Most people who know me know that I love beer. Good beer. It’s so much fun to try new beers and talk about them with other beer lovers. So that’s why I’m taking part in this craft beer linkup organized by Jacqui at Drink the Day!
This time of year is awesome because we leave behind the light session-type beers of summer and enjoy the richer, more flavorful beers as the temperatures drop.
The beer I’m profiling fits this category perfectly — Manayunk Brewing Company’s Festivus Ale. Manayunk is a local brewery, but I’ve never been there, probably because Manayunk is kind of a hike even though it’s technically still in the city. And let’s face it, I rarely leave South Philly.
But the Festivus Ale is impressive enough that I’d actually get into a car and drive out to where this stuff is made. It’s classified as a “winter warmer,” which is basically a full-bodied, malty, sweet seasonal beer brewed with spices.
Unlike other winter beers, Festivus is a lighter, easier-drinking beer. You can taste the spices immediately, and it also has a distinctive fruity flavor, which makes sense since it’s created using plums and raisins. In the background there’s a hint of chocolate thanks to the chocolate malt. Manayunk says it brews a single batch of this stuff per year, making each year slightly different and unique. Pretty cool, right? The ABV is a respectable 7%.
And really, who can resist a Seinfeld reference?
I’d give this beer three out of five stars only because I prefer hoppier beers, but for a seasonal ale it’s pretty great. You should definitely try this is you see it on tap or in the case at the beer store.
Since we’re talking about beer I thought I’d share some relevant photos. Mike and I had some pre-wedding photos taken by the amazing photographer Melissa Hassey, and one of the places we visited was The Bottle Shop, our neighborhood beer store.
We’re regulars there — it’s a fun place to hang out (there are a few taps) and they allow people to bring in food so sometimes we go there with a pizza. We also stop in at least once a week to get a six pack or two of our favorite regular-drinking beer, Newbold by the Philadelphia Brewing Company.
We wrote out our wedding invitations there, as well as some of our thank you notes. We even signed our marriage paperwork there with two employees as witnesses.
So when it came time to take photos as we got ready for the wedding, this was a no brainer. Melissa got so many great shots and here are just a couple of my favorites. That day, we had Destihl Brewery’s Nouveay Amis white IPA. Two thumbs up on that one.
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