Festivus 2011 (Town Hall Brewery, Minneapolis, MN)

Made it to Town Hall for the last pint club of the year to taste this year's Festivus.  Since only Grinch's Grog was free for pint club, we were distracted briefly by that hoppy winter ale.   After a draft of Festivus, we decided then and there to get a growler to ring in the new year.

On to the beer.  Dirty tan head with irregular bubbles that foam up quickly before falling to a thin film on top of an obsidian lager that has a ruby highlighted edge.  The footed glass show the ruby highlights a lot more than my pint glass--prettier in the glass near the end.  Burnt biscuit, slight roast and sweet cherry in the nose.  As it warms the 7.5% alcohol becomes more apparent but still hidden behind the cherry.  Smooth, creamy mouthfeel that coats the tongue with cherry and dark malt.  With the cherry scent strong in the nose, it's a particularly pleasant drinking experience.  For my part, the 300 lbs of cherries used for this beer were well spent. Thumbs up from my wife  since it meets her criteria of pairing well with dark chocolate.   Well worth the trip downtown on a chilly day.