Christmas Ale
Harvey's Brewery in Lewes, East Sussex, England 🏴
Barley Wine - Barley Winter|
Score
7.09
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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.
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7/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8
Bottle shared thanks to Worldbeertaste. Pours clear brown with a small bubbly beige head. Aroma of Christmas spice, dark fruit, malts, caramel. Flavor is over moderate sweet and light to moderate bitter. Medium bodied with soft carbonation.
Tried
from Bottle
on 07 Jan 2014
at 13:52
7/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
Bottle. Clear mahogany with a minimal beige head. Sweet brown bread and boozy dark fruit aroma. Sweet prune, chewy brown bread, and light alcohol flavor. Medium body, soft/flat carbonation.
Tried
from Bottle
on 01 Jan 2014
at 09:57
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Bottle. Tart apple, raisin, and bready malt aroma. Hazy amber with minimal head. Sweet raisin and brown sugar malt and mild alcohol flavor. Light tart apple finish. Very nice.
Tried
from Bottle
on 30 Dec 2013
at 20:16
7.1/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
Brown-red in the glass, nose is caramel and sweet dark malt. The beer starts sweet, malty and smooth. More like a Scotch Ale. The malty sweet taste continues, a slightly bitter note fits in well. The aftertaste is long, bitter, sweet-smooth, nice malty and round.
a nice Christmas beer, but for me a bit too sweet. But for the 8,1% (which don’t result in something sharp or alcoholic) a great brew!
--> 12/12/10/11
a nice Christmas beer, but for me a bit too sweet. But for the 8,1% (which don’t result in something sharp or alcoholic) a great brew!
--> 12/12/10/11
Tried
on 24 Dec 2013
at 13:50
6.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Cask @ the Wharf, Aalborg. Clear dark brown with an off-white head. Aroma is sweet, malty, caramel, dark fruit and a little alcohol. Flavor is quite sweet and moderate bitter. Dry and moderate bitter finish with a little warming alcohol. 231213
Tried
from Cask
on 23 Dec 2013
at 11:02
5.9/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 5
Flavor 5
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
Cloudy brown with almost no head. Aroma of caramel and ginger. Dried fruit, caramel taste. Sweet with a bitter raisin finish. Not bad, but starting to oxidize and a bit flat.
Tried
on 29 Oct 2013
at 15:10
7/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 8
New Beer Distributors, NY 33cl ($5): Pours a murky mahogany with a tiny head that forms a second or two after your finish the pour (i.e. very low carbonation). Aroma is like a coke float with rum in it. Taste is kind of like soda, with a more organic fruitiness to it. It ain’t as sweet as I expected, but is still plenty sweet. Some sugary aftertaste. This is an interesting take on the barley wine methinks.
Tried
on 23 Jan 2013
at 21:14
7.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 7.5
Bottle at home (Harvey’s online) - 13/11/12 @7.5% ABV. Pours a clear dark chestnut with a thin tan head that soon dissipates to the edges and forms a small swirl atop the glass. Nose comprises sweet toffee, figs, fruit loaf bread, brown sugars, touch of wood and a little booze. Tastes of rich dark fruits, prunes, dates, Xmas Pudd flavours, touch of wood, little sign of the 7.5% alcohol. Fine carbonation, great feel, smooth and slightly warming. This beer grew on me as I allowed it to warm. It was from the outhouse which can be a little chilly in November, hence ideal for storing beers, but came into its own as it warmed. A decent low cost bottle!
Tried
from Bottle
on 13 Nov 2012
at 13:29
6.9/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottle at the Copenhagen Beer Celebration Tune-Up, London. I think bottle came from the generous Duff, from RateBeer. Pours clear amber with a fine film. Medium sweet flavor with some caramel. Medium sweet. Medium to full in body with fine carbonation. Sweet finish with caramel and mild fruits. It’s fine. Good beer.
Tried
from Bottle
on 31 Jul 2012
at 14:36
7.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Bottle at my Pre-CBC Tune-Up Tasting, big thanks to the legendary Duff for pulling these Harveys out of the bag.... It pours deep amber, with a thin off-white head. The nose is spice, caramel, dark fruit, citrus peel and maple syrup. The taste is fig, raisin, currant, spice, Christmas cake, tanginess, brown sugar and alcohol warmth in the finish. Medium body and fine carbonation. A pretty good winter warmer.
Tried
from Bottle
on 09 May 2012
at 04:37