Like pennies from heaven, this correspondent received beers from Amsterdam. Nothing else to do but drink them! I notice the book review of a history of Dutch brewing here, so this is most apropos. I loved the first I tried, an unfiltered lager reviewed here from Christoffel. I didn't know what it was, as the bottle featured an authentic Dutch label, but make sure you try that one.

So what's in the glass today? My old pal David stopped over and we opened up a couple more. Te...Tex...however that's spelled...a winter beer which was malty dark ale with a goat on the label - a keeper. David said he would knock down old ladies and boy scouts to get more of that beer, and I would agree: dark, warm malt, sweet flavor, good anytime if you're like me. Johnny was the second beer...whoever the hell Johnny is. I thought it was alright, but David said "This is crap! This is like a bad batch of somebody's homebrew! Why did they send this to you?" I dunno, but it was better than Labatt Blue, so it wasn't a total loss.

Finally, Oe...Oest....how do you spell it?...something stout, featuring a bottle with a naked elf on the front. Take hot fudge and mix it with engine oil and tar, and you get the color and thickness of this beer. It is a monster stout, over 8% alc. volume, huge hoppy taste, with coffee and bitter chocolate. Reminds me of that stout from Middle Ages Brewing of Syracuse. Find some way to get a bottle of the stuff with the naked elf on it, and if you can't, get some Middle Ages Stout.