Day 23 of the Advent-ure Calendar
Day 23: Maumee Bay Brewing Co. Blitzen Holiday Ale
We’ve had a few Maumee Bay beers, usually at the local beer fests. Haven’t had anything particularly memorable or especially terrible; they are usually middle of the road. Biltzen is described as “Spiced with just the right amount of orange and cinnamon to round out this perfect glass of holiday cheer.”
REFLECTIONS
Beard & Broad
Beard: I definitely get all of the proposed flavors of this beer both in the nose and in the taste. I just think the backbone of this is too malty though. Needs some hop bitterness to balance out the sweetness. I think where other spice beers may excel over this is the freshness of the spice/fruit additions. This flavors tastes a bit muddy to me, and it’s a tad syrupy. Prob wouldn’t order this at a bar and it’s not necessarily a bad beer, just nothing special to me.
Broad: This beer is interesting. I don’t love it, I also don’t hate it, which is how I feel about all their other beers I’ve tried. I taste honey, orange, a hint of sweetness but no real holiday spices. The more I drink it, the more I like it. This beer reminds me of the winter weather going on in Cleveland right now: not wintery, mild, unexpected and I think I kind of like it.
Adam & Alex
Adam: This might be a better beer if it was at the beginning of the advent calendar. I get the honey and orange they mention in their description. It’s not bad but it’s not memorable either.
Alex: This one was blah to me. I’m sure it’s because the spices are getting repetitive. I do taste the honey and orange as well.
Mez & Sam (waiting for reviews)
Mez:
Sam:
