I picked up the 12 pack of Winter classics and indeed the SA Cranberry is a
good beer. Normally I hate fruit beers and avoid the comercial gimmicks that
seem to come up but this is truely a decent beer. The Winter Lager is good
as always and this is my favorite SA's beer.

I am getting ready to try the SNCA I bought a case here in Illinois and it
was pretty expensive $8 a 6 the most I ever pay for beer under normal
conditions. What is the price others are seeing.


--
Mark Cleary
Hollenbeck Jazz Guitars the Finest
Handcarved Jazz Guitars
http://members.cox.net/ruthster/hollenbeck/
"Randal" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Early last week I picked up the SA Winter Classics or Holiday Sampler
> or whatever it's called.
>
> My mom taught all us boys that if we didn't like something, we had to
> keep trying it to see if we ever would. So as I harkened back to all
> those years I had to wince and try some sweet potato each Thanksgiving
> I pulled the Cranberry Lambic first from the sampler pack and cracked
> it open. It looked pretty much the same as it always had, sitting in
> that Duvel glass.
>
> Aroma is of Ocean-spray cranapple and sweetness, with that lingering
> brett-type character ever so slight in the background. Well, I was
> prepared to take my medicine this year. The initial sip and no wince!
> No fruit punch *** Aunt Jemima muddled mess! There was a slight
> tartness from the cranberry juice, the maple flavor blended quite well
> with the malt and didn't stick out. I don't think they did but I would
> almost swear that this is a different base beer this year. Oh, and I
> also love sweet potatoes these days.
>
> Anyway, it's probably just me - but I actually drank both bottles. I
> still don't think I would like an entire six pack of this stuff but it
> certainly isn't a drain pour.
>
> Now, as for the Holiday Porter which I thought was great last year
> seems to have a distracting amount of diacetyl this year...
>
> _Randal
>