Show 42: Liquid Christmas 2007–Santa Beers!
Prebeer Preamble: One of the most potent symbols of the joyous generosity that marks the December holiday season is a certain St. Nicholas (a.ka. Santa Claus, a.k.a Father Christmas, a.k.a. Kris Kringle, etc.). Today we enjoy a couple of beers that pay homage to that jolly old elf, and see if the north pole’s #1 citizen can inspire a good brew.
Beer #1: With Thanksgiving turkey still settling in our tummies, I’m joined by dinner guests Evo Terra, Sheila Unwin, and Jack Mangan for some Santa’s Private Reserve Ale from Rogue Brewery. Evo likes it real bitter, Jack’s more of a hefeweizen guy, and Sheila can go either way. Whose trigger does this hopped-up amber ale trip? Surely someone’s, right?
Interbeer Interlude: Liquid Literature “Beer and Food: An American History by Bob Skilnik”. In a new recurring interbeer segment, Anna Creech, the Eclectic Librarian, gives us a look into the world of words about beer. Today she reviews a book that might just be on the wish list of your literary beer loving friends!
Beer #2: To cap our evening off, we next reach for Samichlaus Bier from Schloss Eggenberg Brewery*. This one’s a modern-day beer legend, one of the first widely available beers to crack the 10% ABV mark. Brewed annually on St. Nicholas’ Day (December 6th), and aged for almost a year, it’s designed to be a smooth-drinking warmer. So is it warmly received by my guests?
Beer Geek Moment: Juleglugg. Blasphemous as it may sound, beer is not the only beverage out there that people turn to for holiday cheer. Today’s Moment looks at a classic winter warmer from Scandinavia, and includes the traditional recipe enjoyed annually at the Speaking of Beer household. Skol!
Postbeer Postscript: ‘Tis the season for generosity, but do these two Santa-inspired brews feel the love? Who hands out gifts and who’s slinging stocking coal? Tune in and find out!
*Which is in Austria, not Germany as stated on the show. Thanks, Thomas for the correction.
December 14th, 2007 at 12:42 am
[...] Original post by Charlie [...]
December 15th, 2007 at 7:59 am
[...] Blame it on the turkey, carb overload or way too many beers, but I totally forgot that Charlie say me, The Lovely Wife and Jack Mangan down after our Thanksgiving feast to record a special ‘Liquid Christmas’ version of Speaking of Beer. [...]
December 16th, 2007 at 10:39 am
I really enjoy Samichlaus. It even ages well, I assume because of the high alcohol content. I’ve drunk bottles brewed in 2004 this year (I still have one that I plan on having for the holidays - the others I have are from 2005). It definitely gets better with age - more mellow, but still that sweet taste. I’m glad to see it featured on the show!
Oh, and Evo - You’ve had Samichlaus before… At Dragon*Con 2006 my wife and I brought you a bottle. Go back and listen to Wingin’ It 75 (if you dare).
My wife mentions the name after you read the name of the brewery. And, yes, we *were* trying to get you drunk. 
I guess you must have blocked it out given your reaction on this show. 
December 17th, 2007 at 11:52 am
I appreciate that Evo called me lovely! (or hmm, maybe he was referring to his wife. . . . )
Charlie, this was also a lot of fun. Thanks much for including me.
December 18th, 2007 at 8:29 pm
I haven’t tried the Samichlaus Bier yet, though I can’t really say it sounds that appealing.
As for Rogue… I really don’t understand why they have such a “good” reputation. I’ve tried most of their beers, and I didn’t like them. Some start off well, but they all end up tasting really bitter, and in a bad way. I know that may be my just my personal tastes, but I do drink many different kinds of beer so I don’t think I’m that far off base.
I like to go to Old Chicago to drink. Their big draw is their World Beer Tour, plus their seasonal Mini-Tours. Rogue pays Old Chicago a lot of money to have their name featured on every Mini-Tour. None of the patrons, nor any of the bartenders I’ve talked to have liked Rogue beers. So, it leaves me scratching my head as to what their reputation is built on.
Just my 2 cents.
Another great podcast, Charlie. Keep up the great work. And, have a fantastic holiday season.
Ein Prosit!
