Football and Craft Beers at Sutter's Mill in Suffern, NY

by Tom

The night of the last playoff game found me at Sutters Mill in Suffern, NY with a couple of friends.  While enjoying the game and a great burger I asked for whatever seasonal Samuel Adams they had.  I was surprised that it was their spring offering,  Alpine Spring.  This is a nice, unfiltered kellerbier that really hits the spot.  It is a little higher on the alcohol content, but still something you can sit back and consume in volume.  Not that I did, as far as you know. 

I preferred last years spring beer Noble Pils more, but as I understand it Boston Beer Company is making that beer a permanent part of their repertoire.  By the way, Sutters Mill is great place to hang out have some great pub fare with friends and family.   Their craft beer selection is limited, however, to the Sam Seasonal and a rotating offering from local Defiant microbrewery in Pearl River, NY.

Christmas Beers 2011

This Christmas was memorable for a lot of reasons. We were able to get our lights and decorations up a full 2 weeks before the big day. That allowed us to enjoy the festive look of the house leading up to the holidays.  My brother and his wife put on a fabulous dinner for about 20 members of the family.  And my brothers and I were able to try several of the best Christmas beers available this season.

In all, we had about eight different holiday beers.  Some were just too plain to mention. Others were too different not to mention.  And then there were a couple that were “outstanding in the field” of seasonal brews.  This being the season of hope, let’s start with the best: Abita Christmas Ale.  You wouldn’t think that a place like Louisiana that never gets snow would make a strong Christmas beer.  But you would be wrong.  Everything about this beer made it perfect for a cold afternoon by the old Yule log.  It pours a dark brown with little to no head. The first whiff is of roasted malt.  That malt flavor comes through in the taste as well.  I’m surprised that it tastes lighter than it looks.  It goes down smooth like a fine wine.  There is just a touch of bitterness at the finish.  Those Cajuns can really do Christmas.

Another standout was the Chocolate Bock from Sam Adams’ holiday pack.  It had the same dark pour as the Abita, but with a sweeter smell and taste.  I detected caramel and licorice in my first sip.  It made for a nice after dinner beer that went well with dessert.

The surprise of the night came from Anchor Brewing Co.  I love the unique taste of their steam beer, but I felt their holiday ale was just a little too much holiday spice for me.  My brothers agreed that the spices overwhelmed everything else about this beer.  I’m sure there are holiday partiers drinking this beer by the case load, especially out in San Fran.  But here in New York it missed the mark.

Luckily, we had other great beer and lots of delicious food to enjoy.  I hope that everyone out there was as lucky as I was to be with family for the holidays.  So to all, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Two More Pumpkin Beers from mainstream breweries

The pumpkin beers keep flowing in!  Against my better judgement, I accepted two more additions to the Pumpkin Beer Tasting I’m hosting this weekend.  These beers are from the bigger brewers:  Blue Moon Harvest which is produced by Coors and Sam Adams Pumpkin from Boston.  Though I like the Blue Moon wheat and even credit that beer with starting my interest in craft brews, I’ve been burned recently buying “micro” beers from macro brewers.  Sam Adams does have a wide selection of beer styles, some of which are exceptional.  In the end I know, I just can’t say no.