'TIS THE SEASONals

See what I did there?

I've been down and out this weekend with a cough/cold combo that I caught from work. Side note: Why do we as a society choose to go to work when we are sick instead of using leave?

Anyway, I wanted to go help my brother paint his newly purchased home today, and he requested that I pick up a 6 pack of 21st Amendment: Bitter American before making the 45 minute hike to his place. Since I live less than a mile as the crow flies from The Pour, I figured I would go there before committing to several hours on my feet while I still felt like crap.

Well, I ended up feeling worse once I got out and started moving. To my dismay, The Pour didn't have Bitter American in stock yet. Maybe I should have counted my losses, got back in the car and hid under the sheets for the rest of the day. No way! I was at the best liquor store in my known universe, so I decided to pick up a couple of things for myself. I bought a pair of winter seasonal's from two local breweries: Baltimore's Heavy Seas and Pennsylvania's Troegs.

First up was one of my favorites. Troegg's Nugget Nectar, which is one beast of an Amber Imperial. I first sampled this exquisite liquid at my brothers bachelor party last year and basically stuck to it for the rest of the party. This was a 2 day party at a lake house in WVA mind you. I'm enjoying a pint of Nugget Nectar as I type this, and given that it's 7.5% ABV I am very glad that blogger.com has a built-in spell checker in its editor. But don't take my word for it, check out Beer Advocate's praising reviews.

The next one was Heavy Seas: Black Cannon, a variation of one of my default beers by the same brewer: Loose Cannon. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by how much this American Dark Ale had in common with its IPA big brother. Beer Advocate likes this one, but not as much as the Nugget Nectar. I would have to agree, but I still thoroughly enjoyed this seasonal and hope that Heavy Seas releases it annually.

Tomorrow is Monday and I am fresh out of leave, so one way or another I am headed to the office tomorrow. Let's hope I don't become a walking (coughing) contradiction.