1001 Beers: Catch Up 2

1001 Beers: Troegs Troegenator, Brooklyn Local 1, & Anchor Our Special Ale

Again, this time of the year has me a little behind, but I have to get caught up and keep it that way. Though, maybe I should have thought about it from the get go that maybe a post for each beer is a little... whats the word I'm looking for... eh, screw it!

Beer Number 119: Troegs Troegenator

Troegenator is slightly bronze, a little less dark than a typical double bock. Its bill of Munich malts tend to produce a bit less licorice bite. Smooth and silky, the lager is a sneaky one, its sweetness balanced by Saaz and Hallertau hops and its alcohol well hidden. Because it's so easy to drink, this medal-winning beer has become the brewery's second biggest seller.

In this one I got a lot of crazy deliciousness. Cherries, plums, a bit of alcohol character, and a little must. Sweet malt and a touch of spice on the nose. Deep cherry flavors linger well into the finish and the sweetness is cut by a nice bitterness. Very complex but tasty.

Beer Number 120: Brooklyn Local 1

If you open a bottle of Local 1, you'll find yourself at the crossroads, where Brooklyn meets France, and beer meets wine. This uniquely styled ale is almost impossible to classify; it's refreshing and spicy, like a saison, yet its strength and yeast bite will remind you of a Belgian tripel.

This one was a big surprise. I did read about this beer in the book before, but I expected a not very good approach to the whole wine/beer mix thing... boy, was I wrong. It was very wine-like but delicious all the same. I like wine, so that is not why I thought it would be bad. Just the idea got me. Nice fruitiness to the nose, tangerines and sweet, a bit phenolic. You can really pick out the Belgian character and it finished dry. One I will go back to again. Maybe Number 2 will be just as fantastic.

Beer Number 121: Anchor Our Special Ale

I was up in Raleigh just having a few beer and found out about this awesome taco place not far from where I was. What really shocked me is they had some craft beer in their fridge. Apparently, this is not common.

Anchor's winter seasonal has an official name--Our Special Ale--but most people, including Anchor's employees, call it simply "Christmas Ale." First brewed in 1975, it was the first new U.S. holiday beer made in modern times, and remains one of the few that changes its recipe each year.

One fact about this beer is that the label changes every year as well. They contract different artist to draw the tree for them and boom! Label!



As you can see, I had this beer presented to me very fancily. But it was tasty nonetheless. Very big molasses flavor, full bodied, some slight spice. Not a bad year to try my very first one. I may pick up more of it while I am in San Francisco this week! I mean, why not? I have other Anchor beers to knock off as well!

880 Bottles Of Beer To Go!

Cheers!