Only 43 Drinking Days Left Until Christmas!!

At my local drug store on the day after Halloween, they took down all the costumes and candy from the seasonal isle and replaced them with Christmas decorations. For some people this time of year means it's time to start making lists and shopping, but it's my signal to look for winter seasonal beer.

I bought a six-pack of Anchorsteam's Christmas Ale last night. Every year the flavor is slightly different. Some years I can't stand it, but this year is a real winner. The first sip is overwhelming, like somebody shoved blended tree bark, potting soil, and cranberries into your mouth. (It's very dark.) But by the third sip you get a rich dark chocolatey flavor with what I would call a holly and almost-ripe berry aftertaste. Fantasty!

Anchorsteam isn't the only brewery that makes a seasonal ale- hundreds of others do as well. RealBeer.com has a list of them. You'd have to drink 3-4 of them every day until Christmas to try them all. A noble project if ever there was one.