Sweetwater Festive Ale - SweetWater Brewing Company

AdamBear

Pennsylvania

4.38/5  rDev +13.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Got a pint at the Sweetwater Brewery restaurant in the Atlanta airport.

A-dark murky brown with a thick but sticky light tan head

S-cinnamon. a touch of apples. dark and spicy malts. smells tasty. good strength as well

T-comes in with a great taste of spicy and peppery dark malts. this is really good and full flavored! there's a good and slightly roasted matching after-taste. the tastes are bold and seem to be of high quality.

M-thick and creamy medium carbonation with a creamy finish

O-i was really surprised by this. when at an airport, i usually don't expect much but I am here with a great beer of a style I usually don't prefer. this has to be one of the best winter warmers I've ever had. Its definitely and after dinner beer though.

Serving type: on-tap

12-07-2011 03:04:07 | More by AdamBear

coreyfmcdonald

Georgia

3.45/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

On tap at Sweetwater Draft House and Grill at ATL

A: Pretty standard brown looking winter warmer, but with only a ring of head on tap. That might have been because of how it was served, this place isn't exactly a craft beer bar.

S: A bit of cocoa, some toffee, light spices. A bit muted for the style.

T: Similar to smell, but with a bit more toffee and a bit of dark fruits. No hint of ABV at all.

M: Fairly thick with good carb. Pretty good.

O: A bit boring, but not a bad winter warmer. Like I said above, there is no hint of the ABV at all.

Serving type: on-tap

12-02-2011 18:47:17 | More by coreyfmcdonald

kylehay2004

Florida

3.95/5  rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A: murky dark brown with some light getting through. Single finger head. Nice lace and little retention.

S: lots of chocolate with some caramel malt and nut.

T: semisweet chocolate and caramel malts with hints of apple. Fig and raisin.

M: medium to full body with moderate to high carbonation.

Overall: this is a very drinkable beer. The finish is a lIttle dry for my liking. The aroma and taste are very similar. I haven't had previous years but I liked this one.

Serving type: on-tap

11-27-2011 21:08:01 | More by kylehay2004

Thur123

Georgia

3.9/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 5 | overall: 4

Pours a dark ruby brown with a finger and half of lout khaki head that settles slowly. The smell is faint, likely due to beig on tap but it smells malty with a winter Spice edge, cinnamon and nutmeg taking charge here.

Glug glug glug. 

The flavor is spicy with a nice malty sweetness balancing the spice at the end. The spice is cinnamon, nutmeg, coriander I believe too. The malt is complex and reminds me of a heavy brown ale. Drinkability is where this excels compared to it's bottled brethren. The mouthfeel too is smooth and creamy. 

Serving type: on-tap

12-26-2010 22:29:37 | More by Thur123

phideltashaggy

Georgia

4.18/5  rDev +8.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

I ordered it at a local bar, I'm not sure if it was from the bottle or on-tap. It was served in a Chimay goblet.

A-Black, unless you look through it at an angle, directly at a light source, then it was a slight red. The head was somewhat fluffy and tan, but didn't last (I blame the quality of the glassware at the bar)

S-I had no idea what to expect when I ordered this, but the nose was very roasty, somewhat burnt. And I noticed something that I couldn't quite place, even though "Jager" came to mind.

T-The Jagermeister taste was affirmed here. There's a definite licorice taste, but it is not at all off putting. Again, roasted malts and a bitter hop finish complete the brew.

MF-Medium thickness, but I think I would have got more out of this if the glass was cleaned a little better.

D-I enjoyed this immensely. If I had the money (and the DD) I could see myself drink a number of these in a row.

Serving type: on-tap

12-20-2010 02:44:04 | More by phideltashaggy

taylocd

Alabama

3.83/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.5

Poured from tap at Stats Sports Bar in Atlanta, GA on 12/4/2010. Notes emailed to self via mobile phone.

A - medium brown with mocha colored head and thin lacing that lasted throughout the beer.

