Tag: Advent Calendar

Brewelist Advent Calendar Day 17: Rocket League

I’m not usually a sports game player. I have never owned a Madden or NBA 2K game. I believe outside of Tecmo Superbowl and the Mutant League series, I don’t have any vast knowledge of that genre in gaming. All of that being said, I had heard the hype surrounding Rocket League and I knew that I had to play this game. It looked like a ton of fun in the videos and with the port to PS4, I tried it out. Let me just say, that I was instantly addicted and couldn’t stop playing. The colors are bright and vibrant, the gameplay is fast and furious, and the fun-factor is through the roof. Psyonix is constantly adding more features and DLC to the game. They recently even added the DELOREAN from Back to the Future!

Get this game for yourself, get it for your friends and family, and pair it with anything brew keeps you excited and happy!

Publisher: Psyonix Games

Genre: Sports!

Where to get it: Steam, Playstation Network, soon coming to Xbox One

Platform: PC/Mac, PS4

Rating (out of 10): 10/10

Casey BowkerLeave a comment

Brewelist Advent Calendar Day 15: Uinta Yard Sale Winter Lager

Beer: Yard Sale

Brewery Name/Location: Uinta Brewing, Salt Lake City, UT

ABV: 4%

Style: Winter Lager

Where to find: Beers of The World, Wegmans

Taste/Smell: Light hints of winter flavors like vanilla and caramel in both taste and smell.

Thoughts: After fall comes the winter beers which may be even better than the fall beers. Usually I like my beers dark, closer to stouts. However being an amber lager this beer falls into the darker category of lagers. This is a delicious beer that paired very well with my pasta and meatballs, and I have also had it with steak and potatoes. I could very easily see myself downing a six pack in front of a fire on a cold snowy day. According to Uinta’s website the term Yard Sale is when you fall off your skis and all your gear falls all over the mountain. So this winter take a chance to fall down the mountain and take a sip of the Yard Sale.

Rating (out of 10): 9/10

Submitted by Jake Duell

JackieLeave a comment

Brewelist Advent Calendar Day 14: Shmaltz Brewing Company – He’Brew Messiah Nut Brown Ale

messiah-bottle-and-label

Not to leave out our friends who are celebrating Hanukkah at this time of year, I picked up a Shmaltz Brewing Company He’Brew Messiah Nut Brown Ale.

At 5.2%, it’s a beer that’s good for socializing. It tastes like a brown ale, nothing fancy. It feels fairly thick on the tongue and pours a caramel brown color.

It’s also Kosher certified.

Where to find it: Supermarkets, Beer Shops

ABV: 5.2%

Style: Brown Ale

Availability: Rotating

Taste/Smell: Tastes like a brown beer. Smooth, not too hoppy. Slight notes of nut flavor and pours a caramel brown.

Rating (out of 10): 8/10

JackieLeave a comment

Brewelist Advent Calendar Day 11: Extreme Exorcism

I’ve always been a fan of Platforming games. Give me a Mario Bros. any day of the week and I’ll play it all day long. The new ones hearken back to a simpiler time in agaming, and if it’s done right, the nostalgia and gameplay can be a win/win. This is the case in Golden Ruby Games‘, Extreme Exorcism. You choose a character and a level, and then go around bashing/shooting/womping ghosts through a series of levels and try not to die too many times. Not an advanced concept by any means, but it doesn’t have to be. The graphics are simplistic and 8-bit. The music is chiptune-y and eerie. The biggest plus though? My fiancee wanted to play along with me and didn’t get discouraged when she died. Four people can play it at once, and that’s where the biggest points go to the game.

Teamwork makes the dream work they say, and it also keeps the ghosts away!

Publisher: Golden Ruby Games

Genre: Action Platformer

Where to get it: Steam, Playstation Network

Platform: PC/Mac, PS4/PS3

Rating (out of 10): 8/10

Casey BowkerLeave a comment

Brewelist Advent Calendar Day 10: Three Heads Brewing Bromigo Smoked Maple Amber Ale

I was excited to taste the Bromigo Smoked Maple Amber Ale because who doesn’t like the combination of Maple Syrup and Bacon? It’s the perfect breakfast blend, and even though I was drinking this in the evening; breakfast for dinner is one of the best things ever. I was warned at the bar that I wasn’t going to like it, and they were absolutely right. I usually am a fan of the stuff that Three Heads Brewing puts out, but I could not get into this beer. Maybe my expectations for ‘breakfast in a glass’ were a bit high, but I was very let down. Putting a piece of bacon in this drink would definitely help, but it wouldn’t revolutionize the drink.

Where to Find it:  Three Heads Brewing Company, Honeoye Falls, NY

ABV: 7%

Style: Smoked Beer

Availability: Seasonal

Taste/Smell: Smells like smoked maple syrup. It tastes like bacon, if it were very bitter. It lingers with a hint of smokiness, not leaving the tongue for a while.

