So this year, I promised I would read books instead of watching TV, only drink on Saturdays and yell at my kids less. Like most people in America, I’ve already faltered on my New Year’s resolutions. It’s just that they’re so damned hard to keep up. TV is so much fun to watch. How does anyone get through a Tuesday without drinking? And have you ever met my kids? They need to be yelled at occasionally. So I’ve come up with a New Year’s resolution that I can actually see through to the end. Drink more beer. More specifically, drink more new beer. I suggest you join me in this resolution, because as they say, it’s easier to stick to a commitment if you have someone to hold you accountable. I think these six new beers are a good start to the new us.
Firestone Walker 805
Firestone Walker’s 805 isn’t a new beer by any means, but the brewery is going to distribute the beer outside of California for the first time ever starting this month. 805 is a blonde ale with a low ABV (4.7%) and the dominating characteristic of “subtle,” and yet the ale has grown to be FW’s most popular beer in their local market. People have even started bootlegging it across the border. Imagine, smuggling a blonde ale. Starting in January, you can leave the smuggling days behind you, at least if you live in Nevada, Texas or Arizona, where FW will now distribute the beer you’ve all been dying to get.
MadTree Brewing Rubus Cacao
Cincinnati-based MadTree is kicking off 2016 with a chocolate, raspberry stout that uses cocoa nibs from the Dominican Republic. MadTree first brewed the beer for Valentine’s Day in 2014, releasing it as a draft only option in their taproom, but the beer quickly sold out and fans clamored for more. You can pick up cans of the beer this Thursday (January 7) or wait until next week, when MadTree distributes the beer throughout Ohio and Northern Kentucky.
