Monday, December 2, 2013

REVIEW: Tröegs Mad Elf (2012) & Elf

I'm back, baby! I'm sorry about the month I've taken off. The new job has not left me with much time to write on here. And honestly I've been struggling what to do with this blog anyway. The review format that I've been plugging away at for almost two years has started to feel awfully stale. I'm still not quite sure where I'll end up taking this blog, but in the meantime I think I've got something pretty cool up my sleeve. Probably the most fun I've had on this little old blog-o-mine was last year when I looked at all those Christmas beers. This year I'm going to do the same but with a bit of a twist. In lieu of pairing all of these beers with food I'm going to pair each beer with a Christmas movie! Or a TV special or episode what have you. So, seasonal beer and seasonal programming, two great tastes that taste great together!

If you'll remember, last year I took a look at Tröegs Mad Elf. Before you keep reading refresh your memory on my thoughts, here. When I bought that sixer last year I had the foresight to stow a couple of bottles down in my parents basement. Today I have a 2012 bottle of Mad Elf, and the movie to go along with it, maybe a bit of a predictable choice, the Jon Favreau directed Elf!

Let's start with the beer. Mad Elf pours a slightly murky purplish scarlet in color with fiery orange highlights. On top of the beer sits a finely bubbled finger of creamy off white head.

The aromas here are pretty damned outstanding. Malty notes of molasses and a bourbony caramel sweetness mingle with bready cake-like hints of toffee. a touch of cinnamon joins in as well. The fruity aromas that were so evident when the beer was fresh are certainly still here but in a much more understated and yet more complex way. Notes of raisin, fig, date, and plum add to create a very fruitcake like set of aromas. Really lovely stuff, much more complex and nuanced than it was fresh.

On the palate it's more of the same. A year in the cellar has done this beer awfully good. Gone is the intense sweetness and in your face cherry flavor. In it's place is again something much more mellow, much more subtle, much more nuanced, much more even handed. It's rich, creamy, and full bodied. Big bread notes of sweet toffee and caramel lead the way. Fruity flavors of cherry, fig, plum, and apple and a yeasty estery character add to what is a very complex, very well balanced year.

And now for the movie. When I came up wit this pairing there was really nothing more to it than the similar names, Elf and Mad Elf. And yes, Will Ferrel's Buddy is quite mad. But in revisiting both I found that the pairing was much more apt than I first thought. Both are, at first glance, big, outsized, sweet, and possibly a bit overeager the first time around. But on second glance you notice the complexity. In the beer it's the subtle balance, the depth of flavor and aroma. In the movie you notice how damn well Will Ferrel plays the role. He's insane, but in such an earnest, heartfelt, and charming way. And everybody around Buddy does such a great way of playing the straight man. It's so great to watch the way Will Ferrel bounces off the other actors. From a pre Jessica Day (and very blonde) Zooey Deschanel, to a pre Tyrion Lannister Peter Dinklage. Also excellent turns by the always funny Kyle Gass and Andy Richter as the hapless writers. Everywhere you look there's a great little bit of physical comedy or quick joke. See? A little bit of complexity that can easily go overlooked!

Alright, I'd say we're off to a smashing start! I liked Mad Elf quite a bit fresh, but with a year of age on it? My goodness. it's just terrific. Even handed, mellow, incredibly incredibly complex and tasty. The year this beer spent in my folks' basement smoothed out a lot of the rough edges that were there fresh. If you've got any sitting around, for all that is good and holy! Have some patience! And Elf, I mean, you've all seen it. And with good reason, It's a terrific little Christmas movie. I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. If you haven't watched it yet this year get right down to it. Just remember to watch out, the yellow ones don't stop.

HD

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