Rating (out of 10): 6/10

Casey BowkerLeave a comment

Brewelist Advent Calendar Day 8: Troegs Independent Brewing Mad Elf Ale

Where to find it: They distribute in the following states: CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, NC , NJ, NY, OH, PA and VA. Locally Wegmans usually carries this.

ABV: 11%

Style: Belgian Strong Dark Ale

Availability: seasonally in the winter

Taste/Smell: Belgian yeast smell (it’s a very specific smell). Also hints of cherry/sweetness. Taste is a punch on the tongue of flavor. Lots of Belgian candied malts, a hint of honey and a good amount of cherry flavor (but this isn’t sweet by any means)

Pairing: Be sure to pair this brew with Viscera Cleanup Detail: Santa’s Rampage. Find it HERE.

Rating (out of 10): 10 out of 10 but be warned – it is 11% so only take this out if your family is getting hard to deal with this holiday season!

Troegs Mad Elf Ale

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Brewelist Advent Calendar Day 6 : Monochroma

If you’re a fan of dystopian futures and the game Limbo, then Monochroma from Nowhere Studios, is right up your alley. It only uses black, white, and red colors and tells the story of a boy searching for his younger brother. It plays very fun and has a great soundtrack, despite the depressing backdrop.

Publisher: Nowhere Studios

Genre: Cinematic Puzzler

Where to get it: Steam

Platform: PC/Mac

Rating (out of 10): 8/10

Casey BowkerLeave a comment

Brewelist Advent Calendar Day 5: Stone Brewing Co. Enjoy by 12.25.15

Admittedly I hated IPAs (India Pale Ales) for a long time. I felt they tasted like turpentine (seriously, don’t ask how I know what turpentine tastes like).

I didn’t understand the hype. Craft beer aficionados rant and rave about them and Pliny the Younger and Pliny the Elder are treated like the Holy Grail of IPAs.

I’ve become more accepting of them in no small part to the efforts of Stone Brewing Co out of San Diego, CA, and soon to be out of my home city of Richmond, VA.

Enjoy by 12.25.15 is part of their effort to show what a difference fresh beer makes. We’ve all accidentally bought that stale six pack. We’ve all had that awful beer. They’re trying to change that by making a large statement about when the beverage should be enjoyed by.

I had the Enjoy By 10.31.15 (admittedly a week late) but it was a well executed batch of flavors.

Its Christmas cousin is no different. It’s hoppy, yes, but the citrus and pine notes don’t beat you over the head. The clear, crisp amber color of the beer is inviting and familiar.

As the name implies, you won’t want to wait on this one.

Where to find it: Wegmans, Beer Shops, anywhere fine Stone beers are sold

ABV: 9.4%

Style: India Pale Ale

Availability: Limited

Taste/Smell: Citrus and Pine, tastes hoppy but mellow enough to be enjoyable

Rating (out of 10): 9/10

JackieLeave a comment

Brewelist Advent Calendar Day 3: CB Joe Latté Vanilla Coffee Stout from CB Craft Brewers

 

CB-JoeLatte-BottleLabel-Final-e1385008784535-200x200

The Joe Latté Vanilla Coffee Stout by CB Brewery of Honeoye Falls, New York is a beer that takes you to Christmas and other seasonal get-togethers where coffee is served later in the evening with dessert.  My initial impression was the balanced coffee and vanilla taste and the smooth creamy texture.  This beer is not bitter and I almost forget that I am drinking beer in the first place.  The color is dark due to it being milk stout and the dark malt makes a perfect complement to the vanilla flavor.  The beer has a sweet taste as well.  

I give the Joe Latté Vanilla Coffee Stout 9 out of 10 for the perfect balance of flavor and texture. I definitely recommend it if you can find it for your seasonal parties.

Where to find it: Western New York Wegmans and most supermarkets; Beers of the World; CB Craft Brewers in Honeoye Falls.

ABV: 5.5%

Style: Coffee Stout

Availability: Seasonal

Taste/Smell: Coffee and Vanilla flavors and smells, dark color

Rating: 9/10

Sean Peters
@seanfinity

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Brewelist Advent Calendar Day 2: Jack-O-Lantic Pumpkin Stout from Lost Borough Brewing

The Lost Borough Brewing Company has excelled in putting out Pumpkin tasting beers. Much like their Pumpkin Ale, this beer has actual pumpkin inside of it and you can really taste it. It’s a darker and heavier beer and it goes down smooth. If you’re a pumpkin enthusiast, this is the beer for you. Just make sure you catch it at the right time, this beer sells out fast!

Where to find it: Lost Borough Brewing Company, Rochester NY

ABV: 6.6%

Style: Pumpkin/Yam Beer

Availability: Seasonal

Taste/Smell: Smells like pumpkin and tastes like Fall.

Rating (out of 10): 9/10

Casey BowkerLeave a comment