3. Never Summer - Boulder Brewing Company

Ok, so the next beer on our Winterbeer-stravaganza is Boulder Brewing Company's Never Summer Ale. And wonder of all wonders, I liked it. It is nice and malty with a little bitterness, but not too much. It tastes like dried fruit, and that is nice. Jordan thinks it tastes like dried apricots and the most in your first sip; I just think it tastes like dried fruit. Think of it like fruit cake beer, but good fruit cake, not those gross things Jordan's dad gets that are made by Hostess and full of artificially colored jellied fruit, or those rock hard ones that your great aunt makes that are super rum-my, but like a nice cake with dried fruit in it that is yummy. This is the beer version of that. But Jordan doesn't think it is that fruity, but he's just being troublesome. Also, I think the first sip is the bitterest and it mellows out as it goes along. (Now I have a song going through my head; it's "the first cut is the deepest" but instead it's the first sip is the bitter-est. oh dear. ) I like this beer a lot, more brewers who are making "winter beers" should go with this tactic, instead of just stuffing their beers full of spices that are out of control and too spicy and not very good or well balanced. Good job Boulder Brewing Company. And to give this a rating using Bill and Kelly's inventive rating system: I give this beer 3 out of 4 winter-y months.