21st Amendment Brewing Co. - "Fireside Chat" spiced winter ale

Here's another one from the archives, which frankly (pun intended) I should have done years ago. And before it gets any warmer out there, too! It's 21st Amendment's winter seasonal, the "Fireside Chat." 21st Amendment, based in San Francisco, CA, has released a bunch of good beers in the past, including many I have reviewed: their "Monk's Blood" Belgian ale, their "Toaster Pastry" India red ale, as well as other good entries like their "Sneak Attack" saison and their "Back in Black" black ale. They also have released some not-so-great stuff, including the overpriced and undersized "Lower de Boom" barleywine. But the "Fireside Chat" surely makes up for any failings elsewhere.

If you're a history buff, the name of the beer may be familiar to you. Between 1933 and 1944, President Franklin Roosevelt gave a series of 30 radio addresses called "Fireside Chats." These marked the first time a president communicated with the general public (thanks to the invention of radio!) He spoke to the nation on various affairs of state including banking crises, labor issues, foreign affairs, and regarding the declaration of war on Japan on December 9th, 1941.

And now that namesake is present in the "Fireside Chat", a 7.9% ABV spiced winter ale. made with Magnum and Golding hops and a variety of malts and top-fermenting yeasts. It's also brewed with cocoa nibs and spices, like many other winter ales. It pours a root-beer brown, throwing some soft aromas of chocolate and generating a fluffy, buff-colored head.

It's dark in the glass, and has a root-beer color when candled.

There's a lot of clove, caramel and chocolate notes to this beer. The Fireside Chat has a little carbonation, not too bad, and the flavors (while not as strong as they could be) are nice as a muted, soft background. One of the reasons this ale has been a seasonal favorite of mine is the texture. It's silky smooth, very warming, and  not bitter at all. Some winter ales have a steely, almost sharp taste to them, but this one is smooth and low-key, heavy on the sweet malts, with a rather low 45 IBUs. It's not overdone, and is a tasty (and somewhat sweet) alternative to some roasted malt-heavy, high gravity winter offerings. I like the fact this beer tastes way lighter than it is. At 7.9% ABV, one might think it would be thick and heady. But it's a remarkably light, easy-drinking beer that is a great session ale for the cooler months.