Local/Seasonal Treat: Lagunitas Holiday Ale

Beer: Holiday Ale

Brewery: Lagunitas Brewing Company 

Brew: None given (Maybe an Imperial IPA)

IBUs: 63.21

ABV: 7.85%

Aside from the actual beer, the bottle and 6-pack case are hilarious. Apparently they ran out of space to brew their traditional Brown Shugga' and they made this one instead. Check out the full story on the Lagunitas website (http://www.lagunitas.com/beers/index.html). 

Anyway -- On pour this beer had a nice golden color with a light haze.  The aroma changed over time, initially it wasn't all that pleasant, but upon exposure to air for a minute or so, it developed into a very complex floral aroma with hints of citrus. As you can see from the picture the head on the beer is strong, it was also creamy and almost white. 

A base of "Barley, Rye, Wheat, and Oats" gives this beer a nice light base from which the hops shine. Despite a strong hoppy foretaste and a good bitter finish, the Holiday Ale is not hard to drink. With a relatively high alcohol content, this beer lacks any noticeable alcohol burn, great considering the light taste.

All and all this bright hoppy beer is easy to drink and goes well with spicy, intensely flavored foods. 

Overall Rating: A   

Why Beer?

UC Davis is not only home to one of the foremost experts on beer, Charles Bamforth, but its location gives the university and the people who live there a great opportunity to experience a vast selection of beer.

I had the great honor of taking his course, Introduction to Beer and Brewing, which taught me I knew nothing about beer other than what I liked. Ten weeks is not enough to learn much about the drink that Dr. Bamforth has dedicated his life and career to developing and promoting, but what I did learn was the level of passion, innovation and artistic thought that goes into every barrel.

Davis is a small university town located 15 miles southwest of Sacramento. Luckily for me and my fellow students there are many breweries within driving distance of our home. In town, there is the family-owned Sudwerk Brewery, just south of us is one of the Anheuser Busch facilities, to the north there is the world famous Sierra Nevada Brewery in Chico, in San Fransisco is the Anchor Brewing Company and finally in my home county of Sonoma there are many smaller breweries (Lagunitas, Bear Republic, Russian River to name a few).

So, why beer?

For me it's the sense of camaraderie that comes with sharing a good hoppy IPA with friends and how every beer has a unique flavor, a different set of characteristics that defines its personality. I like trying new things, and hopefully this blog will help other people do the same.

Feedback, suggestions and comments are always appreciated and welcome.  


Chris