CulturAle Press

Great Beer for the New Year #6:   Lickinghole Creek Carrot Cake Imperial Amber Ale, Goochland Va.

We’re starting the year with some rich beers good for a winter’s night. Most of our Christmas beers qualify as well. If you haven’t seen our 12 Beers of Christmas, here are links to most of them: first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth.

Date:   January 11, 2019

The Story—  “Carrot Cake Imperial Amber Ale” would be enough, usually, for me to leave the bottle on the shelf.   But Lickinghole Creek is one of those handful of breweries that make us take a second look, and, if it doesn’t strain the wallet too much, give it a try.   This was an affordable pint can and though I’m still not used to a classy beer in a metal can, I’m grateful not to have to chuck out the cost of a 75cl bottle for a long shot.

Dag gone if they didn’t do it well.

The Beer—  Ellie thought it was a bit rough; to be truthful, I was so intrigued by the taste I forgot to notice the smoothness one way or the other, which is probably a good sign.   The aroma is rich and fruity with cinnamon leading the parade of spices.  The beer is rich, which it should be at 9% abv, and has lots of spice.   Carrots run riot and add to the sweetness of the malt.  It stays chewy and fruity and very appealing — especially if you’re a rabbit.  The richness makes winter a good time to mull over this beer. I was glad we tried it; it showed the professionalism of their fine brewers.  Still, I’m neither a rabbit nor a big fan of most spiced beers, so this one gets more respect than love.

Value —  Good

Values:  “fair” is a good beer at an above market price, “good” is worth the money, “very good” is a bargain, and “excellent” is a steal.

We’re often asked to share our tasting notes on over 33,000 beers; this blog is iour response to those requests.   Not all our notes, though.  The great beer writer Michael Jackson admirably followed the Thumper Rule, and we’ll try to do the same.  (“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nuthin’ at all.”)   All the beers we post are from the top half of our ratings and most are from the top quarter.   Of greater value, we think, are the stories behind the beers,   and we try to give you enough about the brewery, the style and the places to find great beer to help you on your own beer journeys.   At CulturAle Press we try to write books and publish posts that will help you “Drink Well and Travel Safely.”