Sunday, November 23, 2008

I'm getting one more beer Christmas Beer and I don't care who knows it


Texans got the win. Carolina is blowing it. I'm behind in Fantasy points in a must-win. So I'm getting some more Christmas Beer. This one comes from a Winter beer variety pack from Sam Adams. Is there ANYTHING better than a 12 beer variety pack of craft beer for ONE SEASON. This one:


Sam Adams Old Fezziwig

I'm feeling all Christmas Caroled up and it's not even Thanksgiving yet. This one smell a lot like the Full Sail Wassail. Except the honey smell is much stronger here. We sniffed a little ginger b/c the bottle said it had Ginger, Orange Peel, and Cinnamon. I pour it vigorously in the glass and it has a seriously strong head, with a great lace as it calms down. The taste is very smooth, and the cinnamon and ginger is there if you know you're looking for it. This one tastes a lot like Wassail, just with much less hops. It goes down extremely smooth and crisp. There may be some orange peel in there but it's tough for me. I certainly am getting some sourness in the middle of the palette as it warms. This beer does very well for drinkability and just seems to improve upon the design of Wassail. Unlike the St Arnold Christmas, this one is lower body and does not have strong caramel maltiness. As it warms, I'm getting more of the citrus orange peel, a nice interpretation of the Christmas beer. Oh yeah, the color is reddish brown. I could have used more alcohol in there, but I'm nitpicking. 3 stars.
It is style like this one and St. Arnold's Christmas that make me really look forward to winter beer. First off, beer is just as good in cold environments as hot environments. But the kicker is that unlike Oktoberfest, there is not a hard and fast style to adhere to. I've had beer which is basically a maltier pale ale to something that is damn near a barley, all winter warmers/christmas beers.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

brotha you gotta vacation in philadelphia then you wont be so excited about average beer like old fezziwig .

Lee said...

Winter is unquestionably my favorite beer-drinking season. Well, okay, I put away a few in spring, summer, and fall as well, but all the rich, heavy beers that come out for the holidays make me extra-special happy.

How could anyone get depressed around the holidays knowing that Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale is finally back on the shelves?

The American Don said...

lol! I made it to Philly about a year ago for a recruiting trip. I flight got me there late, and I had to leave early and did not have time to try a single beer. Luckily, we get to the B-more area at least once a year, and one of these days were taking a day trip up there.

Anonymous said...

brotha go to philly beer week in march you will love the beer and food . and if you ever have a recruiting trip in long island ny ill show you where to get the good stuff

The American Don said...

you got it. I may be in NY for the Urban League Classic next fall. I'll put Philly on the list in March. Probably not going to happen in '09, I'm going to studying for the PE exam.