Královský pivovar Krušovice Schwarzbier

Hello all! Happy new year! I hope your holidays were enjoyable and that this new year is even better! How is everyone? It has definitely been too long since my last post. My apologies, but life has been a little crazy lately. The holidays have come and gone, and now I am preparing to embark on an adventure overseas. On January 19th I'll be headed for Barcelona and London respectively, spending two weeks in each, and finally making an attempt to live and work in Amsterdam for six months. You can definitely expect reviews of beers from the region, which just so happen to be quite amazing :]

In any case, tonight I'll be reviewing a traditional german lager, Schwarzbier; translated from german, it means: "black beer." As I was browsing the beer aisle a week or so ago, and thought it might be nice to mix it up and opt for a traditional style beer. I was actually looking for a Czech Pilsner and thought I'd found one in Krušovice, but I had no idea it was a Schwarzbier until I got it home. Even though it is traditionally a german beer, I thought I'd give it a shot. Anyhow, let's get down to business...

Královský pivovar Krušovice (Royal Brewery of Krušovice) is located in the village of Krušovice, Czech Republic. It first opened its doors in 1517 and gained a contract to brew beer for the Emperor of Austria, Rudolf II in 1581. If you notice the crown (Royal Crown of Austria) on the logo of the beer, this is why. The company was acquired by Heineken in July 2007, but continues to brew beers in the classic style. The fact that this brewery was purchased by a larger brewery is quite sad, however seems to be a more and more common occurence. Does this mean the beer will lack in quality? Does this mean that the beer will lose what it was and what it meant when it was originally created? I have no idea, but it's an interesting question and thought, and might be worth looking into.

Delving into the history of Schwarzbier...it is a black lager originating in central Germany in the regions of Saxony and Thuringia. The earliest record of Schwarzbier was in 1543 by Köstritzer (a brewer that still brews their brand today). Schwarzbier utilizes lager yeast (yeast that ferments at colder temperatures than that of ale yeasts) and dark malts, which differ from their darker ale relatives that utilize roasted barley for color and bitterness. The popular lagers today (Budweiser, Miller, and Coors, to name a few) are typically very light in body, but lagers of all body types are available and brewed throughout the world. Some of the worlds strongest beers are lagers (I thought this was an interesting fact). In any case, I hoped the Krušovice Schwarzbier would be a good representitive of the style...ready for the review?



Name: Královský pivovar Krušovice Schwarzbier
Category/Style: Schwarzbier (black lager)
ABV: 3.8%
IBU: Unknown
OG: Unknown
Malt Types: Unknown
Hop Types: Unknown
Yeast Type: Unknown
Additives: Unknown
Bottled: Unknown
Bottle Size: 500 mL

The Pour: Dark brown, reddish, clear. Head is light brown off-white/tan. Head is nice and fluffy, nice lacing.

The Nose: Initially all malt and cereal. Smells like wheaties. Sweetness. Hints of chocolate and dark roasted grains. Straw-like notes, slight raisin-like notes, and dark fruit. Perhaps some grassy noble hops in the back as well as hints of caramel.

The Taste: Light body, roasted grain and wheaties, light bitterness and cereal. Slight caramel notes. Light on the carbonation and mouthfeel. Light chocolate notes, bitterness lingers quite long. Not as sweet as I would have thought. Reminds me of a light dopplebock.

The Verdict: Was quite light bodied despite its' dark coloration. I have tasted the aforementioned Schwarzbier brewed by Köstritzer and I honestly felt Krušovice was spot on for the style. It's very drinkable and quite refreshing and clean. I was also surprised to find out that some of strongest beers in the world are lagers. If you're looking for something dark, but not heavy, and quite drinkable opt for a Schwarzbier...this just reaffirms that the germans, and the czechs for that matter, know how to brew a solid beer ;]



Thanks for reading!

Zach

Schooner Exact Brewing Company

This will be the first time I've reviewed a local brewery, and what better place to start than Schooner Exact Brewing Company? Based in the SODO district of Seattle (SODO, or South of the Dome, refers to the ex-home (The Kingdome) of the Seattle Mariners, which previously stood where Qwest Field is now sitting) the distric is just South of downtown Seattle for those of you not familar with the area. The Story of Schooner Exact begins three years ago and involves the current owners bouncing around between several locations, brewing extremely small batches, and sharing space with other local breweries, until finally evolving from a nanobrewery (yes that is a real term) into the 15 barrel system they now operate. It's a great story. And now everyone is able to enjoy the fruits of their labor. And what delicious fruits they are!

