Bethlehem Brew Works Rude Elfs Reserve

Bottled. Poured medium orange with a short-lived cap of beige head. The aroma picked up a whole host of spices with coriander, nutmeg, and cardamom represented.. sweeter, candied caramel base.. just a hair of fruit joined in at the back. The flavor opened with tangy spices and Jager-inspired licorice warmth.. warm darker fruit sweetness at the core.. cinnamon, cardamom, and more licorice are amplified by boozy warmth on the finish. Heavier-bodied and a tad syrupy on the palate.. quite spicy and in-your-face.. some interesting stuff in here, but I can’t say it was entirely enjoyable.

Draft at Allentown locations. Pours dark amber red with a dissipating off white head. Great aroma of dark belgian malts, cherry, and brown sugar. Medium bodied with a very slight syrupy texture. Intial flavor of dark wheat malt and cherry, with banana, christmas spices, and yeast coming out mid palate. You get some alcohol on the finish, which lingers. Not too bad.

12oz. Bottle: Aroma of dark fruits, cherries, alcohol, Belgian yeast, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Poured dark amber in color with a medium-sized, creamy, tan head that lasted throughout. Clear. Sparkling. Fully of large particles throughout. Medium sweet flavor. Flavor of alcohol, cinnamon, raisin, and cloves. Medium to full body. Thick, oily texture. Average carbonation. Sweet, malty, alcohol finish. Alcohol burn. Too sweet.

Bottle: Instant aroma of spices as it pours a dark, hazy amber with a large beige head. Thick lacing. Citrus, corriander, nutmeg, and a little cinnamon fill the air. Smells like a scented candle... Taste is spicey and floral, yet remains balanced. The coridander, cloves, and allspice are much more present in the flavor, yet not so much in the aroma. If you like a ton of spice, this is one to try. Too intense for me to really enjoy, but still fun to try.

This was from a 750 bottle and poured out to a dark brown color with a small head.Heavy aromas of spices.The taste had a generous amount of cinnamon,clove and nutmeg,which was a bit overpowering at first,but as I progressed with the beer it really grew on me.It really is not bad at all.

Bottle, poured rich and dark, smelled like cold mulled wine (same spices). Very dark tasting, a little too heavy for my taste, but definatley a decent beer to sip while sitting in front of a fireplace. I just wish it was a little colder here over xmas this year. Back to the beer - nice rich full palate, really wets down the mouth. Finish is a little spicy with some allspice remnants. Decent!

sampled on tap, Allentown. Dark brown in color. Spicy aroma with some sharp phenolics. Taste is alot of spice, over the top somewhat and sweet caramel, sharp phenols. finishes spicy, full bodied. Hard to drink.

2006 bottle of this stuff - FIrst off I like what they do up at Bethlehem Brew Works, but I’m already sick of all these damn spiced-up Xmas brews. Lets give-er a go. Darker brownish color. Lots of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg in the nose. Flavor is basically a soggy gingerbread cookie that has some decent flavor upfront, but fades fast. OK, but I’m just not a huge fan.