Day 12 of the 3rd Annual Advent-ure Calendar
Day 12: Southern Tier Brewing Co. Cinnamon Roll Imperial Ale
Southern Tier usually produces very delicious beer although sometimes their festive beers can be a bit too sweet (we’re looking at you Pumpking). This one definitely has the potential to be a bottle full of sweetness. Souther Tier states: “In this brew, lightly toasted malts with subtly spicy hops blend into cinnamon flavors and creamy lactose sugar. Their coalescence is so uncannily close to fresh baked cinnamon rolls that it was impossible to name this beer anything other than Cinnamon Roll Imperial Ale!”
REFLECTIONS
Beard & Broad
Beard: I like cinnamon rolls. I like beer. This does not mean I want the two combined into one thing. I actually find the aroma quite pleasant, I think they really nailed the cinnamon roll-ness on that front. But, the taste is way too overly cinnamonninynnynny for me. The finish is a very dry spice, like I just did the cinnamon challenge and tried to chase it with a beer. Southern Tier tends to overdo it with these types of beers in my opinion and this is no exception.
Broad: I have a weird thing about cinnamon rolls. I can only eat them really early in the morning. If I smell them after 10 a.m. I get nauseous. Actually, I really don’t like them (I know how un-American of me) but can tolerate being around them early in the morning. This beer is my worst nightmare. There are no hops, no malts, no holiday spice…ONLY CINNAMON! It’s a carbonated cinnamon roll beverage. It tastes exactly like the other Southern Tier sweet beers I cannot tolerate.
Adam & Alex
Adam: I will say this- they nailed the whole truth in advertising thing. If you love cinnamon you’ll love this beer. For me it’s just too much. It kinda tastes like when my dad would make French toast and I would eat way too much of it as a kid and that last piece was just too much. Kudos to them for genuinely nailing the cinnamon roll flavor. I couldn’t figure out what exactly this reminds me of and I think I nailed it- the cereal French Toast Crunch.
Alex: This definitely lives up to its namesake. It tastes like a cinnamon dessert, I would go with CINNAMON toast crunch though, not whatever Dasher is referencing above. I remember trying this during the adult swim tasting at the aquarium and being overwhelmed by the cinnamon then too. Half of a beer is exactly what I could drink of this one. It’s too sweet for me.
Scott & Christa
Scott: I have a feeling this beer will be divisive amongst our beer review crew this year. I enjoyed the Southern Tier Cinnamon Roll ale for its twist on the typical winter ales, but I wouldn’t be mad if they sold this in smaller bottles. It’s a sweet, flavorful niche beer that might be too sweet and flavorful to drink all 12 ounces.
Christa: We were pretty excited about this beer as we love most things Southern Tier does and boy, do we love cinnamon rolls. But this beer isn’t reminiscent of cinnamon rolls on Christmas morning. It’s just straight cinnamon. So much cinnamon. It’s overly sweet and difficult to stomach. Some people might enjoy this but I prefer my beers hoppy and my cinnamon rolls right out of the oven.
Tony & Megan
Tony: This beer smells amazing, it smells just like a cinnamon roll. It tastes like a cinnamon roll too which may sound promising but its just really sweet and syrupy tasting. Like any red blooded American I love cinnamon rolls but I dont know that it works as a beer. You get the flavors of a cinnamon roll so they’ve hit their target but its just too sweet for me.
Megan: I was very excited for this one bc who doesn’t love a cinnamon role?! Surprisingly enough, tastes like a Cinnabon! The spices and caramel draw you in. Is it too sweet to drink repeatedly? Yes, but I was impressed with the balance of cinnamon compared to some of the other spicy beers we’ve had like Yuletide or three ho’s.