The Bluegrass Brewing Company (BBC) is a local microbrewey and restaurant that at one time made my favorite beer, a seasonal Oatmeal Stout produced every winter. It’s unfortunately been a few years since I’ve seen it on the menu but what are you going to do right? BBC also gets street cred for being the only microbrewery I’ve ever been to that made a malt liquor. I took a growler of that to a friends house and woke up on the bathroom floor. What else would you expect from walking into a party with a half-gallon of malt liquor under your arm…. Good times!
At any rate, one seasonal brew they’ve recently added to the taps this winter goes by the name Ebenezer Spiced Ale. Generally I’m a stout and porter drinker but when a growler of beer was handed to me to check out I couldn’t say no. I figured even if it sucks, the price is right.
On first inspection Ebenezer is a medium colored ale and likely smells like spiced beer given the name… I have zero sense of smell thanks to my long lost friend, cancer. Being the pessimist I am I went into this with fairly low expectations. Ales are so wide spread on the beer chart that I made some assumptions just from looking at it. My first thought was that it would be a bit too thin for my liking. While I was right on the weight or thickness of the beer itself, after an initial gulp of disappointment the spice hit. The flavor popped and my thought process changed directions. Generally when I think of Ales I think of hops and that fruity sourness I guess you could call it that comes from the pale ales that I like. This however is very light in that department, but still an enjoyable beer as far as I’m concerned. While this isn’t the best beer I’ve ever had from BBC, it’s certainly not the worste. Even still, that’s not fair. I’ve never had a bad beer perse at BBC, maybe just some I wasn’t a fan of.
Regardless, Ebenezer Spiced Ale is a nice compliment to the winter weather with it’s mix of whatever it is that’s in there. Tasty and tangy with a last second spicyness (I don’t even think that’s a word) that catches you as soon as you thought it was gone. If you follow the numbers on your beers, Ebenezer comes in with an IBU of 16.5 and ABV at 6.9
Here’s to beer!
P.S. That’s an Arrogant Bastard Ale glass if you were wondering…
