Bi-Frost Winter Ale

Elysian Brewing Company

Bi-Frost Winter Ale - 7.6% ABV

Rating: A-

"The rainbow bridge made from fire, air and water, used by the gods to travel from the world tree, Yggdrasil, to the heavens. Asgard. Brewed with Pale malt and small amounts of Munich and Crystal malts. Bittered with Centennial, finished with Amarillo and Styrian Goldings hops. Strong, hoppy, and smooth"

I've heard great things about Elysian and their craft beer. So I had to try them out. I started first with their Bi-Frost Winter Ale before it's gone for the season. I love winter style ales so I was looking forward to this. It poured a nice golden orange color. Lighter then I thought it would be given the description. A nice big full head as you can see. It smelled wonderful. A nice big malty and sweet honey spiced citrus aroma. Once I sipped on some I got an immediate taste of the sweet cakey flavor and honey/fruity notes. After the initial flavor burst the earthy citrus hop flavor comes right in as you'd expect. Though even they had a slight malty sweetness to them, It has a nice warm, dry, and almost toffee flavor to finish it off. A very nice warming taste at the end. The bitterness of the hops overall works very well to balance the sweet malty and fruity flavors out.

Overall this is a damn fine winter ale. A bit more sweet/malty and citrusy then many darker winter ales. Though I think that's one of it's strengths, and it still gives ya that warming effect at the end to warm ya up on a cold winter day. This easily gets a very solid A rating.

Lionshead Pilsner

 The Lion Brewery

Lionshead Deluxe Pilsner - 4.50% ABV

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.0

"Lionshead is a classic Standard American Lager. Crisp, clean and slightly dry with some residual sweetness, it is very refreshing and thirst quenching. We use the finest American two-row and six-row barley and corn. Domestic hops add just a touch of bitterness."

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this one yet given how often I have it. My roommate buys this ALL THE TIME so I have some rather often. It comes in bottles and cans by the way. It pours to a light golden color with a thin white head. The head dissipates rather quickly though. As for smell you get the slightly sweet grain aroma and some corn and barley aromas as well. Slightly bread like in aroma. The taste is much the same. I find it bready but light with a nice balance between the mild hops presence and the decent malt character. The after-taste is slightly sweet and bready as well. It's clean but not overly crisp or very carbonated.

All in all it's a decent brew. Nothing great or fancy but it's good. If you want something with great flavor that moves you well move on. If you want a cheap but good beer for parties and cookouts and tailgating then you've got a good one here. By me a 12 pack of cans only goes for $9-$10 bucks. Think of it as a Bud/Coors/Miller but with actual taste and no watered down piss.

I'm giving this a 3.5 out of 5.0. Honestly it probably only deserves a 3.0 on taste alone, but I am factoring in it's low cost and overall decent taste in comparison to the big brand crap beers. So being in their cheap price range but having actual taste bumps it up an extra half rating.

Kielbasa Stew

So here is an easy to make stew that will win over friends and family. It has quickly become one of my family's favorites. My dad always complains if I make it and don't invite my parents over for dinner. Or at least save him some leftovers. This will make between 4-6 servings depending on how hungry you are. Here's what you'll need for the stew:

• 1 pound kielbasa sausage (any kind you want) cut into 1 inch pieces
• 2 tablespoon butter
• 1 can beef broth
• 1 large can tomato puree
• 2 cups water
• 3 cups shredded cabbage
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 1 cup diced green pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups bean sprouts (optional)

So most of the work with this dish  is just the prep work. Once you get cooking it's mostly just waiting. Just as a note you can sue whatever vegetables you want. These simply work for me. As for the Kielbasa you can use whatever kind you want. I've started using smoked chicken kielbasa myself to cut some of the fat. But it's up to you whatever kind you want to use. Now as for the dish itself first you'll want to cup up the onion, bell pepper, and cabbage to get them ready. Measure out the spices, use whatever you personally enjoy, into a small bowl. Once everything is ready get a large stockpot or large sautee' pan out and warm it up over med-high heat. Add the butter and once it melts add the kielbasa and bean sprouts. Cook them for about 4-5 minutes and then add the pepper and onions. Let it all go for another 5 minutes or so stirring occasionally. Then just add the spices and the broth, tomato puree, and water. Stir it all together and bring the mixture to a boil. Then add the cabbage to the mix. Stir it up some. The cabbage won't all be covered by the liquid but that's ok. Just cover the pot/pan and drop the heat. Let it all simmer for 40-45 minutes. Give it a stir every 15 minutes or so. Once it's done simply uncover it, slowly stir in the sour cream before serving, and ladle it into some bowels. I suggest serving it with some nice bread to sop up the juices.