It’s Festivus for the rest of us day. So something a little different seemed called for, since we’re not, for the first time, leading off The 12 Beers of Christmas with Anchor Brewing’s annual Christmas beer, as I was bemoaning at length in yesterday’s 12 Beers of Christmas 2022 Reprise.
Those who have stumbled here for the first time might want to go there, both for the sad news about Anchor, and links to all the 132 beers from the last eleven years. Once again, I’m trying to write some kind of cogent beer review about a dozen holiday beers or winter warmers before the 12th day of Christmas is upon us on January 5.
As for something different, how about a beer with label art showing a naked Santa Claus in a barrel? Or about to go down the chimney, still presumably naked, but with an upraised fist? You get all that and a red ale laced with ginger and orange peel in Fistmas, from Revolution Brewing of Chicago.
Opened in 2010, Revolution has grown into the largest craft brewery in the state, and 39th in the Brewers Association list of the top 50 craft brewing producers for 2022, 49th among all U.S. brewers. The fist is part of its logo, usually clutching a sheaf of barley, which it uses a lot of—there are about 30 beers in their eclectic roster rotation, not to mention one-offs in the taproom.
I can’t say I’ve had many of them, distribution of the beer being mainly in the midwest, though I did snag one for a past roundup of Oktoberfest beers.
The Christmas beer has been around for awhile, and it’s good. Which is exactly what my wife said, in surprise, when I coerced her into taking a sip: “This is good!” She thought she detected some berry in it, and went on: “I might even enjoy drinking this one.” Coming from a martini girl like her, this is high praise.
I enjoyed it, too, though I wasn’t rapturous. It’s a pretty reddish brew, clear, with a healthy head. There’s a nice low level malt sweetness to the nose that comes through in the initial taste and there is a berry-like flavor probably attributable to the orange peel. I detected no ginger on the nose but found it lightly discernible toward the finish, which had a pleasant bite to it. The body seemed to lack a little heft for a 6.5% ABV beer. But if I’m not going to shoot my arm in the air, thumbs up for a decent start.
In its hometown, Fistmas is apparently a great excuse for an annual mall bar crawl. Attendees, many wearing elf hats, head off to Chicago’s Woodfield Mall and make four or five stops over a few hours for music, food and rounds of Fistmas, naturally. All proceeds go to the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless, and that certainly deserves an upraised fist.
Name: Fistmas
Brewer: Revolution Brewing, Chicago, Illinois
Style: Spiced red ale
ABV: 6.5%
Availability: Nov-Dec., seven northern Midwest states and MA, NJ, NY, TN
For More Information: revbrew.com
[Dec. 23, 2023]
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