Sweetwater Festive Ale

Well, the temperature is dropping and the days are getting shorter. You know what that means don’t you? It’s time for our WINTER BREW… A full-bodied, high-octane brew capped off with our use of cinnamon and mace. This beer will warm you all the way to your bones. Brewed only one day a year. We only bottle 4200 liters, 550 12 oz. cases, and a handful of kegs, so get it while you can.

Malt: 2 Row, Munich, Chocolate, Black, 30/37 Carastan, 70/80 Crystal, Spice, Cinnamon, Mace

Hops: Centennial, Golding

3.5

551 reviews

Atlanta, United States

Community reviews

3.7 Bottle. Black color, tanned head. Aroma has roasted malts, spices, plums. Nice roasty body, licorice, spices, raisins. Pretty nice festy ale.

3.4 Backlog tick from the 2017 Chicago Beer Festival. Decent beer, average characteristics.

3.5 Missed drinking this during that one week Houston actually felt wintery which is too bad because this is a top notch winter ale. Nice spice blend over a hearty brew.

1.8 Bottle, dark brown, sweeter volatile malty aroma. First taste is big & frikken rude and, as expected. I’m not sure what others find so festive about these heavily spiced brews. High octane is an underestimate of the dizzying power in this brew. Spice, mace and then cinnamon, I think; some messy sweet concoction. Large personality. Difficult, very difficult IMHO. In the spiced/herb/vegetable style, this is nothing compared to Bloom Brew Down The Hatch Hot and Battlefield Brew Works Scorpion Pepper Porter and as far as holiday brews, Ohio Brewing Jingle Bell Ale is much better.

3.9 Pours black in color with a nice off white head. Roast barely and fruity berry aroma and taste. Notes: Bottle from Bryce (Jan ’17).

3.4 Pour is a dark porter brown with a large tan head. Aroma is some holiday spice but there is more of a roasted malt taking over. Flavor is a burnt malt with bit of sweetness and again the spices are very minor. This is definitely not a spiced winter warmer. This is more porter with a small spice addition to make it a little more interesting. I kind of wanted a little more spice.

3.0 Decent winter beer. Aroma was all spices. Cinnamon and pine. Pour was a deep dark brown with a red hue. No head. Taste was thin and one dimensional. Spices were Big with a gingerbread finish. Not terrible but terribly predictable. Good carbonation

3.5 Pours nearly black with little to no tan head. Clear with some red highlights against a light. Low aroma. Malt dominates. Flavor is spicy. Cinnamon, with something kind of smoke like. Looking at the recipe I assume that’s mace, but that doesn’t seem right. Some alcohol warmth. Very thin body. Drinkable if it wasn’t so big. The smoke thing kind of overpowers the malt.

3.7 This is a malt bomb. But enjoyable. Lots of grain cinnamon at first. A nice beer if you don't want a winter warmer. Thin fading head.

3.0 Sampled on draft at Hough’s this beer poured a dark brown color with faint orange highlights and a medium sized foamy dark tan head that left good lacing. The aroma was sweetish with notes of nut and toffee followed by a bit of dark fruit. The flavor was nutty and woody with a hint of nutmeg. Medium length finish. Medium body. Alcohol well contained. Decent but I was disappointed.

3.5 Pours a reddish brown. Sweet caramel/roasty aroma. Roast malt/chocolate flavor with a touch of fruit and great hops.

3.1 Definitely has a winter beer flavor to it. It was good but nothing really special about it.

2.6 This stuff is not exactly fantastic. It’s brown and mostly headless. It’s kinda sweet w/ sort of a brackish smokey roasted quality and a bunch of wintery spices sort of awkwardly thrown over the top of it. I wouldn’t call this completely terrible but it is sort of gross and heavy to drink so I am glad I only got one of them.

3.9 Pours a dark brown with tan head. Has a great aroma of spices, cinnamon, grains, and hops. A great taste of cinnamon, other spices, hops, and some dry malts. A dry aftertaste from the grains and spices.

3.4 Pours dark brown with some tan head. Aroma is spiced with similar spices seen in pumpkin beers. Flavor is rich and reasonably malty with more spicy molasses flavor.

3.0 12 ounce bottle. Translucent mahogany brown color. Rocky beige head. Faint cola-like nose. Flavor is similar to nose. Cola -like with notes of cinnamon and mace as advertised. Some spicy hops in finish. Otherwise, just average.

