It Came Upon A Midnight Meme

Received as a gift from Sheri and Mike. Thank you! Day 10 of 24 beers of Christmas 2021. Date on can of 2021-11-15. Pours with a tan to dark tan foam that fills half the glass (typical of the style). Unbelievable retention. Froths up nicely on the top as it recedes. Thick, sticky lacing abounds. Aroma is full of pine, similar to cutting down a damn forest. Hints of chocolate are assisted by suggestions of roast. Coffee could be looming. As it warms the coffee pushes both the chocolate and roast to the back seat, riding shotgun to the zealous pine. Subtleties of fruit. Taste is in your face pine that is held up by coffee, some chocolate and fading roastiness. Some zing in the finish that is probably do to the spruce tips rather than the alcohol. No real lingering bitterness. Medium body but on the high end there. Lighter carbonation, which suits the beer well. Some tinge of alcohol but that could be the over abundance of pine. I like cascadian dark ales when well done. Back 7 - 10 years ago when they were more popular, too many were balanced, quickly causing the style to lose favor. The only rough side of the beer is the pine but yet, somehow, this beer leans towards balanced. Well played Tripych. I would have this again. Enjoy!