Sly Fox Christmas Ale

Brewed by Sly Fox Brewhouse
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Royersford and Phoenixville, Pennsylvania USA

Orange-red pour with an off white head. Aroma of spices, yeast, musty malt and candied fruit. Flavors of cinnamon, nutmeg...almost like a candied pumpkin pie. Medium body, spicy with a spicy/malty finish.

Name: Christmas
Date: 06/07/2006
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting
Vintage: 2005

cloudy dark amber, thin fine beige head, sweet spiced cinimon and nutmeg aroma, lots of spiced flavor, gritty brown suggar sweetness, long spiced bitter finish

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 13/20
Rating: 3.4/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **+/4
-------- /> Name: Christmas
Date: 03/14/2007
Mode: Bottle
Source: Tasting
Vintage: 2006

clear dark amber, frothy beige head, sweet spiced malt aroma with plenty of cinamon, rich dark caramel malt flavor, touch of sweetness, lots of spices, a yeasty bread character blends in very nicely with the spices to create a spiced Christmas cake

Aroma: 7/10; Appearance: 7/10; Flavor: 7/10; Palate: 6/10; Overall: 14/20
Rating: 3.5/5.0
Drinkability: 7/10
Score: **4

July 2005 - First off, I typically do NOT like these seasonal spiced beers...but this was really good. Poured a beautiful amber color with a nice foamy head. A perfect balance of spices, malt and hops. Not over the top like so many others of its kind. Cinnamon and other spices were a warm reminder of the holiday seasons...this stuff is like Xmas in a bottle! Rerate Nov 2006 - Not nearly as good as last year’s version. Spices seem much more harsh with much more cinnamon and coriander. Less subtle and less hard to finish. Had to downgrade this one a bit.

2006 vintage. Red-brown body, thick, creamy buff head. This bottle was shaken (thankfully not stirred) in a vehicle for about a week, joining me on trips to the UP’s finest patterned peatlands, cedar swamps, red pine forests, and granite outcrops, and then, finally, to my glass (hotel cup). I think the cork shot through the ceiling, but there was no Mulholland Drive-style yelp from the room above. The aroma is classic holiday fare, with abundant spices; nutmeg is what I pick up the most strongly. Malty body with strong but not overwhelming spices, again including nutmeg; cinnamon also abundant. There is a cider-like quality to this beer due to the spices used. Chewy, creamy mouthfeel. 750 mL is a bit much to drink, but the cork wouldn’t let me save this to share, so I’ll try...

Aroma of some rich and maltiness with a lot of spice to it. Pretty sweet but a little tastey. Had a little off flavors. Not one that I could drink a lot of.

750 ml bottle. Pours an amber color with a thick foamy brownish beige head. Strong ginger aroma with hints of nutmeg and cinnamon. Taste is very gingery with hints of nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon. Not a big fan of these ginger flavored ales.

Amber brown with off-brown head. Big nose of all spice and ginger. Flavor is big on the spices, with a medium body. Very spicey, too much ginger for my taste, yet a very good spiced ale.

Medium brown body. Medium palate. Aroma is mostly caramel malt with a hint of cinnamon and cloves. Taste is sweet caramel malst with those same spices from the aroma showing up again. Not bad at all for a Christmas brew.