Sessio #3 (Dec 2017): Christmas and beer

This post is a part of Sessio, Finnish beer bloggers' monthly posts on the same topic. The topic is selected by a monthly changing host. This topic was selected by Helppoa Juotavaa, who will wrap up the Sessio posts in his blog. I will take part in Sessio whenever the subject feels nice and I have time to write a post.

This time the session topic - Christmas and beer - is either very easy or very difficult. First I thought was that it's so difficult to get anything written that I'll pass this round. Looking at the final result I guess I should've sticked with that idea.

Quickly I realized that not having anything to write about Christmas and beer makes writing this post easy: it helps to keep the story short. This is possibly the shortest Ölmönger Special post to date and probably will be that for long.

A completely random beer pic

So, why I don't have anything special to say about Christmas and beer or Christmas beers? Here are a couple of reasons:

1. I don't fancy seasonal beer. Actually I almost always hate it. Christmas beers suck as much in their genre as Easter, summer, Oktoberfest and Halloween beers do. Probably it's the spices, probably it's something else. Don't know, don't care.
   
2. I don't pair beer with food. I rarely even drink beer with food. Christmas food makes no difference. I know that for some people it's important to have some special Rauchbier with ham, some fruity Saison with turkey, something mild with other traditional Christmas dishes and somethind wild with the dessert. But I don't usually drink beer with food, so why should Christmas make an exception?
3. I don't save or select any special beers for Christmas. I don't either have any other yearly scheduled special occasions for having a beer for that moment. Basically, the special moments for special beers are born out of personally important dates or events but I mostly drink all beers - the good, the bad, the ugly, the special - spontaneously, without any other specific reason than having the time and the opportunity to drink a beer.
4. I wouldn't feel like missing anything if I don't drink beer - special or at all - or any alcohol during Christmas season. That doesn't mean that I don't usually but there are other, more important things that make my Christmas. Watching The Snowman with the family. Sauna without any hurry. A moment of inner peace. Christmas meal and its preparations. Getting some gifts and seeing the kids' joy when they open their gifts. Playing board and card games. Basically, having some stopped hurryless time with myself and the family. Probably having a glass or dram or two on the way, but not necessarily.

A moment ago, at 11 p.m. on Christmas night I had some sips of Glen Scanlan, blended Scotch received as a gift. And that could've been my alcohol dose of the day. Awful shit, by the way. So I'm on my way for something better now...

Ölbeat

I have a categorical hatred towards Christmas songs. Specially Christmas songs sung in Finnish. Shouldn't come as a shocking surprise to anyone. Well, most of the songs can just be heard too often during the season. This one breaks the rule because it has a real and timeless message about the Christmas season's superficiality - human race creating a period of piece in the world in the middle of war.

Hassisen Kone: On jouluyö, nyt laulaa saa (YouTube)

Published as a single in 1981, the song was written by Ismo Alanko.

Ölbeat 337 (BC17 #24): Vakka-Suomen Prykmestar Savukataja

Brewery: Vakka-Suomen Panimo (in Finnish)
Country: Finland
Style: Smoked Ale
Abv: 9 %
@RateBeer

What about the beer?

Colour is dark brown with a small natural white head. Aroma has pure smoked ham and spices. *A short break while the blogger couldn't help himself from making and eating a cheese-ham rye sandwich. And another cheese-ham rye sandwich.* Taste begins with smoothly bitter meaty smoke. Heavily smoked malts and thick cured ham takes over with spicy peppery side tones. Towards the end bitter burned liquorice gets mixed with the dominating meaty smoke. Aftertaste has sweetish bitter liquorice and spicy smoky dryness.

Strong and meaty Smoked Ale. The association of smoked meat or heavily cured ham is present from the first aroma to the final end. And that's stunningly beautiful. Frankly, this is the best smoked beer I've had - beats Bamberg any day. A modern classic from the Uusikaupunki-based brewery.

Ölbeat

For the sake of Christmas Eve, I had to give in a little and pick the only seasonal song of the calendar here. Originally from the animated movie The Snowman (1982) and written by composer Howard Blake, I picked a slightly modernized version from the 90's. Merry Christmas!

