Cabin Fever

Beer Name: Cabin Fever Ale
Brewery: Berkshire Brewing Company
ABV: 6.3%
Serving method: 22-oz bottle in a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown, best by 4/21/11

Wow, this beer is either really fresh, or lasts a really long time. April!?

I have been out of the beer game recently, which is sad. In actuality, I have been drinking lots of crappy beer, but Bud Light doesn't qualify for a place here since there's nothing "mmmm" about it. And also because a lot of it ended up making its way back out of my stomach by the same route it went in. Oops.

I am pretty sure that I've reviewed Cabin Fever before. In fact, I'm sure of it. But who cares? That was a long time ago, at a restaurant that no longer exists in that location. And it wasn't covered at this particular branch of the Mmmm [nouns] franchise. So let's revisit this tasty brew.

Cabin Fever Ale apparently fits into the "winter warmer" category. It's a copper ale with a mild head and a serious lacing pattern. It's like artwork. There's a malty aroma with a little bit of spicy hop.

As for the taste, it's more malty than hoppy. There's sweetness and grains, and a bunch of spices in the background. I am not feeling a whole lot of carbonation, and there's no bitterness. The aftertaste is a little sweet as well. If you don't like hops, you might like this beer, as they are very difficult to find here.

Final thought - Just like I thought last time I had it, this beer is delicious. I prefer it strongly to the other winter warmer I've had this season, although this was doesn't taste as much like Christmas. I suppose that if I were snowed in with a few growlers of this, things would be ok and I would not, in fact, suffer from Cabin Fever.

-Jon

Winter Warmer

Beer Name: Harpoon Winter Warmer
Brewery: Harpoon Brewery
ABV: 5.5%
Serving method: 12-oz bottle poured into a pint glass
Born/Bottled/Shipped on: Unknown, best by 3/15/11

I am now a Friend of Harpoon, which gets me. . . beer? I don't know, as I didn't really pay attention to anything while I was signing up. Kathryn told me that there are some Harpoon events coming up that you need to be a Friend to get into, and that was good enough for me. I hope that I get a little member card and learn a secret handshake!

So the first thing that I learned is that "Winter Warmer" is actually a style of beer and not a specific brew from Harpoon. This particular one is a clear amber color with almost no head at all. It has an aroma that makes me think of Christmas, with cinnamon and maybe nutmeg. I am not positive about what nutmeg smells like, so I have to go on instinct here. The smell actually reminds me of Shipyard Pumpkinhead a little bit, so I will bet that there are some overlapping spices.

I think that this particular bottle is not very good, but I've had this beer in the past and enjoyed it. Like last week when I had one at the Lighthouse. I will try to mix those memories with what I'm currently drinking and see what I get. Harpoon's Winter Warmer is super spicy. Not spicy like hot sauce, but spicy like there's a buttload of spices in here. If your tastebuds aren't overwhelmed by the spice factor, there is also a bit of malt flavor hidden underneath. It's not very carbonated, and it leaves a medium spice aftertaste.

Final thought - I am not sure what happened to this bottle of beer. I know I like this beer in general, but not this specific one. The spice level is probably too high to have more than a few of these beers, but those few are usually enjoyable. Just hope you don't run into a dud, like I just did.

-Jon