It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Beer: Dark Horse 4 Elf

Dark Horse is one of the many great craft breweries in Michigan's southwest quadrant (see also Bell's in Comstock/Kalamazoo, Founders in Grand Rapids, New Holland in Holland, Arcadia in Kalamazoo/Battle Creek, and Greenbush in Sawyer, among others), and I have enjoyed every Dark Horse product I've had.  Their stout series is particularly good (the Fore Smoked Stout being my favorite), and their winter warmer, 4 Elf, is also very good.  (If you click on the link, there is a nice video where one guy uses my "wedding ring as a bottle opener trick" with approximately the same level of success I usually have with it.)  

I enjoyed some 4 Elf last night at a local public house, before watching the Bears get embarrassed on national television yet again.  4 Elf is dark, heavy, and spicy, with some holiday spices like clove and nutmeg being particularly noticeable.  Even though it's 9% ABV, it's not overpoweringly strong.  Don't get me wrong, this is not a beer you can pound, or at least not without a complete disregard for the probability of a lamp shade finding its way onto your head while you belt out "All I Want For Christmas Is You" that was actually better than Mariah Carey's rendition at the NBC Rockefeller Center tree lighting a few days ago, at least in your mind.  To hell with what your wife's co-workers think.  Overall, it's a really good winter beer.

Name:  4 Elf

Brewery:  Dark Horse Brewing Company

Location:  Marshall, Michigan

ABV:  9%

IBU:  N/A

Good for drinking if:  you need an excuse not to operate a wood lathe.

Rating:  4 stars (out of 5)