Red Sky at Night – Heavy Seas

“Red sky at night, sailor’s delight.”
– an ancient, unknown weatherman

Saisons are a delight. Generally light and refreshing, these Belgian farmhouse style ales refuse to fit an exact style description — some are spicy, some are wild, some are wheaty and crisp — but I find most Saisons to be lively, fresh, and quite enjoyable.

Clipper City Brewing’s “Red Sky at Night” is a member of the Heavy Seas lineup of big, bold beers. Red Sky certainly boasts a big 7.5% ABV; but, compared to the other Heavy Seas beers, Red Sky has a surprisingly soft taste and mouthfeel. Fortunately, that doesn’t detract from this beer’s ability to please.

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Hercule Stout

Realizing that I’ve already had two imperial stouts this week, I decided the only sensible thing is to keep going down the darkened path.

My wife bought me a bottle of Hercule Stout, a Belgian beer emblazoned with the image of Agatha Christie’s famed detective, Hercule Poirot. Indeed, his is an appropriate visage; this bottle of beer would certainly keep the detective busy, hunting down clues.

The first mystery to arise is the name of the brewery. My label says it is brewed by “Brasserie Des Legendes” in Ellezelles, Belgium. However, the brewery website states the name as “Brasserie Ellezelloise”. If there’s been a name change, I’m not sure which is out of date — the website or my bottle. The only thing not in question is the slogan of the brewery: “La Bière des Collines”, which translates as “The Beer of the Hills”.

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Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout

“Old Rasputin develops a cult following wherever it goes.”
– from the Old Rasputin label

As with its “Mad Monk” namesake, Old Rasputin’s reputation certainly precedes it. This Russian Imperial Stout from North Coast Brewing Co has garnered plenty of rave reviews from beer enthusiasts across the country, and several of my readers have reminded me that I am long overdue for trying a glass of Old Rasputin. They’ve praised its powerful taste, immense hops, measured sweetness and dry finish.

The label is striking, with a head and shoulders shot of Grigori Rasputin. He’s gesturing seriously with his hand, as if to say either “I curse you!” or “Go ahead, drink up!” I’m going to assume the latter and take him up on the offer.

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Lagunitas Hop Stoopid

“So Hoppy that it threatens to remove the enamel from one’s teeth.”
– Lagunitas Brewing Company’s website description of Hop Stoopid

I drink an India Pale Ale every Monday — but some IPA Mondays call for a little more punch than others. A day like today calls for a hop bomb, and Lagunitas Brewing Co. supplies the perfect beer.

If the beckoning header (“102 I.B.U.4 U.”) doesn’t catch your attention, the name surely will: Hop Stoopid Ale.

And it doesn’t disappoint — this Double IPA is “stoopidly” hopped!

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YETI Imperial Stout

I’ve been drinking exactly one beer a day, without repeats, for over six months now. Though it’s hard for me to believe this year-long challenge is already halfway to completion, it’s even harder to believe there are still so many great breweries I haven’t yet had time to explore.

Great Divide Brewing Co. of Denver, CO was rated 7th on the BeerAdvocate list of “All-Time Top Breweries on Planet Earth”, but I’ve only begun to discover their beer selection. Great Divide created the very tasty Hercules Double India Pale Ale which I drank on June 29th — but that has been my only Great Divide beer all year long. To remedy the oversight, I’ve stocked up on several Great Divide brews, the first of which I cracked open on this lazy Sunday afternoon.

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Last Consumed:

My wife and I usually select a Christmas Tree during the weekend after Thanksgiving, and we were thrilled to discover the farm down the road from us is selling trees this year. She and I stopped by the farm while walking our Boston Terrier, Caesar, who helped us sniff out a good one. After my wife and I dithered over the best tree for several minutes, Caesar weighed in with his selection by lifting his leg on a plump Fraser Fir.

I hope that means he liked it.

The tree went up on my shoulder, I carried it home (drawing chuckles from several people driving by), and our Christmas season officially began. We’ve been listening to Christmas music, drinking hot chocolate, and generally sickening all humbugs spying through our windows.

So it should come as no surprise that I’ve selected the “Hoppy Christmas Ale” from Belgium’s Brewery De Ranke. The beer — Père Noël (imported by Shelton Brothers) — intimates the reason for Father Christmas’ jolly cheeks and rosy nose; the label depicts Santa embracing the frothy, 7% ABV Strong Pale Ale.

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