December 18th, 2015
Day 18: Smuttynose Smistletoe by Jenny J
To celebrate the Holiday Season, we have teamed up with beer bloggers and craft beer enthusiasts around the country to host the fifth annual beer 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 enthusiasts. We hope that you tune in every day, to hear our stories and share our holiday cheer.
Smuttynose Smistletoe
Blogger: Jenny-J
Website: http://www.2beerguys.com
Twitter : @JlJ_Love
About Jenny-J Jenny is a wife, mother, beer lover, and cancer survivor. She also supports the Oxford comma. She may not drink as much beer as Ryan, but she loves the community that accompanies the craft beer world. Her favorite beer is Throwback’s Dippity-Do but she has been known to try anything if it’s poured for her.
Beer: Smistletoe
Brewery: Smuttynose Brewing – Hampton, NH
Website: http://www.SmuttynoseBeer.com/
Twitter: @SmuttynoseBeer
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 back to fill that void. 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.
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!
Beer Details:
-Style: Biere De Garde
-ABV: 8.5%
-IBU: 13
-Non-Reinheitsgebot (Special) Ingredients: Sweet Cherries, Black Currants, Plums and aged on lightly toasted American oak
Why I selected the Smuttynose Smistletoe:
The word mistletoe brings visions of love, family, and smooches to me. I love Smuttynose and haven’t tried Smistletoe yet, so the decision to review it this year was easy (that, and Ryan brought it home for me–score!) I appreciate that the bottle is simple and classic; it invokes a sense of nostalgia with it’s vintage, holiday style. Amazingly, as we poured the beer, my favorite CHRISTMAS song, White Christmas, was playing on the radio (yes kids, people still listen to FM radio).
Although not always a fan of fruity beers, I am loving the currant, cherries, and plums in this. If I hadn’t know ahead of time, the 8.5% ABV would have been a huge surprise; Holy Shnikies– this goes down SMOOTH! I’m not a fan of over-carbonation, and am quite pleased with Smistletoe’s balance–it tickles the nose just right.
What would you pair this beer with?
I’d pair this beer with family. Nothing compares to pairing anything with family. At the moment, the kids are around the tree playing with Uncle Sean and Auntie Amber, while we enjoy this beautiful beer at the table, swapping stories and tales of 2015’s happenings. Merry Christmas to you and yours!
About 2Beerguys.com
Founded in 2006, 2Beerguys.com has been devoted to spreading their passion of the craft beer world. Originating primarily as craft beer reviewers, they have molded their organization into premier craft beer educators and ambassadors for craft beer industry. Their passion has taken them on the wild ride of home brewing and beer education. 2Beerguys.com believes that you deserve a good beer, visit http://www.2beerguys.com 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/