Olde Hickory Christmas Ale

Draft at Union Jacks, served with a candy cane which I crunched on during the drive home. Clear, orange-gold with a lasting eighth-inch of foam. Aroma of caramel and apple. Flavor is the same with a touch of cinnamon and/or nutmeg. Light-medium body is watery and dryish. I guess I should have put the candy cane in the beer.

I bought the 5 Liter keg in Morganton, NC. The color and head are beautiful. Great lacing as well. I felt like it was a little on the grassy/ hay side for my tastes but an overall decent winter type beer.

pours deep amber/red. small head. spicey sweet aroma. sweet malts, light hop and some interesting spicey notes. easy drinker. nice flavors and balance.

Date: 12/20/2006
Mode: Draft
Source: Taproom

comes with a dandy cane hooked on the side of the glass, clear amber, wispy beige head, tangled lace, sweet cinamon aroma, caramel malt flavor with an increasing candy sweetness that suddenly disappears and it becomes dry, touch of spices including cinamon, light bitterness from the spices

Aroma: 6/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 6/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 11/20
Rating: 3/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: *4

I had this beer with and without the candy cane. It’s a cute addition and nice to munch on afterwards, but didn’t do much for the beer otherthan add a candy cane taste. I think it’s a fairly good beer. Had it at Sunspot, glad to hear I can find it at Half Barrell

Draught at Union Jack’s (and with no candy cane). Pours golden with lots of effervescence that makes a small white head. The aroma is pine, alcohol, some hay, and ginger. The flavor has distinct ginger with some hay and a slightly biting spicy bitterness. It fades to a bready finish. Sweet caramel notes pop out once in a while. After several sips I notice more resinous pine sap type tastes and some fruit notes. Definitely reminds me of Christmas, but I’m afraid I don’t much like this one.

Definitely a Christmasy brew. Served with a cutsey pie little candy cane hung on the side, unsuprisingly you get primarily peppermint in the nose. Golden yellow with a thin head, yet still a pretty beer. The taste is decently complex, with orange peel, honey and a bit of, what is that, ginger? Nutmeg? and of course the peppermint candy cane. I found the hoppy finish to clash with the blend of flavors, and was not altogether satisfied with the thin mouthfeel. Still, a decent winter’s brew.

Draught. Pours a darker shade of gold with not much of a head. The brew is mildly bubbly. There’s a bit of corn in the nose with hay and some cinnamon and nutmeg. It’s pretty thin in the mouth, but not too bad. Some slight hard candy sweetness and honey make up the flavor with cinnamon and other subtle spiced notes detectable in the finish. It’s just so-so for wintertime, a season that generally inspires many superior brews.