Welcome back, everyone. I hope you had a satisfying break and are ready to get back to class. Over this break I had some fantastic beers, and I will review some of the most notable ones I had. I drank winter beers, which are higher in alcohol to help warm a person up in the December and January chill.Sierra Nevada Celebration

This is a favorite of the beer community, released every holiday season since the 1980s. It is a wet-hopped IPA (steeping fresh, undried hops in the fermenter with the beer) that is 6.8 percent alcohol by volume. This beer poured into a pint glass a light amber color with a frothy white head. The smell is of spicy citrus American hops, with a bitter aroma that is neither underwhelming nor overwhelming.

The taste brings more of the same: a balanced bitter citrus flavor, notable but not so overwhelming that it kills the palate. There isn't a ton of malt flavor here, only a subtle bit in the middle of the taste. A lot of winter beers really hone in on the malt flavors, creating a cloyingly sweet beverage that can be bothersome to enjoy. This is a refreshing change, and the beer is still thick enough to be a winter beverage. The finish is bitter with a bit of spiciness from the hops flavor. A lot of rumors circulate around this beer, such as that Sierra Nevada puts cloves and ginger in. I don't taste that-just a wonderful balance of hops that creates a wonderful brew. I give Celebration a 9 out of 10.

Pretty Things Our Finest Regards

This is the new winter barley wine from Massachusetts-based Pretty Things Brewing Project. The beer poured a deep amber color, an almost ruby red, with an off-white deep head. This beer looks beautiful in the glass. The smell is of booze and hops, with dark fruits such as cherries, figs and plums somewhat coming through. This beer has an alcohol content of 13.5 percent, and while the booze does appear, it is quite unnoticeable.

There is a great deal of hops in the taste that is herbal and blended with booze and some raisin taste. The hops flavor provides a bit of peppery spice, which balances out the malt quite nicely. A lot of times I don't like barley wines for their overly sweet flavor. This is balanced quite well, and the mouthfeel is thick but not syrupy, so it helps complete the profile of the beer. Overall, Our Finest Regards is yet another success from Pretty Things Brewery. I give this beer an 8.5 out of 10.

Brooklyn Black Ops

This is a rare Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Stout from Brooklyn Brewery in New York. Shared with a friend, this beer poured dark black with a tan head; it was not the darkest beer I've ever seen, but it still blocked any light that tried to shine through. The smell was that of wood and hints of chocolate from the stout. I didn't detect much sweet whiskey in the aroma.

I did notice whiskey, however, in the taste. It sneaks up in the finish after going from chocolate to oak to whiskey and alcohol. It has great tasting notes, but sadly they don't seem to mesh well together. I've had some bourbon stouts that blend perfectly with the wood and whiskey, playing off the dark coffee chocolate in a symphony of flavor, but this isn't one of them at the moment. A couple years of age, which will help tone down the alcohol and bring up the chocolate and bourbon flavor, should make this a wonderful beverage. I bought another bottle and will drink it in about 5 years. Maybe at that point I'll report back as to how it tastes. I give Black Ops an 8 out 10.

Stay tuned this semester. I'll be doing more reviews of beers and restaurants, and at some point a special feature on home brewing or making your own beer. Until then, drink good beer, and drink responsibly with respect to laws. Don't drink and drive!