Jerome Cervenza Nochebuena Ale
Picked up a bottle of this at the Boise Co-op for about five bucks and enjoyed with my roommate. Ive had a couple other Jerome brews and havent really been wowed by them. Comes in a 500mL bottle with batch code NA-101 stamped on the side. Drank from my Big Horn Mai Bock pint glass while watching the National Championship game. Appearance- Pours a dark mahogany that breaks to a dark orange/yellow around the edges. Perfect two finger head forms that slowly recedes to leave a thin cap and nice thick collar. Some splotchy lacing is present but not all that much. Smell- This brew is loaded with lots of warm winter spices. Very peppery with loads of clove and nutmeg. Reminiscent of a pumpkin brew but Im not picking up any cinnamon. Full of sweet roasted malt along with a soft floral hop. The spices definitely dominate though. Taste- This beer reminds me almost exactly of a pumpkin brew, minus the pumpkin. The spices are in full swing with clove, nutmeg and white pepper (think gingerbread cookies). Slightly metallic with plenty of brown sugar and toffee. Maybe a tad cloying but not to the point of it being undrinkable. Once the sweetness wears off a subtle bitterness creeps in and leaves a spicy, bitter aftertaste. The alcohol is slightly detectable but with so many big flavors it gets lost in the background. Mouthfeel- Full body with a sticky feel and light carbonation. Drinkability- Overall Id say this brew is pretty tasty but Im glad I split the bottle with my roommate. Its a little to sweet for my tastes but the spices do a nice job of keeping it drinkable. Enjoyable as a winter warmer but nothing youd want to have more than a bottle of at a time.