The brewery is located in a rather non-descript location not easily spotted from nearby 1st Ave South. Despite being armed with a GPS it was difficult for us to find. It's nestled in between a clump of businesses, neighbors a Vespa dealership and is tucked away neatly in a little corner. The entrance to the taproom is quite inviting and upon sitting down I felt at ease. The bar and tables are nice, and the bartender even more so. The taproom meshes directly with the stainless steel tanks used for brewing; everything is contained in one large warehouse. At the time of my visit, Schooner Exact had eight different beers on tap; before this I had yet to try any of them. One thing I immediately noticed was the fact that they offered a complete array of glass sizes and options for tasting and sampling their beers. Many beer establishments offer only a few options for glassware and I enjoyed having so many. It's not always that I want a full pint. They also had a sampler, which I am realizing is not always an easy thing to find. I like when breweries cater to their customers needs, which should be the ultimate goal, in my opinion.


The Brewery: Schooner Exact Brewing Company
The Location: Seattle, WA, USA
Beers on Tap: 5 Regular Handles and 3 Rotating


Upon embarking on my sampling tour the three rotating ales were explained to us; the Puget Soundian Dark Ale (by the way, Puget Sound is the large body of water to the west of Seattle) is a CDA (Cascadian Dark Ale or Black IPA) and the brewers have utilized Midnight Wheat, which is used to lend dark color to a beer without adding burnt or bitter flavors. I thought this was quite intriguing and upon tasting the beer thought it was quite unique in that the roasted bitter flavor usually present in these ales was not present to compete with the flavor from the bittering hops. I enjoyed this one a lot.

The next ale was Hoppy the Woodsman. Sounds like an interesting enough name to me, and it was explained to us that Hoppy the Woodsman was really Hoppy Holidays (their winter ale), that had been sitting inside a bourbon barrel for an entire year. I'm not sure how long barrel-aged beers typically sit in cask, but this beer had definitely achieved a complexity I had never tasted before. Perhaps because the previous bourbon barrel aged beers I've tasted have all been highly dark and alcoholic and this one just happened to be a bit lighter bodied and contained less dark malt? I'm not sure, but if I had to venture a guess this would be it. Perhaps it allowed the oak and vanilla and charred nature of the bourbon barrel to rear its head and dominate the nose and flavor of the beer. I'll be honest, the nose was incredible; the woody oak, vanilla, and caramel was intoxicating and the taste was right on par with the nose. I really enjoyed this one.

The last was the Skidmark Ale (on tap and currently replacing the Wee Heavy Scotch Ale) which was brewed for this years Single Speed Cyclocross World Championships. Hints of coffee, roasted malt, floral and bitter hops come to mind with this CDA. Very well balanced and drinkable, Schooner Exact knows how to brew a good Black IPA.

Continuing on with the tasting tour I really enjoyed their Gallant Maiden Hefeweizen, which I thought was more along the lines of a Belgian Wit. Spicy, crisp and refreshing, all excellent qualities you want to see in a wheat beer; I thought it would be perfect for sipping on a hot summers day. Their King Street Brown Ale was another of my favorites. Following the style it is malty, nutty, but not overly sweet, and still found a way to finish with a nice amount of hop bitterness. I thought the finish was the defining characteristic for this ale and to date may be one of my top picks for Brown Ales.


Overall I would rate my experience at Schooner Exact very high. The staff was welcoming and knowledgeable, and the atmosphere set the tone for an enjoyable evening. I like the fact that they offer many options for pour sizes as opposed to just a few. Oh and they also have really good beer :]



Thanks for reading!

Zach

Dogfish Head Brewing Company - Palo Santo Marron

The beer I am reviewing tonight is from Dogish Head Brewing Co. A new brewery here on The Delicious Beer Blog; but most likely not unknown to many craft beer drinkers out there. The new TV show on Discovery Channel (Brewmasters, information found here) follows the owner Sam Calagione on various brewing adventures in addition to chronicling life within a working brewery. They are based in Milton, Delaware, and have been serving up "Off-centered ales, for off-centered people" since opening their doors in 1995. Sam is credited with growing the smallest craft brewery in the nation to the 24th largest in record time, and now enjoys a worldwide reputation and penchant for serving up and brewing some of the most unique, and highest quality ales on the planet. Dogfish Head is best well known for their 90-minute IPA, Punkin Ale, Midas Touch, Raison D'etre, and more recently (due to the show) Bitches Brew. They now brew over 31 different beers throughout the year. A full list can be found here.

