Thanksgiving

I enjoyed three beers on Thanksgiving day: St. George Golden Ale, Southampton Saison Deluxe, and Bell's Expedition Stout. The Saison and Stout are two of my favorite beers. The Golden Ale was new. My Dad and Mom both bought beer for the meal in hopes of finding something that was new and that I would enjoy.

The Golden Ale is flavorful Blonde Ale. The body is thick and the taste is pleasant,malty, biscuity. A faint background of hops gives balance. This could be a wonderful beer to use to introduce people to craft beer. It is different but not too different from a macro lager.

The Southampton Saison was a delight but not the fantastic experience I remembered or anticipated. Maybe I rushed too quickly from the Golden Ale. The Saison is a world-class beer. It pours with a massive head. The taste is a complex medley of spices, citrus, and light hops. I think that I need to examine another bottle soon to learn more about the cause of my slight disappointment.

The Stout WAS fantastic. Sweet malt and milk and bittersweet chocolate predominate. Traces of alcohol peeked out: the alcohol clocks in at 11.5% by volume. The beer accompanied perfectly chocolate pecan pie, chocolate chess pie, and a chocolate roll that MW made. (I was eating a Thanksgiving meal.) It was also a delightful sipper after dinner.

Expedition Stout is an outstanding example of Imperial Stout. One description of Expedition Stout is that it is a black as used motor oil and twice as thick. The alcohol clocks in at 11.5% by volume. I think it is a hop monster but the hop bitterness was buried by the sweet malt in this tasting.