Ok, so last night's beer was so bad and uninspired that I had to resort to talking about cryptids just to get something up on the site. If you haven't read my post from last night yet and aren't familiar with cryptids, shame on you. Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. Go back and read the post about Himalaya Blue before read about Anderson Valley Winter Solstice.
No really, go ahead. The rest of us will sit here and wait for you to go back and read the previous night's post.
(Insert the sound of crickets chirping here)
...............Aaaaaaaand, welcome back. So anyway, after talking about cryptids last night, my brain started working overtime. For a solid 2 hours, I was completely absorbed in the world of cryptids. I read about everything from famous cryptids like El Chupacabra and the Kraken, to lesser known cryptids like the Hibagon which is essentially a Japanese Yeti and the Olitiau which is an alleged giant bat from western Africa. There is something about the idea of significant wild species that are unknown to the modern world that I find appealing. That's not to say that I believe any cryptids exist, just that I am a big fan of the mythology and folklore that surround the idea of the cryptid. The world seems like such a small place, it nice to consider every once in a while, that maybe we haven't discovered everything there is to know about our planet.
Tonight's beer Anderson Valley Winter Solstice is special because it takes a first hand approach to perpetuating the mystique of the cryptid. The marketing geniuses at Anderson Valley brewery were clever enough to create their very own cryptid as the mascot for their products. With the body of a ferocious Grizzly bear, and the majectic antlers of a mature stag, which the brewers at Anderson Valley refer to as "The Beer" (part bear, part deer). It has absolutely nothing to do with the beer that is actually brewed, but the concept of "The Beer" was enough to get a smile out of me.
Anderson Valley Winter Solstice, as you've probably deduced, is a winter ale. The great thing about winter ales is that no matter what you preference for beer is, most winter ales are complex and interesting enough for even the most cynical of beer drinkers. After all, making a winter brew is a free license for a brewery to try radical things with the hops, yeast and barley that they would never dream of putting into an average beer. Whether the outcome is really good or really bad, you're pretty much guaranteed to have something to talk about anytime you try a quality winter ale. Anderson Valley Winter Solstice absolutely lived up to the reputation created by other winter ales, with a sweet spiciness that assaulted the tastebuds almost immediately. When I say spicy I don't mean temperature wise, but I mean the kinds of spices that we use everyday to inject life into our homecooking. Definite hints of cinnamon and clove, balanced nicely with flavors of caramel and molasses to create a very rich and creamy ale. At 6.9% alcohol by volume, Anderson Valley Winter Solstice is noticably a bit stronger than your typical beer, but the subtle and well blended flavors of this beer mask the alcohol well and make it an absolute joy to drink. If you're a fan of mythical creatures and good ale, be sure to give this one a try.
Cheers,
Ian
www.AVBC.com
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