A little background information on Palo Santo Marron: It is listed as a brown ale, but perhaps a better category would be imperial brown ale. At 12% abv, it is not to be taken lightly. The "Palo Santo" or "holy stick" in spanish, refers to the type of wood used to age the beer. Dogfish Head Brewing Co has constructed a 10,000 gallon tank composed entirely of this Paraguayan wood. According to the interwebs, Palo Santo is found in South America in both the interior regions of Paraguay and Argentina, and is used for incense, brewing tea, ancient inca religious rituals, and even possibly for wine production. It is prized because it is extremely hard and durable. Demand for the wood has since fallen off because of the modern technological development of alloys and other more durable polymers, but is still listed as an endangered species. For the brewer the likeable traits come from its ability to lend caramel-like and vanilla-like notes to beer. The "Marron" in the name of the beer means "brown" in spanish.



Name: Palo Alto Marron
Category/Style: Brown Ale
ABV: 12%
IBU: 50
OG: Unknown
Malt Types: Unknown
Hop Types: Unknown
Yeast Type: Unknown
Additives: Unknown
Bottled: 07/14/10
Bottle Size: 12 oz

The Pour: Nice and dark, might be slight mahogany/slight red orange brown coloration around the edge of the glass, but not much light penetrating this one. Light tan thin head, a little lacing. Looks like the kind of beer I want to drink.

The Nose: Vanilla, sweet, malt, caramel, some spice-like notes. Cinnamon? Alcohol, almost warms my nose (It's 12%) sweet and delicious. Smells like warm-fresh-out-of-the-oven spice bread. Maybe some ginger. Smells incredible, I want to drink it real bad.

The Taste: Brown sugar, malt, caramel. Alcohol travels up the nose. Vanilla, spices and bitterness midway through. Smoke on the finish? Or is that just the wood coming through? Slight bitterness, roastiness, and cocoa powder on the finish. Woody/reedy notes, especially on the finish. Warmth on the back of my throat. Full bodied, light to medium carbonation...

The Verdict: Very nice offering. Difficult to ascertain the brown ale qualities in this one, and at 12% it's a huge beer, and should be consumed over a long period of time. The vanilla and caramel was very nice and evident from the intial testing of the nose. Definitely roasty with hints of chocolate interspersed, very similar in body and flavor to that of an imperial stout. Quite a unique beer, considering the story behind it and the construction of the 10,000 gallon open-air wooden tank using Paraguyan wood. If you can track this one down you might give it a shot for that reason alone. It should be great for sipping on late-night or sharing with a friend ;]



Thanks for reading!

Zach

Midnight Sun T.R.E.A.T Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter

From Midnight Sun Brewing Company comes the T.R.E.A.T (The Royal Eccentric Ale Treatment) Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter; an ale brewed with: Pumpkin, Cocoa Nibs, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Cloves. A chocolate pumpkin ale is something I've always wanted to try. And when I ran across this ale at a market down the street from where I live, I had to buy it. Since I have just reviewed the Midnight Sun Brewery, I will not review it here (you can find it here). And so without further adieu, the T.R.E.A.T :]



Name: T.R.E.A.T Imperial Chocolate Pumpkin Porter
Category/Style: Imperial Porter
ABV: 7.8%
IBU: 30
OG: Unknown
Malt Types: Pale, Carafa, Chocolate
Hop Types: Fuggles
Yeast Type: Unknown
Additives: Pumpkin, Cocoa Nibs, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Cloves
Bottled: Unknown
Bottle Size: 22 oz

The Pour: Deep mahogany, at first glance looks black, but upon further inspection, looks as though it is filtered and dark red/maroon when held up to the light. The head is tan, off-white, thin and fading, some lacing.

The Nose: Sweet bubblegum, cocoa powder, banana, and notes of cola. Nutmeg, chocolate, spice bread...swirling reveals the deeper hidden pumpkin and cinnamon and some wheat bread...smells quite nice.

The Taste: Quite complex. Cola and clove initially. Pumpkin and chocolate, slight bitterness. Spices, nutmeg and clove mostly, a little cinnamon, banana bread on the finish. Heavy on the mouthfeel, bready and dry, dominated by pumpkin, surprisingly not much chocolate or roasted character as the color suggests. A lingering spice and pumpkin infused finish......

