Piling On With The Winter Seasonals

Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
A high-octane favorite that skirts the bad habits of other dessert beers, Brooklyn’s Black Chocolate South attacks with a refined nose of (you guessed it) chocolate and caramel piggybacking on the alcohol bouquet. Strikingly sweet, its roasted edges knock it closer to the imperial stouts of Russian and Scandinavia. With six malts in the mix that never clash, the chocolate couldn’t match the alcohol content any better.

Definitely reserved for the winter months, this chocolate stout doesn’t wear thing after one sampling. Just as importantly, the roasted malts leave a pleasant, slightly bitter aftertaste. Brooklyn’s strong stout cruises by with a mellow, refreshing character seldom welcomed in a beer that crosses the 10 percent ABV line.
Rating: 8/10

Samuel Smith Winter Welcome 2007-2008

This British brewer turns out prototypical winter ale, and its 1997 edition was among the first ever tried. Like Samuel Smith’s other brews, the alcohol content is within the style parameters (6 percent) but still goes down like a session beer.
The bouquet muscles up from the pint glass with chocolate, molasses and mild spices. The ruby body matches the vibrant apple crispness.

But importation is the downfall of all Samuel Smith’s products. Even with the brewer finally left behind the dreadful clear glass bottles that ruined so many tastes, its beers don’t weather the trek across the Atlantic well. I marvel at its hop textures and rich fruit layers, yet I’m foiled every time by the metallic taste that overwhelms the finish.

While a classic and a winter tradition, I can’t rate it as such.
Rating: 6/10 (add two full points if sampled fresh or on tap)

Sweetwater Festive Ale 2007

Going for opaque heaviness over high spiciness, Sweetwater’s Festive Ale has a little licorice, toffee and ever-so-slight molasses in its nose, along with trace amounts of cinnamon. Buried deeper, express flavors rise before it finishes on an overly bitter malt fadeout. The spices are there, but never development – they alternate between the background and disappearing altogether. This is almost identical to the Breckenridge's uneventful Christmas ale choked down in late 2006.

Given their successful interpretations of other styles, I expected better from Sweetwater. This ale fails to buck from the pack of craft-brewed winter seasonals. Punch up those spices in the 2008 version, and Festive will rise in the ratings. For this year, it’s fine without other options, but don’t race to the store to track it down.
Rating: 5/10