Dundee Festive Ale

Brewed by High Falls Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Rochester, New York USA

Thanks to Butters for this one. Hazy brown body under a smallish tan head. Simple malt aroma with just a bit of hops. Sweet and uneventful. Just another beer.

12 oz. bottle. Christmas in May! I stopped by the Superstar Beverage store in Bayport and came across several Christmas beers that were available as singles and figured what the heck. I was pleasantly surprised by this beer, as I haven’t been all that impressed with the other beers that have come out of High Falls. This beer pours a lovely clear reddish amber with a moderate off-white head that lasted until the last sip and left a lingering layer of foam with each and every sip. Pleasant malty aroma with some spice in the nose as well. The flavor is sweet malt with some nuts and spice. The spice flavor lingers for a while after the swallow. Surprisingly smooth and well-rounded at the finish. Very light bitterness at the end. Enjoyable!

bottle, amber with an off white head, balanced to the point of almost being smooth, the first couple of swallows, but too sweetish for me. I’ve had worse spiced beers though. Not much body to this brew. Left a yeasty aftertaste.

Bottle pours a beige head with legs that rings the glass and a brown body containing ruby hues. Smells of molasses and toast. Tastes like brown sugar, toast, and a vegetal note I cannot place. Thin finish and body.

Bottled. Poured medium reddish-brown with a short cap of whitish head. The aroma picked up sweetened-up dark fruits and caramel topped by herbal notes and deeper spices.. the spice array was somewhat muddled and lacking direction. The flavor had similar malt character with more pronounced and enjoyable spices surrounding (cinnamon, cardamom, and anise among others).. spicy, dry finish. Medium-bodied but somewhat empty right at the back.. carbonation was adequate and the feel was decent. This wasn’t a great beer, but it was entirely servicable.

Presentation: It was poured from a brown 12oz bottle into a pint glass. Appearance: It has a nice deep reddish amber colored body with good clarity. On top sits soft light tan head of about medium size. Head retention is ok as it slowly fades to just a very thin wispy covering. Lacing is minimal and very slick sliding down with the head. Smell: The aroma has a nose of holiday spice, cinnamon being the standout, as well as sweet dark malt with just a touch of hops. Taste/Mouth feel: The flavor has a pleasant touch of cinnamon and nutmeg inside of a sweet malty body with a slight hint of orange peel and citrus acidity in the background. Its hop character is very light and modest. Its spicy flavors carry on nicely into the finish. The texture has a creamy smooth feel with a good balance of carbonation and a solid, fairly well rounded body. Notes: Overall it was a pleasant Winter Warmer Ale.

Poured into a pint glass. Pour produced a rust-brown body, topped by a white head of foam, which diminished fully. The spices of nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon were not as dominant as I had anticipated, and needed some coaxing out (perhaps due to the ice-cold garage my beer fridge is sitting in). This wad a medium bodied ale with good mouth-feel and a fair balance between bitter and sweet with minimal aftertaste. A good nuttiness to the palate with hints of spice, though not as much as I had anticipated. Overall, this was a well balanced ale, which left me wanting more. It was easy to drink and pretty satisfying. Good beer.

Pours with three finger off-white head that fades slowly leaving some lace. Nice clear amber color. Malty nose. Light carbonation and light-medium-bodied. Flavor is some caramel, hints of nutmeg; finish has some of bitterness. $1.75 for a 12oz from Barb’s Beer Emporium Concord, NH.