Day 16 of the 7th Annual Holiday Beer Advent-ure Calendar
Day 16: Sonder Brewing Kenosha Kickers
Another new brewery and new beer for the calendar! Scott and Christa picked this one up when they were down in Cincinnati. Sonder beers aren’t available up here, so we were all excited to see this addition. Kenosha Kickers is a “festive ale with notes of Golden Delicious apple, cinnamon, and brown sugar glaze, with a clean & merry finish.” The story behind the beer pays homage to Wisconsin and the movie Home Alone.
Reflections
Ben: No. Oh no. Oh god this is so much. It smells pretty normal, maybe a tad sweet and with some apple and cinnamon notes, but good lord is this sweet as hell. Literally tastes like a strudel was liquefied, a sweet strudel at that. Can’t do it. Great name though!
Julia: Why did we put this beer in line right after the Cherry Chouffe? It smells like apple strudel, but I’m not sure I’d want to drink something that smells like that. Boy was I right! This is so sweet, it hurts. It’s malty, cinnamon-y and at the end I taste a hint of apples. It’s doing way too much for me. I can’t get the taste out of my mouth. If you want something super sweet that tastes like a dessert in a can then maybe this is for you.
Adam: John Candy would be ashamed | tastes like grandmothers bathroom potpourri | a cinnamon bomb on a plastic cranberry | undrinkable
Alex: Sonder’s Kenosha Kickers is definitely not my favorite on this list. I can taste cinnamon and the sweetness I assume comes from the apples. It just doesn’t flow well for me. I probably won’t try this one again.
Scott: And we’re back today with another in your face, flavorful beer called Kenosha Kickers from Sonder Brewing. Good news this time, I actually really enjoyed this apple streusel in a can. It’s sweet, malty and surprisingly well balanced. It’s not the style of beer I gravitate towards, but I’d really love to try this one on draft.
Christa: Kenosha Kickers had me at the name. Then it hooked me with Apple Streusel. I wish it was better because of all the promise. It’s not bad at all and it’s certainly a good follow up to yesterday’s overly fruity flavored variety as it’s more subtle here. It’s very rich and while it’s very interesting and I do recommend trying, it’s a good one to share with a partner.
Tony: Ok so these past two nights have been very heavy on the bold fruit flavor. Tonight’s is all about the apple cinnamon but I actually don’t mind it. Very heavy on the apple cinnamon but that’s a pleasant flavor combo so it’s not terrible. It almost feels more like a cider than a beer, but maybe that’s just because of all the apple. It’s also very sweet so it may not be everyone’s favorite. Very interesting though, it’s unique and I give them credit for that. I’d say give it a try if you’re lookin for something unique and different.
Megan: Another fruity beer. Not sure what to think of this as well. It definitely smells like apple pie but a better balance than yesterday. Sometimes apple and cinnamon can smell too much like a bath and body works candle but I don’t get that here. I would be interested in trying it but I would probably stick to just one.
Brad: I can appreciate what they are trying to do here but it doesn’t work for me. It smells like a Miller Lite (strange) but tastes sweet like the can suggests. The aftertaste is what gets me. It coats the roof of my mouth and won’t go away. I’ll pass the rest of this can to Heather.
Heather: Oh okay. Yum! I’ll take the rest of the can because I like this. It is sweeter than I usually like — kind of like a dessert beer. But I’m a ginormous advocate for anything that tastes even remotely like apple streusel, so this gets my thumbs up. I’m probably going to grab a few of these for lazy Christmas days.