Winter Beer Selection:

Winter is creeping in for us Northeastern and Northwestern folk. That colder air means its time to pack away those sandals and shorts, break out the thick sweaters and settle in for shorter days.

So what’s better to take on those long nights but a few pints of lagers, stouts and for you goofy tongued folk, lambics. Here, again are some of my select beer choices to self medicate for a long cold winter.

Brace Yourself for Chang's Top 3…

1.  Guinness (stout): Undoubtedly, I was born Irish. But I look Asian . . . go figure. My first instinct when there’s cold in the air, with a hint of a lively fireplace, is to order a pint of the dark stuff. Because of its infamy, I need not delve into its origins or history. But I will make one acute observation; Peoples love or distaste of this stout is as distinct as its black and white color. You either can enjoy it, or would move to something else . . . like a wine cooler.

2. Brooklyn’s Intensified Coffee Stout: You want to graduate and really be a stout drinker? Here’s an Imperial Stout that will cause you to a) be very happy b) get very marinated c) not remember much more of A or B the next morning. Imperials are the upper echelon of brewed stouts with high ALC. They’re usually poured in snifter-like glasses as a tribute to their whisky barreled aging process. NOTE: these aren’t normally poured in the same volume of all the other beers. If you get a pint glass full . . . hang on to your trowsers and make sure someone has a camera.

3. Blue Point Toasted Lager: If you look beyond the I-talians, fair-weather Hamptonites, and the Islanders, Long Island has a lot of cultural jewels. Especially in the wine and beer industries. Blue Point Brewery is one of those gems’s that has shined in the past decade. A microbrewery that is gaining popularity, it comes out with staples such as the Pale Ale, Hoptical and a bar favorite of mine, the Toasted Lager. Give it try next time you’re in NYC or gotten lost and find yourself roaming around Suffolk County.