December 23

December 23 - Manyunk's Festivus Ale

 

In honor of the fictitious holiday made famous by the sitcom Seinfeld, tonight we are enjoying a Festivus Ale (7% ABV) from Manyunk Brewing Company out of Philadelphia.  I'm going to quote the can here because it is just pretty cool:

 

"Every year we brew a single batch of this holiday warmer using an original recipe thus making each year unique.  The rich plum and raisin flavor in this batch is certainly a feat of strength while the complex spice profile shouldn't be included in anyone's airing of grievances."

 

What is Festivus, you ask?  Let's allow Mr. Constanza to tell you...

 

 

Paying some homage to the show there, along with what to expect from this beer.  Plums?  Really?  That's a new one for me.  The raisin flavor I've had before with Dogfish Head's Raison D'Etre, so I had an idea what to expect with that...but plums?  Strange...but interesting!

 

Like many of the other Christmas Ales and Winter Warmers that I've had this past month, the spice aroma was also present with this brew.  Cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon are noted as this beer pours a reddish copper with a very (and I mean very) thin bead of head at the top.  Once or twice I also got a roasty aroma with this beer. 

 

As for the taste, I definitely was able to identify the plums right off the bat.  However, they really mellowed out throughout the rest of the experience.  I didn't really taste them too much after the initial sip.  From there, I got a malty sweet taste with definite raisin flavor.  I'm assuming the majority of the sweetness was the plum flavor I tasted initially.  As I continued with the rest of the glass, the raisin flavor became more prominent.  After the malts coated my tongue, it was difficult to detect the plum.  This beer finishes with just a hint of bitterness, which balances well with the rest of the beer.

 

I'll give this beer a solid 3.5 out of 5!

 

I'll look for this beer again next year, but I guess, according to what I read on the can, it will be different next year.  This at least makes me want to try something else from this brewery. 

 

So, from Mr. Constanza himself, we wish you a Happy Festivus!

 



 

My wife tried to help me make our own Festivus pole in the background...we cheaped out and used an empty wrapping paper roll because that's what was leftover at the end of the day...