Windmill Petite Sirah.

Juicy. Nice tannin tart, but still pretty mellow. Not super inky, but characteristically rich. Pretty good for a reasonable price.

Boulevard Single-wide IPA.

Reseeded with yeast at bottling. It's bit sour. I'd be curious after some conditioning.

Shiner Bock.

Classic. Crisp and relatively light.

Dogfish Head Olde School Barley Wine.

First impressions: really floral, fruity bouquet. Feels very heavy in hand. As dense as American Honey. For being 15%ABV, I can't taste the alcohol. Sticks a bit much on the palate.

High-powered extremes like this tend to be somewhat one-dimensional (Hop Wallop, Hoptical Illusion, etc) and this is no different. In the end, I like it but only because it packs a punch.

Victory Old Horizontal.

Smooth, heavy, and malty...but it's lacking the sweetness and warmth I'm looking for. It's nice and rich, but without the sweetness, the hoppiness is overdone here.

AOCC Mead.

As I was racking, the first thing I noticed was the smell. Because it smells awesome. The clove and orange come through a lot with the cinnamon mostly taking a backseat in the bouquet at least. I also found a brilliant way of pumping air into the carboy with a foot pump to push out the liquid below the valve.

I was expecting around a two gallon batch, but I ended up with only 1.5 and the last half gallon coming out a bit cloudy. The sample I tasted was pretty good. I've only had mead a few times (from a pack of Chaucer's) but I think it's pretty spot on. Sweet, spiced, just a little heavier but a long way from honey.

Goose Island Mild Winter.

This is a style that I haven't run into before. English Mild Ale is a good winter winter style that's apparently fairly popular for craft breweries. Smooth carbonation, thin but creamy and persistent head, heavy lacing. Malty, peppery, actually reminds me of Dr Pepper a bit. It is, indeed, an excellent winter style, and while it's no barley wine, it'd be worth picking up.

Rogue Santa's Private Reserve Ale.

I've never been a huge fan of red ales. It's not that I don't like them, but if I had to pick a single style to drink for the rest of my life, it wouldn't be it. I enjoy Killian's every now and then (cheap beer with Taco Tuesdays), but I don't think I've ever gone out and bought it.

Naturally, I'm a sucker for Rogue, even though their beers seem to be rather hit or miss, so I picked up their winter seasonal. Super deep red color, nice, thick head. Mildly bitter, but it didn't make sense to me without a balancing sweetness. Fairly unassuming, it'd make a good session beer, even at 6%ABV. Pretty light bodied. I didn't pick up the floral in the same strength as other people. A lot of people on BA are very enthusiastic about it and commented on the hops being strong but not overwhelming. Perhaps I'm just too hopped up to appreciate it at the same level.

Chicken Paprikash.

Sourced from Elise. Pretty good.

Pumelo.

The sign at the store said it's a Chinese grapefruit. It's like a grapefruit. But all the skin is much tougher. And a bit sweeter. But it's too much work.

Rogue Chocolate Stout.

Mild chocolate, thin body, no carbonation. Normally, the tobacco tones in chocolate beers tend to be a pleasant and rich flavor, but with the lack of medium, it ends up being more like tobacco juice.

Southern Tier Creme Brulee Imperial Stout.

I first tried this at a bar here. I remember really liking the smell then but not being very impressed with the beer itself. Second time around: Vanilla and butterscotch nose. Completely opaque. The characteristic thickness bordering on syrupy body works really well here. The head died off really fast though. Sweet, caramel flavors, very much a dessert beer. 10%ABV

Goose Island Christmas Ale.

Goose Island apparently changes this recipe a bit every year. And it's bottle-conditionable. A spice, brown ale, I'm not sure if I like it. It's definitely one that needs some maturing. I kind of wish Goose Island would release these after they've aged them a year because it still tastes a bit yeasty. I might consider picking up a couple bottles for the forthcoming years if it were a little cheaper.

Ommegang Adoration.

Ommegang's winter ale. Belgian dark ale spiced with coriander, mace, grains of paradise, cardamom, and orange peel. Tastes like a traditional Belgian dark ale but with witbier spicing. The sweet orange peel really comes through in the nose. I'm told it tastes like Christmas.

It's good but rather pricey. I'm on the fence about buying more. I can't imagine myself drinking this outside of the season and there are other beers that I'd probably prefer for cheaper.