Christmas Ale
(has 4 batches)
Harvey's Brewery in Lewes, East Sussex, England 🏴
Barley Wine - Barley Winter|
Score
7.09
|
|
Harvey’s Brewery Christmas Ale is a strong dark barley wine is reminiscent of the strong ‘stock ales’ drunk during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and should be treated with respect. Warm the soul with this award-winning beer which embodies the essence of Christmas spirit.
Sign up to add a tick or review
7.8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 8
Bottle. Dark reddish-amber color with a thin off-white head. Aroma of vanilla, dark fruit, and sweet malt. Sweet malt flavor with a fruitcake/candied fruit finish. Sherry like tones - rich and complex. I’d think that if you’d like barrel aged beers, you’ll like this. Very good.
Tried
from Bottle
on 27 Jan 2005
at 23:35
7/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
I have really liked everything I’ve had from this brewery, and this beer is no exception, though I must say it seems like this beer and their Elizabethan ale may well be the same thing - deep garnet in color, with minimal carbonation and just a hint of lace - mildly alcoholic aroma, with vinous qualities, brown sugar and a hint of rum - oily mouthfeel with a medium body - light brandy flavors at first, then plum and dates, christmas cookies (rum balls to be exact), bready qualities and a touch of rolled oats - finish has a bit of hop bitterness, which doesn’t quite compliment the other flavors of the beer, but doesn’t really ruin the enjoyment either - good, but there are far better Christmas ales out there.
Tried
on 27 Nov 2004
at 20:39
7/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottled, 275ml bottle, alc. 8.1%
Drinking Christmas ale in August was ... interesting. Dark nut brown. Brown head with big bubbles. Clove, prunes - a kind of pudding aroma. Low carbonation. Spicey with bitter aftertaste: hints of clove and cinnamon. Some alcoholic kick in the middle reveals high ABV. Similar to George Cale Christmas Ale but not so yeasty. (6/4/4/2/10 2.6).
Re-rate in 2006, bottle, most likely 2002 vintage. Dark muddy brown, small tan head. Toffeish, light oxidation in the aroma. Wineous, full bodied, toffeish flavor. (7/4/8/4/16 3.9)
Re-rated in 2007, same batch than previous ones
Sherry-like outstandingly drinkable liquerish palate. Raisins. prunes and dark bread. (8/4/8/4/16 4.0)
Drinking Christmas ale in August was ... interesting. Dark nut brown. Brown head with big bubbles. Clove, prunes - a kind of pudding aroma. Low carbonation. Spicey with bitter aftertaste: hints of clove and cinnamon. Some alcoholic kick in the middle reveals high ABV. Similar to George Cale Christmas Ale but not so yeasty. (6/4/4/2/10 2.6).
Re-rate in 2006, bottle, most likely 2002 vintage. Dark muddy brown, small tan head. Toffeish, light oxidation in the aroma. Wineous, full bodied, toffeish flavor. (7/4/8/4/16 3.9)
Re-rated in 2007, same batch than previous ones
Sherry-like outstandingly drinkable liquerish palate. Raisins. prunes and dark bread. (8/4/8/4/16 4.0)
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Aug 2004
at 13:08
6.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Undated bottle. Thick, syrupy looking dark brown pour. Some red hues on the edges, light oranges as well. Small diminishing off-white head. Lightly bubbly. Aroma of dry barley, lots of raisins, prunes, brown sugar, alcohol and sweet cherries. Touch of hops adds some nice earthiness. Flavor is heavily sweet, prunes, figs, raisins and sweet black cherries. Not seeing much balancing bitterness and not much alcohol noticeable either. Mouthfeel is very flat, lightly thin, only a medium body, a touch syrupy.
Tried
from Bottle
on 06 Jun 2004
at 16:05
6.6/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 5.5
Pours a dark brown with almost no head. looks like molasses. Flavor is burn sugar and carmel that turns into a very thick swallow.
Tried
on 07 May 2004
at 21:39
8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
The aroma is lovely; sweet with notes of caramel, cloves, and bread. The color is a deep red and it has a small though disappearing beige head. The flavor is sweet too with notes of caramel, yeast, roasted bread, and alcohol running over the tongue. The end is slightly bitter.
Tried
on 15 Feb 2004
at 11:42
8.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8.5
2017-11-21, bottle bb Mar04, ~15 years old, 5-3-4-1-7=20
Leather, old bloke, wet wood. Flat, with bready and leathery malts, some wood in the final.
Definitively too old.
2004-01-10, bottle, 8-4-8-5-17=42
Amber color. Fruity hop aroma (Cascade-like). Strong, sweet, malty, oranges… Almost an IPA. The only really good one by Harvey's, I had so far.
Tried
from Bottle
on 13 Jan 2004
at 02:59
6.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Not sure what vintage I sampled; the beer was most likely bottled in the late 1990s. Poured dark red, similar to red grape juice, with a thin tan head. Syrupy fruitiness, woody notes, and yeast evident in the aroma along with alcohol. Flavor was fruity and woody, finished by fairly strong bittering hops. Some caramel. Alcohol was notable. I found the flavor profile too muddled for my liking, and the mouthfeel was rough.
Tried
from Bottle
on 23 Dec 2003
at 12:55
5/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 4
Texture 4
Overall 5
Dark ruby brown with absolutely no head or lacing. Pungeant alcohol and caramel aroma. Thick and syrupy body with a strong plum and sherry flavor. Even sipping this one made it difficult to drink. Either this does not age well or I just don't like it. The finish is strong alcohol and is a little oily. Not impressed at all with this one.
Tried
on 16 Oct 2003
at 09:02
5.2/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 5
Thick sweet and syrupy.Light fruit notes.Not much else other then the alcohol heat.
Tried
on 27 Dec 2002
at 21:10