Either slightly comatose from a weekend of turkey/family/drinking-overload this weekend, I’m sure we’re all a little bleary-eyed today. But, for a little pick-me-up, here are a few new beers that have hit (or are about to hit) the St. Louis market.

Firestone Walker Union Jack

An instant classic, Union Jack is the recipient of numerous awards including back to back wins at the Great American Beer Festival. Union Jack is abound with hop aroma and character. In fact this well balanced, west coast IPA is dry hopped 3 separate times, each lot giving it more and more of the grapefruit citrus hop aroma and flavor it is known for. Overall it utilizes over 4 pounds of pacific northwest hops per barrel.

Firestone Walker XV Anniversary Ale (Very limited, may already be sold out!)

Looking at a blend of 8 beers on paper at first looks chaotic and potentially disjointed; however, a closer look reveals and interesting theme: 76% Barley Wine style beers, 19% Stout and 5% Imperial IPA. XV introduces our new blonde barley wine Helldorado with flavors of lavender honey liqueur. The well established DDBA delivers its signature American toasted oak, English caramel toffee and light leather nuances. 2010 vintage Sticky Monkey folds in brown sugar, maple, cinnamon, ginger and ripe figs. Parabola brings the familiar flavors of roasted dark coco, and chocolate covered cherries. Velvet Merkin carries silky milk chocolate, toasted coconut and creamy textures. Good Foot and Bravo add assertive barley wine warmth and lush barrel derived vanilla bean notes. The game changer this year is the addition of Double Jack to the blend. At just 5% its massive dry hop character brings citrus zest, tangerine and mango aromas making this a completely new beer.

2nd Shift Unicorn Killer Saison

A unique Saison in that it’s brewed with ginger, star anise, Curaçao orange peels, grains of paradise and Saison Dupont yeast. Dry, with that Belgian fruitiness balanced by the tinge of the spiciness! (6.5% ABV)

2nd Shift Liquid Spiritual Delight

This chewy American stout is dark as night and perfect for this cold weather that’s quickly approaching. Featuring a ton of chocolate and coffee notes, it makes for an excellent after-dinner drink or works wonderfully on its own. (7.5% ABV)

New Belgium Frambozen

Frambozen begins with the aroma of fresh red raspberries, followed by the ripe seductiveness of a fruity brown ale with depth and delicate malt notes. It is deep ruby in color, with flavors just as rich. Every year, New Belgium sends a delegate to the Pacific Northwest to oversee the process of turning freshly picked berries into a pure juice to be added in fermentation. The coming of Thanksgiving at New Belgium is ushered in with the first sighting of our cellar operators scuttling about, covered head to tow in a festive crimson berry wash.

Green Flash Le Freak

An ‘out of the box’ modern ale crafted by converging two beer styles, Belgian Trippel and American Imperial IPA. Dry-Hopped and Bottle-Conditioned – it’s a zesty brew with enticing American hop and fruity Belgian yeast aromatics.

Green Flash Barleywine

A four hour boil intensifies the caramel malts and enormous Pacific Northwest hop charge. The result is a rich, estery brew with toffee notes and citrus hop flavors layered throughout. Enjoy fresh today or lay it down and see how the flavors of each vintage evolve.

Green Flash Trippel

Rich, pale malt flavors provide a solid base for zesty Styrian Golding and Czech Saaz hopping. Trappist ale yeast contributes the fruity, spicy profile of classic, monk-brewed, Belgian ales. Our Trippel is a luscious, fiery, golden brew and a contemporary rendition of traditional Belgian Trippel.

Stone Double Bastard

This is one lacerative muther of an ale. It is unequivocally certain that your feeble palate is grossly inadequate and thus undeserving of this liquid glory…and those around you would have little desire to listen to your resultant whimpering. Instead, you slackjawed gaping gobemouche, slink away to that pedestrian product that lures agog the great unwashed with the shiny happy imagery of its silly broadcast propaganda.

Six Row Whale (22oz Bottles)

What can we say about this one? It is a bit of a motley collection of ten (yes, ten!) malts, everything from wheat to pale to crystal to aromatic to our namesake. With some Cascade and Goldings hops and a blend of US ale yeasts, the Whale (wheat/pale) ale was born. Pale copper in color, this is an interesting beer that has already been enjoyed by many.

Avery Rumpkin

Imperial Pumpkin Ale brewed with pumpkin puree and a blend of five spices. Aged in extremely fresh Gosling’s Rum barrels for six months. Consume early and often, preferably with a pumpkin pie and/or s’mores.

Dogfish Head / Sierra Nevada Life and Limb #2

What tastes great with Life & Limb? Life & Limb is a uniquely complex beer, making it a great choice for pairing with food. The rich malts have an interesting sweet/smoky interplay, with earthy spice flavors and notes of dark fruits. This complexity lends itself to pairing with foods ranging from breads and soups all the way through dessert. The strong flavors of Life & Limb can overpower lighter, subtle dishes but work well with darker, spicy flavors such as short ribs, lamb, espresso, molasses, and maple.

As always, check your favorite retailer/bar/restaurant and see if these beers are in stock.