Open Season

Happy Pre-Holidays, folks.

As I continue to make that long, depressing march towards my 40s, my taste for the finer things in life has been in a constant state of getting awesomer.  Personally, I like to think I'm evolving into a man of considerable class.  No more Christmas lights hanging up in the bathroom, no more action figures in the Study, and no more watered-down, headache-inducing 'coffees.'

Pretty much.

Ages ago, back at the turn of the millenia, a young, more adventurous, and arguably way cooler Brian J. Hough could be found ambling down the hallowed streets of Western Michigan University,  pounding back full cases of Natural Ice and bottom shelf whiskey.

. . .and probably wearing some weird-ass hat.

Daddy's Coffee

Yours Truly has surely come a long way over the last ten years.  These days, I like to consider myself more of gentleman when it comes to boozification; I no longer drink bottle-shelf whiskey (I've gradually made my way to third-from-the-bottom shelf whiskey, thank you), and have become very fond of craft beer over the last few years.

(. . . though I still own plenty of weird hats.)

That's not to say I don't mind partaking in domestic beers regularly, though - Miller Lite still seems to find its way onto the Hough's Grocery List on a weekly basis.  These days, however, I'm supplementing my pilsner intake with different styles of beer, and have made that very adult switchover from 'quantity' to 'quality.'

College Brian is surely rolling over in his soggy grave.

It definitely helps having a bad-ass liquor store nearby that specializes in stocking craft beers from small-scale breweries:

Knightly Spirits, which has become my home away from home over the last few years, is conveniently located about a mile from my house, and has a great selection of microbrews on hand.  They even have an exact, large-scale version of the knight statue that sits in my study standing guard outside their door.

If that isn't fate, I don't know what is.

Anyway, it's become routine for me to swing in there on Fridays on my way home from work and pick up a mix-and-match sixer of various beers.  For me, it's a way to sample different brews without having to invest in a six-pack of one particular beer (and at $10 - $14 per sixer, that is quite a risk for something that could turn out to be 'meh').

More recently-purchased Daddy's Coffee. . .

Now, what's glorious about this time of year is that, like it's seasonal predecessor Fall, Winter tends to unleash a barrage of beers specially-brewed for the season (no more pumpkin ales, or Octoberfest-themed selections, obviously).  For the Holidays, this means that various breweries offer 12-pack samplers of popular, short-run releases that appeal to novice armchair aficionados such as myself.  Check it out:

I've picked these up over the last two weeks. . .

This is definitely my favorite, featuring two of my favorites, Chocolate Bock and White Christmas.   Of course, the others aren't bad, either - Sam Adams knows his shit.

It took me a long time to track this one down, but finally found it at Target (surprisingly enough).  The Spiced Amber Ale and Belgian Pale Ale, while good, weren't great. . . so this one didn't live up to the hype.

Okay, this one I picked up for Kris (she was a big fan of the 'Chuck in college.)  The 802 is awesome.  Our 'Cider's Maker's Choice,' a seasonal, was 'Summer'. . . which, to me, was only so-so.

Initially on my Christmas list this year, I snatched this up off Amazon when it dropped down to 40% off.   Very well-rated, and I figured it was high-time I had a glass set that curtailed to my drinking habits.  HIGHLY recommend this set if you're in the market for some beer glasses. . .

Definitely looking forward to the holidays.

A couple months ago, I bought an app for my Android (though I'm pretty sure it's available for the iPhone as well) called Beer Journal.  While it lacks some of the fields more snobbish beer lovers out there might miss (specifying the amount of hops used, rating the aroma, etc.), it's pretty user-friendly, and I find myself using this app on a frequent basis, whether that be at home, while visiting friends with the fam, or out at the bar with the guys.

This is really a no-brainer, seeing how it combines two of my obsessive-compulsive joys in life:  making lists and beer.

Menu screen.

One of the great things about this app is it allows you to upload pictures of the beers you sample, which helps when purchasing more in the future.

Okay, this wasn't taken from my phone, but you get the idea. . .

'Tis the season, folks - slainté!

- Brian