Tannen Bomb was one of my Advent Calendar picks in December, a sweet, malty holiday ale from Golden Valley Brewery here in Oregon. It’s nice and warming at 8% alcohol by volume without being head-splitting strong.

Appearance: Orange, mostly clear, with a bit of head that also has a tint of orange.

Smell: Sweet alcohol, carrots (because orange is on my mind?), sugar as if from fruit… cloying. A little hop at the back.

Taste: An herbal hop flavor right off—surprising from the smell. Next is alcohol—bitter yet mellow, a little warm. Buttery. Malt is light-ish and has a bit of tang. Bitter at the end.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied bolstered by the alcohol. A little astringency. Fairly smooth.

Overall, a tasty holiday brew, very sweet in the nose. I’ll look for it against next holiday season.

On BeerAdvocate, it scores 85/100 with 100% approval. On RateBeer, it scores 3.37 out of 5 and is in their 76th percentile.