a brew or two for you!

It's a special time of year, which calls for a special kind of beer!

Here are a couple of my recommendations, taste-tested, of course!

Deschutes makes an annual winter beer, and I would have never picked it out of the crowd normally.  But, they put some cool art on their labels and boxes that are especially appealing to the quilter in me, and my thoughtful son gave me some.  In 2014 it looked like an appliqued scene.  I missed 2015, but last week I was able to pick up the 2016 release.  The label is by Karen Ruanne, an artist of marbled paper, and that is what is shown on the beer label.  Would be very nice to have on fabric!  The beer itself, once I get past the pretty label, is dark and flavorful.  I'm not a connoisseur of beer, I couldn't tell you whether it has notes of apple, spice or dustballs, but I do like it for a change from the routine.

Next up, an even darker beer--

This is a real departure for me, since I always choose a lighter beer.  I don't like the real light ones, or the lite ones, but a medium is fine for me.

This beer, however, is a special one.  It's crafted by a young guy I know since he was just a little kid, Pete Stacy.  His mom, Leisl, is one of my best quilting buddies, and we have been on many a trip and retreat together.  Since he started working at Summit a couple years ago (roughly), she has been able to share some Summit brews with us.  This beer, Dark Infusion, is a special release in a line of "Unchained" beers.  Pete is the brewer, and the label bears his name and signature!  It is a coffee milk stout, which didn't sound too promising at first.  I remember Bob getting some stout beer in Germany or England, and one sip was enough for me!  So I was very happy when I sampled Dark Infusion and liked it!  Very strong coffee flavor, so a good choice for breakfast!

So there you go--my beer review for the year!