The Verdict: A very complex beer there is no doubt about it. So many different flavors and aromas present: banana, pumpkin, cola, chocolate, nutmeg and cinnamon. Personally, the beers I have tried containing actual pumpkin tend to leave an odd aftertaste in my mouth, and this beer was no exception. The flavor was complex but I am not a big fan of the lingering pumpkin squash-like flavor, for me I feel it throws everything off. Regardless It's an interesting offering. Most likely you'll either love it or not at all. There is no middle ground. If you have never tried a chocolate pumpkin ale, you may try and find a bottle of this. It has been in the lower 48 since late october but I've only seen it in one store :]



Thanks for reading!

Zach

Midnight Sun Brewing Company

Out of all of the breweries I visited in Alaska, I would have to say that Midnight Sun was the highlight of the entire trip. This was true for one reason, and one reason alone: superior beer.

Now allow me to take a step back, and explain a little bit about Midnight Sun. It is located in South Anchorage, and it is one of four breweries in Anchorage. They've been brewing beer since 1995 and have been on the forefront of innovative brewing ever since. Never before have I seen so many unique beers brewed and offered by one establishment. They take traditional styles and do amazing things with them. This is what defines them as a top brewery in my opinion. So often I find myself in small breweries drinking the same thing everyone else is offering. It is quite refreshing to find a brewery doing things no one else has thought of. I think this fact, more than any other is why I enjoyed Midnight Sun so much.

At the time of my visit they had 14 beers on tap. The variety was mind boggling. Let me walk you through their list (I'll highlight a few of my favorites): Midnight Sun Kolsch, Kodiak Brown Ale, Sockeye Red IPA, Oosik Amber Ale, Arctic Rhino Coffee Porter, Panty Peeler Tripel, Mayhem Belgian Double IPA, Hop Dog Double Wheat IPA, CoHoHo Imperial IPA, Gluttony Triple IPA, 2nd Hand Smoke, The New Black, Pride, and Head Banger.


These beers are from one of several lists on the site. These lists include their Year-round beers, Seasonals, Specialties, Collaborations, a new special series released every year (this year the Pop Ten series, and in past years Crew Brews, Seven Deadly Sins, and Planet Brews) the Obliteration Series, as well as a Commemorative Series.

I was only able to sample six of their 14 options (36 ounces of beer) and for me it was a bit difficult to settle on only six when I'd so many interesting and unique options sitting in front of me. After much deliberation I settled upon these six: (from right to left in the photo) The Panty Peeler Tripel, The New Black Belgian Black Sour, Arctic Rhino Coffee Porter, CoHoHo Imperial IPA, Gluttony Triple IPA, and Second Hand Smoke. All of these beers were excellent but I'll only highlight a few, since this post is growing rather long...

Gluttony Triple IPA: This caught my eye because I had never seen a triple IPA, let alone an IPA with 200 IBU's. Initial flavors were orange marmalade, pine, and bursts of citrus. At 10.5% the mouthfeel was suprisingly light. The beer dissipates nicely on the tongue, and as expected, contains a huge hop presence all the way through. It was not syrupy, not overly resiny, great balance, and has a nice spicy bite. It finishes with a nice lingering hop bitterness. Incredibly well hidden alcohol for 10.5%!
Second Hand Smoke: The idea behind this ale was quite interesting; this fact combined with my love of smoked beers is ultimately why I decided to try it. To brew this beer the brewers used spent grains from a previous smoked beer to produce this one. I like that. And it was a really solid brew. It had a lovely dark tan head. The flavor was sweet, with slight alcoholic notes. The smoke was evident initially, and midway through with a nice roasty finish. Definitely something unique you don't see everyday.
The New Black: The New Black, up until now, is the most incredible beer I have ever tasted. The New Black is a black Belgian-style sour ale, half-aged in Cabernet Savignon barrels, half-aged in Bourbon barrels, with the addition of Black Currants. It is a sour ale, so the yeast strain used to produce this beer is Brettanomyces. The complexity and flavor profile was out of this world; something new each and every sip. Initially the nose is astrigent, sour, hints of red wine and fruit present. Midway through the tangy fruity sourness fades to roastiness. Hints of vanilla and oak, and the finish is all dark and roasty. There was no doubt about it. My favorite beer ever, hands down.
Arctic Rhino Coffee Porter: I had to include this one in here simply because it remains my favorite coffee beer, and you should definitely go try and find a bottle if you enjoy coffee beers.


