New Haven, CT / 4.8%

Sometimes it feels good to stop and look around during the holidays, to take a sort of Peanuts-esque glimpse at the hustle and bustle and wonder what it all really means. More often than not, we are truly thankful for the simple things-- a warm fire, hot cocoa, and the company of good friends. Our friends the Wilsons over at East Rock Brewing in New Haven took it upon themselves to brew a beer with one hop, grown exclusively by their friends the Seitz family who happen to reside in the best German hop-growing region. The hop itself, Saphir, is strongly in the camp of German noble hops, which are more delicate and grassy in flavor than their American counterparts.The beer, although deceptively simple, uses these hops to full effect, creating a gentle tangerine bitterness that emphasizes the sheer malt simplicity: something else for which to be grateful in this busy holiday season. Beer that tastes like beer. Prost!