Day 21 of the 6th Annual Advent-ure Calendar
Day 21: Catawba Island Brewing Company Cookie Cutter Christmas Ale
Catawba Island isn’t one of those breweries whose beers are super prevalent to the area, but I think we’ve had them in the calendar before. Going with a spiced beer, they’ve got quite the competition. From Catawba: “Our Cookie Cutter Christmas Ale is a sweet malty Brown ale brewed with Cinnamon Sticks, fresh Ginger Root, and nutmeg. An aroma of ginger snap cookies and cinnamon sets the stage for a full-bodied pint dried out by the spices. The hops and cinnamon work together to bitter this well balanced ale. Great on a cold winter evening, or even the middle of July if you can talk yourself into saving it that long.” Let’s see how they stack up!
Reflections
Ben: Points for the self-aware name and play on the prevalence of spiced beers around Christmas…but that’s basically where the fun stops for me. I get what they were going for, but this beer is just way too dry for the spices in here. There’s no bready or baked character to it. I almost get a touch of fusel alcohols in here too, reminds me of homebrews I used to make where I couldn’t control the temperatures. If you dig the spiced beers for the holidays, there’s better ones out there.
Julia: I really don’t have a lot to say about this beer other than it’s just meh. It’s not terrible but it’s not great. It’s pretty dry and the spices are there but I can barely taste them. There’s not a lot going on with this one. I will probably forget about this beer by the end of the calendar and I’m ok with that. Definitely reach for another Christmas Ale if you see this one out on shelves.
Adam: My first few sips I wasn’t a fan of this. It tasted pretty bitter but the more I drank I… still didn’t really like it. In a week I will not remember I had this. A little disappointed because it’s a top notch can.
Alex: Catawba Island’s Cookie Cutter is another beer that I would consider just fine. It tastes like a spiced Christmas Ale, but nothing stands out about it too much. I don’t think I will ever “have to have it,” but again, I wouldn’t turn it down if offered.
Scott: The Catawba Island Brewing Cookie Cutter is a pretty delicious Christmas ale with a warm taste, a hint of spice and a badass belt on the can label. It’s not one that I would rank as one of the top Christmas Ales but is really pleasant and in a sugar rimmed glass would be amazing. I’m happy to try this one and will need to try more from this brewery.
Christa: This is a very enjoyable beer, very sweet, and a little spicy. I especially appreciate the ginger in this one. It has a bit of a kick and it’s very nice. It finishes smooth. I don’t know if this tastes like cookies though so I feel a little lied too. It’s not so sweet which is actually a good thing but the name feels like a misnomer.
Tony: The three words to describe this are as follows and I quote, “Stink. Stank. Stunk.” Ok maybe thats a little harsh, but really not feeling this one. The spices are overpowering and thats basically all I can taste. Its missing the balance of flavors that are the hallmark of a good holiday beer. I wouldn’t recommend this one unless you’re into extreme pallet cleansing via spice attack.
Megan: This beer has all the holiday spices you find in a typical Christmas ale but in excess. For me, it’s just too much spice and syrup in one sip. I want to like it because of the cute name but I just can’t get past a few sips without looking like Ralphie after he spits out a bar of soap. It smells nice and has a pretty amber color but I’m just not enjoying this one.
Brad: As a kid who grew up spending my summers around Port Clinton and the Islands, I was excited to see a beer from Catawba Island Brewery. That said, I’m bummed with how it tastes and looks. First sip was not good. Second sip was still not good. By the third sip I think I got used to the aftertaste and it wasn’t terrible. It also looks like a thin, dark, syrupy apple cider. I hope the other Catawba Island beers are better because I plan on visiting this summer.
Heather: The first whiff was off-putting, but I stayed optimistic because I love memories of Port Clinton during the summer with Brad’s family, and I really wanted to like the Catawba Island Cookie Cutter. But, alas, I can’t. I cannnnooooootttt. Something tastes very bad. It’s not a particularly strong bad flavor — on the contrary, it’s very weak. But it lingers too long as an aftertaste, making me feel like I have a perpetual skunk beer burp in my mouth.