I am sure you are all stuffed from your Thanksgiving indiscretions, but hopefully you were able to pair some of them with some excellent beers. I was up in Cape Cod (not really recommended this time of year) where Cape Cod Brewing and Cisco Brewing are the only games in town. I did manage to find some Green Monsta Pale Ale on an obscure shelf but it was dated drink-by Jan ’09. We still drank it, but we decided to pair the turkey with some Ommegang Hennepin instead–which in my book doesn’t matter how aged it is…

As for the DC Beer shelves, here’s an update regarding P Street Whole Foods (it’s around the corner from Churchkey!):

Goose Island Sofie Belgian Ale – Made with wild yeasts and aged in wine barrels on orange peel! Ok, so far that’s a cross between a Lambic and a Wit. Sofie is described as a tart, dry, sparkling ale with some spicy white pepper notes, some citrus from the orange peel and a creamy vanilla finish. Goose Island compares it to Belgian Saisons and calls it a Farmhouse-style – so I’m totally confused. Best thing to do is just buy it and try it. 6.5% ABV

Flyingfish Exit 1 – Flying Fish’s Exit series has had a special place in my heart ever since they shot down MADD’s claims that naming the beers after exits on the Jersey turnpike encourages drunk driving. Being an idiot also causes drunk driving, but that apparently doesn’t stop nonprofits from launching spurious attacks on innovative breweries. Politics aside, this beer is an oyster stout. As a way to draw attention to oyster restoration projects along the Jersey Shore, Flying Fish developed this recipe. The minerals from the oyster shells apparently add flavors to the chocolate and roasted malts in this brew. Good stuff as the weather finally gets colder. 7.5% ABV -so yes, get a cab if you need to go somewhere after drinking one of these 22 oz bottles or share with friends.

Harpoon Ginger Wheat – Readers who know me personally have probably heard I am a big fan of ginger. You can actually homebrew your own ginger ale with out much effort (ask me for the recipe). Harpoon apparently has a brewer who also loves ginger and they decided to highlight the flavor in their latest 100 Barrel beer series. Lemon and honey balance out this beer–sounds like a more alcoholic version of my ginger ale actually. 7% ABV

Sponsorship

Southern Tier Krampus – Ok, did you ever watch the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode featuring Santa vs. the Devil? Well, I think that movie was based on this beer. Or, the beer on the movie or they both share their foundation in the basic legend I guess. [[{“type”:”media”,”view_mode”:”media_large”,”fid”:”1021″,”attributes”:[{“class”:”media-image”,”typeof”:”foaf:Image”,”style”:””,”width”:”200″,”height”:”259″}]}]]Southern Tier has dug up the old St. Nick legend that has his evil sidekick delivering coal and other punishments to kids on the naughty list. Anyway, this beast is a 9% ABV Imperial Helles Lager brewed with the malts of darkness. Southern Tier advises to leave this beer out in lieu of cookies for Santa or Krampus whoever visits your house. Here is a clip from the Santa vs. The Devil movie…

Heavy Seas Yuletide – Following our visit to the Clipper City brewery, I couldn’t pass up mentioning that their Yuletide beer is now on shelves. Don’t worry, they aren’t going to bore you with some spicy Christmas beer. This one is a straight-up Belgian Tripel. Ok, so that makes it a little spicy, but that’s from the yeast. This 10% ABV beer drinks sweet and malty with a pale body.