Aviator Frostnipper

Aviator describes this beer as a collection of traditional spices, smoked malts, and contrasting hops.  It comes in at 7.3% ABV, and has an IBU of 60.4.  The beer pours a nice dark brown with a very little red color present.  A nice head formed from vigorous pouring. The nose is a complex mix of melts and spices.  There is a subtle and bright hops smell as well.  The smell alone is exciting.  The taste doesn't disappoint; Aviator makes good on their description.  It is complex and the many flavors come to the front in turn.  First the toasted malts followed by spices and finally the hops. The smokey character is very well done it his beer.  I find often that smoked malts are overdone and make a beer hard to drink but Aviator seems to have gotten it right.  This is a beer that you should definitely try if you can find it. Despite the complex flavors and high IBU this beer should be very accessible.  It is so well done that it should be easily appreciated by even those who shy away from hoppy beers.  Use this winter selection to introduce someone to a more refined beer.  This is well crafted complexity in a bottle. Find more information about the Aviator Brewing Company

Olde Hickory Black Raven IPA

This one is listed at 7%ABV and described as an IPA using roasted malts for a dark color and rich flavor.  Read their description here.  It pours a very dark brown.  The head is minimal.  The smell is all IPA.  The malts are only faintly present.  Olde Hickory makes some very hoppy beers so I expect this one to follow suit.  The taste is complex at first and nothng really stands out.  The hops becomes very present finally.  The hops are a touch on the bitter side.  After letting the beer warm I realized that it should be served warmer than a standard IPA.  A thicker head was achieved and it persisted as shown in the picture throughout drinking.  The bitter edge on the hops faded and the toasted malts began to come through.  This isn't the kind of IPA you would want to drink on a hot summer day but in the fall and winter months this would make an excellent IPA to reach for.  The ideal drinking temp for this beer is between 48 and 52.  For a brewery that makes some beers hopped to the extreme this may be one of my favorite offerings by Olde Hickory.  That may change come spring, but for the time I will enjoy some more of these.  I would recommend this beer for anyone that is a fan of the IPA style.  It may be inaccessible to those who don't like heavily hopped beers.  The warm temperature needed to experience the full effect may also turn some away.  I expected this to be a bold beer and it is a pleasant variation of a tried and true style.

Upcomming North Carolina Brews

A recent trip to my local beer store netted me three interesting NC brews that I will be reviewing soon.  The first is the Aviator Frostnipper.  Keeping with the winter ale review streak this beer should fit nicely.  They describe it as a mix of toasted malts, traditional spices, and hops for contrast; intriguing.  The second is the Olde Hickory Black Raven IPA, they describe this as an IPA brewed with roasted malts.  I picked this one up because I described a porter as tasting like a roasted IPA so I want to compare that experience to an actual effort.  Plus the toasted malts should fit in well with the other beers in the batch.  The last beer is French Broad Anvil Porter.  They describe it as English ale loaded with chocolate and caramel.  3 bold beers from 3 bold brewers.  Into the refrigerator they went and soon we will discuss what we liked about each one.  Stay tuned.

Sam Adams Old Fezziwig Ale

Old Fezziwig clocks in at a modest 5.9 ABV.  The description on the bottle touts lots of specialty malts and spices.  Based on the description you would expect to taste caramel, chocolate, nutmeg. cinnamon, and orange.  The Beer ours a nice dark brown with a hint of red much like a nut brown ale.  Head is minimal.  The spices are the predominant smell on the nose with a nice mix of the malts as well.  The spice balance is very nice in this beer.  The hops take a back seat here and let the caramely sweetness mix with the spices for what is a very enjoyable beer.  This is the standout of Sam's winter seasonal ales.  The balance is the key to this one and what makes it very easy to drink. The character stays the same even as it warms.  Pick up a case of f the same winter mix just for this beer f you must. 

Sam Adams Winter Lager

The beer is described as a traditional lager spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, orange, and ginger. As it was poured the first thing I noticed was the color was darker than I expected; darker that he regular Sam Adams Boston Lager.  The hops smell is more noticeable than expected for a lager.  There seem to be two noticeable hops flavors but it soon becomes apparent that the second thing smelled are the spices.  Any malt flavor seems to be overpowered by hops and spices.  While I don't associate the taste with Christmas like I might a harvest ale or Oktoberfest with fall this is an enjoyable beer.  I had hoped to find this more enjoyable than their Boston lager and I must say that I do.  While I did not expect this offering to be one of the highlights of the Sam Adams winter seasonal beers it certainly is.  As the beer warms the hops flavor mellows and blends with the spices.  The spice character becomes more pronounced which makes the entire experience interesting. This is another solid offering in the winter offerings and certainly worth picking up.

Sam Adams Chocolate Bock

I fully expected this offering to be my favorite.   A chocolate bock would generally be a highlight for me.   The beer comes in at 5.8% ABV. The beer poured a rich dark black. The hops and chocolate smells were immediately present.   Almost no head.   The chocolate is a bit on the light side. The bright caramely malts come through early with more than expected carbonation based on how it poured.   Later the hops follow and this beer begins to be a more complex tasting experience.  The chocolate lingers last and is definitely strong. Despite being a chocolate bock this isn't as sweet as some other beers of the style.   It does make for an enjoyable beer. It could probably stand a better balance of hops and chocolate but as it stands it's a fair representation of the style. I will admit I am a bit biased to dark bocks, however. Probably my second favorite of the Sams winter ales.

Sam Adams Winter Collection

I'm going to start with some familiar territory.  Sam Adams is readily found almost anywhere in the country and North Carolina is no exception.  For winter the Boston Beer company has produced several spiced varieties to go along with the season.  Their special winter brews can be found in a pub pack type case that also includes the familiar Boston Lager, which is how I purchased them.  The winter brews are the Winter Lager, Old Fezziwig Ale, a Holiday Porter, a Chocolate Bock, and White Christmas.  All in all the pack is an enjoyable mix of several very different types of beers.  I am sure that just about anyone can find something here that they will like. I am equally sure that everyone can find something in this collection to complain about too.  The Fezziwig was the surprise of the collection for me and likely the stand out beer of the group.  I found the porter to be a bit disappointing and the other varieties were average to slightly above averages examples of their style.  More complete reviews of each individual beer to follow.