Town Hall Elves' Elixir 2016

Four years ago, I remarked here in this blog that I was unaware that the Elves' Elixir is a different beer every year. And then I ignored it in 2013, '14, and '15. Time to try it out again, and so I crack open our mini-growler to see what we shall we see.

Dark brown coloring, with ruby highlights, and a lush, cocoa-tinged head. Looking good.

In the nose: rich, caramel, cocoa, mostly cocoa. Sweet, yet dry. From the nose, I'm guessing the style for this year, and coming up with: Chocolate Porter? Maybe?

In the mouth: Bittersweet from the start. Roast-y. Dry. Full-bodied, with a long, malty finish. Deep and delicious. More rich chocolate flavors, with some cherry, some dried fruit, in there, too. This is a highly satisfying beer.

And despite what I wrote in 2012, I can find no evidence of this being a different style of brew each year, but under the same name. It seems to always be a baltic porter, but perhaps certain elements of the recipe change a bit? It's also always 8.something percent ABV, and I can use the warmth, now that the snow has covered the land and the temps are in the teens.

Well, so go ahead and sue me. I reviewed the same beer twice, after four years. No harm done. Good thing to revisit old favorites. One more thing I know is that I'll be going back for more. This is too good to let go.