• Beer
• US

There are plenty of nice winter beer options available on the market.  These are great to drink at any time of the year, but these brews are especially tasty during the cold winter months.

Rising Moon is a new Blue Moon beer with a bit of lime, specifically Kieffer lime leaves and a bit of peel, and floral brew notes.  This beer is actually called a springtime beer, but it's still technically winter here, and it's been drunk.

Hoegaarden is a great winter beer as well.  It has traditional elements like curacao orange peel and coriander, making it a tempting, yet not overly spicy brew.

 
Anchor Steam has a nice Christmas ale that has some deep ginger and all-spice flavors that go well with the brew over all. 

• Beer

There is a new champion of beer in the "priciest" category.  The beer is called the Sam Adams Utopia and comes in a collectible brew kettle-like bottle and comes in at a whopping $5 per ounce, $120 for the 24 ounce collectible container of high-alcohol brew.  (had to change the link to a 2006 article from a 2007 article)

The brewing process is very unique in order to produce such a concoction.

Keeping the yeast active is a problem: The cells tend to sink into a torpor when overfed, much like humans after a heavy Thanksgiving meal. The trick is coaxing them into forcing down that extra slice of pie, so to speak, to produce the extra alcohol. Koch says he inverts the usual feeding regimen, offering the yeast more complex sugars at the start of fermentation, then finishing with simpler molecules. A dash of maple syrup during the process piques the yeast cells' appetites and inspires them to new heights.

"It's not rocket science, but it is 'grain surgery,'" Koch quips.

The 2007 will be the fourth release of this beer. Koch believes he might have reached the biological limitations of the yeast cells with the latest vintage: "Unless there's a major breakthrough, I don't see them doing much more. They're whipped."

Boston Beer is releasing 12,000 bottles of the 2007 Utopias. The beer will be available nationally (except for 14 states where caps on the alcohol level of beer make it illegal).

As you can see, the beer is extremely high in alcohol at 27%, but it makes for a very unique experience.  We can't review it at this time since we have yet to try it, but the uniqueness alone is enough to merit a mention.  If you have the means, we definitely recommend giving it a try if for no other reason than being able to say you've sampled the world's most expensive brew.

• Beer
• Red Wine
• White Wine

Chinese hot pot dinners are the perfect place to really try out some drinks that you've never tried before, just as they are an opportunity to try out some "unique" and varied foods.  Not only is hot pot great for trying out foods, but it's a community event in the mold of fondue since everyone basically gets to cook his/her own food, or just steal food that someone else is currently cooking in the hot pot.

At hot pot, expect to see all sorts of interesting fare.  You should see plenty of interesting seafood to sample as well as meats and leafy vegetables.  Everything gets plunged into a very hot pot of watery broth that is made of simple ingredients such as  salt and water and maybe some other ingredient like a spicy sauce.

Drinks at the hot pot are quite varied.  We were able to taste an wide range of drinks from sake to German beer to Italian wine.

PoggioBonelli Chianti Classico - 2003

St. Urbans-Hof Ockfener Bockstein Spatlese Riesling -

2006

Momokawa Pearl Sake - An unfiltered sake in the Nigori Genshu style.  Excellent hits of tropical fruit and coconut, a perfect accompaniment to hot and spicy foods that are typical of a hot pot dinner.  We sampled a bit of this sake and were instantly taken with it.  It's sweet but has the complexity and depth of a good chardonnay.  Very enjoyable when served chilled.

Check this out at sakeone.com:

STYLE
Junmai Ginjo Nigori Genshu: Made with only rice, water, yeast & koji with the rice milled to 60%, it is cask strength and roughly filtered.

TASTING NOTES
This old style, roughly filtered saké is an amazing experience. Pearl offers notes of vanilla and pineapple with banana, coconut, and anise rounding out a creamy body.

PAIRING NOTES
Pearl balances spicy dishes like Thai and Latin yet is a perfect match for rich chocolate deserts, fresh raspberries, and strawberries. Enjoy with steak, barbecue, and hearty dishes. Pull together an evening with spicy barbecue, crisp grilled vegetables, wild rice, and a layered chocolate cake with raspberry sauce drizzled liberally. Or simply enjoy Pearl on its own.

MILLING
Rice milled to: 60%

FILTRATION
Coarse mesh filtration to remove heavier particles and to allow finer elements of moromi to remain for added flavor & character.

SAKÉ METER VALUE
SMV: -12

ALCOHOL CONTENT
ALC: 18.5%

We're still working on all the great stuff so stay tuned...