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.
