Allgäuer Weihnachtsbier

Brewed by Allgäuer Brauhaus (Oetker Group)
Style: Dortmunder/Helles
Kempten, Germany

This poured a dark yellow body with lively carbonation and a minimal head that remained to do much lacing. The aroma is caramel and butterscotch with earthy hops lightly blanketing it all. The mouthfeel is soft and oily. The flavor is sweet fresh bread with light spices and some herbal hop bitterness. Very easy to drink.

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Pretty label, all fancy, glittering iridescentdesigns in the logo, and the borders...oooo, shiny! But, how about what’s inside? Hazy, light peachy coloration, sufficient, yet slim, foam cap. Aroma, a little sour at first, largely citric, funky orange, loads of yeast...not at all what I’d expect from a German beer...especially one labeled a "kolsch", at least here...deep and earthy... Taste: smooth, tasty, rife with pulpy fruit sensations, slides effortlessly off the tongue, leaves only slight traces. An unusual choice for a winter seasonal, and not at all a kolsch, I’ll just skip speculating on category, and call it as I drink it. A welcoming brew on the palate, on the lips, down the throat, very light, but not insubstantial, hangs handily along the palate, light as a sprite, but with considerable character. This particular brew defies category...better suited among wheat beers, but possesses a certain fruity/spicy feeling that goes beyond most of them. a joy to drink down.

Orange rust, with a bubbly and quickly dissipating froth. Rich malts in the nose, with hints of caramel, toffee and apple, along with a light spice and floral scent from the hop. Nicely extracted grains, with the caramel and toffee continuing with soft fruits and a light hop essence. Light in body, but enjoyable overall, like most of Allgauer’s beers.

Quickly dissipating white head. Nice mildly sweet smell and taste. Slightly spicey. Goes down easily. I can easily imagine drinking this beer on a snowy evening sitting by a fire in the Bavarian countryside (the image generated by looking at the label on the bottle.)

Head is initially average sized, frothy, off-white, mostly diminishing. Body is hazy medium amber, bottle conditioned. Aroma is moderately malty (caramel, bread), lightly hoppy (flowers), with a hint of honey. Flavor is moderately sweet, lightly bitter. Finish is lightly sweet, lightly bitter. Medium body, watery texture, lively carbonation.

Bottle a cloudy dull honey color, medium foamy off-white head, attractive lacing, with very light carbonation.   Soft malty aroma, slight grassy, maybe a touch of sweetness.   Full bodied malty sweetness from start to finish.   Thick mouthfeel, at least thicker than most other Helles examples.   Somewhat quick finish, soft malts but thats about it.   Simple, but not bad.

sweet honey aroma, nice and rich malt, pours a nice orange amber color, not much taste to start, just some sweet malts, then turns to aspicy sweetness which is very honey and carmelesk.

Orange gold color. Small to no head. Aroma is grainy and grassy, with a touch of spice. A light to medium bodied Dort/Helles. Malts are fruit and sweet. Slightly spicy hops. Touches of nutmeg and allspice (which I guess it is why they call it a Christmas Beer). Mostly it a totally neutral tasting fluid. Mouthfeel is full and round. Finish is clean and smooth. Aftertaste is slightly sweet.