 Gregis (884), Overland Park, Kansas, USA
Dec 23, 2007
Pours a clear, deep, orange-brown with a frothy beige head that leaves wispy lace in its wake, diminishing to a thin, creamy cap. The nose is fairly muted: a tad phenolic with a malty front and lesser notes of mulling spices (cloves, cinnamon, etc.). Light-bodied and slick with a dry and fairly astringent finish. The flavor is of a nutty, bitter front with lesser emphasis on the malt & spice found on the nose. Fairly disjointed, this one just doesn’t do a lot for me. There are a LOT of better Christmas brews out there, and unless you’re compelled to tick-off another rating, I’d recommend skipping this one.
unclemike (328), 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 (2434), 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 (1797), 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.
djbuddha (87), Many, Louisiana, USA
Jul 12, 2008 I have tried this several times, ending with the 2006 release. I usually love an amber ale, but there is a taste I can’t pin down in this that really turns me off, maybe a spice.
SDalkoholic (1017), Chula Vista, California, USA
Jun 24, 2008 Bottle from Pizza Port Carlsbad. Color is reddish amber with a short O-ring of head. The nose is a sweetened version of caramel malt and a blend of assorted nuts. The flavor is a mellow dosage of malt in the style of caramel and toffee yet very subdued into a nut brown ale style. Overall a decent ale with no major highlights and I have no plans to revisit.
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