what i'm drinking wednesday | 12.28.16 — wine, books and wanderlust

Technically, this post should be titled "What I Drank On Tuesday," but let's not get technical.

The Man Friend and I live in a smallish semi-rural town that doesn't exactly have a lively bar scene. We were SO excited when someone built a craft cocktail bar (even though it's expensive AF). That bar, along with a few wine bars and a pricy beer garden, is an occasional treat. However, what we were missing was a great beer place.

Little Woodrow's is a Houston-based establishment that has branched out throughout Texas. They have traditional pub fare and a rotating list of 50 draft beers and a good list of bottled brews. The Man Friend was SO DAMN EXCITED when one opened in our town.

We stopped off for snacks and a couple of drinks last night...I was too lazy to cook and we weren't able to go last week, because they were slammed. We were able to get right in last night.

breckenridge christmas ale

Though not my favorite with the snacks we ate (pretzels with spicy mustard and hot wings), this beer is definitely reminiscent of the holidays. The descriptions says chocolate and caramel, but I detected more of a spiciness like cinnamon and ginger. I think I'd have enjoyed this beer as a first drink in front of a fire. It might have been great with some spicy barbecue or a sweet treat, like gingersnaps.

rogue santa's private reserve ale

Marketed as a double-hopped red ale, this holiday brew was a little more hoppy than I prefer. However, the Man Friend found it festive, indeed. There was just enough spice to make it Christmasy, but it had quite a bit more of a piney IPA finish. So it was like an alcoholic cinnamon Christmas tree in a bottle.

Fun Fact: The Man Friend and I actually visited Rogue's brewery in Portland when we visited there a few years ago and had this amazing "deconstructed" cheesecake:

breckenridge nitro vanilla porter

I love me some dark beers. I love me some beers on nitro. There's just something about the tinier bubbles that give nitro brews a creamier, less carbonated feel. It's like drinking bread or something. I've had Breck Brew's Nitro Vanilla Porter several times from the bottle...but nothing is as good as a nitro on tap. The flavor combines vanilla and coffee, so it's a great sipping beer. However, anything more than one or two makes you bloat like you would after Thanksgiving dinner.

unite hop nosh tangerine

I will be the first to say that I am not, under normal circumstances, an IPA fan. Hops smells like dandelions and, in some cases, weed (yep, that kind). It just isn't my favorite. However, the Man Friend is an IPA guy to the core...the more bitter and flowery smelling, the better. He likes West Coast style (piney), East Coast style (citrusy), and everything in between. Even though I know I don't really care for IPA's, I continue to take sips of his. I figure that maybe if I keep at it, I'll develop a taste for it.

To my massive surprise, I ended up really liking this one. The hops was more subtle against the dominant tangerine flavor. Not quite like a Belgian wheat, but the flavors melded together to make something pretty unique. The Man Friend liked it so much, he ordered two...and I'll be on the hunt for some in the store to bring home.