Fireside Chat
21st Amendment Brewery

 

Decent beer with hints of dark chocolate, cocoa, and light spices

No detectable alcohol taste despite being almost 8% abv

 

Fresh can poured into pint glass. Huge 3-finger tan head but shrank relatively quickly. Honestly looked like I poured a Dr. Pepper...tan head and cola look. Light cocoa on the nose, hint of spice of some sort. Nice and crisp for such a dark offering, feels light on the tongue with a small bit of hop bite on the back of the tongue. Not overly malty, slight cinnamon/nutmeg and cocoa. Not getting the dark cocoa of nibs but no one flavor sticks out. Maybe an addition of vanilla and a bit more aggressive on the spices would make this one I could wrap my cold hands around. Easy drinking and a good holiday pour, but not really outstanding in any part.

 

The can pours clear, but very dark with a 1 cm cap of tan foam. The aroma is faint. A bit of toasted malt is detected.
The flavor is pleasant. Dark malts, bitter chocolate and late sour cherry notes are noted. The spice addition is light.
The brew is light-bodied.
This is pretty good for the season.

pours copper to almost black, almost blocking out the light with small almond head and little lacing.

Smells like a hot chocolate perhaps one where a piece of licorice was dropped into it.

Hefty, messy sweet malt out of the gate, Roasted malt, chocolate and nutmeg, ginger, spiced nuts. Above the norm carbonation. Lingering burnt finish and some alcohol warmth. Reminds me some of a Mexican hot chocolate - which for me is a one and done drink,

Likewise, this is robust and a sipper, which I appreciate. It a bit of a stew of sweet & spice flavors that don't fully compliment each other. But it might compliment a fire and a chat in the depth of winter [at an affordable price], so for that, kudos.

 

 

 

Bought a 6-pack cans $10.79 Tamuras
210 days old. Strange that they brewed a winter ale in May.
Smell of chocolate
Medium-heavy mouthfeel
Medium carbonation
Taste of chocolate, cinnamon, spices, hides alcohol well
Overall a good winter ale at a fair price. Would buy again.

Appearance: Pours a very dark brown, nearly black, color with a massive and foamy tan head that lingers for minutes. Thick. (4.25)

Aroma: Moderate aromas of orange, ginger, bread and spices. Hints of coffee and cocoa.

Flavor: Moderate flavors of dark and roasted bread, orange, ginger, bread and spices. Some bitter pine and rustic cocoa off the finish. Relatively dry.

Feel: Medium bodied, Moderate carbonation. Drinks clean, leans dry.

Compared to Great Lakes Christmas Ale 11/2022: Pours darker, stronger head. Milder aromas. More dark bread, cocoa and bitterness. Less bread, ginger, and spices. Similar pine. Slightly more bitter and darker. Overall: decently similar.

Overall: A nice Winter Warmer here. Some dark and roasted bread notes with some hints of bitter pine and cocoa. Malty, yet not too sweet and incredibly dry for the ABV. Better than I expected based on the reviews on here. This one is at least average, probably above. (Rating: 4.02)

2022 release; 12 oz can poured into a 9 oz Libbey Embassy snifter. Deep, dark brown with a thick head of tan bubbles. Toasted malt, burnt caramel and subtle holiday spice on the nose. Flavors of dark fruit, cocoa, toasted bread, holiday spice and earthiness. Medium body and carbonation with a smooth feel. A satisfying seasonal warmer.

 

 

12 oz can
Glass: 0.4L Tulip
Serving Temp: unsure. Maybe 55-60 degrees F


Look: Dark brown bordering on black and opaque. Large khaki head dissipates to 1", leaving good lacing on the glass.

Smell: Toasted grains and toasted caramel. Nice and malty. Hints of cocoa. Cinnamon and some nutmeg.

Taste: Similar to the nose but more intense. Very malty. Toasted bread and caramel. Nutmeg. Some cinnamon. Earthy bitterness that builds towards the end.

Feel: Smooth with a medium body.

Overall: An easy to drink spiced ale/winter warmer. I like the maltiness (as opposed to the sweetness that some other winter warmers exhibit) and the fact that the spices don't hit you over the head. The body is a bit light for my preferences for a proper deep-cold winter warmer, but it's fine for temperatures in the 30s and 40s.

 

Poured from a can. Brown with a large tan head and lacing. Smells of vanilla, lactose, nuts, roasted grain and dark fruit. Flavors follow the smell and are really meshed well together. Really like the feel and the flavor. Very good