S - sweet aroma with hints of alcohol

T - roasted nut flavor

M - semi-sticky texture with low carbonation

D - texture and flavor make for an easy drinker

Serving type: on-tap

12-14-2010 03:22:08 | More by taylocd

JBIII

Georgia

2.9/5  rDev -24.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

Overall, this beer just did not do anything to stand out from the numerous other Winter Warmer/Winter Ale. This beer was overly sweet/malty and the hop profile was average.

With a beer as malty and heavy as this one, it should have been better balanced by a more robust, yet subtle and complex hop profile to enhance the spice profiles of the beer.

Try it, but don't buy it. There are better Winter Ales out there, such as Jubilation's Avery.

Serving type: on-tap

12-04-2010 14:23:25 | More by JBIII

KrisPaulk77

Mississippi

3.83/5  rDev -0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Had this at the Sweetwater pub in the Atlanta airport.
The beer poured what looked like a dark black stout, but upon closer examination, was actually a deep, dark brown with a decent head of creamy tan foam. Decent lacing noted.
The aroma was nice and roasty, with hints of spice, some nutty tones, and toffee. A touch of cinnamon, a wisp of smoke, and rich coffee flavors.
The flavor followed suit with the taste. Rich and flavorful, with a dominant roasted coffee flavor, sweet dark malts, underlying spice, nutty toffee, with a smooth coffee finish. Just enough bitterness to cut through the sweetness.
Nice body to the beer with decent carbonation. A sipper for sure, and would be enjoyed on a cold night, sitting next to a fire.
Quite an enjoyable beer from Sweetwater. If I come across this in my travels again, I won't hesitate to have it again.

Serving type: on-tap

11-25-2010 07:16:34 | More by KrisPaulk77

thedoubler55

New Jersey

4.1/5  rDev +6.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A- JET BLACK, very dark beer beauty at first sight!

S- Some caramel with vanilla, very good smelling beer.

T- Taste of nuts and chocolates, with some french vanilla coffee aftertaste.

M- A great beer to drink, definitely recommend for beer lovers.

D- Amazing flavor, a beer I will always love to have especially in the colder months of the year!

Serving type: on-tap

11-19-2010 19:39:21 | More by thedoubler55

WoodenNickelPub

North Carolina

4.15/5  rDev +7.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured into an 18oz pint this beer was dark brown to almost black with a decent head that didn't hang around for too long. Smelled of roasted malts and barley and ?cinnamon? or ?cloves? Tasted like winter to me..those smells translated nicely into tastes and for being 8.6% you can't really taste the alcohol, but it does catch up to you quick. Mouthfeel was kind of silky with light carbonation, very appealing. Drinkability was, like I said, probably not to many in a sitting, especially if I have to drive. 1 1/2 made my knees weak.

All in all very good beer. I'd never had this before but will definitely buy one when I see it after mine is gone.

Serving type: on-tap

11-14-2010 16:25:40 | More by WoodenNickelPub

chinchill

South Carolina

3.38/5  rDev -12.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3

served in a pint glass at the brewery in 2010. I last had this beer 2-3 years ago and remember a less bold and unusual but more drinkable product; reformulated?

A - opaque; black with brown highlights and tan head

S - roasted malt and spices. Nutmeg(?), cinnamon & ??? (later discovered they use mace). I would guess this was a Belgian beer in a blind test.

T - roasted and slighty burnt malts; the burnt flavoring is undesirable. Spices: nutmeg and mace. High alcohol (8.6%) is somewhat hidden but detectable.

D - one (or less) and done

Serving type: on-tap

11-09-2010 02:52:58 | More by chinchill

Backer2004

North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +10.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Found this one on tap at the Sweetwater brewing grill at the Atlanta airport. If it was not for a small poster, I wouldn't have even known this was available. Great style to end the holidays with. Poured into a nice goblet, this winter warmer has no faults. Nice spices, easy to consume, and just the right baance of malts makes this probably the best airport beers I can remember

Serving type: on-tap

12-31-2009 00:41:31 | More by Backer2004

atsprings

North Carolina

2.9/5  rDev -24.7%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

On-tap at Flying Saucer Raleigh on Dec. 3 served in a standard pint glass and reviewed from notes. The beer was served a dark brown that showed ruby highlights when held to light and sported a barely there disappearing head. The aroma was sweet malts and a hint of spice. The taste is slight sweet malts and alcohol, not much there. The beer is somewhat heavy a bit overly sweet. This one is tolerable, but a huge disappointment.

