Celebrate the Seasons with me

One of the things I enjoy the most about living in the Northeast region of the country, besides of course getting pounded with "Nor'Easters", is the changing of the seasons. I love the weather in between, right on the verge of each season and the changes that you can see and feel. My favorite season is fall. Not only because of the weather but because of football and chillis and stews and foilage. The thing that I do to celebrate the changes of seasons is drink beer. But not your average everyday beer. Seasonal beer. Let me run through my favorites.

Summer, Summer Ale (available May to July)
Since yesterday was the first day of Summer, officially, let me share with you my favorite Summer Ale. Many breweries make them and I've tried a whole bunch of them but nothing taste as good or better than Honey Moon Ale. Made by the good folks at Blue Moon Brewing Company. It's dry but has a sweet finish. It's brewed in small batches and has a golden color. Hints of clover honey and orange peel (a Blue Moon specialty). It's better than the Summer Ale by Samuel Adams. In fact all of Blue Moon's seasonal beers are excellent but the Summer Ale, the Honey Moon Ale is the best and my favorite. One more sidenote to consider, it's 5.6% ABV. Which means you'll get drunk.

Fall, Oktoberfest
Pardon me but I have choose two here. Could really pick 5 at the least because alot of breweries make a strong Oktoberfest. The two that stand out to me are Spaten and Becks believe it or not. I know Becks is a German brand but they are kind of Americanized. They make an excellent Oktoberfest. Trust me. Spaten pretty much created Oktoberfest beer and going with the company that resides in Munich and actually serves millions of liters to the Germans during the actual Oktoberfest celebration is a a no-brainer. It's a medium bodied beer with bite and tickles the throat (TWSS) with a slight sweetness beer drinkers enjoy. It's 5.9% ABV, another strong outing. Shout out to Brooklyn Brewery Pumpkin Ale, strong third place even though it's not an Oktoberfest it will rock your balls in the fall.

Winter, Winter Lager
Sam Admas makes the best Winter Lager. It's just delicious. It actually warms you up. You taste every note from the moment it touches your palate to the last swallow. First the color. Deep ruby brownish sort of color, then the smell. Cinnamon, ginger and a hint of citrus. Just makes me feel alive when the weather is dreadful. It's also 5.6% ABV.

Spring, Early Spring Brew
Sierra Nevada makes an Early Spring Brew that is fantastic. It's a bit bitter but balanced well. It's a bit woodsy and left unfiltered by the brewing company. Which leaves behing a reddish copper tone color beer. It's a west-coast twist on an old English classic brew. Bock style beer and Heifeweizen style beer are also considered Spring beers. Bock's are usually very strong, agressive beers where as Heifeweizen type brews are more malty/wheaty. Shiner makes great Bock style beers. Alot of breweries make a good Heifeweizen including Blue Moon, Sierra Nevada, Shiner, Widmer, Sam Admas, Porter, Paulaner, etc. Lots of good choices.

I raise my glass to the seasons and to you. Cheers.