Goose Island Festivity Ale

This is a new seasonal release from Goose Island Beer Company of Chicago, Illinois (now owned by AB-InBev). It is a 7.7% ABV brown ale brewed with caramel and dark fruit malts. 

The beer pours dark nutty brown, extremely well carbonated, but with a relatively short, and short-lived head of light tan foam. The aroma is surprising, like a fruit cake, lots of sweet, dark sugars, and dark, sweet fruits. There is even a bit of spices and banana. The taste is malt forward, some toasted and roasted, but mostly sweet sugars and fruits, but they hand fight viciously at the end with an emergent bitterness. The aftertaste is lingering fruit, cherries and berries. The beer drinks easy, with a moderate carbonation, not nearly as bubbly as the appearance would indicate.