Christmas Fridge - 2008

Once upon a time I thought a well-stocked fridge meant that the beer shelf was full. And it was full of just one single brand of beer. That brand could change over the years.

This Christmas things have changed as I have gone down the dark side enjoying the pleasures of sampling many of the great beers from Ontario, across Canada, the U.S. and the world.

Now a well-stocked fridge has an entirely different meaning. For Christmas Eve, our fridge contained seven ... that's right, seven different beers from three different countries.

I have a growler of the excellent Granite Brewery Peculiar Ale. It will go down good on NFL Sunday.

I have a couple of bottles left of Saint Andres Lager. I am not a big lager fan but thought I would give this a try. It's not my style but has plenty of taste and I think a lager fan would find this much to their liking.

There are a few Southern Tier IPA, a delicious American Pale Ale.

A great find for me was the Sgt Major IPA from Scotch Irish Brewing. The stubbies are line up neatly on the fridge door.

I brought home a suitcase 12 pack of one of my favorite Pilsners and the green bottles of Steamwhistle look quite festive sitting on the shelf.

Waiting for a tasting are my two bottles of Black Sheep Ale from Black Sheep Brewing, a brewery in Yorkshire England which will be my next Beer of the Week.

Finally there is the Signature Ale from County Durham, with it's nice hoppy bite.

In the past few months I have found many new favorites and agree with that old saying that variety is the spice of life.

Going to be a tasty Christmas, HoHoHo!