 JPDIPSO (4267), Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, USA
Aug 16, 2004
Brown color with a hint of orange when held to the light. Disipating light tan head. Mild caramel and lightly toasted malt aromas. Lots of malt character to this one. Dark caramel, light peat and Just enough hops to keep this honest. Smooth feel. Linger is all toasty malt. A nice brew. Thanks to DocLock for this one.
DarkElf (2681), La Jolla, California, USA
Aug 29, 2008 28-Aug-08 (12-oz bottle: Purchased 27-Aug-08 for $1.59 at the Pizza Port Bottle Shop in Carlsbad, CA) Slightly fresher this time around, but presumably properly cared for. There’s just not much here to talk about. It’s dry, malty and lightly roasty, but more in a toasted bread way. Minimally hoppy in the entry, but some crisp, tea-like flavors in the finish. Light-medium in body, moderately carbonated. Dry and toasty nose. Clear amber body with a small, off-white head that settles to a thin ring. Really, this comes across as a flavorful amber ale and that’s all. Enjoyable but simple, not special enough to be anyone’s Christmas beer.
15-Sep-06 (12 oz bottle: Chevy Chase Wine & Spirits in Washington, DC) Admittedly, this is a fairly "mature" bottle, so it’s probably not the same beer it was when it was fresh, but since I liked aged dark beers, this could be good news. Lots of cocoa powder in the nose with a moderate earthiness. A bit sweet-smelling, but aromatic enough and certainly not bad. The flavor features that sweet, milk chocolate maltiness and some earth, but little in the way of hops or bitterness. Though the malt is tasty, it seems a bit thin, especially in the finish. Spices are fairly light as well, almost negligible actually. Body is a bit on the light side for a dark holiday ale. Red-amber in color and somewhat hazy in appearance. Pouring the beer yielded about half an inch of light-beige head that gradually settled to a wide ring. Certainly a drinkable beer, but lacks character and ends up being not very interesting. (6, 3, 6, 2, 13 = 3.0)
douglas88 (808), Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Aug 23, 2008 Bottle thanks to unclemike. Pours a dark mahogany color with a light brown head of medium size. The aroma is full of caramel, hops and some spices. The flavors is nice; a semi-bitter hop bite, some rich caramel malts, candies, and a bit of spices. Maybe a gingerbread cookie in there. Not bad.
unclemike (368), Ft. Riley, Kansas, USA
Aug 3, 2008 This is a rather nice Christmas ale. I’ve thus far liked all the Christmas ales I’ve had. A nice dark chocolatey flavor with a sweet aroma--smells of cinnamon and chocolate. You’ll like this. Check it out.
General_Gao (2573), Iowa City, Iowa, USA
Jul 15, 2008 12oz bottle. Less than pleasant aroma of hay and dry dog food. That combination really reminded me of Christmas in an ’away in a manger’ sort of way. Poured a clear reddish orange color. The head was two fingers high and off white. It reduced over a minute or two to a thin film and left a bit of lace behind on the glass. Light to medium bodied and dry. The flavor wasn’t any better than the aroma; dry dog food, bitter grains, and unsalted whole wheat pretzel. Merry Christmas!
EithCubes (1821), Indiana, USA
Jul 13, 2008 Bottle. Sweet dusty nose with evident sticky malt, brown sugar, fruitcake, figgy pudding. Deep dark amber pour with a brown-infused beige head. Very dry, bitter taste, woody and earthy with toast and lots of hard nuts. Crackers and slippery malt, medium-full body, crisp initial carbonation. Remains dry and earthy - would have been a solid brown ale in the regular rotation. Enjoyed it. Much better than previous seasons, it appears.
|
