Sweetwater Festive Ale

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

Not impressed. Im not sure what it is about sweetwater, but it just doesnt do it for me. Its not bad beer at all, i just dont like it. The flavor is too sweet, and the aftertaste lingers. It smells rich and fragrent, and doesnt leave my palate with a message that says, "hey, this is tastey beer". Decent, but not my style, sorry guys.

Bottle from TheBeerCellar2. Pleasant aroma, toasty, peanut brittle, cinnamon and spcies, black pepper. Pour is a very dark, clear brown, with a small head, akin to Anchor OSA. Spicy taste, kind of sharp, pumpkiny, tomato, cinnamon. I like spiced beers but this one didn’t really do it for me.

I don’t love Spice/Herb beers, so take that into consideration. But, I didn’t love this beer. I’ll stick with a ASA or ESA for my next winter brew.

Good packaging that was sealed with wax and numbered 8890 of 9000 bottles. This was a gift to the managers at the Flying Saucer in Nashville. I noticed licorice and holiday spice in the aroma - nutmeg maybe or alspice. The color was dark brown with ruby highlights. Complex flavors, spicy, warming and sweet.

On draught at multiple locations in ATL, including brewery and in bottle. Pours an opaque brown-black colour with little crown nor lacing out of the bottle, but a good finger or so of crown out of the tap. Very malty aroma, with prominent spice character in the nose - nutmeg and pepper detected, as well as some chocolate tones. Very deep flavour, spicy in the beginning (probably due to the mace) and warming up with chocolate and toasty tones through to the malty and subtly cinnamon finish. Subtle hop character balances well with the malt in the brew. Mild carbonation is more noticeable on draught instead of bottle. Moderate body but the palate is a little thin in my opinion for a beer of this nature. Overall a very drinkable beer, but beware, this thing can knock you off your feet before you know it. If you can make it through a litre by yourself, major props and much respect to you. Apparently it cellars well spice-wise, but I tried a 2005 bottle side-by-side with a 2006 bottle and noticed very little difference in taste, as well as appearance. Alcohol bite is non-existent and hidden EXTREMELY well. I always look forward to enjoying this on tap at the brewery every winter because it’s a little overpriced in the bottle.

Bottle. Almost pitch black color, spicy cinnamon aroma. Toffee and spice flavor, this is an 8.6%? Sure doesn’t taste like it. Sweet finish, root beery.

Thanks to Springslicker for this one. A hazy brown pour with a spicy holiday nose. A flavor of spices and light malt. The 8.6% is well hidden. The palate is just a tad thin. I tried an 03,05,06 side by side. They all were similiar in flavor to me but there was a difference in apperance. A good beer that will kick your ass if your not careful.

Tap at the Marriott bar in Alpharetta. Very reminiscent of Anchor’s OSA. Many of the winter spices that you’d expect in a Christmas brew. Nutmeg, cinnamon, and a little fruitcake. A little light in the mouth, but there is an earthiness which gives it a bit of balance with the other spices. Can’t tell that this is over 8%. Nice, but I’d like a few more spices to set it over the top.