December 7th, 2014
31 Beers of December – Day 7: Smuttynose Smistletoe
To celebrate the Holiday Season, we have teamed up with beer bloggers and craft beer enthusiasts around the country to host the fourth annual beer bloggers advent calendar. This is the season of sharing and we intend to share our love of beer with you.
During the 31 days of December, we will be sharing our favorite regional/winter seasonals/holiday beers with the help from our fellow beer bloggers. We hope that you tune in every day, to hear our stories and share our holiday cheer.
Smuttynose Smistletoe
Blogger: Brandon Carder
Blog Name: ‘New England Craft Beer’ community on Google+
Twitter/Facebook/Instagram: @bcbrewandcue / Brandon Carder / bcbrewandcue
About Me: Ex-Buffalonian and HUGE Sabres and Bills fan. Craft beer drinker. Homebrewer. BBQ’er. Dedicated Dad & Husband.
Beer: Smistletoe
Brewery: Smuttynose Brewing Company. Hampton, NH.
Website: www.smuttynose.com
Twitter: @smuttynosebeer
Beer Details:
-Style: Bière de Garde
-ABV: 8.5%
-Hop varieties: Sterling
Commercial Description
Ridiculously complex ribbons, flashy wrapping paper and scenic gift bags are some of the best parts about Christmas presents, but nothing is more of a let down than when the actual gift doesn’t live up to the promise of its presentation.This Christmas, why not offer a delicious New Hampshire-brewed gift that does both? Smuttynose Smistletoe is the inaugural Christmas beer from the Granite State’s leading craft brewer. Available in two different 750ml screen-printed bottles (ceramic or champagne-style) which is a radical departure from our signature photograph-centric label design. Like the entire output of Santa’s workshop, each bottle has been lovingly filled by hand. The beer itself is a festive take on Bière de Garde, a more robust variant of the farmhouse ale family tree; brewed with sweet cherries, black currants and plums then aged on lightly toasted American oak.
But act fast, because even jolly ole St. Nick won’t be able to deliver this beer to your house as it’s far too limited (and he can’t fly with alcohol on the sleigh). The special edition ceramic bottle will only for sale at our brewery at Towle Farm in Hampton, NH. But don’t worry – we don’t care if you’ve been naughty or nice, as long as you’re over 21.
Join us in celebrating Christmas the Smuttynose way and if you play your cards right, you might just get a holiday kiss under your Smistletoe… Merry Christmas!
Why I chose Smistletoe
Last year on this very website, I chose and reviewed a beer that was not only highly regarded, but was one of my holiday favorites, the St. Bernardus Christmas Ale. It was a beer I have had countless times, and a beer that every beer lover should try.
This year I’m taking a different approach. I’m picking a beer that I can only *expect* to be good, a Biere de Garde (one of my favorite styles) from one of my favorite New England breweries, Smuttynose Brewing Company. True story: Smuttynose Finestkind IPA was the first craft beer I had stepping foot in New England when I moved here in 2007. I was instantly in love with Smuttynose. Would Smistletoe hold up? We’d have to see…
Norman Miller (@RealBeerNut) and I took a road trip to Southern NH and Southern ME last Saturday to visit several stellar, up and coming breweries. Our last stop was the legendary Smuttynose, and to specifically pick up a bottle of Smistletoe. It seemed only appropriate to review this beer for this year’s calendar.
The pour alone got me excited. I couldn’t wait to drink this beer. A nice soft, cherry-red base was complimented with a purple hue. It was simply beautiful in the glass. An off-white, eggshell head with tiny bubbles formed at the top of the glass. As I let it warm for a couple minutes, the aroma started to mature. The immediate aroma of cherries and dark fruits filled my nasal cavity. Beautiful Saison yeast complimented the dark fruit. I also picked up faint hints of alcohol on the nose.
I went in for a taste. Wow. All the spice, fruit and yeast came together very nicely. You’d think it would have been an explosion of flavors, but it was not. Not in a bad way, but in a good way. It was very subtle, but came together very well. I was impressed.
Cherries, plums, even passion-fruit characteristics came through. And then the flavor of honey showed up after the last drop went down my throat. Winnie the Pooh would love this beer. The beer was sweet, but not cloyingly at all. After a few seconds, I even got a hint of smoke. This was a nice beer! It almost felt like I was drinking a nice champagne or carbonated wine. That’s not to downplay this beer, it had plenty of yummy, Belgian beer characteristics. It was a winner.
I recommend anyone to pick this beer up if it can still be purchased at the brewery. It comes in a nice ceramic keepsake bottle.
About Google+ New England Craft Beer:
The New England Craft Beer Community on Google+ is designed for talking Craft Beer in New England. The majority of discussions are based around New England and the beer scene here. Members do not need to be from New England, per se. We will discuss New England breweries, beers, festivals, and whatever else beer-related that comes to mind.
Come join us!
Click here for more information.
About Smuttynose
Founded in 1994, our company is named for Smuttynose Island, the third largest of the nine islands that form the Isles of Shoals, a small, rugged archipelago that lies seven miles off the craggy New Hampshire coast. The name Smuttynose appears on nautical charts from the seventeenth century, but its origins have been lost to time. Over the centuries the Isles of Shoals have been home to pirates and poets, ghosts and fishermen. In the 1870’s Smuttynose Island itself was the scene of a notorious double axe murder. Today, it is peaceful and desolate, a windswept haven for harbor seals and seagulls whose stillness belies its colorful and sometimes violent history.
Although our beers are now distributed in more than two dozen states, as well as overseas in Europe and Asia, our identity is anchored firmly here in coastal New England. We are still fundamentally a small brewer whose beers are inspired by the history, character and flavor of our region. Try one yourself and see! Visit us online at https://smuttynose.com/