I first discovered beer from this brewery when I bought their Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale for, you guessed it, Winter Solstice. Unfortunately, I wound up pretty darn sick that entire holiday week, so it was at least a week before I was able to actually try it. And, boy oh boy was I surprised at this specific beer. It has to be the very best beer I have ever had. It was so good, in fact, that I brought two of my last three to poker night to share with Jason so that someone would have tried this beer other than me.
Of all the seasonal beers I’ve tried this winter, this was by far my favorite. A lot of women I know aren’t overly keen on beer in general, but I think that this would be the beer to change their mind. It’s rather sweet and a little bit fruity. It’s also slightly spicy without having the in-your-face spicy quality that the Harpoon Winter Warmer seemed to have. Since I bought that six-pack, I have not been able to find it and probably won’t until next winter :-/ However, I am an optimist and, since it’s still technically winter, I keep asking in all the beer stores to see if they have any left.
This latest store, Hoosick Street Discount Beverage Center was, by far, the most helpful so far. Not only did they help me to remember the name of the brewery with only “I know they’re located in California and there’s an elk or something with horns on the packaging (but it’s not, it’s a bear with antlers. Click to read the explanation). These gentlement (we were up to three or four at one point, trying to identify the brewery) eventually pointed me in the direction of the Anderson Valley section where I had my choice of Boont Amber Ale, Hop Ottin’ IPA, Belk’s ESB and Barney Flats Oatmeal Stout. I chose the Amber, being a fan of ambers/reds in general for the rich, caramel flavor and was not diappointed in it. In fact, it went pretty fast, since a lot of others were drinking it that night, and I wish I had thought to pick up another AVBC six-pack.
Many of the bottle caps have rewarded me with a free tour of the brewery and, if it weren’t for the 3000 mile span between us, I would certainly take them up on the offer. As it stands, I’ll just keep my eyes open for the Anderson Valley brews and get myself ready for their Summer Solstice Seasonal Cerveza Crema which just sounds yummy!
~FG };^>