Serving type: on-tap

12-10-2009 09:45:49 | More by atsprings

dolemite77

Tennessee

3.93/5  rDev +2.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.5

On tap at Barley's, Asheville, NC, from notes found of a November 2008 trip. Highland Cold Mountain was released a couple of weeks after we were there, so this took it's place for me as the holiday beer of choice. Strong aromas of cinnamon, sweet and herbal. Notes on the bottle state that it has mace in it, not sure much about mace other than I think it's in pumpkin pie, I'll take their word for it. Great holiday beer with the right amount of sweetness and spices. Not overdone at all. I think the extra roasted malt notes helped in this category.

Serving type: on-tap

01-17-2009 18:17:34 | More by dolemite77

PhillyStyle

Georgia

3.13/5  rDev -18.7%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Served on-tap in a pint glass at Pub 71 (Atlanta, GA):

The beer appeared a deep brown with red hints around the edges when held up to light. It had a tan-ish color head, no retention, no lacing to speak of.

Not much of an aroma, slight malt, that was about it.

The taste is decent, a nice roasted malt taste, with some hints of something sweet and some other spices, none really to strong to mention.

Beer has medium to light body, carbonation level was decent. It was smooth and drinkability is average, I could have another or not. Leaves malty bitter aftertaste. I think the next time that I visited the establishment, I went with something else.

Serving type: on-tap

01-12-2009 18:54:05 | More by PhillyStyle

meechum

Georgia

4/5  rDev +3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A - Poured dark brown to almost black with just a little light coming through in red highlights. Nice thick tan head that fell slowly and leaves a nice lacing

S - The smell is of roasted malts with a hint of chocolate and maybe just a little mocha

T - Very much like the smell..it has a roasted malty taste..with just a bit of bitter chocolate and mocha...with a warm alcohol finish

M - Nice and thick, coating the mouth

D - Overall a very nice winter warmer and a good beer to have on a cold evening

Serving type: on-tap

12-28-2007 16:58:00 | More by meechum

gabeerfan

Georgia

3.85/5  rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

A- Dark brown with some reddish highlights on the edges. Almost no head or lacing by the time I got it.

S-Dark chocolate and dried cherries. Some lighter roasty malts. Overall, fairly light smelling for such a dark beer.

T-Sweet, but not cloying. Dark chocolate covered cherries. Some chocolate bitter taste on the outer edges of the tongue. Light hop character on the back of the tongue.

M-Coats the mouth pretty well. Lots of lingering flavor after a sip. A little oily feel, but not at all objectionable. Quite nice actually. Almost no alcohol burning.

D-Well, I had 2 of them, so it's pretty drinkable. With the higher ABV, 2 are about my limit. Even with the higher alcohol, it's not a sipper.

Man is this a good beer. I think this year's is even better than last. It's kind of refreshing to not have a hop bomb of a dark winter beer from an American brewery. Pick up a bottle or try it on tap if you get the chance. You will not be sorry.

Serving type: on-tap

12-06-2007 03:20:56 | More by gabeerfan

jneiswender

Massachusetts

1.73/5  rDev -55.1%
look: 3 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 1

Had this beer served in a pint glass during a tour of the brewery.

Dark walnut color with a large bubble head. Head lasts quite a bit.

Smells sour and then sweet. Like a raisin like finish.

/The flavor is very, very complex. I think to a fault. The flavors aren't necessarily bad, just not layered. Everything seems to be happening at once. It even had some musty or mushroom like overtones.

One sip was all I needed. Didn't like the beer at all. Very honestly it tastes like a bad homebrew made of leftover ingredients.

