It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Beer: MadTree Thundersnow, He'brew Hanukkah, Chanukah, and Goose Island Festivity Ale

Another good weekend, and another many good winter beers.  Here are the only three I'm letting you know about.

MadTree Thundersnow

Friday, we took the fam over to the Hoosier State to visit Jester's family for a pre-Christmas Christmas.  John and Ari toted their brood over from Cincy, and John brought with him a sixer of local brewery MadTree's winter beer, Thundersnow, not more than two hours after my buddy Wee Wee texted me and told me that I needed to try this exact beer.  For you assholes who don't have to deal with Midwestern winters, thundersnow is an actual meteorological phenomenon where there is thunder during a snowstorm.  Thundersnow has all the qualities I look for in a beer:  dark, high alcohol content, low IBUs, and lots of malty flavor.  It's a little sweeter than some other winter beers, due to the vanilla beans in it, but it also has a lot of the traditional winter beer spices, like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.  All in all, it's a really good winter beer, and I would give it a whirl if you come across it.

Name:  Thundersnow

Brewery:  MadTree Brewing Company

Location:  Cincinnati, Ohio

ABV:  8.5%

IBU:  18

Good for drinking if:  you want to have a beer with your brother-in-law that drowns out the sound of five children under the age of five trying to go to sleep at the same time.

Rating:  4 stars (out of 5)

He'brew Hanukkah, Chanukah

Saturday night was the main event.  Not like Saturday Night's Main Event.  The Brooklyn Brawler and the Red Rooster weren't fighting.  Rather, we had a nice pre-Christmas Christmas dinner at Lizzie's house and then watched as five very tired children tore open presents and had simultaneous meltdowns.  While watching the chaos, I enjoyed a He'brew Hanukkah, Chanukah, which I'm pretty sure was the only thing remotely Jewish in Roanoke, Indiana.  I haven't yet come across the He'brew Jewbelation 18, which is their annual winter beer that, up until last year, contained the same ABV as the number of years it had been brewed (so last year was the 17th year and it was 17%).  Apparently, they had to drop the ABV to continue selling it in certain pansy states.  Anyway, the Hanukkah, Chanukah was a pretty good dark ale, brewed with 8 different malts and 8 different hops, coming in at 8% ABV.  It finished a little bitter for my liking, but not enough to make me dislike it.  Merry Chrismukkah!

Name:  He'brew Hanukkah, Chanukah

Brewery:  Shmaltz Brewing Company

Location:  Clifton Park, New York

ABV:  8%

IBU:  N/A

Good for drinking if:  you're looking for a kosher beer that hits like a hammer.

Rating:  4 stars (out of 5)

Goose Island Festivity Ale

Tonight was another festive occasion, as our block had a holiday party at a nearby brewpub/bowling alley, where Daughter lost a tooth somewhere in a breadstick.  Upon my return home, I decided it was high time for my annual viewing of Christmas Vacation, and since that takes place in Chicago, I went with my first Chicago beer of It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Beer, Goose Island's Festivity Ale.  Goose Island switches up its winter beers every year, which I like because their winter beer is always good and always a different than it was the previous years.  This year's Festivity Ale is a delicious brown ale with lots of caramel and holiday fruit flavors (that is, raisin, fig, cherry).  I was surprised to see that it is 50 IBUs because it's not hoppy at all.  It's a beaut', Clark.

Name:  Festivity Ale

Brewery:  Goose Island Beer Company

Location:  Chicago, Illinois

ABV:  7.7%

IBU:  50

Good for drinking if:  the shitter's full and you can't find any Meister Brau.

Rating:  4 stars (out of 5)