Just before Xmas, Brewsters brewpub chain released an Extreme Ale (their words) to mark the end of the world according to the Mayans (well the people who misinterpreted the Mayan calendar system, but that is beside the point). They tapped it on Friday December 21 – the supposed last day of the Mayan calendar, and, cheekily, called it End of Days Ale. It ran 14.7% alcohol and they wisely served it in 6 ounce glasses.

I didn’t write about it at the time as it was in the middle of holiday craziness and I suspected that the beer would only last a few days and be gone.

Turns out I was wrong. I caught wind yesterday that the beer is still on tap – at the Oliver Square location at least. Not sure how much longer it will be around, but that gave me my excuse to talk about it here. For which I am glad.

I had a sample when it first came out and was mightily impressed by the beer. It was lighter bodied (and lighter coloured) than one would expect. The alcohol warming was soft and pleasant. The aroma was a bit subued but the flavour hit many of the right notes. I got honey and sweet fruit notes, along with some rounded malt sweetness. The beer finished balanced, finding a way to prevent being either too cloying or too hot (as I find many of the extra big beer can be). I found it a remarkably enjoyable sipping beer. (Note: This description is thinner than usual because I stupidly did not take notes at the time, so am going from memory.)

I was very pleased that I took 30 minutes out of a busy day to stop in for a snifter of it. And while the world didn’t end as some predicted, I can confidently predict that in a matter of days, we will see the end of End of Days. So don’t dawdle if you are interested.