Trader Joe's 2009 Vintage Ale

One of my resolutions for 2010 is to update my beer blog on a more regular basis. Ironically, it has taken me nearly all of January to post ONE. However, my procrastination, visits from extended-stay guests, holiday travels and the passing of my beloved Pa Bob prevented me from feeling particularly motivated until today. (Do not be dismayed, fellow beer afficionados, for there will be plenty of exciting and tasty reviews for 2010.) This entry is a month overdue, yet the deliciousness of the beer mandates that I post this review anyway.

My friend Melissa loves the holidays, and Christmas especially. I love beers, especially holiday and special release beers, so it only made sense that we put on a holiday beer tasting in December to get us in the Christmas spirit. Between the two of us, we found 6 holiday beers to try. We agreed to taste them all and then I would write a review on our favorite--which was hands down Trader Joe's 2009 Vintage Ale. The first candidate was Blue Moon Brewing Company's Full Moon Winter Ale which was a decent and well balanced beer with a sweet finish. The second was Samuel Adam's Winter Lager which had the cinnamon and nutmeg spices we were craving in a holiday brew. The third we tried was the Alaskan Winter Lager, which had a crisp taste and refreshing minty finish. (This was our second favorite by a landslide.) Rounding out the middle of our tasting we had the Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale--we found it to be a celebration of hops more than a holiday ale in this case. Finally, the last beer we tried was Delirium's Noel, which was hoppy and had a warming effect that lasted all the way down. While each beer offered us something special and delicious, Trader Joe's 2009 Vintage Ale (candidate number 5) was truly unique and outstanding.

Trader Joe's 2009 Vintage Ale

Appearance: Coca-Cola colored and extremely dark, unfiltered and opaque with healthy amounts of tan/sand colored thick foamy head

Aroma: Sweet with hints of citrus, dates and cocoa (it actually smelled like Nesquik mix!)

Taste: Very much like a chocolate soda in terms of sweetness but with slightly less carbonation. It had a malty, sugary cocoa start with a light mouthfeel that gave way to a lemony zest that grabbed the sides of your tongue. It was one-of-a-kind and unlike any other beer I have tried before.

Alcohol: a surprisingly undetectable 9.2%

I have always heard that Trader Joe's is a mecca for delicious and affordable beers but I had never gotten the chance to personally test that claim. Upon reading the sleek and simple black label, I was impressed to learn that Trader Joe's had collaborated with Unibroue, a Canadian brewery that specializes in Belgian strong ales (See review of 31 August 2009). Trader Joe's offers a limited release vintage ale that changes its style every year, much like my beloved Allagash Fluxus, so get the 2009 while you can! This particular vintage ale has bits of live yeast in it, (also known as "lees") so while it can be enjoyed immediately, the beer will become more complex and mature over time. I highly recommend this ale to anyone with an adventurous palate who is looking for something different. While we found the 2009's warm cocoa flavors and spice to embody our definition of the perfect holiday beer, anyone who likes dark ales and Belgian strong ales could easily fall in love with Trader Joe's 2009 Vintage Ale--and at $5 for a 1 pint 9 oz bottle, you can't afford not to try it. The woman in front of us at Trader Joe's literally bought 20 bottles of the 2009 Vintage Ale, and after tasting it myself, I see why!