Day 3 of the 6th Annual Advent-ure Calendar

Day 3: Saucy Brew Works Three Hos

Here is our first repeat offender. To be honest, this one has not fared well with us in the past. It has been historically too spicy for us so we’re anxious to see if the recipe is still the same. According to Saucy’s website Three Hos is “red ale with “Cleveland” style spices, medium bodied with a soft malt backbone and plenty of abv to help with your holiday cheer.” Let’s get this over with.

Reflections

Ben: I don’t know if we’ve had this in the calendar every year, but we’ve definitely tried it every year. Saucy makes some solid beers, but in my opinion this isn’t one of them. It’s definitely not as spiced as past years, but still way too much for my taste. If you look for complete spice bombs around Christmas, this might be your thing, but I’ll pass.

Julia: Everyone says it’s not as bad as year’s past but I think this tastes just about the same. The smell is a little less powerful but man, this beer is just so overwhelming. It truly smacks you in the face.  All I taste is cinnamon, clove and cardamom. I still don’t know what Cleveland style spices are but I don’t think I want them in my beer if this is what they taste like. I am shocked this made it back on the calendar and we don’t have some classic like Great Lakes or Fat Head’s. I am very disappointed

Adam: Three Hos has a fabled history amongst our friends… but a bad fable. Like one Aesop really phoned in after a bender. I’ve gotten sidetracked.
Previous years tasted like a cinnamon bomb. It was really tough to drink. This year’s, however, is very drinkable. It’s warming with it’s decently high ABV and pretty easy drinking. I don’t usually love red ales but this one has a Caramel taste I enjoy.
It also says it has Cleveland style spices but I don’t taste any pierogi or sauerkraut so that isn’t accurate.

Alex: The infamous Saucy Three Hos.  This is the most traditional holiday beer we’ve had so far.  I can honestly say this has redeemed itself a bit for me.  In prior years it was so over spiced I couldn’t actually finish the whole beer.  This year I feel like the holiday spices are toned down and I can taste more than fireball in beer form.  You can still taste them, but it’s not overwhelming, and the maltiness comes through a bit.  It’s still not my favorite but it probably won’t sit in the fridge all season this time around.

Scott: Finally, our first “Christmas beer”.  First off, the can and saucey logo are on point.   Some of my favorite can designs come from this brewery.  Secondly, it’s definitely a better beer than what we tried last year.   I don’t love it and it’s not as well rounded as the champs (12 Dogs and Great Lakes Christmas Ale), but this is a much better beer this year and isn’t too sweet so I’d love to have a few on draft with the cinnamon rim.  Good to see improvement and happy to get our first true Christmas ale off the list.

Christa: I was a little hesitant with this one but I love this brewery so much and wanted to give them another chance. It’s not our first rodeo with these hoes. In past iterations, this beer was basically artificial sweeter and not much else. Happy to see they’ve improved the recipe in 2020. While I still find it to be a bit too sweet for my taste, it’s definitely sure to appeal to those itching to drink only Christmas ales this year. I’ll continue to give this a beer a try year after year because it keeps getting better. Two hos out of 3 for me.

Tony: Ok who let Saucy Brews back in?! This one sneaks in every year and every year it is not an enjoyable experience 🤬…….Ok ok calm down Tony, take it easy, breathe in, breathe out…..Fair to say I have not been a fan of this one in years prior but this one is slightly better than previous batches. Its still not great, its heavy on the cinnamon and a little syrupy tasting but didnt seem as bad as what I remember. Not good, not gonna be among my favorites, but not completely terrible.

Megan: I was a little hesitant with this one because I remember not liking last years version and I was right. I don’t think it’s as bad but I would say thumbs down again. It has a lot of spices and what Saucy Brew calls a “soft malt backbone” but it’s just too overpowering and in your face. Too spicy and too sweet, bahumbug.

Brad: Three Hos is awesome! I love the holiday spices, the color, the 7.5abv. I’ll for sure look for this in the stores since I can’t go to the brewery and enjoy a draft, thanks Covid. I’m trying to find something wrong with the beer but it’s a new favorite for me.

Heather: Ho ho hoooooooly moley I loved this one. Perfect mix of holiday spices. I want a fancy glass with gold glitter on it, drinking it by the fire in a huge cozy sweater. Three Hos is one of those beers that lingers in the mouth a while after a sip, and I’m not mad about that. Grab a bag of sugar cookies and a good book and down a few of these when you know you can sleep in the next morning. Great seasonal brew!