It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Beer: Three Floyds Alpha Klaus and Hopewell Stay Frosty

I didn't get a chance to post yesterday, so here are the last two.

Beer #15 was Three Floyds' Alpha Klaus.  Every year, I really want to like this because it's a "Christmas Porter," and porters are generally at the top of my list.  But because it's Three Floyds, they add an unnecessary amount of hops to it, so that the maltiness gets overpowered by the hoppiness.

Name:  Alpha Klaus

Brewery:  Three Floyds Brewing

Location:  Munster, IN

ABV:  7.3%

IBU:  67

Good for drinking if:  You're about to gorge yourself on ribs at Twin Anchors, much to your hound dog's chagrin.

Rating (out of five stars, by quarter star increments):  3.75

Today's beer was Hopewell's Stay Frosty, a winter lager.  This is the kind of beer that would serve as a good gateway beer for someone who's looking to get into winter beers.  It's got good bit of malt and some sweetness, and at 6%, it's not too heavy.

Name:  Stay Frosty

Brewery:  Hopewell Brewing Company

Location:  Chicago, IL

ABV:  6.0%

IBU:  N/A

Good for drinking if:  You're kicking off your fun old-fashioned family Christmas by heading out into the country in the old front-wheel drive sleigh to embrace the frosty majesty of the winter landscape and select that most important of Christmas symbols.

Rating (out of five stars, by quarter star increments):  4