Founders Brewing 'Mango Magnifico Con Calor' 2016. 10% abv. Honey-orange color. Hazy and dense with sediment. Thin off-white head that quickly falls to a sustaining collar. Moderate retention, little lacing. Nose of vanilla, mango rind, bitter greens, fruit pastry. As the temp rose, the aroma quickly became unpleasant, with a dominant scent of salty, buttery crackers, apricot jam, and Parmesan cheese.

Front taste is mango, butter, honey, black pepper, with apricot on the back end. Aftertaste is where the jalapeño finally emerges, with roasty chili pepper tones over a jammy, herbal expression. Ends on a sweet, if not vapory finish. Medium body. Mouthfeel is cool, round, tingly from the delayed spice, increasing heat.

This is a bizarre, disappointing, nearly offensive beer, a failed attempt at combining unlikely flavors to create something special. The promised mango and jalapeño tastes are delivered in spades, but that is not necessarily a good thing, at least not within this recipe. The combination here results in an odd, off-flavor, confused beer that starts with an aroma of Parmesan cheese mixed with a jar of apricot preserves and the rotted skin of a mango. Think of a stinky foot, smothered with spoiled jam. The spice notes from the jalapeño seem to only accentuate that odd smell and taste.

I haven't had a beer this bad in years. I ended up pouring the last third of it out. I got a headache from the sugar syrup in the beer. An overall unpleasant experience. Part of me wants to try this beer again, just in case I had an infected or turned bottle. That occasionally happens with every brewery. However, the experience was so bad that I don't think I could pick up another bottle of this. 

If you like fruit beers or hot pepper beers, there are many far better choices out there. Even if there weren’t, I’d still avoid buying this failed experiment again. Pass on this one.



From the brewery:

"Mango Magnifico is a high-gravity fruit beer brewed with mango and a touch of habaneros to add just the right amount of heat. The delicate flavors imparted by the sweet richness of the mango are punctuated perfectly by the subtle heat of the habaneros, proving that fruit beers do not have to be one-note. Each 750mL bottle of this 10% ABV ale is both sophisticated and refreshing, making it the perfect beer to share… or to keep all to yourself. Mango Magnifico is part of a long lineage of Founders’ fruit beers, including Rubaeus, Cerise, Blushing Monk and Big Lushious."

[source: foundersbrewing.com]

Anchor Brewing Christmas Ale 2016. 6.5% abv. Deep ruby color with a finger of bubbly tan head that gradually falls to a thick sustaining collar. Moderate retention, excellent lace. Nose of anise, allspice, pine, dark fruit, some coriander. 

Front taste of cola, sweet bread, licorice, notes of evergreen on the back end. Aftertaste is dark chocolate, botanicals, caramel, bittersweet herbal hoppy sustain. Medium body. Mouthfeel is warm, bright, carby, rich, slightly creamy.

This is a wonderful winter beer. The spice and pine are expressed throughout the complex profile of rich sweet, malty, and fruity tastes. Flavors of warm spiced bread, bubbly cola, and molasses are among the myriad of tastes that emerge as the temperature rises to room.

Like many craft beer enthusiasts, I eagerly await this annual holiday favorite, one of the first of its kind going back 42 years. I've been enjoying it for 26 of those years, making it a beloved Christmas tradition for me. With its ever-changing secret recipe, each year's release is an entirely new brew, for better or worse. I can say that they've been mostly better - a joy - and this year ranks among the better recipes. 

I look forward setting up a flight of several consecutive aged years for a truly unique journey., something I've done for the past several years. Until then, I will surely be having the 2016 ale again before the season's supply runs out, and I suggest you do likewise. Strongly recommended. 

From the brewery:

"2016 Anchor Christmas Ale. New tree. New recipe. Same traditions. A deliciously smooth winter warmer with notes of seasonal spices and a malty backbone, our 2016 Christmas Ale marks the 42nd annual release of this celebrated Anchor tradition.

It is sold only from early November to mid–January. The Ale's recipe is different every year—as is the tree on the label—but the intent with which we offer it remains the same: joy and celebration of the newness of life. Since ancient times, trees have symbolized the winter solstice when the earth, with its seasons, appears born anew. With a heavily guarded, secret recipe, Christmas Ale is a highly anticipated seasonal delight, complex and full in flavor with a velvety texture and alluring, yet subtle, spiced aroma.

The 2016 Christmas Ale is a deep mahogany brown with a creamy, tan head and boasts aromas of fruitcake, molasses, and fresh cut wood. The beer tastes of a roasted caramel malt, with notes of spiced chocolate and nuts. And it has a rich, smooth, and velvety mouthfeel. Every year the Anchor brewers look forward to formulating a new Christmas Ale recipe and tasting the fruits of their labors. We are always excited to please beer fans with its ever-changing recipe and label. Cheers from the Anchor brewers!"

[source: anchorbrewing.com]

Firestone Walker 'Parabola' 2016 Vintage. Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial Oatmeal Stout. 13.1% abv. 79 IBU. Dark brown, nearly black. Two fingers of dense beige head that slowly recedes to a thick reliable collar. Superb retention, outstanding lace. Nose of bourbon, caramel, brown sugar, oak expression. 

Front taste of sweet dark fruit, vanilla, bittersweet dark chocolate, molasses, heavy roasted malt, mellow oak, bourbon back end. Aftertaste is dark berry, raisin, notes of charred wood, bourbon ribbon throughout. Full body. Mouthfeel is hot, thick, creamy, silky, carby, astringent sustain.

This is a world-class beer, a shining example of barrel aging. The profile is full of aromas and flavors, including dense dark fruit, rich caramel malt, tons of bourbon, with a wood/oak expression that starts mild and steps forward in the aftertaste, with a charred nearly smoky taste. The 2015 vintage was phenomenal, and this year's vintage follows tradition with a equally royal taste. One of the best. Strongly recommended.

From the brewery:

"Parabola is a beer of darkness and immensity, a barrel-­aged beast that is routinely ranked as one of the top beers in the world. This Russian imperial oatmeal stout is aged for a full year in a blend of bourbon barrels from Elijah Craig, Four Roses, Pappy Van Winkle, Woodford Reserve and Buffalo Trace, developing flavors of rich, chewy roasted malts, charred oak and bourbony vanilla. Parabola bares its teeth with its impenetrable black hue and soaring alcohol, yet its bite remains refined with a silky, balanced fiwish."
[source: firestonebeer.com]