Day 20 of the 2nd Annual Advent-ure Calendar
Day 20: Platform Beer Co. Esther
Platform Beer Co. is still a fairly new brewery, they’ve only been opened a little over two years. But their beers have made a huge impact on the Cleveland beer scene. They’ve also recently expanded and opened a brewery in Columbus. Their Esther Christmas ale is a “Belgian Dark Strong Ale brewed with Honey. Beautiful Dark fruit flavors of cherry and plum round out this rich beer.” Esther is a little different than most other holiday beers in the Northeast by being a dark Belgian, while others focus on being a holiday spiced ale.
REFLECTIONS
Beard & Broad
Beard: I’ve been a huge fan of this since the beginning. Like just about all of Platform’s higher alcohol beers, the finish on this is deceiving because you’d never guess it was 9.5%. There’s so much to this beer and it’s recipe, and it definitely shows. Unlike lighter Belgians that generally use a few malts, this uses seven. The chocolate malt plays nicely with the yeast esters and the honey/Belgian candi sugar to produce an almost chocolate covered cherry-like character. Unlike the spiced fair, I could drink this throughout the entire winter season, and I probably will.
Broad: This is in my top 5, maybe top 3 favorite holidays ales of all time. I love the Belgian dark ales for holiday ales. You can real taste the dark fruit flavors such as cherry and plum with all the sips. Its malty, but the good kind of malty you want in a holiday beer. I normally like a moderate amount of spice in my holiday beers but for this one it doesn’t need to be overly spiced. All you people who rant and rave bout Great Lakes Christmas Ale need to go out and try this STAT. Go expand your holiday beer horizons!
Adam & Alex
Adam: I am a fan of just about everything Platform does and it’s probably the brewery we imbibe on the most often (thanks Ben!). Esther is a nice warming, boozy Christmas ale. I get cherries and honey and a finish of traditional Christmas spices. It’s like a less powerful Mad Elf, which is hilarious seeing as how this is almost 10%. Having had many of these I prefer them out of the tap at the brewery but nonetheless they are a staple in our fridge (again, thanks Ben!)
Alex: I love Esther. This is a holiday favorite for me. I can taste cherries and spices, and it’s super easy for me to drink. It’s also a pretty boozy beer, so heads up, you won’t even notice!
Scott & CT
Scott: Oh Platform. You never seem to disappoint me. I really enjoyed this beer and I’m surprised to say it’s the first Esther I’ve ever had! It’s more malty and caramely than some of the others we’ve tried. It’s a nice change from the super spicy winter ales, which means I can drink many more of these before passing out in front of the fireplace. Thumbs up emoji for this one!
CT: Platform Brewery has been my brew gateway into craft beers. Everything they make has been incredible. Don’t tell my friends, but even their sours (never going to be my thing) are good enough for me to acknowledge their flavors. Esther is that beer that smells, feels and tastes like home. It’s a molasses and cinnamon nose. A rich and sweet taste. A warmth that carries from initial pour to last sip. It’s the Christmas gift under the tree you’re most grateful for and one you’re simultaneously the most selfish about–you wouldn’t give it up but you wish everyone had it too! If you’re in Cleveland, go to Platform Brewery. Experience it for yourself.
Lou & Jen
Lou: I was very excited to try this beer, and not only because one of the brewery’s employees is on this adventure with us. Unfortunately, our can of Esther was flat, there was almost no carbonation. The nose was still delightful with toasty scents of carmel and chocolate. I enjoyed the flavor, but since it was flat it came off as syrupy. I need to try a fresh one ASAP.
Jen: This one has a lot of potential, but it just seemed like something was missing. Lou pointed out that it seemed flat, and I think he hit the nail on the head. If it wasn’t flat, I wish it had a bit more carbonation. It has a nice malty nose with a pinch of cinnamon and dark fruit. The taste was underwhelming (again, possibly flat or just less carbonated that I’d like) but had nice hints of dark fruit (possibly cherry), chocolate, cinnamon and honey. I’d like to try this again to see if it was just a bad batch.
