Day 21 of the 2nd Annual Advent-ure Calendar

Day 21:  Brew Kettle Winter Warmer

Brew Kettle has been a staple of Northeast Ohio since 1995.  They were Ohio’s first brew-on-premise microbrewery, meaning you’re able to go to their facility to choose from over 70 different recipes, brew the beer (under the supervision of their staff of course), and bottle it to take home.  People have to reserve months in advance in order to be able to brew.  Aside from the brew-on-premise aspect of the place, they make some amazing beers themselves.  We know we’ve had this one before, but can’t quite recall how it holds up to others we’ve had.  From their website: “A Christmas Ale packed with the spices of the holidays; cinnamon, ginger, orange & lemon peel, and a sleigh load of honey. A beer thats loaded with holiday cheer!” Essentially, another basic, generic holiday ale description

REFLECTIONS

Beard & Broad
Beard: I like the aroma.  I like the initial taste.  But there’s something about the finish I’m not a fan of.  It’s a little too malty sweet for my taste and just finishes kind of dull.  They did however do a nice job of covering up the alcohol.  I get a nice warmth with each sip but there’s no overpowering bite.  The variety of ingredients is actually nicely balanced too.  I’ll probably drink this again, but it’s definitely not my favorite.

Broad: This beer has a very powerful but delicious holiday spice scent. The taste however is a mild, generic holiday ale mouth feel. It leaves me wanting more. Its good, but I desire more spice. It does have the right amount of malt I like in my holiday beers.  I would probably add this to my holiday beer rotation.

Adam & Alex
Adam: Winter warmer is a lovely holiday ale… another to add to the list of tasty northeast Ohio brews. It’s a well balanced mix of ginger and cinnamon to me and I do get an aftertaste of lemon and orange that the bottle mentions. It’s another reminder that we’re really lucky in the Cleveland area beer-wise.

Alex: Winter warmer lives up to its namesake. It warms you up inside with a delicious blend of cinnamon and ginger. I don’t particularly taste the citrus it mentions, but it’s delicious none the less. Another win for northeast Ohio breweries.

Scott & CT
Scott: Warning, I may be getting Christmas beer fatigue. Just finished the Brew Kettle Winter Warmer and it’s good. It’s actually really good, but there’s also not a lot that stands out to me from the other good Christmas beers we’ve had so far. It has the spices, it’s easy to drink and I love that it’s from the Cleveland area. I’ll happily pick up a 6 pack of this, but I’m not spending time searching for it in the “beer cave” of your local establishment if they have Great Lakes Christmas Ale on display.

CT: I really really like this beer but I feel bad about why. It reminds me so much of Holly Jolly. However when lining them up and sipping from each Holly Jolly still wins but only by a margin. Winter Warmer has the typical winter spice: cinnamon, vanilla, and a bit of nutmeg. I love that as I drink it, I actually warm up, as the name promises. All in all, so great but not the GOAT (greatest of all time…which I got from a car salesman who actually made me want to throw up in my mouth…but yeah).

Lou & Jen
Lou: We live right down the street from Brew Kettle, so this is our local brewery. It’s maybe the only thing cool about Strongsville. I enjoy most of their beers, and winter warmer is up there on the list for me. It stays true to the description, because it definitely has a sleigh load of honey in it, maybe a little to much. I get the cinnamon and ginger spices as well, and it finishes with a warm cozy sensation as it goes down. As we get to the end, I imagine this style of beer is losing its luster among our distinguished group.

Jen: The Winter Warmer isn’t the first of its’ kind, but it’s done well enough to enjoy on a cold winter night. I like the flavors, especially the mix of ginger, cinnamon and orange. It’s not overly bold or hoppy, which I’m also a fan of. The beer is 8% alcohol volume, but doesn’t taste too boozy. I enjoyed it, but I’m probably not going to buy more after this adventure calendar 😉 I’m ready for something different!