Breckenridge Christmas Ale

Brewed by Breckenridge Brewery
Style: American Strong Ale
Denver, Colorado USA

Bottle. Poured dark clear brown color with an average off-white head that diminished slowly with fair lacing. Moderate spicy chocolate aroma. Medium body with soft carbonation. Medium sweet flavor with a medium spicy sweet finish of moderate duration.

Pours to a thin chocolatey brown. Immensely bland considering the sort of rich brew that it’s probably meant to be. Aromas of chocolate and some wood, with flavors of cinnamon, ginger toasted malt and fruitcake. Lightly bitter finish. Thankfully there’s no barrage of confusing spice flavors here but there also isn’t much of substance or style either. Expectedly dull.

Pours dark red and clear with a creamy off white head. Aroma is moderatly malty, cookies, and heavily hopped... grapefruit (cascade hops) Flavor is lightly sweet and moderatly bitter, finish is moderatly bitter with a long finish the grapefruit hopps present throughout. Medium bodied creamy and softly carbonated.

Cleardarkish amber color. Nice tanish head. Weak/thin body. Sort of spicy but that’s it. Some metallic flavor if that counts. Completely average. Not surprising though coming from Breckenridge.

12 oz bottle, 2006. Deep mahogany pour with a medium head. The aroma is lightly spicy with a hint of sweetness. Unfortunately, it was also somewhat medicinal. Malty flavors laced with spices that I had a difficult time putting my finger on. Creamy mouth feel, medium body. Not offensive, but one was enough

12 oz bottle. Pours a nice dark mahogany color with an average head, and little lacing. Smells like a variety of breads, mainly a dark russian rye, and some sourdough thrown in for a certain funkiness. The flavor is all about the malt. Nutty, toasty, and lots of dark rye flavors abound. Hops? Not in this beer! Not much of a caramel or chocolate presence like the description says, just lots of bread and nuts. It’s a real nice taste, but not complex. Alcohol is well hidden, and the beer feels med/light, with med carbonation. Decent stuff, this is what their incredibly weak Autumn Ale should have tasted like.

Pours deep nut brown with orange highlights and a medium off white head. Florals and alcohol combine with a bit of a buttery aroma. I taste the chocolatey roast and mild bitters, very much like a scottish, but with a bit more on the palate. More mellow. Not as syrupy as other warmers. Very good.

2007 version (draught) - A clear dark brown with a slight head, medium body, early hoppy flavor and biterness, full mouthfeel, moderate CO2, slight molassas character. 12-ounce brown bottle notched for the 3rd week in October, year unstated but likely 2006. Dense dark brown color, with moderate white head. Pronounced hoppy aroma and flavor combined with other complexities. Big malty sweetness. No distracting spices. The brewery claims " An Ameican style Strong Ale of 7.4%". A reasonable winter warmer.