Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig Ale
#5 in the Sam Adams winter pack. Poured into a beer mug. As a side note, how the hell can I get into the holiday spirit when it's 60 friggen' degrees outside? A: Dark brown colored body with a 1.5-finger light mocha head. Head retention and lacing aren't spectacular. S: Hints of dank aromatic hops and spices (perhaps nutmeg?), not very strong, but nice. T: Starts off slightly malty, finishes with a very (and I mean very) mild hint of English hops, while the middle has a prominent nutmeg and cinnamon note. As a rule of thumb, I don't like nutmeg and cinnamon notes in my beer, but I'll spare it from a lower score because A) it's not a strong flavor (that's good in this case), B) it does feature a nice flavor balance overall, and C) it paired well with the peanut butter cookies I ate. I could only taste the orange flavors if I really concentrated. M: Smooth, with light carbonation. The body itself has moderate thickness on the tongue and goes down easy. O: Well, like the Holiday Porter and Chocolate Bock, it's pretty average. I admit, I'm biased against nutmeg and cinnamon flavors in my beer (it's why I didn't like the Sam Adams Pumpkin Ale), but on the whole, this didn't blow me away. Still, an okay introduction to the style. (Come to think of it, the Holiday Porter deserves better than the C I gave it yesterday...I know I enjoyed it more than this one. Expect a re-review)