McNeills Wassail Special Ale

Brewed by McNeills Brewery
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Brattleboro, Vermont USA

Poured a hazy copper color with a medium sized, off white head, that left light lacing on the glass. Aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg, peppermint leaf, pine (or possibly spruce?). Spicy taste or cinnamon and all spice, light roastiness, pine, and a faint bitterness.

Gingerbread and cinnamon figure prominently in the malty sweet aroma. Hazy orange-yellow body is topped by shy off-white head that recedes to lasting cover. Very sweet flavour has some strong ginger and notes of nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves and a fair finishing bitterness. Body is a touch on the thin side though carbonation is engaging. Bottle.
Rerate: 7-2-7-2-13=3.1 at YEHa’05.

22oz Bottle: Hazy orange color with a tint of ruby red. Medium bodied, though a touch on the watery side. Aroma is full of spice, but not over the top. There’s cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, orange, clove, mint(?), as well as some caramel and bread. Taste is spicy and somewhat sweet, with notes of gingerbread, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and a bread dough. Just slightly thin, but a very pleasing beer to have around the holidays.

Extreme Beer Fest 2004: Murky orange/red color with a small rocky head. Sweet cinnamon aroma, watery texture.

Extreme beer fest '04,Hazy amber in color with a small white head.Ginger aroma.Sweet and spicey.

This spice/herb beer is ok. Spicy, ginger, and orange flavors. Finishes smooth, crisp, and dry.

Tap. This beer smells like christmas: spearmint, nutmeg, cinnamon, orange. Fairly sweet, spicy, very drinkable.

Bottle: Good nose, nutmeg, clove, ginger, pumpkin. Orange color, tad hazy. Little to no head. Clove & pumpkin pie. Thin body with a lingering bitterness. Interesting, though not as hearty as most holiday spiced ales.