Fra flaske, DSJT på Cardinal nov-13: Aroma av malt og krydder. Hovedinntrykket er at bitterheten (einer?) dominerer over maltsødmen. Ganske mykt karbonert.Tørr avslutning. Må prøves på nytt, synes den var litt i slankeste laget.

500 ml bottle, batch #645, from Helgø MENY Jørpeland. ABV is 4.5%. Cloudy and very dark reddish brown colour, moderate beige head. .Malty and roasty aroma, notes of chocolate and wood (esp. juniper). Dry flavour, malty and woody character. Not something I will buy again, as HaandBryggeriet’s stronger Yule ales are so much better.

Rødbrun i fargen med beige skum. Malt karamellukt. Medium kullsyre, lite bitter.

06.11.2013, 0,5l bottle @ home:
Nice creamy mediumlasting head. Aroma is slightly spiced and roasted, dark malts, ginger, chocolate, caramel, raisins, dark sugar, hints of coffee and nuts. Taste is slightly burnt dark malts, thin coffee, burnt caramel, grass, ashtray, hints of dark fruits and butterscotch. Medium bitterness, thin mouthfeel. Fair enough, a little disappointing taste.

50cl bottle from Meny Lambertseter. Pours dark brown with a small, tan head. Malty and spicy aroma with some roasty notes and hints of chocolate, hops and dried fruits. Moderate sweet with nice Christmas flavours and a nice and balanced bitterness. Medium body with fairly average carbonation. Nice Christmas beer.

First rating: Medium beige head. Hazy barely translucent deep dark red body. Earthy vanilla fudge aroma with spicy notes. Dry-sweet spicy earthy taste with caramelly juniper notes. Mid-bodied. Mild, soft, smooth mouthfeel. Dryish juniper and spruce aftertaste with roasty grainy spicy notes. Nice, and unusual with the juniper and spruce character. Perhaps a little austere and sharp for a Christmas beer, but still nice. (0.5l bottle, from Meny Strømmen.) 6,4,7,3,13=3.3

Second rating: Big beige head. Hazy brown body with strong carbonation. Dusty grainy syrup aroma with toffee, butterscotch and rye crisp bread notes. Sweetish spicy fruity herbal taste with rye crisp bread notes. Thinnish body. Mild, soft, mealy mouthfeel. Dryish fruity spicy aftertaste with lingering herbal notes. Nice, drinkable, but perhaps a bit much spice that are not as harmonic as they could be. (0.5l bottle, from Meny Oslo City. Batch #639.) 6,4,3,6,12=3.1

Bottle 500ml @ Geokkjer
Pours hazy brown with a off-white head. Aroma has notes of malt, chocolate and some mild christmas spices. Taste is medium sweet and light bitter with a chocolate finish. Body is light to medium, texture is thin to oily, carbonation is soft.

Flott brunaktig farge med ett visst rødlig skjær. Lett lusebrunt hode som ender opp i ett tynt lag. Ikke så mye gardin virksomhet dessverre. Masse julekrydderier i aromaen. Medium kropp med en viss søtlighet. Mild bitterhet og litt oljete munnfølelse. God karbonering. Julekrydder og hamp i smaken. Hamp er ikke min favoritt. Ellers ganske balansert og fin til å være 4,5%.
[Flaske fra Meny Begby i Fredrikstad. Batch #642]