Happy New Year

A Happy New Year to everyone at Around the Keg!

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Bob's Best: The five things I am most thankful for this holiday

Wives that put up with us
Let’s face it, most guys marry “up”. With all of our scratching, farting, burping and other mannerisms that show we have no manners at all, we are lucky to get a date, let a lone avoid a divorce.

The Big-three automakers…
…and the 4 million workers and retirees that they employ. Along with all the dependable cars my family has purchased from them over my lifetime.

A job and health care
9.3% of us in Michigan are looking for a paying gig. I will not complain about mine. Thank goodness mine even provides healthcare.

Michigan beer
According to the Michigan Beer Guide there are at least 88 Michigan breweries. You could likely drink nothing but Michigan beer all year round and never drink the same beer twice.

Family and friends
No explanation needed.

What are you thankful for this holiday season?

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My Three Sons

So the news is back, and it's official. The twins will be boys!

Mrs. Smitty now lives alone with me and 3 sons (or what in May will become three sons...just 1 right now).

We realize that for centuries, people have been having kids without knowing what they'll be before they're born. But with ultrasounds, we figure that it was unfair for the doctor and some random tech to know what we were having and not us. Plus, if technology allows it, we'll do it (I can't wait for bionic body parts...).

Though we are in the process of selecting names for the next three inductees into my growing army of Darkness, I am happy to look at suggestions. Please, don't suggest your own name unless it is the awesomest name ever.

So Happy New Year to everyone, and we'll keep you posted about what are apparently our efforts to field an entire hockey team in one family.

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Merry Christmas!

From all of us here at Around the Keg to you, our loyal readers (half of whom are contributors to the blog anyway),


Merry Christmas! Enjoy time with family this lovely holiday season. Try beers you've never had before. And we'll see you back here when it's all over!

And if you still have some last-minute shopping, let Bob and Doug MacKenzie give you some helpful Christmas gift suggestions.

Merry Christmas!

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The Gift of Beer

Besides for today, where 40 degrees is unseasonably warm, it's usually already well below freezing here in Michigan. Our hardy ancestors, in the days before central heating and houses built to keep your ideal temperature in rather than letting the outdoors in, needed additional ways to stay warm that didn't involve setting fire to Christmas decorations. One of those ways is the Winter Warmer.

Sure it's beer, so sure you serve it cold, but the malty sweetness, heavier body and alcohol presence all lend this type of beer to give you a warm sensation and take the bite off of a cold winter day here in the frozen North.

Of course, this is most likely because the beers taste so good that you have a load of them and don't care as much about the cold any more.

This is not an "official" style of beer according to the guidelines; it is accepted usually as an Old Ale or as a Christmas/Specialty Spiced Beer. But as a mindset, if you will, the winter warmer suits its purpoise as the type of beer you drink by a fire in your fireplace.

Instead of a normal review today, I'd like to offer-up a list of winter warmers I've had and/or can find easily from a local Beer Mecca. It's up to you to try them, comment on them or give your impressions if it's something you've had.

Sam Smith's Winter Welcome Ale
Bright amber color, massive two-finger pure-white head; creamy with incredible lacing. Toasty malts, herbal hops, touch of caramel. Spicy hops compliment the malt with a citrus bite. Great all-around old ale; not too hoppy, tons of sweetness. Sam Smiths finally started putting this in brown bottles instead of clear ones, so it gets less light-struck in a cooler.

Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig
Towering, rocky tan head with glowing reddish brown color like a fire in a fireplace. All of the spices Sam Adams brewery uses in this beer are present right up front: cinnamon, ginger and orange peel with a nice, mild chocolate malt tone in the end. Smooth and creamy with a slick full body. Malt sweetness coats the palate and the spices jump right back in. The spicing is not overdone and the big maltiness holds the beer together.

Harpoon Winter Warmer
Amber, fading to orange. Big burst of cinnamon and nutmeg hits right away, fading to a sharp, spicy aroma. Think gingerbread cookie in a bottle. I couldn't do this one all night, but 1 or 2 at a time it's a really nice beer.

Great Lakes Christmas Ale
Red-tan color, tan head, great lacing down the glass. Lots of clove, ginger, cinnamon, big toasty malts, some nicely floral hops and even a hint of...wood. tongue gets the ginger & clove flavors right away, leading to that toasty/woody malt that accentuates the cinnamon. It finishes just a bit hoppy. Nicely carbonated, not too much, with a great oily/resiny feel on the tongue. Good Christmas beer.

So there you have it. Christmas in a bottle, a wintery beer to enjoy by a fire. With or without chestnuts.

To our Christian friends, Merry Christmas! To our Jewish friends, I hope Hannukka found you and your family healthy and happy.

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