Brew Blast: Old Fezziwig

I've been saving the two precious bottles of Old Fezziwig for a couple of weeks, I meant to have one on Christmas, but was too full after finishing a bottle of St. Bernardus.  Then I meant to have one at New Years, but never got around to it then either.
Well, today was a snow day so I decided not to wait any longer because if I blink again, it'll be Spring.

Samuel Adams: Old Fezziwig Ale

The last of the Sam Adams Winter Mix pack, this is one of my favorites.  I think it's just about become a tradition for me, a tasty festively spiced ale that tastes of Christmas.

Orange peel, cinnamon and ginger, oh my.  The alcohol percentage is 5.9%.  It's crisp and refreshing and somehow warming.  It's something I can easily imagine the titular character serving up at his Christmas party.  I think part of the appeal of Old Fezziwig is that it's limited, you only get 2 so you have to be sure to enjoy them.  I guess you can buy as many mix packs as you want, but that seems to cheapen the idea.  I like that I can only have a little bit a year, it makes it special and it makes me appreciate the ale that much more.

So, yeah, tradition.  Delicious tradition.

Happy New Year!  

Brew Blast: Cherry Chocolate Bock

I'm back again with more beer!  

Samuel Adams Cherry Chocolate Bock

This is another special seasonal from Sam Adams that you can find in this years Winter Mix pack.  It seems that this year the brewers at Sam Adams decided to add cherries to their usual chocolate bock and the result is as tasty as you'd imagine.

It smells like maraschino cherries and tastes a bit like a cherry cordial.  It's not as sweet as you might expect from that description, I'm guessing since they used cocoa nibs instead of full on chocolate.  It's very smooth and goes down easily.

The whole mix pack usually runs around $13-$15, but there's generally one 2 of each beer.  Luckily this year is, so far, filled with lots of tasty treats, unluckily, you only get 2 per box and no way to get it otherwise, unless you find a pub with it on tap.  The bock also is an average 5%, nothing wrong with that.