21st Amendment - Fireside Chat Winter Spiced Ale

Today is a winter warmer from 21st Amendment brewery in San Fransisco, CA.  This brewery is obviously named after the end of prohibition which is probably the best piece of legislation our congress has ever passed.  One thing you will notice from the picture is that they like to put their beer in cans.  This has been a recent trend amongst craft brewers but 21st Amendment has been doing this since their inception in 2000.  Canning the beer allows the brew to retain its freshness for longer since it is not subjected to light or oxygen like bottles typically are.  Fireside chat is their early winter seasonal.  I have had their Brew Free or Die IPA and Back in Black IPA and both were good.  This will be my first time tasting this iteration of their winter warmer so I'm excited to see what it has in store.

Color is a deep mahogany, almost brown but when held up to the light I see ruby red.  The little head formation created during the pour recedes into a thin lacing.  The aroma, still cool from the fridge, gives me some dark fruit, maybe black cherries?  The spices are certainly there as well and remind me of a mild ginger snap.  I think I can smell the malt but its overshadowed by the spices added.  No description of these spices exist on their website other than "spices and coco nibs".  I cant pick out the coco nibs but ill accept the fact that they're there.  Maybe they will make a presence in the flavor.  The body is nice and full.  Lots of spice!  Cinnamon, hints of clove, ginger and nutmeg make a bold presence.  Reminds me of a gingerbread without the molasses.  The malt is there but only in the body and as a background flavor.  No hops present at all in the nose but are noticeable in the finish which is to be expected at 45 IBU's.  After about 10 min on the counter the spices really take over and the sweetness of this brew punches its way into the profile.  The 7.9% ABV is absent throughout. 

Overall 3.1/6.0 - While I may be able to drink a few of these I think the spices eventually get in the way of this brews enjoyability.  Be sure to drink this on the cooler side.  This would be a nice beer to have with dinner or an appetizer but not so much as a stand alone drink.  Thats not to say its not enjoyable, but one serving of this winter warmer is enough for me.