Evil Twin brewing recently splashed down in the United States with a tour of releases throughout major beer cities. Evil Twin has a lot to offer the beer market, having unleashed a series of five new beers: A black and tan blend of double IPA and imperial stout called Yin and Yang, Soft DK, a standalone imperial stout named for it’s dark color’s similarity to “dookie,” a unique blend of Double IPA and chardonnay called Disco Beer, and last but not least  is Before, During and After Christmas, a hoppy Christmas beer for all seasons and the subject of this review.

This beer bucks the trends found in the seasonal Christmas style, relying on hops to flavor the beer instead of wintery spices in most cold weather, holiday beers. Poured out of its appealing 16oz bottle, the beer has a nice clear orange color that retains its head throughout. The smell was that of a typical American Double IPA; very fresh and grassy with lots of hops. This big hop smell is balanced in the taste by a slight malt sweetness that makes this beer more of a crowd pleaser than the average IPA. There is a little bit of pleasant, grapefruit bite at the end but not enough to turn away even those most averse to IPAs. After sipping, the beer there is a nice lingering hop flavor that pleasantly shies away from the candy coated flavor of other strong beers in this style.

Evil Twin’s Before, During and After Christmas, as the bottle states, is not just for Christmas time but a beer for all times of year. A really enjoyable brew that is easy drinking despite its 8% ABV and load of hop flavor, it can be found throughout the area on tap at a handful of establishments but most regularly in bottle. 

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