beer_name: Old Man (Winter Ale)
text: A clear, muted nutty brown color. Cheerfully bright where well illuminated. The puffy white head does dissipate rather quickly, but a nice film and big, puffy ring stick around. Also displays good lacing. Hoppy. Reminds me a bit of Celebration on the nose, though Celebration is more... bright in its aroma. Slightly bracing citrus (grapefruit and, when you catch some malt as well, OJ). Caramel malts, cooked brownies. Piney hops give way to... blah. I think maybe the spicing detracts from the malt flavors. Allspice? Mint. Sweet malt hovers in the background, caramel and brownie mix, crystalline sugar. Citrus notes come in. Hops and some spice remain on palate. I'm vaguely reminded of when I used to sweeten up brownie batter with maple syrup and eat the resultant brownies with OJ. Swear to God, it tasted good. I wish the malts had been more forceful. This is nice, hoppy winter beer, but not very well rounded. Especially with the 8% ABV, this creamy but fairly light-bodied beer does go down smooth and easy.