Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig Ale
I finally got to sample an Old Fezziwig if only because Menotomy Liquors in Arlington, MA (which should be listed under beerfly but isn't) has beer tastings on Fridays. If you are like me, one who refuses to buy a 12 pack or 24 pack or whatever pack when all I want are individual samplers, then you don't get the chance to taste this beer. Luckily, I found a venue where I could. The beer is a deep amber, good head and retention. The smell was caramel, sweet malts, but this was difficult to discern since I was only drinking out of a plastic sampler glass. The taste is toasted caramel, ginger, maybe some nutmeg qualities, maybe some heavy fruits, such as orange rind, or raisin. This is a good beer, very complex and very interesting. I wish I could have drank the whole bottle to more fully appreciate it, but I refuse to purchase the SA winter warmer 12-24 pack in order to get there, and for me it's a matter of principle. Update December 2008: Hurrah, I had a complete Fezziwig. This is a very good, complex beer, and I'm adding some points to the original calculation. Lots of caramel, lots of roasted chocolatey malts, nice spicey additions in the nutmeg family. This is a medium to full bodied beer, low carbonation, nice deep amber mouthfeel in the aftertaste. What a nice beer for the holiday season.