Christmas Ale
Bell's Brewery in Galesburg, Michigan, United States 🇺🇸
Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy Winter|
Score
6.94
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Note: This is different from the 5.5% abv Christmas Ale that was previous brewed. The recipe was completely revamped in 2017.
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tnkw01 (4030) reviewed Christmas Ale from Bell's Brewery 8 months ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Bottle. Medium to deep brown with a smal head. Aroma has hints of roasted grains and caramel. Taste was also roasted grains and caramel but not overpoweringly sweet. Nice.
kristincedar (7053) ticked Christmas Ale from Bell's Brewery 11 months ago
ironprog (310) reviewed Christmas Ale from Bell's Brewery 1 year ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
This review was imported from my RateBeer ratings.
12 oz. bottle
7.5% ABV
Best by: 04MAY25
$11.29 6-pk @ Publix
AROMA: Moderately sweet with moderate scents of malt and caramel. I find it to have a very welcoming nose that makes me want to dive right into the tasting aspect.
APPEARANCE: Pours an somewhat-translucent dark-brown with a tinge of red. The head is coarsely frothy, 2-fingers high, dirty-tan in color, and dissipates moderately fast with mild lacing. I wish the head lasted longer, but otherwise, a fine looking beer.
TASTE: Moderately sweet with a moderate amount of sharpness. I get mild-to-moderate flavors of dark caramel, malt, and plum. At the very end of the finish, I also get just a hint of sour lemon. Normally, I don't like to end on a sour note, but in this case I actually enjoyed it. Mostly because the sour was subtle and it helped to bring just a touch of brightness to the overall flavor profile.
MOUTHFEEL: Medium-bodied with a mostly smooth texture. The finish is moderately dry and the carbonation is fairly lively (i.e. above average).
OVERALL: Other than a head that dissipates a little too quickly for my tastes, I can find little to criticize. Well, I guess there is one other minor quibble and that is, I don't find anything "Christmasy" about the beer. Am I upset by that, or feel misled? Absolutely not! It's a well crafted beer that tastes delicious. I just don't find any reason for it to be seasonal, as I would happily buy it year-round.
BTW, If you want to get the best experience from this beer then I would suggest letting the beer warm to at least 60 degrees F. Any colder and the aromas and flavors are just too muted to get much enjoyment from the beer. The only downside to letting it warm up is that the aroma and flavor of alcohol also get amplified. Thankfully, they don't become overpowering. So it's a trade-off I'm willing to make.
STEFAN (620) reviewed Christmas Ale from Bell's Brewery 1 year ago
Appearance - 7 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 7 | Overall - 7.5
12 oz bottle. pour a clear reddish brown color with a small off white head. Aroma of toffee and plums. Taste is toffee, coffee and plums. Palate is medium with soft carbonation. finishes short and dry with lingering fruits. Overall: Decent but fell somewhat short of expectations.
Theydon_Bois (45766) reviewed Christmas Ale from Bell's Brewery 1 year ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7
Panda at home, thanks to the Wingmane, 20/01/24. Rich chestnut brown with a beige cap that escapes to the edge. Nose is dark malts, light brown sugar dusting, almond, toffee, fruit esters. Taste comprises toasted brown sugars, toffee, dates, light spice, brown bread, biscuit, herb. Medium bodied, fine carbonation, semi drying close. Decent enough for the style
WingmanWillis (38005) ticked Christmas Ale from Bell's Brewery 1 year ago
Gripweed57 (8703) reviewed Christmas Ale from Bell's Brewery 2 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
12 ounce bottle. Mahogany brown color. Firm, pillowy tan head. Mildly sweet, toasted malt aroma has a hint of dark fruit. First sip is toasty, nutty and chocked full of dark, dried fruits. Added notes of caramel, cocoa and lingering bitterness. Amazingly well balanced. Soft mouthfeel. Finishes with a touch of pine. The absence of holiday spices make this a a unique and distinctive Christmas offering. Tremendous.
radagast83 (13439) reviewed Christmas Ale from Bell's Brewery 2 years ago
Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7
Bottle. Dark caramel pour, with a medium off-white head. Aroma was light hops, mild citrus, sweet malts. Nice and crisp, decent stuff for a style I don't really enjoy all that much.
drpimento (5889) reviewed Christmas Ale from Bell's Brewery 2 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5
A gift from friend PB, thanks man! Aromas are caramel, dark malt, a little bit of toast. Flavors are somewhat similar to nose, add in a little fruit and some metallic. Good balance between bitter, sweet and carbonation. Decent but not great.
dwest (2892) reviewed Christmas Ale from Bell's Brewery 2 years ago
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
bottle - sampled years ago, forgot about - tried again. Solid Winter/Scotch ale - good flavor.