3.2 Bottle from the rotter. Nose is clove and pie spices. Allspice. Deep brown pour with minimal off white head. Taste is very spice forward with a dried cheery and fruity ester flavor. BOOM. Then the alcohol kicks in with a strong warning of the chest. Overall ok but the spices really dominate any malt character.

3.5 draft that poured a medium brown almost opaque with slight offwhite head. nice spice aroma and medium malt. the spices of cinnamon, maybe nutmeg and chocolate and the dominant scents. the flavor brings more of the same and blended nicely. chocolate is a definite on the tongue followed by the cinnamon and hops. very nice and warming..one of the better ones I have had.

3.9 Poured from a couple bottles in a pick a six pack, black with red highlights with about a finger of white foam. Spicy and carbonation up front then malt and cinnamon with sugary, dry, and gritty end. Doesn’t seem as strong as the 8.1% that the label boasts.

3.2 Bottle. Best if enjoyed by: 10/07/16. A mahogany pour with a smallish tan head. The aroma features some beef jerky, gingersnaps, candi sugar, caramel, cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa, and some toasted grains. Thin to medium-bodied, yet kinda watery on the way down. Caramel and sugary gingersnap cookies upfront taste-wise. Cocoa follows. Toasted grains. Smoke. Lots of cinnamon and nutmeg throughout. If this is truly 8.6% ABV, the alcohol is pretty well-hidden. Nothing too memorable here.

3.7 Very nice Christmas ale. Nice all around. Good aroma of spiced cinnamon and malt. Smooth mouthfeel with small carbonated bubbles from bottle conditioning. Great malt and good spices up front with the tight carbonation bringing out some spice. Medium mouthfeel with cinnamon upfront then deep malt, raisin, spiced, touch of brown sugar sweetness with a touch of ginger to round out. Smooth and doesn't seem strong, but the body holds up with the abv. Could have a few of these. Not as spiced as some, but a good round Christmas ale.

4.2 Great cinnamon nose, some toasty malts along with that. Tight white foam and tight carbonation. Coffee like but very light coffee. Caramel and some spices follow then ends with good slight warming.

3.2 Bottle during RBWG hotel lobby tasting night 1, 19/02/15 picked this one up at some small store in St Simons Island on the way down. Rich chestnut brown with a decen tan covering. Nose is nutty, spice, clove, toffee, nutmeg. Taste comprises rich dark fruits, toffee, more nutmeg and spice. Medium + body, fine carbonation, semi drying close. Ok if a little harsh in places.

3.9 12oz bottle. 11/5/15 code date. Appearance: Jet black and opaque, with a quickly dissipating tan head. Aroma: First thought is chocolate milk. More of a creamed coffee. A hint of cinnamon. Taste: Rich, sweet chocolate malt up front, turning to some light roasted coffee, and ending with a splash of cinnamon. Mouthfeel: Medium to full bodied with some viscosity. Carbonation is light. Alcohol warmth barely noticeable. Finish: Lingering light roasted malt. Overall: Great winter ale. Spice impact is minimal and doesn’t overpower. Drinks like a light oatmeal stout with a bit of high ABV heat.

2.8 Bottle @ home. Thanks, Pat. Dark brown pour with a thin khaki head. Nose is caramel, mild roast, and toasted grains. Slight cocoa and mushroom. A little bit of cinnamon and spice. Flavor is on the sweet side. A lot of caramel, cinnamon, and peppery spice. A bunch of toasted grain. Just a mediocre whatever beer.

3.5 Decent winter beer. All the right "holiday" spices, roasted malts, etc. little thin in the body.

3.4 Old rating. Fairly nice seasonal beer. Dark brown. Chocolate, fruitiness, plenty sweet with a bit of tart. Medium bodied.

3.4 Bottle. No label taken. Pours dark brown. Nose/taste of molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, winter spiced cocoa. Medium body.

3.8 Bottle: (2014 Edition) Purple-brown with a frothy tan head. Cola, cinnamon aroma. Taste is cinnamon, chocolate malt. Nicely done without going for too much spicing..... Easy drinking....almost no alcohol presence. Very good.

3.6 12oz bottle. Poured a dark ruby, almost cola color with a small off-white head. Aroma was light roast, lots of earthy notes. Light cloves, some peppery notes. Flavor had cloves, spices, some light burnt malt, smoke. Interesting.