Troegs is one of those breweries that has traditionally struck me as average.  I can enjoy their brew, but I typically don’t go out of my way to pick up any unless it is on sale, and even then it doesn’t blow my socks off.  My complaint with the brewery, is that they don’t put out many “specialty brews.”  In their defense, they are a young brewery, and they did put out their Scratch Beer series that for some reason doesn’t reach me here in Northwest Ohio.

Nonetheless, a seasonal always strikes my fancy, and it was recommended by a friend on twitter, so we decided to give it a go.

The Pour:

Mad Elf produces quite a beautiful pour.  Striking red and copper colors fill the glass.  The beer is inredibly clean and clear.  The head was small and lacked in retention; not quite what I would look forward to from a beer that is brewed in the Belgian style.

The Nose:

This beer releases a bold bouquet of awesome aroma.  It is so incredibly sweet smelling, it just reeks of an old fashioned candy store, while the subtle clove and herbal aroma remind a bit of the natural foods store.  There are aromas of hay, candy, cotton candy, maple syrup, mollases, caramel, and overwhelmingly; maraschino cherries.  Amidst the sweetness, a vodka like whiff of alcohol emerges.

The Taste:

I was bit unnerved, because I HATE maraschino cherries.  Putting one of those bane fruits on ice cream is no different than topping a Sundae with a Luden’s cough drop…but it is beer, so I’ll persevere.  To my delight, the while the cherry flavor is quite noticeable, it tastes very natural and lurks in the malty bacing rather than sucker punching me in the face.  The typical Belgian flavors are there (clove, banana, nutmeg) but they are masked by the rather sturdy malt sweetness and mouth feel.  The beer is fairly well balanced.  While it is not a hop bomb, there is enough bitterness to counteract the 11% sweetness and the  punch of the cherries to make this quite drinkable.  Mine went down smoothly, and left me wanting another.

Overall Thoughts:

This is the best I’ve tasted from Troegs and a great seasonal that I will go back too.  My only complaint is that it needed just a tad more Belgian qualities in appearance (head), flavor (a bit more spice would have been nice), and body (carbonation was lacking).  This beer wouldn’t work on a hot summer day but on a frigid evening, it does the trick.

Nate’s Rating:

Overall Satisfaction: ★★★¾☆ 

Among other Belgian Strong Ales: ★★★☆☆ 

Rating: ★★★½☆