It's the most wonderful time of the year...for festive beer!

It’s December and that means the holidays are upon us in full force.  In addition to regular beer reviews, like the excellent brews Jeremy is drinking and recommending, we will also focusing on the Festive beers and ales of the season. Don’t worry about us skipping out on winter warmers though, we have the bitterness of January and February to look forward to try those out. Instead we are focusing on holiday centric brews, whether it is Solstice, Hanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa or Festivus. So enjoy the season with us.

We are going to lead off with Starr Hill Brewery's The Gift Winterbock lager 

I really liked the
label on this beer. 

Once again I drank this out of my Hamm's Chalice, there wasn't much head when poured and what was there dissipated quickly (This is a reoccurring theme with me so don't blame the beer, blame the pourer.) It has a nice cloudy amber look. Malty finish with a hint of alcohol. Very little alcohol taste in general for this beer, I have a feeling that this would easily sneak up on you after a few. It clocks in at 6.5% ABV.  

It drank very smoothly from start to finish, but there isn't a whole lot of body to it. It is labeled as a Winter Bock Lager, in general I expect more from a bock, but you could also interpret this as a hybrid of a bock and a lager. If that is the case then it meets the refreshing nature of a lager with the maltiness of a bock, but I still walk away from this beer thinking something is missing. It can't make up its mind on what it wants to be. 

Starr Hill is one of the breweries that is an old U2 song. (Bad joke, sorry) I want to like their beer because they are a regional Virginia brewery but I have yet to find one that hits all the bells and whistles for me. The Gift is a solid beer and you could show up with it at a holiday gathering and not be looked down on. I would recommend trying it, but I don't see it becoming a perennial favorite for me.  

Here is the "propaganda" from the Brewery.

"A German-style Hellerbock with a few twists, The Gift is Starr Hill’s holiday offering. The beautiful golden color only hints at the fire inside. Made with two-row and Munich malts and balanced with German noble hops, The Gift is the perfect accompaniment to any holiday event or festivity."


Thanks for stopping by!