Friday I had a vacation that ended up coinciding with the opening weekend for the latest Star Wars movie. My reaction? You don’t need my approval or disapproval to decide whether you’re going to see it. I’ll just say, without spoilers, that I had to walk home with the kids arguing, “How could ________ possibly be ________ when ________ is _____?? It’s scientifically impossible!” Finally I had to say, “Guys, admit it. There’s as much actual science in Star Wars as there is rhubarb pie!”
Anyway now that everyone’s settled, I’ve grabbed one of my Christmastime beers to enjoy and to write about. This is from Frankenmuth Brewery, in the namesake town in Michigan. This beer may not be available in Chicago, Frankenmuth is known as a Christmastime destination, so I’ll pop one open. Yes, I did get this in Michigan. It seems to be widely available at Meijer stores along I-94.
The label describes this spice beer with:
“Sweet toasted dark malts and American hops are brewed with just the right amount of holiday flavors to create a medium-bodied spiced ale whose taste and aroma is unmistakably Christmas.”
As expected, it’s pretty spicy under the cap. Pours a deep reddish brown, with a fizzy off-white head. I get the regular spices that go into pumpkin spice beer; cinnamon, a little nutmeg. The malt is deeper than the usual pumpkin spice, though. And then there’s a side of ginger. The alcohol is a basic 6%, so there’s a lot of malt sweetness left. That would make this more of a beer for a main course when doing holiday meals, or a pre-meal. Probably a little too sweet to go along with a Christmas dinner dessert.
Disclaimer: I purchased this beer myself to review it. Picked up in Michigan, in fact.Beer Review: Frankenmuth Christmas Town Ale.
