It seldom gets much below freezing near Washington, D.C. When it does, it doesn’t stay that way for long. Over the weekend, though, temperatures struggled to get into the high twenties. Not that the fans at either of the NFL Conference Championship games think I really have anything to complain about. (Go Giants! Woo-hoo!)

It did serve to remind me that it is still winter, though.

So I cracked open my single Black Dog Winter Cheer from Spanish Peaks, a “Hearty Winter Ale”. (This is one of the beers that Ron sent to me.)

Here’s what they say:

Black Dog’s Winter Cheer is a very hearty ale made from five different malts and three hop varieties. It has a deep copper color and its flavor balances the sweet malt with significant hop spiciness. The perfect beer to cheer up a Winter’s evening.

I’d say it’s more a deep brown than copper, but that might just be the fact that it’s night and the room I’m in. An off-white head that settles into half an inch of foam. A good bit of hop aroma. After warming a bit, I can smell some spice. Medium- to full-bodied but not overly sweet. In fact, it’s a bit hoppier than I expected, though not in a bad way.

I’d have this again.

6.3% ABV, 55 IBU