Nightwish: Walking in the Air (YouTube)

From the 1998 album Ocean, the song was written by Howard Blake.

Ölbeat 336 (BC17 #23): Lervig / Hoppin' Frog Sippin' Into Darkness

Brewery: Lervig Aktiebryggeri (Hoppin' Frog Brewery) 
Country: Norway (United States)
Style: Imperial Stout 
Abv: 12 %
@RateBeer

What about the beer?

Colour is black with a small vanishing beige head. Aroma is pure sweet milk chocolate with sip of vanilla (= pure awesomeness!). Taste begins with sweet cherry-coated chocolate. Sweet milk chocolate and vanilla-flavoured roast take over with some boozy fruits. Towards the end the chocolate gets bitter dark, nutty and coffeeish tones with a fruity alcohol bite. Aftertaste has dark chocolate bitterness, fruity sweetness and coffee liquor -flavoured roast.

Sweet and strong Imperial Stout with tons of chocolate. We start with liquid milk chocolate and end up with nutty and dark flavours. Fruit liquor kicks in nicely, vanilla, coffee and roast have just the right role. Delicious, absolutely beautiful brew.

Ölbeat

"Sipping into darkness" could mean either drinking slowly while waiting the night to fall or having small mouthfuls until one passes out. I prefer the latter one with this strong brew and welcome the mythical magical sand sprinkler to bring nice dreams... well, some kind of dreams to everyone.

Metallica: Enter Sandman (YouTube)

From the 1991 album Metallica, the song was written by Kirk Hammett, Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield.

Ölbeat 335 (BC17 #22): Põhjala Odravein 2016

Brewery: Pôhjala
Country: Estonia
Style: Barley Wine
Abv: 12 %
@RateBeer

What about the beer?

Colour is dark brown with a small natural white head. Aroma has chocolate, peanut butter and caramel. Taste starts with sweet fruity and malty alcohol. Bittersweet raisin and malty caramel take over with boozy coffee and chocolate. Towards the end fruity and malty bitter alcohol gets in front. Aftertaste has strongly bitter raisin-boozy bite followed by malty and fruity dryness.

Sweet and strong Barley Wine. The power of alcohol is pretty much unleashed, but it's fruity and malty with caramel, coffee and chocolate at the same time. Like barrel-aged brew but without aging in the barrel, Põhjala hits the right spot once again.

Ölbeat

Power and aggression but in the same time beauty and sensibility. So it's time for neoclassical metal by the master of the style.

Yngwie Malmsteen: Rising Force (YouTube)

From the 1988 album Odyssey, the song was written by Yngwie Malmsteen and Joe Lynn Turner.

Ölbeat 334 (BC17 #21): Dieu du Ciel Solstice d'Hiver

Brewery: Brasserie Dieu du Ciel
Country: Canada
Style: Barley Wine
Abv: 10,2 %
@RateBeer

What about the beer?

Colour is dark brown with a tiny natural white lace. Aroma has caramel malts, raisins and dark fruits. Taste begins with sweet fruity malts. Caramel malts and sweet raisins take over with gentle fruity alcohol bitterness and dark chocolate. Towards the end dark fruity bitterness gets through with strong piny-boozy kick. Aftertaste has lasting fruity bitterness and piny alcohol kick.

Rich and complex Barley Wine. Malts have their time in the spotlight, but in the end hops and strength take control. Pretty delicious. Dieu du Ciel keeps the Maple Leaf high, despite the difficulties in availability here in Finland.

Ölbeat

Since it's named "Winter Solstice" - the day that has the shortest period of daylight - today is the right day in the Northern Hemisphere for this beer. In Finland, the darkness, and possibly the coldness, of winter often makes people turn inside their shell and interact with other people less than during the brighter seasons. I'm not considering it a bad thing. Quite the opposite: everyone needs some time with only oneself every now and then, so why not in the midst of winter?

Black Sabbath: Solitude (YouTube)

From the 1971 album Master of Reality, the song was written by Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, Ozzy Osbourne and Bill Ward.