Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig Ale (bottled) - 3.0

Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig Ale
Brown Ale
Boston Beer Company
Boston, MA
Alcohol Content: 5.9%

Jon:
I'm quickly becoming convinced that most Sam Adams brews taste a bit like cola, but maybe it's just an effect of how damn fizzy they are. The predominant taste here is orange, but the spice is too subtle.

3.1	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 3/5 6/10 3/5 6/10 4/5 3/5 6/10

Mark:
Malty--and fizzy. This tastes OK, but it made me feel funny, too. I'm not sure what it is about Sam Adams, but it's never sat well with me.

3.1	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 3/5 6/10 3/5 7/10 3/5 3/5 6/10

Jere:
I was hoping to taste some of the cinnamon that was promised me by this one's label, but sadly I could not. Made me long for some pumpkin spice beer. Now that's good stuff.

3.0	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 3/5 4/10 3/5 6/10 3/5 3/5 6/10

Samuel Adams Winter Lager (bottled) - 2.4

Samuel Adams Winter Lager
Weizen Bock
Boston Beer Company
Boston, MA
Alcohol Content: 5.8%

Jon:
This stuff is really fizzy and almost numbing on the tongue. The spices are noticeable, but this brew seems a tad watery. I really need to check the label more closely before I pour for Mark...

3.0	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 3/5 7/10 2/5 6/10 4/5 3/5 5/10

Mark:
This beer smelled nice, but it made my face numb and my throat itch. Then we realized it was a wheat beer, which I can't have. Oops! Interesting anyway--haven't tasted anything like it in a long time.

2.3	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 3/5 7/10 3/5 5/10 2/5 1/5 2/10

Jere:
Carbonation = bad for this beer, and the rest didn't seem to whet my whistle much either. Oh, and it almost reduced Mestizo by one-third.

2.0	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 2/5 6/10 1/5 4/10 3/5 1/5 3/10

Powder Hound (bottled) - 1.9

Powder Hound
English Strong Ale (Winter Seasonal)
Big Sky Brewing Company
Missoula, MT
Alcohol Content: 6.2%

Jon:
Looks like tea, tastes like coffee. Bad coffee.

2.3	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 2/5 5/10 2/5 5/10 2/5 3/5 4/10

Mark:
I gotta agree with Jon: Coffee--watery, bitter coffee. This was a little disappointing. And it gave me heartburn.

1.5	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 1/5 3/10 1/5 3/10 2/5 2/5 3/10

Jere:
Not as opposed to the tea/coffee taste as Jon, but it is pretty foul. Cocoa was suggested as an alternative taste, but I disagree... Won't be drinking any more of this one, though. Bah! Humbug.

1.9	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 1/5 4/10 3/5 5/10 1/5 2/5 3/10

Old Jubilation (bottled) - 3.4

Old Jubilation
English Strong Ale (Winter Seasonal)
Avery Brewing
Boulder, CO
Alcohol Content: 8.0%

Jon:
This is a dark and bitter ale, with an underlying chocolatey taste mostly masked by roasted coffee. The finish is really bitter, and the alcohol taste is a bit overpowering. Not a bad choice, but this is the type of beer that requires the right mood. I wish I could try it cellared like Avery's website suggests.

3.4	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 4/5 7/10 4/5 6/10 3/5 4/5 6/10

Mark:
This beer looks like Coca Cola. Usually I'm not horribly fond of dark ales. They taste like chocolate and coffee. Not that I don't like chocolate and coffee (not together, thank you very much), but I like my beer to taste like beer and my coffee to taste like coffee--nothing else. This is nice and bittery though. A little clearer than most--it's almost like it's a dark ale mixed with an IPA or cola mixed with beer. Not my favorite, but not half bad, not half bad at all.

3.2	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 2/5 6/10 3/5 7/10 3/5 4/5 7/10

Jere:
Sausages! That's what this one tasted like at first, but that quickly faded. As Jon says, it is a meaty beer. If we didn't have some single malt scotch to try, I would have had another. Ye Olde Jube!

3.5	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 5/5 7/10 4/5 3/10 4/5 5/5 7/10

2° Below (bottled) - 4.2

2° Below
Extra Special Bitter (Winter Seasonal)
New Belgium Brewing Co.
Fort Collins, CO
Alcohol Content: 6.6%

Jon:
What a great way to transition to more wintery brews. This perfect seasonal has enough hoppy flavor to keep this hophead happy, but also has enough balance and substance to get me prepared for the cold nights ahead. There will be at least one of these in my fridge for the entire season.

4.2	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 4/5 8/10 5/5 9/10 4/5 3/5 9/10

Mark:
I have been waiting for this... This stuff is like Fat Tire on steroids. Crisp, clean, and balanced with a warm alcohol afterglow. Perfect for that cold, blustery day.

4.2	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 5/5 9/10 4/5 8/10 4/5 4/5 8/10

Jere:
Every spring when this disappears from the shelves we always mourn its passing and long for the fall when it reappears, so much so that Mark had to call us on the way to a hunting trip, no less, when he saw it on sale once again a few weeks ago. This is what gets us through those long winter nights.

4.2	Appearance Aroma Palate Flavor Price Buzz Overall 4/5 8/10 4/5 9/10 5/5 4/5 8/10