Beltway Beer

Every year at Christmastime I hop a plane and leave the DC rat race for Houston, where I grew up. Last year, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Spoetzl, a great Texas brewery, had put out a winter seasonal called Shiner Cheer. They don’t usually do Christmas beers, so of course I picked up a sixpack.

It ended up being my favorite winter seasonal last year, by far, hands-down. It’s a dunkelweizen brewed with Texas peaches and pecans, and it was pretty much heaven in a glass. I remember a really great peach aroma, not sweet at all but the peach flavor definitely came through and really complimented the dunkelweizen style well. Creamy, full-bodied without being syrupy, yet extremely easy to drink. I don’t usually go for fruit-imbued beers (Magic Hat #9, Raison D’Etre, or anything else), and even lambics I’m a little iffy on. So that not only did I tolerate this one, but actually liked it, and in fact loved it, was surprising. The only thing I regretted was not buying more; after I demolished that sixpack, I couldn’t find any more of it anywhere. So this year I asked my nephew to set aside a case for me, which’ll be waiting when I step off the jetway on Dec. 21.

I hear that in January, Shiner Cheer will be replaced on the Spoetzl production line with yet another new winter seasonl called Shiner Frost, a Dortmunder-style beer brewed “with a hint of peppermint.” Too bad I’ll be leaving on Dec. 31!

“Frost is the first offering in Shiner’s 2010 seasonal portfolio and our first Dortmunder-style brew. It has an appealing profile with a pale golden color and notes of honey and subtle floral hops. And like our Texas winter, it’s crisp and refreshing – like a frosty morning.”

The winners have been announced for the annual Great American Beer Fest, and there are some great choices in here (as well as some local folks who should get props). Highlights:

The first place winner for the “Coffee Flavored Beer” category was Arlington’s Rock Bottom Brewery, for its “Dude! Where’s my Vespa?”

Delaware’s Dogfish Head, which exults in weird and exotic beers, took first and second place in the “Specialty Beer” category, for “Chateau Jiahu,” a beer based on the chemical properties found on preserved pottery jars found in the Neolithic village of Jiahu, in northern China (fermented rice, honey and fruit), and “Palo Santo Marron.”

Frederick, Maryland-based Flying Dog Brewery took home the gold in the category of “Aged Beers” for its Horn Dog Vintage 2007, in the category of Marzens for its “Dogtoberfest,” and in the category of Imperial Stouts for its “Gonzo Imperial Porter.”

I also have to mention the habitually underrated St. Arnold’s Brewing in my hometown of Houston, which took first place in the category of Munich-style Helles, for its “Saint Arnold Summer Pils,” as well as Pennsylvania’s Troegs, which took home the gold in the Bock category for its very excellent “Troegenator.”