It hasn’t really been a great day today, and I really needed a big, strong beer. I went to the beer fridge and decided to grab this one, which I picked up when I visited the brewery this past summer on vacation in Tampa, Florida. It seem like a unique style, so I grabbed this one of the several beers they had there at the brewery.

The bottle has a July 30, 2012 date on it, and it says, “Batch #69 is a Double Cream Ale, a style which isn’t really a style. This beer is our way of doubling the pleasure and doubling the fun. Originally brewed to celebrate the 69th batch of beer we brewed, the bottle in your hand is a nod to earlier, maybe slightly more immature days. We hope you enjoy a mouthful or two. ”

Location: Poured into a Sam Adams perfect pint glass from the 750ml bottle at my home in Bloomington, IL.

Numbers: 9% ABV, ~ 300 Calories

Appearance & Aroma: It’s crystal clear and golden-amber in color. There’s a ton of carbonation in it, giving it a finger thick fluffy white head. The aroma is a mix of breadiness and cream-soda sweetness.

Taste & Feel: The body is full and the mouthfeel is somewhat creamy. The flavors up front are sweet, with some honey-like flavors. There is a cream-soda like sweetness that comes in during the middle and grows through the finish with no detectable bitterness. The cream soda sweetness sticks around for a while in the finish.

Food Pairing: This is a pretty sweet beer, and therefore, I’d pair it with something that would tame the sweetness. A thick burger or steak would be a flavorful match for this beer. However, I think it would go perfectly with veggies and an artichoke and cheese or spinach and cheese dip. The cheese dip would be an even match and tempter the sweetness in this beer.

Overall Impression: I haven’t had many cream ales, but the ones I have had, are light in flavor. This being a “double” cream ale, I was expecting a bit more flavor, but it had quite a bit more sweetness than I was expecting. The sweet cream-soda like flavors seemed almost artificial, and neared cloying levels. While the sweetness was a bit high, it was still pretty drinkable, as there was no sign of alcohol fusals or warmth from the 9%ABV. Overall, I thought it was a decent, but very unique beer. If it weren’t for all the sweetness, I think I would have enjoyed this beer much more.

My Rating:

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