Day 176: First Frost

Name: First Frost

Brewer: Fullsteam Brewery (Durham, NC)

Classification: Winter Warmer

Alcohol: 8.8%

Thoughts: It's been a while since the wife and I have gone to Tyler's so today we decided to make a trip downtown for some food and brew. There was obviously a large amount of new beers on the menu but I was only interested in one very specific beer. Fullsteam has once again defied the laws of conventional brewing and made a Winter Warmer style beer with persimmon. What is persimmon you may ask? Well there is a picture of it here. This just seemed like a great idea to me and I wanted to see how it would work in a beer. It pours a deep chestnut brown with reddish tint and a barely visible head.  The aroma is a deep caramelized sweetness mixed with piney hops and ripe fruit. It was a unique smell that fit right in with all those Holiday smells that we associate with during this time of year. The taste was even more original and lovable. The flavors begin with cinnamon, persimmon, sugar, nutmeg, and piney hops. The persimmons are obviously the main attraction here, but they don't overshadow the rest of the beer. It is a very well balanced beer. There is also a nice fizziness as well as a clean alcoholic finish. First Frost tastes and feels fresh, smooth and innovative. I am starting to think that Fullsteam is slowly becoming one of the best breweries in America. That is a big statement, but they come out with some ridiculously great beers.

Rating: 91/100