Here’s the second round of reviews of the Clown Shoes Beer 12 Beers of Christmas mixed pack that the brewery sent to me; you can read the first part here, along with some of my thoughts going into it.

Swagger Red Lager

There’s nothing particularly Christmasy about Swagger, in theme, name, or style; it’s an amber lager dry-hopped with Simcoe and Citra hops that comes in at 6% ABV. Nothing apparent in the description, either:

Perfect for an introvert in a crowded room or an extrovert on their couch, as well as to pacify your inner peacock.

Swagger is a liquid strut, a brew with attitude, a crisp red lager dry-hopped with Simcoe and Citra.

Appearance: Deep amber, tinting to brown, with some translucency. Cream colored head, lacy and thick.

Smell: Caramel notes with hops that go in a candied, dried fruit direction. There’s some earthiness, green fruit, though it’s rather mellow overall.

Taste: Toasty malt with a… juicy? character that’s not like the usual “juicy” descriptor (citrus), but maybe more like a dark berry/pomegranate/dark fruit juice with an earthy flavor, but also a minty-cooling clean character. It’s super drinkable and moreish, without being complicated.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light to medium body, good residual malt that’s super clean with a touch of hop character. Cooling.

Overall: Really nicely tasty with a compelling juiciness and drinkability.

Aurora Orangealis IPA

With this beer, I can connect the addition of orange peel to the Christmas tradition of giving oranges—traditionally, putting them in stockings. (It’s a tradition linked to St. Nicholas but also to the Great Depression, basically, when oranges were a luxurious treat.)

At any rate, Aurora Orangealis is an IPA with orange peel, and is 7% ABV. The description says:

You may say you’ve got the world in your hands…we say, “go ahead, have your Earth”. We’ll just lay claim to this gigantic orange hurtling through space.

To celebrate our conquering of the citrus giant we bring you, dear Earth holder, an IPA bursting with fresh citrusy hops and tangy orange peel.

Appearance: Brownish-orange color, or copper; it’s just a bit hazy. Off-white head.

Smell: Orange peel with subtle orange, more of a bitter (pithy) aroma, with some candied citron, citrusy hops that remind me of Centennial (known for orange character), and a light bruléed pineapple note.

Taste: Candied fruits including orange peel, with a moderate bitterness level, good malt with a sweetish flavor (yellow cake?) without any cloying or actual cakey character. The hops are there with citrus character and a touch of spruce tip, but are nicely soft and balanced. Fruity without being overdone.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied with an almost creamy texture with the orange (which sounds a bit paradoxical unless you consider orange cream).

Overall: Enjoyable and good handling of the fruitiness and orange peel.

Cosmic Waffle Belgian-Style IPA

Clown Shoes highlights this one as a Christmas specialty, though I’m not sure about waffles and the holiday… But I haven’t seen many Belgian-style IPAs lately so I was definitely curious about it. It’s 7% ABV and the description says:

Taking a break from contemplating how toasted the perfect waffle board should be for cosmic surfing, we decided to modernize our OG Belgian IPA recipe.

Azacca and Cryo Pop hops now take centerstage, dropping in alongside wheat and honey malts and a classic Belgian yeast strain. Back to toasted thoughts….

Appearance: Copper colored and hazy, with a big off-white head that’s fine and thick with good lacing.

Smell: Tropical fruits with a touch of dank/diesel, and a Belgian yeast phenolic character that has a slight band-aid character with an indistinct spice. Kind of muddled.

Taste: Phenolics and hops, still has an indistinct/muddled character in flavor as well; some sweetly biscuit bready notes, with a hop bitterness that clashes slightly with the phenolic spiciness, giving a touch of harsh herb, or woody spice. Some peach skin, tree bark, grassy notes.

Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied, lightly bitter finish with some fruit skin, a bit of flavor falling off at the back.

Overall: Not my favorite of the bunch so far, it’s fairly average as the style goes.

Space Cake Double IPA

Not only is Space Cake another of the “regular” beers Clown Shoes included in this mixed pack, it’s also the company’s flagship beer I believe. It also caps the last three beers here with the space theme, which is not something I’d planned when choosing which ones to drink next. It’s a 9% ABV double IPA, among the strongest beers in the pack. The brewery’s description:

Being pursued by a giant assortment of laser-equipped cupcake-spaceships is many things, but it is certainly no time to panic. Miracle Mike and his galactic canine Bionic have been through far worse, and they always seem to find a way past the relentless pursuit of the Space Cake fleet. Want to see your next Space Cake come to life? Download the Swigr app and scan your can!

This Double IPA features robust hop aromas that carry through to the strong juicy flavors of tropical citrus. A sweet and strong malt backbone pairs with a subtle booziness to make Space Cake an approachable DIPA fit for an extraterrestrial odyssey.

Appearance: Orange color with golden highlights, unfiltered. Creamy off-white head.

Smell: Spicy-grassy hop nose with pineapple upside down cake. With Mosaic hops, I was expecting allium but I’m not really getting any. Some floral-estery alcohol, and a touch of mustard greens.

Taste: There’s some crystal malt cakiness (is that a word?) with a fruity-herbal bitterness, and some alcohol warmth that’s a touch sweet. I could go for a firmer bitterness, it’s a bit sweet… it’s a bit unbalanced in the sweetness/alcohol versus the hops. A bare hint of green onion, really more like watercress microgreens.

Mouthfeel: Medium-full-bodied, with residual sweetness and some warmth.

Overall: Sweeter than I’d like for a double IPA, but I guess it has to live up to its name.