So … Christmas in July? Well, I didn’t realize exactly what I was grabbing off the liquor store shelf and adding to my mix-and-match sixer a couple of days ago. I ended up with this Winter Warmer from 21st Amendment and thought I’d better not wait another day, considering it was brewed and released last October. This beer has its work cut out for it. 10 months old…and a winter warmer. Could be rough.

It poured with a beautiful head. It was solid, a nice brown sugar in color and a solid, deep brown body. It actually smells pretty nice too, there’s a caramel, molassesey sweet blend with just hints of dirty socks (akin to some porters?). Unfortunately, the general positiveness pretty much stops there. The sip is uneventful and overall, lacking. I’ll work backwards. It ends with a sourness, a slight soy sauce finish that burns a bit, but in a good-because-its-winter kind of way. The middle is very average, a bit like root beer, soured and mixed with bark and earth. So, maybe less than average. Again, I have to take into account that any of the off-flavored sourness may very well be an issue caused by too long in the can. Hops are mostly absent, the malts add to a decent mouthfeel and body and basically make up the core of the flavor. Continuing forward, the initial hit to my tongue is probably the most positive. Reminiscent a bit of a sour beer I enjoyed not too long ago, but that slight break in the clouds of an otherwise dull brew is not enough to keep me going back.