December 19th, 2007 at 9:54 am
In comparison to most West Coast beers Rogue is actually very good at having a balance between bitterness and malt, ditto. I have found they are one of the best breweries for playing that fine line. That said as it came up at the end of the episode one person’s good is not necessarily anothers. If you don’t enjoy those I’d advise staying away from West Coast Pales and IPAs.
I tend to think of Samichlaus as the historic typical Winter Warmer beer that helped to define the style. I can’t say it’s a favorite but I do usually have one in the season.
December 19th, 2007 at 9:58 am
This was my impression from visiting the Rogue Taproom in San Francisco last year.
http://geistbear.blogware.com/blog/_archives/2006/6/7/2012222.html
December 19th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
Hi, Tomas. I actually like quite a few West Coast pales. Sierra Nevada Pale is one that I’ll happily drink as a session beer. One bottle of Rogue is more than enough for me.
Bitter is generally not a problem for me. I just don’t like it when a beer starts off not tasting bitter but then becomes rather bitter toward the end of the bottle. I want my beer to have a relatively consistent taste for the entire bottle. Rogue beers just don’t seem to do that.
December 19th, 2007 at 1:41 pm
The problem I had with “Santa’s Privates” was that the hop bitterness didn’t follow after any significant flavor (or even aroma) contribution from the hops. It was like “bittered malt” without the citrus/pine/floral/herbal flavors to make it more palatable, like maybe they used a crap-ton of high alpha hops for bittering, then skipped the later hop additions altogether. And wow, did it linger. As I said on the show, it was almost like chewing an aspirin. I don’t get that from other Rogue beers I’ve tried (though that’s not many…it’s a brewery I’m intrigued to explore further), or most West Coast pale ales/IPAs either (except possibly Green Flash’s Extra Pale Ale). But you know, it could have been the bottle, or the night, or the Thanksgiving dinner we’d just consumed, or any of a number of quirky factors….
December 19th, 2007 at 3:19 pm
Funny ditto I have never had that reaction really, but it may be a shipping issue, bad temperature control and storage can impact beer a number of ways.
December 19th, 2007 at 5:11 pm
I take exception to the “for a west coast brewery” qualifier remark. I live in Oregon and as a member of the beer-media I’ve had an opportunity to drink a lot of different beers. I find Rogue Ales consistently produces wonderfully daring beers that I’d put up against beer from anywhere in the world.
Yes I live in the Northwest but I’m not your stereotypical hophead. I like well balanced beers with something new, something different, something innovative.
My first Santa’s Private Reserve this year was on Draft at Eugene City Brewery and it was hoppy with a nice dry finish, but not overly so. I enjoyed it and immediately had another. I’m on my way out now to try the Rogue Imperial Red that’s just hit taps at Rogue outposts all over the US and I doubt I’ll be disappointed.
December 19th, 2007 at 6:43 pm
True. Shipping could be an issue.
I don’t mean to make it sound like Rogue doesn’t deserve it’s reputation. My friends and I are big fans of beer. On the other hand, we certainly don’t know as much about beer as you two (Charlie & Thomas). If you have a recommendation as to what Rogue beer I should try and what qualities I should be looking for in their beer, it would go a long way toward me understanding Rogue’s reputation.
Thanks!
December 20th, 2007 at 3:50 am
Well ditto, the ones I’ve had and really enjoyed are the Chipotle Ale, the Chocolate Stout, the Dead Guy Ale, the Juniper Ale, and the Old Crustacean Barleywine. Interestingly, none of them are about hops in any significant way, and all were more-or-less delicious. I’ve heard good things about the Shakespeare Stout and Mocha Porter but never tried them, nor have I tried any of their “Morimoto” Signiture Series beers (though I don’t know why, huge Iron Chef fan that I am!). Anyway, I’d say start with a Chocolate Stout and see what you think.
December 20th, 2007 at 8:36 am
Do you enjoy IPA’s? Imperial Red is fantastic. If you’re a nut brown or porter fan (I am) I highly recommend Dead Guy & Mocha Porter. Sometimes the food you pair with it makes a huge difference in how much you enjoy the beer. Rogue has pairing instructions for each of their beers. Try them out. I went outside the bounds of what they recommended recently and had a Dead Guy Ale paired with mussels cooked in Kells. Oh my god! That was the best dinner I’d had in ages.
December 21st, 2007 at 6:52 am
Thank you for all the good suggestions. On my next beer run, I’ll give some a try.