Taverner (826), San Ramon, California, USA Jan 27, 2009 Wow! Very very nice!!! Very carbonated and explosive - be careful with this one. Pours dark with tan, overflowing head. Flavor is porter-ish. Lots of black currant, raisin and even coffee notes. Very rich, very strong - the PERFECT Christmas beer! SuIIy (1406), Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, USA Jan 26, 2009 22oz bottle my neighbor brought over. Pours a rich, dark brown color with a small off white.beigish head. Nose is slightly metallic with rich nuts and toffee and some chocolate. Palate is fluffy. Flavors of coffee, light metal, caramel and toffee. lagaffe74 (16), Louisiana, USA Jan 23, 2009 Poured pitch black. Gorgeous aromas of chocolate and coffee which translate onto the palate. Well-balanced, with a well-hidden alcohol that makes it such a treat to drink. Has quite a "Imperial Stout" character to it. Did not have any spicy character that most WInter beers have. It’s a "plus" or "minus" depending on your taste. I really enjoyed this beer! danielcurtis81 (879), San Diego, California, USA Jan 22, 2009 Bottle (labeled "Winter Ale"). Pored a deep dark black-brown with a disappearing cream head. The dark color was surprising for a Christmas Ale (not as much if you read the description). Nose is cinnamon, chocolate, caramel, and hops. Wonderful smell as your nose pages through the tones. Flavors of caramel and malts. Mouth is a little thin and flat. Over all an above average holiday beer. Perhaps the flavors would of been a little better fresher. NosirIwont (1162), Aalborg Vestby, Denmark Jan 20, 2009 Bottle. Pours a dark reddish brown with a firm, dense light brown head. Quite nice. Slightly tart, roasted, malty aroma with pine hops mucking about. Nice, although I find it a tad cloying. Sweetish, tart flavour with roasted malts and liquorice hops. Finish is sweet with lingering roasted and apple notes. It’s like a mix of an imperial stout (or related styles) and a pale ale or ipa, although the ‘imperial stout-ness’ is dominant. Has a lot of nice individual notes when broken down but combined they seem to clash a bit; it’s not so well-balanced. Also I find it a bit cloying. All this makes for a fairly lower overall score compared to the individual scores. 21-01-09. finol (475), Nacka (Stockholm), Sweden Jan 16, 2009 Bottle from Systembolaget.
Black with a big tan head. Rosted tones, coffe and some sweetness in the aroma.
Lots of rosted malts, some smoke and chocolate in the flavour. davidpl (435), Santiago, Chile Jan 16, 2009 Thanks Omhper for this bottle.
Appearance: dark brown color. Big head, beige, dense, with good adherence to glass but quickly collapse.
Aroma: toasted, chocolate and caramel. Spicy “Christmas” aromas; also vanilla and wood.
Flavor: roasted-malty start with reminiscences of bitter chocolate, mocha and berries in chocolate. The chocolate hints and the yeasty touch remember me a chocolaty-cake. Spicy notes like clove and aniseed. The sweetness hides the alcoholic degree. Roasted aftertaste.
Palate: full body; semi-oily and creamy texture. Medium carbonation.
Remark: nice roasty and spicy profile, lightly complex and good palate. Very advisable.
DuffMan (2719), the land of bitumen, beef & beer, Alberta, Canada Jan 16, 2009 Bottle. Very dark hazy brown, dense velvety light brown head. Spicy dark caramel and cream aroma with a little coffee-- very enticing. Dark caramel, toast, subtle fruity yeast with some mild coffee bitterness in the finish. Beautifully balanced, delicious. A real treat!
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