Eel River Climax Noel

Brewed by Eel River Brewing Company
Style: American Strong Ale
Fortuna, California USA

Bomber. Poured reddish-amber with a creamy, well-retained cap of beige head.. left sticky lacing as it descended. The aroma picked up toasty grains and darker fruits paired with warm wintery spices and peppery alcohol.. the spices took over with warmth, and this came across as quite sharp. The flavor was along those same lines.. redder fruits and biscuity sweetness at the core with aggressive spices (nutmeg and white pepper primarily) and alcohol around.. tart throughout, and very spicy on the finish. Medium-bodied and well-carbonated on the palate.. rough around edges, and it seemed to lack malt complexity.

Not a big fan of this beer. Aroma was average. Spices , gingerbread and yeast. Pour was a decent murky brown with a 1 finger tan head. Taste was odd. Strong caramel malt with cinnamon in the front and a thick caramelly aftertaste that turns sour after the swallow. A little foo forward and over the top. Decent carbonation but the thick mouthfeel doesn’t work. Actually gets worse as it warms. Blah

Bottle; poured a dark auburn color with a big khaki colored head. Aroma of chestnuts, spice, fruit, sweethearts, and caramel. A unique aroma. Flavor was quite fruity and yeasty; a bit hard to get a handle on. This is quite weird to tell you the truth.

Nice aroma of dried fruits and sweet malts. Maybe a hint of alcohol in there. Prunes, raisins. Pours a reddish copper with a big creamy head. Taste is sweet fruit, very winelike. Nice warm alcohol burn as it heats up. Very nice by the fire.

Brown with minimal white head. Aroma is sweet cranberries and spicy phenolics. Taste is of candi sugar and bready malts with a light cherry sourness into the finish along with spices. $7/22oz

750ml. Pours deep rich chestnut color. Pineaplle, cherry, fruity, rich malts. Almost like the glaze on aham dinner. Belgian yeastiness lies beneath all this richness. Big, complex & interesting beer

Pours a murky brown-red color with an off-white head on top. Aroma has a light apple and banana fruitiness, a very sweet caramel, some cinnamon, smooth toasted malt note, some nutty notes at the very end of the sniff. Flavor has a very pronounced influence from the yeast. A very sweet and spicy apple note, mild banana - overall pretty estery. Additional notes of caramel, a mild toasted and nutty note at end, Brew has a heavy body, a high carbonation rate but very fine with a slightly thin texture. Overall a pretty balance flavor that is pretty tasty and spicy for the holiday season, very drinkable.

Pours a cream, three-finger head that fades quickly to a ring leaving no lace. Amber/red color. Light-medium carbonation and medium bodied. Light caramel nose. Flavor is caramel and hops. Higher ABV is hidden. $6.39 for a 22oz bottle from Tully’s Beer & Wine Wells, Me.