Day 18 of the 6th Annual Advent-ure Calendar
Day 18: Ignite Brewing Company Ignite the Lights Christmas Ale
Hey, new Ohio brewery! We’ve only recently starting seeing beers from Ignite hit the shelves, so we’re excited to include them in the calendar this year. From Ignite: “Do you have visions of cinnamon sugar dancing on the rim of your glass? How about a malty delicious melody of ginger and honey joyfully carrying you into your holiday celebrations? It’s that glorious season to hang the stocking with care, decorate the tree, and Ignite the Lights!” We also have more reviews from special guests: Danny and Paige!
Reflections
Ben: Initially, I liked this, but there’s something about the finish I’m not fond of. It almost finishes too thin for all the spices? Tough to put a finger on. Definitely get spices and honey on the nose, and both up front with the first sip, but then it just kind of falls off with a lingering spice finish. There isn’t really anything particularly wrong with it though, which makes me excited to try more beer from this brewery.
Julia: I’m excited to see another new brewery on the list this year but I am a little hesitant to try it. I don’t like honey in beer and I see it’s one of the main ingredients. It turns out my hunch was right, I do not like this. I taste all the honey and notes of cinnamon, two things I don’t want a lot of in my beer. It finishes very bitter to me. The aftertaste lingers. I think if it had more spices and finished less bitter it would be better. Even though I don’t like this, I would try a different beer by this brewery.
Adam: Ignite the lights has several things I like and something I’d like a little different. I love how it opens with honey and a whole bucket of ginger. It’s extremely bitey which is something I enjoy but I know that’s not for everyone. The one thing is it finishes bitter. They apparently have a barrel aged option at the brewery and I really want to try that. I imagine the bourbon-ness would sweeten the finish off and round this boy out well.
Alex: Ignite the Lights is a bit more ginger heavy than most holiday beers, and it definitely finishes on a bitter note. I still think I like it, though I probably couldn’t drink more than one of these. All I can think about while drinking this is Katy Perry’s Firework, so I guess bonus points for the play on words.
Scott: Ignite the Lights and this brewery are brand new to me and they delivered a really good Christmas ale that I’ll be purchasing again. The honey and spices are notable in both smell and taste and has a super warm finish that I want from my Christmas beers. I’m not sure if there’s pine in this one, but I get a very woodsy vibe that makes drinking this in Hocking Hills even better.
Christa: Now this is a Christmas beer. The cinnamon and honey stand out in this one but this beer isn’t overly sweet like some on our list. It’s very drinkable and finishes warm. It has a woodsy smell and finish that I like, Scott said pine and now I can’t get unhear that. It’s like drinking a Christmas tree but in a good way!
Danny: I thought this was seasonably refreshing. It’s what I expect in a Christmas beer. I enjoyed the cinnamon aroma and taste, among the other subtle spices here. Like my wife, I’d appreciate more spice but would be happy to purchase this for our beer fridge.
Paige: Wow, this beer is fantastic. I appreciated the woodsy flavor and feel this is a good ole fashioned Christmas beer. Much better than yesterday. My only criticism is the subtle spice here, I definitely longed for more of that. I would absolutely buy this and am happy to hear it’s from Ohio.
Tony: I feel like there might be mixed reviews on this one from the group but for me it did not ignite my taste buds (see what i did there 😆😒). In fact, it extinguished them with sweet honey syrup…..ok ok calm down Simon Cowell it wasn’t that bad. The first sip actually wasnt bad and I thought I was going to like it but as you drink it more it starts to taste a little too sweet and syrupy. I do get cinnamon but then I think it gets overpowered by the honey. I’m not a huge fan of honey in beer. It’s an Ohio brewery, which I always love to see and I’ll support them by trying other beers from there, but this Christmas Ale isn’t working for me. However, points for a really cool can design and fun, original name.
Megan: This beer smells sweet and pours light and fizzy and at first taste, you get the honey and holiday feel but after that it feels a little too syrupy for my liking. It’s a decent Christmas ale and I like it’s from another local brewery but having tried some of the other beers we’ve had, I don’t think I would choose this one first or run to the stores to grab more.
Brad: Another local’ish brewery on the list this year! I’ve been to Ignite and like what they are doing down there in Barberton. It’s got great color and excellent aromas after initial pour. I also like the big boy can! This is definitely a spiced Christmas Ale. I like it after my first sips, but it does have an interesting aftertaste. I’m not marking this as my top 3 favorite spiced ale but I do appreciate all the flavors and keeping up with a traditional, truly spiced Ohio Christmas Ale.
Heather: Ignite the lights indeed. It’s igniting something. Whoooooole lotta spice tickling the tongue with this one. Like electricity. But …I kinda dig it? And the more sips I took, the less intense it tasted so I enjoyed it more as I got toward the bottom of the glass. I’d order it if I went to the Ignite brewery during the holiday season just in the spirit of festivity, but probably not otherwise.