Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig Ale

Spicy and bold, a big Christmas cookie of a beer. Samuel Adams Old Fezziwig Ale is bursting with spices of the season. With a remarkably full body and flavor it helps those long winter nights pass more quickly. The rich taste hits the palate with a depth of malt character ranging from sweet toffee and caramel notes to dark, roasty chocolate notes. Then the spices come in full force. Cinnamon, ginger and orange peel dance on the tongue bringing with them the celebratory spirit of the season.

3.3

1488 reviews

Boston, United States

Community reviews

3.3 Dark amber with a lasting beige head. sweet malt aroma with medium body with some spices. Slight bitter finish. The old label looked better but Sam Adams had to stay true to form...i.e. change the good to bad then re-tweak again...rinse and repeat.

3.7 I poured it from the bottle into a pint glass. It pours reddish brown with a nice, off-white head. The aroma is caramel, cinnamon, spice, and orange. The taste is the same with some fruity notes. It's smooth and tasty. I prefer this over the Winter Lager. This is a solid Christmas beer.

3.3 Bottle, Ann Arbor, MI. Prune and caramel aroma. Sweet raisin and mild clove flavor. Some hops on the finish.

3.4 Pours mahogany with medium head. Aroma is toffee, cinnamon and nutmeg. Taste is sweetbread, moving to spice, with a nutmeg finish. A darned good holiday ale.

3.4 12oz bottle at home, from the Winter sampler. Deep amber brown with an off-white head. Dark malt, cinnamon, orange, coriander, toffee. Medium carbonation. Lingering Christmas spice finish.

1.0 The worst beer on earth. The worst beer on earth. The worst beer on earth. The worst beer on earth.

3.0 Very nice change up for the holiday season. Various spices and fruits are present. Very smooth and pleasant

2.0 Just an ok brew by Sam Adams here. Crisp and full bodied, another swig beer in my opinion, simply because flavor isn't delicious enough to chug. Enjoyable still though.

3.3 Bottle from supermarket. Copper color, white head. Bitter taste with citrus, nuts, bread, spices, malts and a bit of fruits. Bitter finish with citrus, nuts, toast, malts and spices. Good seasonal brew.

3.8 Pours lovely copper brown, small light brownhead. Aroma starts malty, chocolate, then the spices come in, cinnamon mostly. Taste is smoothly malty, not that sweet. More toffee, spices, sweetness as it warms. Lush mouthfeel. Nice winter warmer.

3.2 Interesting Christmas cookie beer. I can feel the headache it's gonna give me already

4.0 Pours a dark amber with a light tan head. Aromas of fig and other dark fruit. Taste the same with some Christmas spice notes. Nice ale. Light mouth feel. Very complex flavors.

3.7 From Dec 2005 Poured from the bottle(room temp) with a good sized head that dissipated to a fine ring around the edge of the glass. The colour is a very attractive deep gold. The smell was sweetish and there was defintely some spiciness there though I couldn't pick out which they were. The taste was a mix of malt sweetness and nutmeg and even a bit of chocolate...nice brew! Oh yes....now there's some cinnamon notes also hitting my taste buds. Ok, like I was saying, nice brew! I got this in the holiday pack(well duh) and it's the main reason I bought it because I haven't had it in many years. Good to see that it's *still* made to be a quality product.

2.0 I didn't really like this beer. It didn't taste very good blah after 25 characters are off to get my rate

4.0 Very yummy. Like it. Maybe too much on occasion

3.2 12oz bottle to tulip. Pours clear ruby, short ring head. Aroma of old malt, cinnamon, nutmeg, oak, dark dried fruit. Taste of same with some chocolate and roasted nut in finish.

3.1 Old malt aroma and taste. Sweet and medium body. Sweet. Don’t have much more to say. Enjoyable a little dry.

3.1 12 ounce bottle out of sampler pack. Kinda bland on the aromas, Orange brown in color. Taste of spices, stronger cinnamon notes. Smooth on palate and above average holiday beer.

2.7 12 oz - Dried fruit is the primary note. Fits into the Christmas flavor set.

3.6 Always buy the winter mix 12 just for this beer. Pours a clear amber brown with a soapy tan head. Nose is caramel spice. Palate is caramel, clove, nutmeg. Not as thick or syrupy as I expect. Finish is slightly sweet and fast. Happy holidays.

3.2 Pours a deep golden brown from the bottle with bubbly off-white head. Aroma and taste of cinnamon, vanilla, light citrus, and caramel malt. Decent holiday beer.

3.7 Bottle from variety pack best by 04/17. Pours brown color, light off white head. Aroma is cinnamon, gingerbread, orange, coriander. Flavor is fig, cinnamon, gingerbread, ginger, orange, citrus, lots of xmas spices.

3.8 12 oz bottle from the sampler case. The spices were nice and balanced and overall this brew had a nice body with no unpleasant aftertastes. Definitely worth a try.

3.4 Pours a deep caramel brown with a foamy light tan head. Light carbonation with some lacing. Crisp aroma of fall spices and dark fruits. Malty taste with some bold spice flavors of cinnamon and ginger. Bold but not harsh or bitter. Smooth finish and a lingering pleasant aftertaste. Enjoyable.

2.8 Not as varied in flavors as the description on the label, it seemed not much different from most holiday red ales. Not bad though.

3.3 12oz bottle into a pint glass. Dark amber red color. Spicy citrus aroma. Bready and orange rind taste along with hints of cinnamon. Nice clean finish. Great beer on a cold night.

3.9 12 ounce bottle poured to wine glass Reddish dark amber, looks clear, small foam that disappears quickly fragrant not a lot of aroma, complex aroma comes out while drinking medium bitterness good carbonation, long follow through, finish, bitter/spicy follow through/ aftertaste very good beer repeat: yes look for: No drank: 11/8/2016 9:03 PM

3.6 Great deep amber cherry color. Spicy smell, but not overpowering. Mild alcohol taste, not too spicy. nice holiday effort.

5.0 As good a winter warmer as there is. Yet another appeal for Sam Adams to release this as a stand-alone 6 or 12 pack.

4.5 Poured from a 12 OZ bottle into a pint glass. The appearance is a dark ruby color with a small tan head. The aroma is fruit, bread, and vanilla. The flavor is a sweet mix of fruit and spices. A very nice beer for the colder months.