The best part about New Year's Day is that I get the day off. I woke up this morning about 7:30 (Michelle and I went to bed around 1:30 last night after ringing in the new decade with pizza, beer--cocktails for her--and Jersey Shore). I played a little bit of video games this morning, took Lottie for a walk, cleaned out our garage (which has accidentally become our enormous junk drawer), dealt with a bunch of our brushline, and built a Gunpla. I'm pretty tired.

After the day I've had, I'd say it's time for some comfort. Here's where the first post of 2020 comes in: Dogfish Head's Suddenly Comfy, a beer that came out in October and sold out pretty immediately around here.

I've featured Dogfish Head pretty regularly around here. Sam Calagione is a mastermind who's seen to the creation of some of the world's most extreme brews. However, last May the company was bought out by Sam Adams, makers of some of craft beer's most mediocre ales. Word on the street is that the buyout's going into full effect later this year. While it's yet to be seen if DFH's beer will drop in quality or gutsiness (fingers crossed they don't!), the Milton brewery's 2019 beers were as extreme as they've ever been.

Suddenly Comfy is a cream ale brewed with cider, vanilla beans, and cinnamon. It's meant to taste like apple pie. With brûléed sugar aromatics and a flavor profile including fruit-fueled sweetness, this 8% ABV offering is touted as being "...the ultimate dessert beer!"

The nose is straight-up apple fritter. That sugar bit in its description is spot-on. Apple, vanilla, and cinnamon--they're all present here, with no alcohol burn from that hearty ABV. I'm a huge fan of this bouquet, but Purrl, being who she is, wouldn't even give it a single whiff.


The sweetness isn't as prominent in the flavor profile as I would've expected. Okay, that's not wholly correct--it's there in the finish, big and bold. But on the fore? Nope. It's apple tannin and well-crafted light beer easiness. Then, as noted, the sweetness comes in, guns a-blazing. That alcohol content, though? It's mostly absent, only presenting itself in a mild warmth mingling with the sweet finish. Apple pie, indeed.

The mouthfeel is big and creamy to a fault. What else do you think it'd be?

This ale's giving me big fall vibes. Corn mazes, bonfires, hay rides. Yup, Dogfish Head nailed this one. This is--you're hearing it here, folks--autumn in a bottle.

Am I comfy now? As a matter of fact, I am. Dogfish Head's Suddenly Comfy is the perfect way to wrap up the first day of the new year. 2019 was a doozy, so here's hoping that 2020 is more my speed. This first beer of it, this 9.0/10 brew, is definitely a step in the right direction.