Cottonwood Frostbite - Foothills Brewing Company

tdm168

North Carolina

3.63/5  rDev -8.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A - black with a little lacing of brown head

S - huge citrus notes, piny, roasted malts, faint chocolate

T - earthy, spicy hops, piny, chocolate, faintly roasty finish

M - medium bodied, a bit thin, smooth, well carbonated

This was a nice beer, but it didn't have great balance. The hops and malts at times were a bit at odds. The malt was overly chocolaty while the hops were spicy and bitter. It was also a tad thin for my liking. With just a few minor tweaks this would have been a really solid offering. It's worth trying though if you're in NC and enjoy Black IPAs.

Serving type: bottle

12-15-2012 14:26:26 | More by tdm168

dbrauneis

New Jersey

3.95/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Served on tap at Foothills Brewing Company in Winston-Salem, NC.

A: Pours an opaque very dark brown (almost black) in color with very light amounts of visible carbonation. The beer has a finger tall creamy beige head that barely reduces at all leaving a half finger thick film covering the entire surface of the beer with a thicker ring at the edges of the glass. Significant amounts of lacing are observed.

S: Moderate to strong aromas of dark roasted malts and citrus/grapefruit hops with some lighter notes of chocolate and coffee.

T: Moderate flavors of dark roasted malts upfront with some lighter notes of chocolate and coffee. Following that is a moderate flavor of citrus/grapefruit hops with a lighter amount of pine hops. Light bitterness which does not linger.

M: Just shy of medium bodied with moderate amounts of carbonation. Light amounts of dryness in the finish.

O: Enjoyable and pretty easy to drink. There is a good balance between the roasty malt flavors and the citrus hops - kind of like a porter and an IPA which is what I expect for this style. Much better than the spicy winter warmer that was under the same name before Foothills acquired the Cottonwood brand.

Serving type: on-tap

11-29-2012 05:04:04 | More by dbrauneis

oberon

North Carolina

4/5  rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Nice to see a new updated Frostbite from Foothills.Poured a deep dark chocolate with ruby highlights,a thinner light tan colored head atop.Earthy and piney hops stand out most in the nose,a bit raw wich isn't a bad thing.Dark roast coffee and eathy tones up front on the palate with piney hops coming into play late along with some raw woodiness.This is a solid ABA that's pretty dry and raw wich again isn't a bad thing.

Serving type: bottle

12-01-2012 23:25:25 | More by oberon

wedge

North Carolina

4.1/5  rDev +3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a very dark brown color with a lush, stick-y looking head. The aroma is very oily upfront...green hops, grapefruit juice, and pine resin over a smooth, not-so-roasted chocolate and coffee malt base. Big, delicious hoppy flavor. I don't remember the old recipe tasting anything like this. Spicy, piney, and green...almost minty. A little rough in the attack, taking over most of the flavor and not leaving much room for the malt to come through. Good stuff though! Medium bodied and bitter. It doesn't scream "winter" to me, but that's cool. This will be in my fridge again soon.

Serving type: bottle

11-25-2012 19:51:16 | More by wedge

Onenote81

North Carolina

4.2/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Had this one on-tap at the brewpub. Light ruby edges make this one just less-than-black. A nice small cap of foam on top leaves perfect sip rings on the glass edge. Excellent nose bursting with notes of pine scent, citrus, fresh crushed hop pellets. Great inviting hoppy scent!

Good body. Not too thick, easy to drink. Moderate carbonation. Well-balanced. Juicy, flavorful hops make up the bulk of this one. Nice bitter pop to it, but great citrusy flavor. Some mild cocoa-like sweetness noted, a little dry character on the finish. A good dark bitter beer. I like this one better than their standard IPA I think. Nice work retooling this one, Foothills.

Serving type: on-tap

01-15-2013 01:02:45 | More by Onenote81

jpro

South Carolina

4.38/5  rDev +10.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

12oz bottle from Sam's in Durham. Poured into a Piraat tulip glass...

A: Pours a black-brown, with a light brown head - about a thumb's worth; minimal retention leaves no lace.

S: Piney, resinous hops; some grapefruit in there, too; not much besides some hoppiness... may some really light notes of burnt sugar.

T: Sweet, piney hops; some citrus / tropical fruit, but mostly resiny piney hops... wow. Malt profile is pretty low... not much besides a shade of char on the finish.

M: Lighter bodied; moderate carbonation; has a pretty intense bitter finish.

O: A really nice American Black Ale / Black IPA; fairly drinkable due to a lower abv and lighter body; it's a little dry on the palate, though - would be nice to have a little more malt to back up the hops. Nevertheless, a nice beer from Foothills.

Serving type: bottle

01-15-2013 01:39:43 | More by jpro

nUgZ

North Carolina

4.45/5  rDev +12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

12 ounce bottle poured into a snifter. This is a brand new offering from Foothills. It's available on tap and in 6 packs. I've had both.

A: Pours a very dark brown, almost black color. One finger head and nice lacing.

S: Lots of hops up front along with a nice malt presence. Some chocolate and coffee aromas as well. Very inviting smell.

T: Lots of roasted malts and bitter hops. Great balance between the two. Almost like an IPA and Stout blend.

M: Light to medium bodied with good carbonation. Easy to drink.

O: Overall, this is a very good beer. I'm very excited to have it available for these colder winter evenings. Very balanced and extremely easy to drink. An excellent value at $8 for a 6 pack. Get some if you can!

Serving type: bottle

11-17-2012 19:34:22 | More by nUgZ