Serving type: on-tap

11-19-2007 13:14:31 | More by jneiswender

shivtim

Georgia

3.5/5  rDev -9.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Had on-tap at the brewery. Looks dark brown; some light gets through revealing red tints. Not much of a head. Nose is christmas tree potpourri and malt. Taste is weak malty bread, with some more holiday spiciness. Alcohol is hidden fairly well. Decent mouthfeel and drinkability. Not a bad offering from Sweetwater.

Serving type: on-tap

11-16-2007 04:16:44 | More by shivtim

number1bum

Pennsylvania

3.43/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3

Had this on tap at Manuel's Tavern in Atlanta. The server had no idea what it was, although given the name I suspected it was a Christmas ale. It came to me a dark brown, not quite black and with some ruby hues. Thin head left some lace and stick.

Smell was sweet malt, some chocolate, and lots of spice.

Taste was very sweet and got to be cloyingly so toward the end. Sweet and malty with some spices, like ginger, and a raisin-like fruity flavor. Also some chocolate malt. Mouthfeel was medium-bodied and pretty creamy, but cloyingly sweet. Overall, I think I'd pass on this if I saw it again. Too sweet, didn't love the raisiny flavor, and there are better holiday beers to be had.

Serving type: on-tap

11-12-2007 14:26:07 | More by number1bum

Cyberkedi

Georgia

3.65/5  rDev -5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

A nice, zingy winter beer. The serving I got did not have much of an odor - but I have never had an exceptional sense of smell. The taste, however, is fairly good. The flavor is not overwhelming or remarkable, but this is definitely a drinkable beer and a good companion to a hearty lunch or dinner. It goes down smoothly without a bad aftertaste.

Serving type: on-tap

01-14-2007 05:19:59 | More by Cyberkedi

Enola

North Carolina

3.43/5  rDev -10.9%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

This beer is a little better on-tap. There is a spiced taste to this brew and a slight bitterness. The beer is a deep mahogany color with a small head. There is a hint of liqorice in there too. Overall, fair for the style. I could drink this beer again.

Serving type: on-tap

12-18-2006 01:43:20 | More by Enola

Mojo

Alabama

3.68/5  rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

12 ounce bottle -> World Market tulip glass

This beer pours up a deep brown, almost black. There is a one finger light brown head, no retention to speak of and quite a bit of lacing at first, but it fades away quickly. The nose is spicy with notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. Taste is rather sweet at first sip with some notes of cola and molasses. The finish has a mild bitterness with some spiciness, but the sweetness upfront overshadows it. The alcohol is well hidden. Mouthfeel is pleasing with a syrupy texture. Not mad overall.

Serving type: bottle

02-23-2013 03:36:18 | More by Mojo

Dope

Massachusetts

3.84/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

2012 batch.

A: Pours a nice dark mahogany. Big fluffy light brown head. Lacing doesn't seem to stick as the head fades away. Just a splotch here and there. Decent retention though.

S: Lots of holiday spaces. Nutmeg and cinnamon primarily it seems. Some others that I can't quite place. Get a bit of dark bread in there too but it's mainly the spices.

T: Again, lots of spices. Cinnamon and nutmeg up front. Kind of a thick, molasses breadiness to the malt, for lack of a better description. More spices in the finish, almost like black pepper here. Cinnamon lingers between sips.

M: Nice medium bodied, pretty standard.

O: A fairly simple and spicy winter warmer. Fairly mellow with decent balance. Easy drinking but somewhat plain.

Serving type: bottle

02-21-2013 04:27:34 | More by Dope

babaracas

Florida

3.45/5  rDev -10.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

Pours a clear dark brown with one finger of light brown colored head, settles to a thin layer with a few splotches of lace on the glass. Smell: brown sugar, lots of baking spices, a little plum and toasted bread. Taste: dark brown sugar, gingerbread, end of the sip is soft pear, grape skin, and more cinnamon. Sweet, creamy feel, enough spices and mild spicy and earthy hopping to keep it from being cloying. Easy drinking for 8.5%.

Serving type: bottle

01-25-2013 04:24:51 | More by babaracas