, so let’s see how it compares.

Commercial Description:

The light Maredsous Blonde was the abbey's
very first beer. Nowadays, the monks still drink it daily at lunch. Maredsous
Blonde is delectable blonde ale with springy fruitiness, soft malting and a
slightly dry, gentle-hopped finish. A sparkling nose, complex flavors and a
touch of bitterness give this fine ale all of the refreshing qualities of a
classic Belgian blonde.

Beer Review: Flying Dog Pearl Necklace Chesapeake Stout

Frederick, Maryland is the home of Flying Dog Brewery and just over a couple of hours away is the Rappahannock River which sits nestled in Virginia. And this is where oysters are gathered for the Pearl Necklace Chesapeake Stout. That’s right oysters are used to make this specialized 5.5% ABV Stout. Let’s see how it compares.

Commercial Description:

Brewed with Rappahannock River Oysters, it’s a dark, roasted, dry, and slightly bitter stout.

ALCOHOL BY VOLUME: 5.5%

AVAILABILITY: All day, every day

HOP BITTERNESS: 35 IBU

SPECIALTY MALTS: Roasted Barley, Midnight Wheat, Cara-Pils, Black

HOPS: Perle

YEAST: English Ale