Shepherd Neame Christmas Ale 2002 - 2005

Taster at DØ, Aarhus Syd. Bottled, 171208. Strong Vintage 2004. Amber with white head. Aroma and flavor of chocolate and dried fruit.

Bottle. 2005 version. Medium head with medium duration. Color is clear amber. Aroma and taste are fruits, malt and hops.

Bottle (50 cl) from Systembolaget. Sampled in January 2006. Clear amber with a medium off-white head. Fruity and caramelly aroma with subtle notes of figs and prunes, and floral tropical fruits. Medium bodied with creamy mouthfeel. Niceley balanced with a bitter edge. A personal favourite but not really a Christmas Ale.

500ml bottle (Gallow Bird, Espoo, Winter Ales 2004) 2004 vintage. Smooth and tasty, belies its 6.0%. Not particularly christmassy, but a good strong ale.

I have tasted both the 2004 and the 2005. Dark amber with a niche head. The aroma is typical "Shepherd Neame" with aroma hops and fruit + notes of malt/caramel. The flavour is light considering, that this is a christmas beer. It’s tasty, but not a winter warmer og Christmas Ale and the flavour has notes of roasted malt, fruit, orange, but I cannot find the mango. Nice, but not very "Christmassy"...

[Tasted in 2003.] A good beer at that time, but now I think I’ll buy something else instead. But then it was good and the notes were: High drinkability with its easy sweetness. A true swallower.

2005 bottle, opened in March 2007. Lovely fruit flavour, ripe oranges and mangoes. Some candy sugar and spiciness, too. Well balanced with bitterness from the hops, this is a beer with a full aroma with lots of complexity. Wish I had another bottle!

Bottle. 2005. Golden colour with a rather small white head. Aroma of some roasted malts, fruity hops and some sweetness. The flavour is caramellic sweet with a nice bitter hoppiness and some roasty maltiness. Bitter bit spicy well lasting finish.