The Giant Sequoia

Happy Friday, everyone! Tonight, I drink what might be my favorite Winter Warmer of them all: Anchor's Christmas Ale. Full-bodied and complex, this rich beer pours a rich dark brown with minimal head. Flavor notes include tea and cinnamon, which I found really interesting (and really delicious!). Thanks to a suggestion from fellow beer blogger Paul, I'll be bestowing letter grades on all the beers I drink from now on, so Anchor's Christmas Ale gets a B! 

This year marks the 40th anniversary of Anchor's phenomenal Christmas Ale, and their 40th unique label. Every year, a different tree graces the label of their Christmas Ale. Past years have included the White Spruce (1988), the Paper Birch (1991), and the Jeffrey Pine (2008); you can even view all past labels on their website. This year's tree is the Giant Sequoia, chosen due to the 150th anniversary of the Yosemite Act. The Yosemite Grant was a land grant giving Yosemite Valley to the State of California for "public use and recreation."

Described by John Muir as "Nature's forest masterpiece," the giant sequoia is an awe-inspiring sight to behold. 

General Sherman, the largest Giant Sequoia tree

My favorite band actually has a song named after the Sequoia tree, so that's what I'll blab about today! 

Fortress album cover

Sequoia Throne, the fourth track off Protest the Hero's 2008 release Fortress, is a blistering and energetic song perhaps best known for inspiring the Arif Mirabdolbaghi is Lethal YouTube video. Moe's drumming really drives the track along at an increasingly frantic pace as the lyrics describe human fear of the unknown, fear of unearthly aliens, a fear that is misplaced because what we should really fear is ourselves. It's a fantastic track on a mind-blowing album.

This beer also puts me in a reflective mood, and a hopeful one. I tend to plan ahead frequently, choosing to daydream about my awesome hypothetical future instead of focusing on pressing tasks. As such, I've already planned out some New Year's resolutions for myself, which I'm sure I'll share with you when 2015 does finally arrive. A preview- I'm hoping to start volunteering, to work harder in the coming semester so I can hopefully get some amazing scholarships when it's time for me to transfer, and also to maybe take a part-time job in the beer industry in addition to my lab work! 

I'm also planning out my beer agenda! I'm definitely going to be attending Urban Chestnut's 4th annual Wolpertinger Festival, which will feature 20 local breweries as well as Indiana-based Sun King. 

I'm also really looking forward to this brew from Stone; fingers crossed it hits the shelves at Craft Beer Cellar! 

That's all for me tonight- I'm going to a wedding tomorrow, so I don't think I'll have a post up until Sunday night. It should be a great read, though, because on Sunday I'll be attending my first ever OG meeting!