Just a few days ago, December 4th, marked the 77th anniversary of the repealing of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution with the almighty 21st Amendment! Thus ending the era of prohibition. What better way to mark the occasion than by enjoying 21st Amendment Brewery's latest release!

With this new canned offering, 21st Amendment has again managed to be the first to can a certain style of beer with this Winter Warmer (or Spiced Winter Ale). I have to say that the graphics for this can are great, they really show how far we've come with canned beer in the past 75 years! FDR sitting down with a drink and talking to an elf. Awesome!

From the 21st Amendment site:

"Like FDR's Depression-era radio addresses, which were like a kick in the butt and a hug at the same time, our Fireside Chat is a subtle twist on the traditional seasonal brew. We begin with a rich, dark, English-style ale and then we improvise with spices until we know we have a beer worth sharing with the nation.

Fireside Chat is our early winter seasonal brew available from October through December in six pack cans and on draft. Brewed like a classic, warming Strong Ale but with a subtle blend of hand-selected spices for just the right festive flair."

Here we go...

Pour - dark amber with some nice reddish hues when held to the light. A rather thin off-white head fades to a ring of film rather quickly. Very deep and dark in appearance. Perfect for a winter brew.

Aroma - malty, sweet and sour, light caramel, apples and cloves. Reminds me a bit of warmed red wine and spices. 

Taste - sweet and sour on the tongue sort of like the aroma. It has some bitterness, some black cherry, a bit of apple cider, not a whole lot of those spices maybe just some hints at nutmeg or cloves with a very vinous in the finish. By that I mean it has a dryness on the tongue similar to red wine. At almost 8% its a bit boozy too which is nice as it does a good job with the winter warming bit.

Overall - I really dig this beer as its quite unique. The flavors may not mesh completely perfectly but each sip brings something new and once this warms it really has some complexity. If you've got some red wine loving friends that stray away from beer you might want to share this with them.

Would I buy more of it? - sure. I'm glad it comes in a six-pack and I will look forward to trying more of it next winter (or maybe later this winter as its a long one here in New England). 

Note - Fireside Chat is brewed with assorted spices as well a cocoa nibs. This is the first winter they've released this beer and it will be quickly followed by their other seasonal release, Monk's Blood.