All in all as I stated before, Midnight Sun was my favorite stop on the Alaska Brewery Tour. The ales and ingenuity really amazed me. If you happen to see their brew in stores, go ahead and buy a bottle and I guarantee you will not be disappointed.


Thanks for reading!

Zach

Stone Brewing Co - Double Arrogant Bastard

Today I am bringing you the review of a beer I have only sampled and until now, had never had the opportunity to purchase. For quite some time now it had been eluding me. It was something I had talked about trying and finally, randomly found a bottle down the street from where I live at a local market: Central Market (which I might add has a great beer selection). The name of this beer is: Double Arrogant Bastard. And it's from Stone Brewing Co. If you've never seen it's younger, smaller, much less aggresive sister (and honestly, this is saying a lot) Arrogant Bastard then you should do yourself a favor and track one down and taste the amazingness that is Arrogant Bastard.

I remember the first time I tasted the Bastard. A friend and I saw it in the store, and after reading the name, decided it sounded like a cool beer and wanted to try it out. We split one in the parking lot of a bowling alley. I remember thinking how awfully disgusting it tasted. That was before I enjoyed beer. And a year or so later I had acquired a taste for the brutally hoppy and brutally strong. Arrogant Bastard achieves this. I can now say that Arrogant Bastard is one of my favorite beers. Reading the back of the bottle I thought it was quite humorous that it reads: "This is an aggresive beer. You probably won't like it. It is quite doubtful that you have the taste or sophistication to be able to appreciate an ale of this quality and depth." I think that just entices you to crack one open. But please be forewarned, the words hold true. It is quite aggresive. But I love it. And so if you have tasted the Arrogant Bastard and you know what I am talking about, the only thing left for you to do is track down a Double Arrogant Bastard and give it a taste.

The reverse side of the bottle is quite similar to Arrogant Bastard. Multiple warnings about the potency of this ale, it talks at length about how the majority of America has been brainwashed into thinking that beer advertisements on TV are simply attempts to force their watery thin American lagers into the masses, and that drinking beers like this is attractive, but that these beers are complete shite. And if you enjoy these beers you won't like Double Arrogant Bastard. Highfive to that in my opinion. In any case after picking up the bottle, it sat on my counter for 3 or so days before I decided to crack it open. It sounded like one mother of an ale, and let me tell you, it does not disappoint. Since I have previously consumed and talked of the amazing Stone Breweing Co I will not do so during this review. Please refer to previous reviews if you feel the need to educate yourself on Stone Brewing. Ok so here we go....



Name: Double Arrogant Bastard
Category/Style: American Strong Ale
ABV: 11.2%
IBU: Unknown
OG: Unknown
Malt Types: Unknown
Hop Types: Unknown
Yeast Type: Unknown
Additives: Unknown
Bottled: Unknown
Bottle Size: 22 oz

The Pour: Clear, filtered, ruddy reddish brown, orange magenta. Definitely along the lines of a red ale. Head is white and thin, retention is poor. Slight lacing.

The Nose: Initial notes of malty cereal, wheaties, sharp burst of sweetness, is that fruit? Cherry perhaps? Candy sugar, slight hints of orange. Swirling reveals something more, chocolate? A little roasted malt, and slight hint of alcohol (thought it would be more noticeable considering it's 11.2%).

The Taste: Initially bitter, light body disappates on the palate. Really smooth, warming of the mouth nose and throat. Bitter from start to finish. Somewhat malty. High alcohol character comes through here. I'm detecting some caramel toffee-like notes, a little roast and maybe orange peel. Nice hoppy spicy explosion in the mouth. Not overly heavy, which is quite surprising.

The Verdict: It's a huge effing beer. Let me say this first. I had to spread out the consumption over the course of a couple of hours. In my opinion this would be best shared with a friend ;] but if you're daring, you could take it down on your own. Just make you sure you've got something on your stomach. No joking around with this one, it definitely packs a whopper of a punch. All hops and bitterness. The back of the bottle is spot on with this one. It's massive and brutal. But perhaps even overly so. If you can find one, prepare for one hell of a ride :]

Oh and also, I consumed this beer at room temp. If you want to taste the true flavor of a beer this is the best way to do so.



Thanks for reading!

