Beer Review – Weyerbacher – 20th Anniversary Ale

It’s Christmas time and with it has come the first accumulation of snow and my annual cold.  I apologize for skipping a week, but everything tasted like cardboard and off-brand cough syrup.  Since it is the holiday season I picked up Weyerbacher’s 20^th Anniversary Ale.  It is a Belgian style dark ale brewed with spices, and boy does it pack a punch.

The 20^th Anniversary Ale pours with a thing tan head and has a dark, reddish amber color when held up to the light.  It has a strong aroma of sour dough bread and fruity apricot esters.  Belgian style ales are made with a yeast that generates fruity flavors without the addition of any real fruit.  Done correctly, these flavors are sublime and complex.  Done incorrectly, and it ends up tasting like band-aids and cough syrup.  Weyerbacher has concocted a decent representation of what Belgian yeasts can do for a beer.  The flavor starts with bold caramel malts that leads into dried fruit flavors, like raisins or apricots.  There is also a subtle hint of clove and coriander that lend a holiday feel to the 20^th Anniversary Ale.

Overall, I am not a fan Christmas style beers or beers that are overly sweet, and the 20^th Anniversary fits that particular bill.  If you are more of a hoppy beer drinker, I’d avoid this particular brew.  If you’re into sweeter fare with an 11% kick then pick up a single of this beer, as this is definitely not a session beer.