Day 18 of the 2nd Annual Advent-ure Calendar
Day 18: Victory Brewing Company Winter Cheers
We’re very excited to try Winter Cheers. We wanted to pick this up as part of our loot but we already had our bunch set. Victory is known (in our eyes) for making delicious beers and we are lucky enough to find most of them around us. Overall, this brewery jam packs a lot of flavor in their beers so we’re expecting the same from this beer.
From their website: “Winter weather may drive us indoors but cannot dampen our spirits when hearth, home and hops meet in jubilation. Hoisted high in its golden glory, Winter Cheers lives up to its name, fueling festive times and chasing winter’s chill. Glowing and glimmering, frothy and shimmering, our celebratory wheat ale features luscious fruity and spicy notes, making it a perfect brew to brighten spirits even on the deepest of nights.” Based on the description and the fact that it’s a wheat ale, we’re expecting this to be on the lighter, maybe fruity side. Hopefully this will be different from the sweet, malty beers we’ve been drinking.
REFLECTIONS
Beard & Broad
Beard: This light, refreshing beer is just what I was hoping for. It’s a daring thing for a brewery to release a winter seasonal that’s so drastically different than the heavy, spiced, high alcohol fair that’s so prevalent this time of year; but I’m a huge fan as I like variety. This has a nice citrusy crispness followed some slight spice notes that I really enjoy. It’s another one of those atypical winter beers that I plan on purchasing again to keep me from getting bored of the heavy stuff.
Broad: This beer is everything that a holiday beer isn’t and I’m completely fine with it. I really love this beer. It’s a delicious wheat ale with hints of banana and other fruit notes. There is no maltiness to it and it has a very subtle holiday spice flavor to it. This is one I wouldn’t classify as a holiday ale but I would gladly drink this year round if this was available. I wish I had more of this in my fridge.
Adam & Alex
Adam: I’m a fan of this but it’s not very holiday ish. It’s a nice mix of banana wheat and subtle citrusy hops. I’d drink this again.
Alex: This beer was pretty good, but it doesn’t particularly taste like a holiday beer to me, but a normal wheat beer. That being said I enjoy wheat beers, and it’s definitely an easy beer to drink. I can taste a hint of banana as well as citrus.
Scott & CT
Scott: Ever since having a Victory beer on the rooftop at Greenhouse Tavern a few years ago, I’ve always loved this brewery’s offerings. Fun labels, delicious beers, and surprisingly easy to find in Cleveland on draft. I’m also not surprised that I really like this beer, even if it’s taste doesn’t speak “winter” or “Christmas” to me. It has a nice, subtle fruit flavor and being a wheat beer, my personal favorite, it’s easy to drink. Two thumbs up!
CT: I was so excited for this beer! It’s one I picked out. I love wheat beers, and before meeting Ben and Julia, it’s the only beer I would drink. Victory makes great beers and this is a great beer. Is it a holiday beer? Eh, not really but I enjoyed the citrus notes and crisp, wheaty flavor. Much like Citra Noel it’s a refreshing addition to our rotation. But having grown up a little bit, I wouldn’t reach for this first. I know now that picking the weird-shaped present, maybe even the darkest present, is worth the risk.
Lou & Jen
Lou: When I think about wheat beer, I tend to think about blue moon, shock top, summer time, and bad country music. I used to enjoy wheat beers and tangy flavor, but I’ve lost interest over the years. This version isn’t terrible, but it’s essentially blue moon with winter spices. Hand me one in August by the pool, and I’d be okay with that.
Jen: Eek. I should have saved my hominy joke for today. It had a citrus and wheat aroma. I picked up orange and malt hop flavors. This beer just has such strong yeast hops that I couldn’t even finish it to give a better description. Sorry folks. I’m sure everyone else will enjoy it. Just not for me 🙂