Zach

21st Amendment Brewing Company - Fireside Chat (Yes like FDR)

Hello hello everyone! Here I am, taking a break from writing about the amazing breweries to the north, by throwing in a random brew review. This time from a new brewery and also something I never thought I'd see on here, a beer from a can. And yes you heard me right! I am in fact reviewing a canned beer tonight.

Ok so what gives? A canned beer? Really? I know what you're thinking. Probably you are thinking exactly what I was originally thinking. The classic mindset and general association of cans with cheap beer. And it's easy to see why one would make that association: walking down the beer aisle of your local supermarket, the majority of the cheap, flavorless, watery american lagers, and cheap malt liquor comes in cans. A funny story: while I was traveling in Belgium touring the brewery in Brugges, the woman giving the tour (quite a stern and serious woman) stated quite forcefully, that good beer comes only from bottles, and never from a can. I remember thinking how right she was. So how could it be true that good canned beer actually exists? Good question. Let me attempt to explain.

Are there benefits to storing beer in a can? There certainly are. Most notably by better preventing exposure to heat, oxygen, and light. Beer stored in glass bottles of the dark brown variety are good at preventing exposure to light and the other two varieties, green glass and clear glass are ok, but sit at the bottom of the protection spectrum. Clear and green bottles are more often associated with beer not intended for cellaring (storing for long periods of time). Brown glass is better than green or clear, but purportedly, the can takes the cake for best protection and overall preservation of freshness.

What kinds of beer can I find in cans? Another good question. The varieties are all over the board. You can now find everything from IPA's to winter spiced ales, Coconut Porters to pale ales, and even Imperial Stouts. The truth is, canned beer has every bit of variety one might hope to find from bottles. Obviously the more popular route is the glass bottle, but more breweries are exploring the world of canned beer. There are approximately 30 craft breweries in the US currently distributing beer in cans, and 16 in Canada. To list a few more well-known: Oskar Blues, 21st Amendment, and New Belgium all distribute beer in cans.

Quality canned beer for the time being remains a mystery for most people, and It may take some time before the general public accepts that quality and cans can in fact go hand in hand. It took me a while to branch out and crack open a can of beer. This current sampling tonight, is the 3rd canned beer I've had. And it's true. It is good beer. So I encourage all of you to give it a shot also. Try something new. Find a can of 21st Amendment's Hell or High Watermelon Wheat Beer and try it out. Or perhaps a can of Kona Brewing Co's Coconut Porter. Continue with your trend of trying new beers, and reach for a 12 oz can next time, instead of a 22 oz bottle. Ok onto the good stuff!

21st Amendment Brewing Company comes to us from San Francisco, CA and they've been producing beer since 2000. They've won numerous awards and are most well known for distributing their beer in cans. You may have seen these beers in stores: Hell Or High Watermelon Wheat Beer, Brew Free Or Die IPA, Back In Black IPA, Fireside Chat Spiced Winter Ale, Monk's Blood Dark Belgian Ale.



Name: Fireside Chat Spiced Winter Ale
Category/Style: Winter Ale
ABV: 7.9%
IBU: 45
OG: Unknown
Malt Types: Unknown
Hop Types: Unknown
Yeast Type: Unknown
Additives: Spices
Canned: Unknown

The Pour: Deep reddish brown, filtered, head is light brown and thins quickly. Head retention is poor, and lacing is non-existent.

The Nose: Sweet and malty initially, sour acetic acid notes, something heavier, dark roasted chocolate perhaps? Some spice, nutmeg, hints of coffee and cereal. Swirling reveals more depth and layers; a definite earthiness becomes noticeable. Do you think it will taste the same? Let's find out...

The Taste: Initially sweet and roasty, as the nose suggests. Bitterness and spice. Deep earthlike flavors, dirt and moss are predominant. Cinnamon and nutmeg, spicy on the tongue midway through and near the end. A slight roasted finish along with a slight lingering bitterness. Mouthfeel is light, not overcarbonated, not a heavy beer, slight alcoholic notes and warming of my throat. I kind of like this beer a lot. And it definitely got better as I worked my way down the glass.

The Verdict: My first canned winter ale. And a spiced winter ale at that! Really a nice offering. I didn't feel the spice was overpowering as with some spiced ales I've sampled in the past. It was well balanced, had characteristics of a darker heavier ale, but is not a high gravity ale by any means. Very drinkable and very much a nice ale for a cold winters night...makes me want to snuggle up by the fire and have a long conversation :] go try one!



Thanks for reading!

Zach