7/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 6
Texture 4
Overall 7
good aroma of cinnamon and spices. Dark brown with a dark brown head. Flavors of spice, bitter coffee, and malt. A little thin. good --- Beer merged from original tick of Christmas Ale (2003) on 05 Sep 2018 at 19:18 - Score: 7. Original review text: 12/30/03
Tried
on 30 Dec 2003
at 22:29
5.8/10
—
Appearance 4
Aroma 5
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 7
Slightly cloudy with scents of malts and a little hops.It is what it says...clean... almost too clean. Malty start with a slightly bitter palate. Not too bad but pretty generic.
Tried
on 30 Dec 2003
at 20:52
6.1/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6.5
Ahhh, anise! Poured dark red-brown, with a thin light tan head. Strong spice (anise) aroma deterred my tastebuds. Some malt complexity in the flavor, including hints of chocolate and coffee, but the anise is too strong.
Tried
on 30 Dec 2003
at 12:06
4.2/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 4
Flavor 3
Texture 6
Overall 4
I applaud the style. I applaud the wonderful lacing that speaks volumes for the quality brewing. But I can't, even out of sympathy, award this beer points for flavor. It just dosnet have much and what it has isnt good. Buttery, soapy, horribly boring. Drainpour.
Tried
from Can
on 28 Dec 2003
at 23:42
4.9/10
—
Appearance 4
Aroma 6
Flavor 4
Texture 4
Overall 5.5
Pours a cloudy beverage with huge amounts of citrus/apricot/orange/ manderine flavour. Malty scents with more citrus. Wouldn't drink more than one!
Tried
on 27 Dec 2003
at 21:55
7.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
Super dark brown in colour (85% opaque) with a medium-sized dense tan head. Aroma of spruce, pine, honey, vanilla, molasses and a strong roasted malt essence. Medium-bodied; Sweet brown sugar taste with honey and vanilla definately present with some slight oakiness noticeable. Some herbe and spruce quality in the taste also. Aftertaste somewhat bittered from coffee and roasted malt, but left complex from the herbes and spices. Overall, a nice beer-a bit better than the 2002. This is going to be interesting to see how this ages! I got this twelve ounce bottle from Haddon90, which he purchased at Whole Foods in Vienna, Virginia and sampled it on 23-December-2003. Thanks again Phil!
Tried
from Bottle
on 24 Dec 2003
at 01:51
8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 10
Overall 8.5
Burgundy-ish color, impressive beige head and lacing - aroma of cloves, nutmeg, pine - flavor starts with the nutmeg, perhaps some ginger, corriander and orange peel - then some toasty, bready flavors that make way from some hops, pine, and a creamy, almost chocolatey finish - quite a complex offering, and certainly a perfect beer for Christmas.
Tried
on 20 Dec 2003
at 16:03
6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 5
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 6
Good white head, irregular and slowly dissipating; corn colour, clear. Bit malt sweet nose. Lactic & wheat, but all very restrained. Bitterish first impression but not very potent. "Clean" taste is the most positive I could say. Thin, watery texture, slightly creamy mouthfeel. If one's very thirsty in summer, yes. Still, this is a beer I'd rather expect from the megafactories, than from the brewery that singlehanded saved American tradition.
Tried
from Can
on 19 Dec 2003
at 10:36
7.2/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 9
From a wine glass at room temp (65-70 deg F - nearly mandatory, coolness ruins this beer). Dark brown, minimal head. Light aroma of chocolate and herbs. Flavor is clean! Spices are very under-stated this year. Chocolate notes with a dry finish. Not sweet at all, with a surprisingly light body. I'd take a little more body in a winter seasonal. Nutmeg flavors skirt around the edges in this one, providing accent. Nicely done with the spices this year.
Tried
on 15 Dec 2003
at 09:39
6.4/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 5
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 3.5
After 500 ratings what else is there to say. Nice amber color with a wonderful scent. Clean and refreshing, this can be drunk at any part of the year and it will satisfy
Tried
from Can
on 12 Dec 2003
at 21:25