A Very Beery 2013

It usually takes me at least three weeks or so to correctly write the current year in dates once the new year begins. It looks as if I've successfully overcome this first obstacle of 2013 by getting it right in the title of this post.

A year ago I was one of those many New Years resolutionists that promise themselves that they will frequent the gym in the coming months. I've read a ton of users in my Twitter timeline complaining about the throngs of these folks in their health clubs already. I'm sure the numbers out there show that a good portion of these people don't fully keep up on their promises to themselves. Thankfully, I wasn't that type of statistic. I tried to drag myself to the gym at every possible time. I kept up on my visits and as a result I had to retool my wardrobe this Christmas.

As long as I indulge on a few craft brews here and there, I hope to be able to continue to visit my health club to burn some more calories up. Beerwise, my 2013 is already off on the right foot. My girlfriend is making it a habit to get me a mixed six pack of beer as part of my Christmas gift. It's been almost a week since my last post and that's because I was away visiting her and receiving that six pack of beer!

In it, I had two cans of Maui Brewing products (Coconut Porter and Bikini Blonde Lager). A brewery whose beers I've been trying to locate for a while. I've finally come across some and I'm excited to eventually crack these two open. Here's to hoping you have a wonderful new year. Oh yea, she obviously knows I'm a huge Star Wars geek as well.

Just a few of the characters I picked up during my travels. twitter.com/BurghBeerSnob/…
— Bill K. (@BurghBeerSnob) January 1, 2013

Monday Rant: All About the Louche

When I normally write my blog posts for Mondays, I usually find something that irks me and I typically whine about it. This week I'll save you the pain because my family will be dealing with enough of that from me this evening.

As you most likely know, today is Christmas Eve. For me, today is pretty much Christmas Day in terms of exchanging gifts with family and celebrating. It's also one of the few meals of the calendar year in which I rarely participate.

My grandmother concocts a multiple-course ethnic meal, as we are of Slovak decent. We have mushroom and egg drop soup, dough balls with both kraut and poppy seed along with lekvar (prune filled) pierogi. To make a long story short, I don't touch a thing until the ham is served.

One great thing about our Christmas gathering is the assortment of adult beverages we enjoy. There's plenty of beer as my uncle always purchases a sampler case. One thing we also enjoy is something I don't write much about on this blog and that is liquor.

The highlight of the evening is rarely the food or the beer, but the Absinthe fountain which makes it's lone appearance of the year each Christmas Eve. The way my father parades this apparatus out, you'd think you were at some kind of mass or religious service. Don't worry. No attempts to emulate Vincent Van Gogh take place.

We certainly enjoy our holiday. Here's to hoping you also enjoy yours just as much. See you on Wednesday!

Monday Rant: Don't Be Stubborn

This week's edition of the Monday Rant segment is pretty much a dissection of myself and my own thoughts and feelings towards beer. Especially those beers most of us appreciate when we start to get out our sweaters and sweat pants for the cold winter months.

I've been overly loud when it comes to voicing my appreciation for the winter warmers and by that I mean I've voiced my disdain for them. Maybe it's just because I've had too many warmers that have been too spiced-up and overly strong for my palette. Over the years, I've noticed that quite a few of them seem eerily similar to each other in aroma and taste. It's rare that I find one that stands out. Don't get me wrong. There are good winter ales out there to be consumed. I just don't notice a lot of them.

To make a long story short, I came across one of those rare stand-outs this past weekend. I acquired a growler full of Penn Brewery's Nut Roll Ale and my world was rocked.

The name of the beer was almost enough to sway me into trying it. I love nut roll and enjoy having a few slices of one every year around Christmas. It's pretty much a staple on the tables of my family's holiday socials and in many other households around Pittsburgh. If you're not up-to-speed on the nut roll thing, then you can learn all about it by reading some of its Wikipedia entry.

This beer had a wonderful aroma of cinnamon and a smooth nutty taste that lingered as it warmed. I can't forget about its slight honey essence, too. Such a fantastic drink. Such an amazing start to the winter warmer season for me. I'm actually excited to come a cross a few new ones as more continue to hit the shelves of our local distributors.

There's only one request I have. There needs to be a winter ale named/themed after one of the great Christmas classics that appear on television (If there isn't one already). If there is, I want to get my hands on it.