Day 8 of the 6th Annual Advent-ure Calendar
Day 8: Avery Brewing Co. Sweater Party
We are loving all these ugly sweater party themed beers! It’s a fun alternative to your regular old “Christmas Ale.” From Avery’s website: “Sweater Party warms from the inside out with specialty malts and mulling spices, including cinnamon, orange peel, allspice, cloves, and ginger.” This is the first beer we’ve had that uses “mulling spices” in the description, but these ingredients also aren’t uncommon in winter warmers, so we’ll see how it turns out!
Reflections
Ben: My first sip of this was after some ice cream. It does not pair well with ice cream. But, I otherwise enjoy it! It finishes much drier than I would have expected, and much drier than most winter warmers. I don’t really pick up any of the individual spices, but I can definitely tell there’s a blend in there. The most prominent flavor I get is the orange peel in the finish. I also can’t tell it’s 8%…except as I finish the can. This is the kind of beer that could be terrible if most breweries made it, but it’s real solid coming from Avery.
Julia: Oh, I needed a good beer like this. I’m a huge fan of Avery beers so I was excited to try this, plus it has a great name. It tastes like a good spiced Christmas Ale. I really taste the ginger, orange peel and cloves but it’s not overpowering. It’s light but not too light. It’s easy to drink which I appreciate. If I had to make one complaint it would be that it is ALMOST too malty. I would buy this and drink this again.
Adam: Sweater Party is what we get a lot of throughout the beeradventcalendaradventurefriendtime… a winter warmer that is over spiced and they seemed to call it a day. I don’t get any orange like the can says. I get all cloves and allspice. If you brought a pitcher of this over to our table at a bar during a football watch party (remember bars?) I would drink it but I wouldn’t buy it at a store
Alex: Sweater Weather has a very cute can. However it tastes less than cute. I don’t hate it, but I agree with Adam that I can not taste any orange at all. It’s mainly maltiness with some spices thrown in. It tastes pretty lackluster, and I probably wouldn’t seek this out again.
Scott: I have no idea what mulling spices are but this Sweater Party winter warmer tells me I want them in all my drinks. This beer is pretty smooth, lives up to its name as a warmer and might be one of my favorites yet. It’s a really delicious beer with an adorable sweater can graphic. UPDATE: While writing this review I saw the can defines mulling spices (cinnamon, orange peel, allspice, cloves, ginger), so those will now be added to all my future beers, cocktails, sparkling water and tap water.
Christa: Okay, wow. Here we go. This is a winter warmer and a perfect holiday beer. It feels like it’s on it’s way to the big leagues. I know there’s quite a bit in these mulled spices, from the orange peel to the cinnamon but I am especially appreciative of the ginger in this one. It’s potent enough that it gives Sweater Party it’s unique flavor. I was sad to finish this one and will be adding it to my next beer purchase! If this is the only party I get this year, I’ll take it!
Tony: Ok now we’re talking! This one screams holiday beer to me. The mulling spices come to the forefront but its well balanced so its not too overpowering. I get the bitterness, hops and malts as well which add nice depth. 8%abv will certainly warm you up. If thats not enough, they say its brewed with rocky mountain water which I can definitely taste…..ok no i can’t, but it does make it sound pretty badass. The can design is great, love the sweater party name, this is one of my favorites so far! 🍻
Megan: This is a classic winter warmer. It’s got all of the classic holiday spices. It smells sweet and creamy but isn’t overpowering. It’s a good blend of spices because I don’t get one over the other. It’s pretty even in that sense. The hops balance the sweetness so it’s pretty drinkable. I really like this one but these flavors tend to be over abundant in holiday beers and we’ve seen a lot of sweater cans so I don’t know if it will stand out to me in the end but I would definitely suggest it!!
Brad: I can taste the 8% alcohol in Sweater Party. It’s good, but I think I’d only be able to drink one with all the spices and aromas mixed together. It’s a tad high on the malty side for me but it’s drinkable. I love the can art and Avery always puts out solid beers, so I’m very glad I got to try this one.
Heather: Sweater Party jumps on the holiday sweater wagon with the can design in a rather minimalist fashion. I like all the white space; it makes me happy. As far as the beer itself, I typically like Avery beers, but felt a bit underwhelmed with this one. It’s fine. It’s a little on the thin side, the spices are there but subtle. I’d drink it if it’s handed to me but probably won’t buy it on my own.