Back Road Christmas Ale 2004

Formerly brewed at Back Road Brewery
Style: Imperial Stout
LaPorte, Indiana USA

Shared at the 12/18/04 Wisconsin gathering courtesy of BBB63: Pours with a dark oily opaqueness with a thin light tan head. Aroma is a subtle blend of light caramel and molasses with a touch of roasted malt. Sweet, almost bock-like flavor has some milky lactose maltiness to it. A very interesting and enjoyable brew from Back Road. Thanks Mike!

A gift from Mike! Really slopped this beer into the glass in order to get a head out of it, it’s a nice-looking (but short-lived) brown one. Mossy bark, black dirt, and coffee grounds in the aroma. There’s a faint leafiness which I assume to be the hops. While the aroma is interesting, it dosn’t really invite you to take a swig, just like a rotting log doesn’t make one want to take a bite out of it. The flavor, while kind of wierd, is more inviting. Big chocolate maltl, oily/acidic coffee with mustyish leafy hops (the RB hop guide says Perle can taste like wet hay, that’s not too far off the mark). Some carbonation in the finish along with dirt and coffee.

Very dark brown color with a small brown head. Smokey mushroom, roasted coffee and earthy aroma. Sweet chocolate, mushroom, smokey wood, and earthy flavors with a bitter hops finish. Thin feel, semi-dry finish. Not bad, but the mushroom and earthy flavors are a little wierd.

Deep, dark brown with a dark brown head. The aroma was familiar to me...very similar to the aroma of last year’s Christmas ale...fungus, muchroom, forest funk...also, some chocolate and tangy fruitiness. The flavor was much of the same...with an odd extreme tanginess in the aftertaste. The feel was way too thin...very watery. Thanks Mike! I wish I could like this more.

Pours a dark dark brown, almost no head. ARoma is malt and dark choclate. Flavor is malty as well, with licorice, choclate and roasted almonds. Palate is oily and slick. Thanks to BBB63 for this one!

This pours black as night with no head and a nice lacing. The aroma has vanilla, cinnamon and carrots. The taste is vanilla and roasted cashews with a bready finish. There are also some light cherries hiding in the background. The aftertaste has cocoa. Thanks for sharing, BBB63.

Bottle thanks to BBB63. Pours a deep black color. Very slight brown head that fades quickly. Full bodied, fairly smooth. Strange tanginess in the middle and finish. Chocolate in the aroma along with coffee and roasted malt. Overall pretty good but the tart flavor just threw me off.

Deep brown body, thin nicely lacing tan head. Very sweet aroma, kind of like a chocolate liqueur with cinnamon/sugar coated toast. Sweet body with lots of chocolate and coffee cream, roasted malts, and bitter hops that build in the finish. Reminds me of Hershey’s ice cream syrup. There’s alcohol here but it’s not too detectable, even though this is very young beer. Very tasty but there’s always something a bit rough about the palate in their beers. Provided by Mr. Back Road himself, BBB63.