I’ve been a fan or River Horse Brewing for a couple years now, and a few months back, I got to do a tour of the brewery out in Ewing, New Jersey with Jenn and a couple of our friends. The brewery tour was quite extensive and informative, with the guide having walked us through the entire process, from beginning to bottling. It seems that most tours are 5-10 minutes, and then you get right to the drinking (which is all well and good, but I like to get a good look at what goes on beyond the bottle). The first beer I ever had from River Horse was the Belgian Freeze, a 6-pack of which was given to me for Christmas by my brother, along with a hand-picked selection of other brews. I instantly liked it on first try, and luckily I had five more as part of my gift.

This winter ale is full-bodied, has a dark amber color, and has a warming effect that is quite nice for those colder months that just seem to keep getting colder here in the Garden State. There is some spice to it, as well as some fruitiness, and the hops are definitely present taste-wise. The alcohol by volume (ABV) is a formidable 8.0% on this one, so unless your tolerance is through the roof, you may only need one at a time. In River Horse’s distribution areas, you can likely find Belgian Freeze right up to the end of spring.

This is a delicious seasonal beer, great for the winter (and the spring since New Jersey likes to take its sweet time warming up), but it’s strong, so be careful with it. But then again, I may just be a lightweight.  Check out River Horse’s official website here for information on their brewery, their beers, events, distribution, and more! Last week’s episode of The Beer List can be found here, with Wells Banana Bread Beer! New entry every Sunday!