Thomas Hooker Brewery’s Nor’Easter Winter Lager to be specific… this malt-forward Christmastime session brew is just right for watching football on a cold, Winter Sunday afternoon. At 5.8%, it won’t get you drunk too quickly, but should help keep you warm while the snow falls outside your window.

Appearance:
thepaintedman rates this:

Just by looking at this beer, I can tell it’s up my alley. The deep color is almost brown, but not quite, with a reddish tint. It’s appearance is similar to a brown ale like Newcastle, translucent and well-carbonated. It pours with a nice head and maintains a thin head throughout the entire drinking experience. On my notes, I wrote, “Beautiful! – my kind of beer.”

Aroma:
thepaintedman rates this:

The mild, pleasant aroma has literally nothing offensive about it. While the aroma does not jump up your nostrils like some bigger beers, the subtle sweet and malty notes certainly whet the appetite and augment the flavor.

Flavor:
thepaintedman rates this:

What a great beer, sweet and rich, but not too heavy. The flavor remidns me of one of the best beers I had last Winter, Anderson Valley Winter Solstice. Malt, malt, malt! On the Hooker Brewing site, they describe the beer quite accurately:

Brewed to celebrate Winter in New England, Nor’Easter Lager possesses a Hearty Malt flavor delicately accented by mild winter spices.

Palate/Mouthfeel:
thepaintedman rates this:

This beer has a wonderful mouthfeel. It is slightly chewy and quite rich. There is a sweet finish and no dryness to the beer at all. That isn’t to say that dryness can’t be a good thing, but with this beer, it’s easy to see that a sweet palate can be more than satisfying.

Overall:
thepaintedman rates this:

This is a great Winter lager. As a fan of the sweeter, richer winter beers (as opposed to the Pacific Northwest style Winter ales with big hoppy flavor), this one is a perfect choice. If you want to know if you will like this beer, take in mind that Newcastle Brown Ale is my go-to beer and I typically lean towards malt-forward ales and lagers, If this is you, then grab a case of this NOW!

Or, head over to Frank Smith Beverage in Pottstown and grab a mixed Winter case. Mine included this, Stoudt’s Winter Ale, Lancaster Winter Warmer, and Breckenridge Christmas Ale.

Let’s start with announcements…

The winner of the “Guess What’s in My Pint Glass” Contest is…

Joshua with the guess, Newcastle Brown Ale

(Who has already claimed two CDs as his prize, UUVVWWZ and RAA)

The winners of the Retweeting Side Contest are…

ginacuce AND BBBellezza

(Who need to email justincharlesharlan@gmail.com to claim their prizes)

And.. rather than post my review of Honey Lager this evening, it is being pushed back for a SECOND beer contest. This one is a quiz… 10 questions about beer. The first person to answer all 10 correctly (that hasn’t won already) wins a bottle opener keychain, a surprise bottle of beer, and 2 surprise CDs. If no one gets all questions right, the person to email me the most correct answers by Saturday at Midnight wins!

Answer these 10 questions and email justincharlesharlan@gmail.com…

1. What beer is John Cusack drinking on he couch in High Fidelity?

2. What is Larry the Cable Guy’s beer called?

3. Which Monty Python movie has a beer based on it? and what is the name of it?

4. Name my favorite hops. Hint, it’s been mentioned recently.

5. What is the only British brewery allowed to use the name ESB, technically?

6. In what year was Yuengling Lager released?

7. What beer did Ernest Hemingway endorse?

8. What was The Code of Hammurabi’s punishment for watering down beer?

9. What is the official “beer” of the Philadelphia Eagles?

10. Now known as Fireside Ale, what was Weyerbacher’s original name for the beer when it was only a one off release?

Now, go… answer away! MAY THE FORCE (of hops and barley) BE WITH YOU!