Lompoc Holiday Ales Now Available!

Kelly and I agree on most drinking-related things. For example:

• Should we have another drink? Yes.
• Should we order this cocktail that has whiskey in it? No. 
• Should we take a tequila shot? Probably not, but we're going to anyway. 

The list goes on and on. Sadly, there is one major drinking point that Kel and I don't see eye to eye on and that is beer.

Yes, friends. Kelly doesn't like beer. Okay, that's a lie. Kelly only likes beer when it's straight out of the pitcher at the T-Room (sorry Kel, you know it's true). 

But to Kelly's credit, she is trying to change her ways and I couldn't be more proud.

Her first step came a few weeks ago when Lompoc invited us to sample their holiday ales in their cozy little Sidebar tasting room.

With 8 beers to get through, I was a little worried, but Kel handled it like a pro. Here's some info about our top picks plus a full list of all of Lompoc's seasonals following. Lompoc's holiday ales are now available on tap at Lompoc Tavern (NW 23rd), Hedge House (SE Division), Oaks Bottom (SE Bybee), and Fifth Quadrant (N Williams).

Holiday Cheer- Vanilla Porter 
I am a huge sucker for a good vanilla porter and even though the sample we had was not fully aged when we tried it, Kel and I loved its rich chocolate and vanilla notes.

Brewdolph- Belgian- Style Red 
There is many a holiday beer that, while being called a "holiday ale", doesn't actually evoke any warm and fuzzy holiday-ness. That is not the case with this red thanks to its slight fruitiness and hint of cloves.

Cherry Christmas- Specialty Blend
Lompoc was still working on the blend when we sampled this one, but Kel and I appreciated that this beer was light yet still very flavorful thanks to the 200 pounds of sour cherries it's brewed with.

Also Available:

Blitzen- Spiced Golden Ale (this one wasn't available for us to sample yet so maybe it's amazing)

Jolly Bock- Lager

C-Son's Greetings- Imperial IPA

Bourbon Barrel Aged Old Tavern Rat- Barleywine 

We also got a super sneak preview of Lompoc's Holiday Ale Fest beer, Revelry Red. It combines Lompoc's whiskey barrel-aged Big Bang Red with port barrel-aged Big Bang Red. I preferred it to the Old Tavern Rat and I'm excited to see what Doug thinks about it when we try it again at the Holiday Ale Fest this weekend.

How about a #TBT pic to Holiday Ale Fest 2011 just cuz?

So good, right?

Big thanks to Lompoc for hosting us! We had a great time!