I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, one of the best things about having a party is spending the next week or so drinking all the leftover beer. For Thanksgiving we had both sets of parents along with my buddy Rickey in the house so we had plenty to drink between my getting a Sam Adams Winter sampler pack, my dad picking up a case of Winter Lager and Rickey bringing some Michelob Shock Top and Leinenkugel. I wasn’t able to take notes on each and every beer, but there were four that I did, so here goes.

Samuel Adams White Ale says it’s an American version of a Belgian white ale, which is a beer I tend to like. It also says it has spices, but I’m not quite sure what they are. There’s no bitterness, a little citrus flavor and definitely some sweetness. Goes down smooth. It’s pretty good and I’d actually buy one out and about, though I wouldn’t mind if it had a little bit more of a flavor kick to it. Kind of comes off as a slight variation on Blue Moon as is.

No one else really seemed interested in the Sam Adams Chocolate Bock from the sampler pack (which I recommend on the whole) but me which was fine by me. It had a thickness similar to a Guinness, but with a much more chocolaty flavor. I’m not generally a fan of thicker beers, but I actually really enjoyed this one. I think the chocolate flavor takes some of the shock out of the bitterness the usually comes with this kind of beer. I’m not much of a chocolate fan, but this is another one I would try out at a bar if it was on tap, though I don’t know if I’ll ever see it.

We had more of the Winter Lager left over than anything else because it was the back-up beer that my dad bought which we broke out the day after Thanksgiving while watching football and once again it was pretty great. Has a tiny bit of bitterness to it with a more bitter aftertaste, but it fades fast leaving a tingle on my tongue. This might be one of the more interesting beers I’ve had in a while as it’s got a spice to it as well as a hint of chocolate/sweetness. I think this was my favorite of the bunch and will probably pick up more of it during the season.

Michelob’s Shock Top is one of the best Michelob beers I’ve ever had. I’m a huge fan of this Blue Moon-like beer that actually has more of an orange flavor than that other beer (which I’m also a fan of). Shock Top has become a pretty big staple when it comes to my friends and hanging out which is aces in my book because it’s not too expensive and tastes great. I hope Michelob can make more fun beers like this instead of the junky beers in the sampler pack I had a few weeks ago.