Sweetwater Festive Ale

Brewed by Sweetwater Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Atlanta, Georgia USA

Poured into my Dogfish Head pint glass. This pours MUCH darker than I had expected. This beer is a very dark brown with some ruby highlights around the edges. There was a slight 1/4 inch head that quickly disappeared. There’s some spice coming through in the nose but I can’t put my finger on just what it is. I’m getting a nutmeg and licorice smell from it. Taste is similar to the nose. It is good tasting and quite different from your ordinary winter warmer. The mouthfeel is of medium feel with a decent amount of carbonation. It is somewhat coating in the mouth which takes away from the drinkability slightly. This is a good beer for this 15 degree night. A solid offering that I would drink again.

2006 huge bottle. Pours brown through and through. Aroma is malty, and doughy, some sweet spicy notes come through. Flavor is largely the same, warm, doughy, spicy, and sweet.

Bottle. Pours dark red-amber with black floaties and a small oily ivory head. The aroma is slight prune, cola, a hint of mild coffee, and licorice. The flavor is licorice, wood, and some spicy hop tones. The finish gets earthy. As it warms, a clove/cinnamon taste works its way to the fore, becoming dominant by the time it is room temperature. Tasty brew, but not all that impressive to me.

2006 Bottle: Pours with a deep brown core and blood red highlights. Frothy head settles into a thin film on top. Tart cherries and apple work well with a moderate dose of cinammon in the nose. A layer of ether is present as well. The bulk of the body reminds me of snickerdodle cookies - cinnamon, sugar and dough. More fruity esthers add depth, although everything is a bit thin for such a big beer. Finishes sweet with lingering cinammon and cherry. Nice winter brew, but I would only want one a year.

A nice tasty winter beer that goes well with a hearty lunch. The spices are neither barely noticeable nor overpowering, and it goes down smoothly.

Big ass ’ol bottle from Jimbowood. I liked this one - it had lots of spices, but they were subtle and not overwhelming. Very balanced, and the malts brought a nice flavor. Kind of reminded me of a saison, but a tad bit darker and richer.

12 oz Bottle. Pours a cola color. The flavor is malty with a hint of spice and a suggestion of hops. Soft and syrupy on the palate. Not a bad brew. Good seasonal offering from Sweetwater.

750ml waxed covered bottle with a flip top via Naven. 2005 Vintage 4064/6200. Beer 13 of the Bartzilla’s Death Metal Beer Tasting 1/12/2007, consumed with many great beer drinkers including Bartzilla, Naven, as well as Lee creator of Arrogant Bastard. Now would this be really a spice beer, I was given it as a triple IPA, now I didn’t know anything about it, but it tasted really nice had a good hoppy consitency and a overall nice feeling. Nice to have a high quality brew from Georgia.