Festiviteas
Cold Bear Brewing Company

473 mL can, Day 21 of Nita Beer's 2024 Advent Calendar; no canning date and served barely chilled.

Pours functionally opaque, its dark black-brownish-hued body crowned with an inch of loose, foamy, light tan-coloured head that collapses within two or three minutes. A tight collar and thin, filmy cap remain, with minor lace deposition after a sip or two. That first whiff was pure earl grey: big black tea and bergamot orange notes, with hints of chocolate, cocoa and roasted malts also coming through.

Pretty neat - there's two very distinct facets to this brew (earl grey & brown ale), but they come together seamlessly. I'm tasting cocoa and milk chocolate initially; the bergamot orange oil creeps in gradually, together with hints of black tea, roasted malts, toasted wheat and toffee. The black tea bitterness asserts itself on the back end, with bergamot and dark chocolate rounding out the finish; suggestions of black licorice and cocoa continue into the aftertaste. Medium-full in body, with fairly restrained carbonation that rolls gently along the surface of the tongue, resulting in a soft & silky mouthfeel that's beautifully suited to this brown ale's profile. Finishing one glass is easy, but it's not a beer I could drink all night.

Final Grade: 4.01, an A-. Festiviteas is a successful gimmick beer: a delicious brown ale infused with earl grey tea, plus some stout-like qualities, to boot. It's an interesting brew that demonstrates a skilful balance between its roasty-sweet base beer and citrusy, bitter black tea flavours. I think this is a fine holiday seasonal, and I'd buy it every Christmas, if given the opportunity. I was impressed with both of the Cold Bear brews contained in this advent calendar, and I really hope to try more of their stuff in the future. Bravo!