Sweetwater Festive Ale

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

Bottle thanks to CaptainCougar: Dark brown, light tan head. Aroma was roasty malt, kinda nutty. Flavor was nice and malty with some dark fruits, some spices, and some sweetness to it. Good solid beer.

Obtained via trade with Beeryum. Pours dark mahogany with a quickly fading beige head. Roastyness, caramel and apple in the nose. Flavor has notes of roasted malt, chocolate, cinnamon, pear and plum/raisin. Very full-bodied, flavorful and balanced. Pleasantly sweet, alcohol content extremely well-hidden. Full and round on the palate with subtle carbonation. Very good.

2005 bottle. Pours like a coke with a medium sized, tan head and good lacing with some yeast which sank to the bottom. Has a rich, malty aroma with caramel, plum, licorice, chocolate, and gingerbread. Very good flavor with more of the aroma and also some coffee, nutmeg, cinnamon, brown sugar and toffee. The beer lacks a solid hops presence - there is only a mild hops bitterness in the finish. I really liked how the spices played into this beer though - it’s not overpowering like other spiced beers, but adds a nice touch for a good winter beer. I’ll definitely buy some more next winter.

Vintage 2003: Dark brown ale with a thick big bubbled light moka heads, with big floatiesat bottom of glass. Sweet prunes and light cinnamon hearts in aroma. In mouth, sweet caramel malt, with licorice qualities, definite cinnamon, surrounding the whole mouth, burned coffee beans, but some little off notes, showing the age of the beer. Bottle from Goldtwins in May 2004.

(’05 bottle via trade with <A HREF=http://www.ratebeer.com/ViewUser.asp?UserID=1 target=blank>beeryum, thanks Dave!) This pours a dark coffee brown with a biege head. Has a mild bready aroma, maybe some fruit. Not much lacing. Mouthfeel is full and smooth. Flavor is pleasant, mild but was hard for me to pinpoint - I’ll go with mild brown sugar and malt, with some spice (although I’m not sure what) and hint of molasses in the finish. Mildly bitter. Very good.

My Thanks to whomever the quality Rater is that gave me this bottle in a trade long ago.

Vintage 2004
Today’s events Finally inspired to pull this baby out of my frig…
Pours a dark brown body, edges of amber and a head that is a light shade of khaki. The aroma if filled with suggestions of coco, molasses, toffee, a hint of vanilla, and a touch of rosemary. The flavor is much like what I noted in the aroma, but more chocolate and hints of coffee and nutmeg. There is a slight bit of oxidation to the beer, but it plays well with all the robust and prominent flavors. The finish is a bit chalky, rather dry, and has a nice festive spiciness to it. A rather well done beer!

This ale pours a dark brown color from a 12 oz bottle. Medium sized white foamy head. Aroma is caramel, chocolate, spicy and sweet. A medium bodied ale. Malts are caramel, toffee and chocolate. Hops are floral and earthy. Cinnamon and nutmeg with some brandy like qualities as well. Smooth taste. Flavors or roasted malt, gingerbread and smoke come out as this one warms. Nice X-mas beer. Warms the tummy and hides the alcohol well. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly bitter.

Pours a kind hazy and dark reddish brown with an average size tan foamy head that left nice lacing and stuck around. Aroma of various holiday spices, sweet and malty, also picking up some chocolate and nuts in this one. The flavor was very nice. A roasty malt, along with some cocoa and then I was even picking up some of the hops as this one settled into my tongue. Not overly spicy and for 8.6% the alcohol was well hidden.