Bells Christmas Ale

Brewed by Bells Brewery
Style: Scotch Ale
Kalamazoo, Michigan USA

Bottle … Hazy, dirty orange ale with a huge, wispy, white head. Fantastic retention. The malty, biscuity aroma presents toasted grains and pralines. Medium to full-bodied with spritzy carbonation. The flavor is malty and hearty with decent balance provided by a generous, earthy hop component. Crisp, clean finish.

Got this for the wife. Tasted and its ok. Kinda tame in taste. Looks good in the glass. She liked it alot.

Pours an amber orange with small off-white head. Aroma is all malt. Taste is the same slightly sweet malt, caramel, minimal hops, malt in the finish as well. Not much complexity.

Draft. Pour is clear brown with medium white head. Aroma is malt, faint pine hop, juniper berries, and light caramel. Flavor is mostly malty with a mild hop backbone and a nice malty finish. Solid, but not out of the ordinary.

12 oz. bottle. Appropriate brewer’s name to have a Christmas beer. Nice, malty smell when opened and poured. An edge of alcohol is noted only when I take a deep sniff in the glass. Fine brown body with the usual haze of Bell’s "floaties" in it. Head almost stands up straight before settling down. Taste is again nicely malt-forward, but seems a little light. Probably the grain is a little less than for a regular Scotch ale to keep the alcohol down. Hops offer a sort of spiciness, rather than the usual spices of a Christmas beer. Light notes of pepper and herb in the hop taste. I suspect this beer’s real relation to Christmas is the "gift" to Michigan growers they sourced for the ingredients. I do like it, and will probably drink more to cleanse my palate of all the wassailed Christmas beers this season.

If this is a Scotch ale, I will eat my hat. Very thin. Solid but somewhat boring taste. It certainly would not warm you on Christmas day. Aroma and color are really ordinary. Good just not inspiring.

12 oz. bottle thanks to my good friend George. Pours a really lovely bright amber. The nose is weak. Not bad, just not much to smell. Not that sure what makes this a Christmas ale. It is fairly light, but refreshing as far as a good session beer may go. All the spice and complexity that should be present in a Christmas ale is not there. I would happily drink this in the summertime.

straw colored body reddish hue and good carb. aroma is wet, grainy. some fruits possibly lingering in the background amongst weighty malt that eventually gives way to warm biscuit notes. flavor is a bit bland/metallic up front but ends nicely on strong biscuit note. as a beer this is certainly drinkable and not devoid of complexity. as a scotch ale its a total failure.