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Amber and I stopped at Novare Res last night for a couple of beers after dinner. It was surprisingly quiet for 8:00 on a Friday night; I’m sure the frigid temperatures downtown had something to do with that. We found a seat near the bar and noticed owner Eric Michaud sitting nearby. I waved and he came over to say hello. I asked for a recommendation (actually, more of a confirmation that the De Struisse I was eying was worth it), and he said “absolutely, but try the Harvey’s Christmas Ale on cask first.” I did, and he went and grabbed himself a Caricole and a glass and sat and chatted.

The conversation started with the merits of the excellent Christmas Ale (it compares favorably with the 2006 Stille Nacht I had at Ebenezer’s this past August), and moved to some exciting news about a yet-to-be-announced Harviestoun event. If you’ve had Ola Dubh 30, stay tuned to novareresbiercafe.com for an announcement of something you won’t want to miss.

After some gentle prodding, Eric also opened up about some of stouts he’ll be pouring in the next few weeks for the 12 Stouts After Christmas Stout Fest. In addition to some of the stouts you’d expect him to have, such as Rogue Chocolate Stout and Victory Storm King, check out some of the other aces he has up his sleeve:

• Ellezelloise Hercule Stout
• Van den Bossche Buffalo Belgian Stout
• Allagash Black aged in a bourbon barrel
• Marshall Wharf Chaos Chaos R.I.S. (on cask!) – Eric was especially excited about this one
• Oyster Stout – didn’t catch the brewer on this one, but apparently there are real oysters added to the boil in this one
• Rogue Shakespeare (on nitrogen)
• High & Mighty
• North Coast Old Rasputin R.I.S.
• Dogfish Head Chicory Stout

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So, getting back to the beers I had last night, both the Harvey’s Christmas Ale and the De Struise Tsjeeses are undoubtedly worth seeking out. The cask of Harvey’s Christmas, especially, won’t last long, so get down to Exchange St. this afternoon before it’s all gone.