Beer Man: Holiday brews keep strong spices in check
Beer Man is a weekly profile of beers from across the country and around the world.
This week: Festivity Ale
Goose Island Beer Co., Chicago
This week we look at two holiday ales that start with brown ales and make winter warmers out of them with a slight alcohol kick.
Goose Island's Festivity Ale uses two different color variations of caramel malt to produce a beer that poured a dark brown with ruby highlights. Floral English Goldings hops produced a slight floral aroma along with toasted malt.
The caramel malt stood out in the flavor of the 7.7% ABV ale, with a touch of brown sugar and a creamy body. It had a sweetness that was cut off with a dry finish and some hop bitterness. The malt flavor still lingered pleasantly, however.
Festivity had a taste and aroma profile that hinted of spices, but nothing really stood out to be able to say definitively, "This is cinnamon, this is nutmeg," etc. It's like fruit beers that taste fruit-like, but not like any particular fruit.
However, there are enough holiday beers on the market with strong spices and it's nice to have a not-so-plain, strong brown ale to enjoy.
Goose Island has widespread availability throughout the U.S. and its Beer Finder link is at the top of its home page.
Deschutes Brewery offers its 6.7% ABV Jubelale, which, like Festivity, is dark brown with red highlights. A nice creamy head formed at the pour and fruity aromas made their presence felt.
The first sip started out with a cherry and toasted malt flavor, followed by caramel sweetness and slight chocolate. The ale had a nice creamy mouth feel.
This initial holiday cheer ventured into Grinch territory, however, with each sip finishing with a piney hop bitterness that was harsh and unpleasant in the way it destroyed the initial flavors and clung to the inside of the mouth until the next sip. I would have enjoyed a cleaner, brighter finish that allowed the other flavors to linger.
Deschutes' beers are available in most of the country, except far eastern and southern states. Its Beer Finder link is here.
Many beers are available only regionally. Check the brewer's website, which often contains information on product availability by mail. Contact Todd Haefer at beerman@postcrescent.com. To read previous Beer Man columns, click here.