why are the christmas beers already out? oh well, C'est la vie!

bland. meh.

No/some lace.very malty, smooth.sweet, liquorice,plums. Mild/medium bitterness. Bbe:13/08/2027

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

330 ml bottle. Pours a dark brown with no head. Aromas of roasted barley and sugar. Flavors of licorice, powdery dark chocolate, dry roasted malts, a tiny bit of smoke and a bit of sugar. Dry bitter finish.

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 7 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

330ml bottle from The House of Trembling Madness. An amber coloured pour with a thinnish white head on top. Fruity, orange marmalade, malty, caramel, spice taste and aroma. Not at all sweet unlike most Belgian Christmas beers but does have some Belgian vibes. I certainly wouldn't call this a barley wine. It has a pleasant bitterness to it. It's actually quite an enjoyable beer.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 6 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 6.5

Sampled at Snally2024. Clear burnt orange with some white head. Malt. Nice. Above average even for the style. 6 4 6 4 13

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7

330mL bottle, pours black with a thin body and a medium beige head. Nose has medium toasted malt (wouldn't say roasted) and a touch of cocoa powder -- very light aromatics for an impie stout. Flavour is more assertive, with black liquorice, English bready malt, toasted malt, earthy bitterness, and some woodiness. Quite bitter, toasty, and liquorice-y on the finish. Thin-bodied compared to American/contemporary imperial stouts, but still a nice body -- I'm appreciating the lower residual sugar. Good.

Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7

[as Ridgeway Imperial Red Ale, 2017 vintage] Bottiglia n. 1843. All'olfatto si esprimono sentori di sottobosco. La finezza olfattiva è molto elevata, permanendo in maniera apprezzabile. Il manto birroso superiore va in rapida dispersione. La grandezza delle bollicine è a grana media. Il colore è ambrato carico tendente marrone. Il corpo è strutturato. L'amaro è medio. La forza gustativa è elevata e la persistenza è buona. Le sensazioni boccali finali risultano di birra beverina. Il retrogusto è intenso. Sulla lingua si attestano sentori di miele, crosta di panettone, frutta secca, agrumi, arancia, frutta passita, uvetta bagnata nel rum, mandorla fresca, cuoio, rabarbaro, marsala, liquirizia, vaniglia e legno.

Appearance - 5 | Aroma - 4 | Flavor - 5 | Texture - 5 | Overall - 4.5

Mild malziger Beginn. Cremig, milde Herbe, wässrig röstig, zunehmende Bitterkeit. Kurzer Abgang. Meh. 8/6/8/6/7/6

Appearance - 6 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 6 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 6.5

Dark reddish brown beer with a beige head. Aroma of red fruits, dark moderate roasted malt, nuts. Taste of roasted dark malt, caramel, chocolate, nuts, moderate bitterness.