On tap at New Albanian, pours a hazy amber with a small beige head. Aroma brings out lots of Christmas spices upfront, with cinnamon and nutmeg especially. Flavour is a spice bomb, with shitloads of nutmeg, clove and cinnamon. Thick malty body that gives way to the spices. Not my thing, but it's done well.

bottle - Pours deep red with a small off-white head. It has a very malt rich aroma with caramel and some dark fruit. The flavor is very sweet with some spice and unfortunately a slight off sour note too. It’s mostly just sweet. Good.

Bottle. Amber body with an off-white head. Aroma of spice, nutmeg, cinnamon, toasted grain. The flavor is moderately sweet and lightly bitter. It finishes lightly to moderately sweet and lightly to moderately bitter. Medium body, watery texture, lively carbonation. All the elements of a Christmas ale are here — the spices, the warming alcohol, the sweetness. They just aren’t working together. Raw grain taste trips over the forced spicing. The watery texture doesn’t help the spicing at all. And then there’s a vegetable taste in the finish.

Tap at Bank Street location. Banana, ginger, nutmeg aroma. Clear copper with a small white head, light lacing. Spicy/clove, toasty, dry banana, bready flavor with a subtle bitterness. Medium creamy body.

Draft. Nutmeg, ginger and banana malt aroma. Amber with small head. Nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, yeast and light banana malt flavor. Pretty good.