2 Below Ale - This beer pours a light and bright copper in color with three-quarters inch of head which laces the glass. The aroma is hoppy, brassy, strangely almost a hint of fishiness. The flavor is hoppy, firmly founded on a nice malt, and follows the aroma. Flavorful, yet light and brassy. This beer is intriguing. I am interested to try it again on another day and double check my impressions.
http://www.newbelgium.com/
Snow Day - In 2011, Snow Day has replaced 2 Below as a winter seasonal. This 6.2% ABV beer pours very dark brown in color, opaque, with ruby edges when held to the light. It has a half-inch of somewhat creamy, foamy head that is off-white to light brown in color and leaves medium lacing down the glass. The aroma is hoppy, spicy, touch of cloves, over a roasted malt. The taste is dark roasted, toasted malt, with a zesty and spicy hoppiness. This is a very good and full-flavored beer, great holiday seasonal.
I bought a 12-pack of this yesterday. I was in the mood for a winter beer, and it was on sale. I found it bland. Something's missing ... can't figure it out.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I would like to try it one more time. It has some interesting things going on, but also some strange ones, and it was not as full flavored as I would have expected from a New Belgium winter beer.
ReplyDeleteI picked up Breckenridge Christmas yesterday. It started strong, full of flavor, but died. The taste almost disappeared. Ugh. The hunt for good Christmas beer continues ...
ReplyDeleteI have the Breckinridge and a couple other Christmas beers in the holding area waiting to be reviewed, I will let you know about them as I get to them.
ReplyDeleteTried the 2 Below again today. I don't get the slight hint of fishiness today ( a good thing), I get a more pronounced fruit in the aroma and flavor (fresh grapes or plums, a light fruit both sweet and tart), it is still fairly well balanced between the hop and the malt. It is surprisingly light all around. I have decided this beer is a perfectly beer, but by standards of a winter ale it is bizarre, surprising, way too light and disappointing, but only in its failure to meet any common expectation of a winter ale.
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