I am going to begin altering my scoring system a bit to take some of the randomness out of it. From now on I will award 25 points to appearance, 25 to smell, 25 to taste and save 25 points for those undefinable qualities. I will still only present the final score though. Just thought you’d like to know how this works. Let’s Go!

Appearance: I poured this into a chalice and I immediately thought of a red Christmas bulb. It’s a bit more amber colored than that, but it should give you a good idea. It’s truly perfect for this king of beer. The head is creamy and laces quite nicely on the glass.

Smell: I get a nice sweet maltiness and a lot of spice, almost the spices one would expect in a gingerbread cookie. Again, quite suitable.

Taste: I get that great maltiness and the spices carry through quite well. I’m getting cinnamon and nutmeg. This is a medium bodied beer with very little aftertaste, though it does coat the tongue nicely.

Overall: If I was reaching for something to keep me warm in the Winter this would definitely be a go to. 83/100. Great Lakes Brewing has been very, very good to me. I will have to get my hands on some of that Blackout Stout, but in the meantime…

Up Next: Magic Hat HI.P.A.