Alley Kat Happy Holidays

Brewed by Alley Kat Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Edmonton, Canada

Serve in Lager glass, Tumbler

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Free bottle courtesy of Sherbrooke and Alley Kat. Dull copper with a thin skiff that leaves behind roapy lacing. Aroma has muted apple with Christmas spices, clove, cinnamon. Aroma is not unpleasant but not that appealing either, it seems watered down or something. Taste is similar but that after taste is real good. Liquidy apple cinnamon with a hot cross bus like malt. Some spicy raisin, very lite sour finish. The after almost seems to have more flavor then the actual taste. Cloves are really starting show up now when warmer. This beer kind of started out like a train wreck but is finishing really full and tasty. This brew needs to be thicker.

Can’t find my specific notes on this beer. Just realized trolling the Alley Kay beer list that I never logged my rating!! Heaven forbid... I do remember that it was like all other holiday beers to me in the sense that there are too many spices and too much vanilla cinnamon shit going on for me to really get into it. I did think it was better (i.e. more subtle) than other holiday ale’s I’ve enjoyed. I thought it was a good version of the style but it didn’t win me over as a big supporter of said style.

Pours an amber-light ruby, fairly clear with a light stream of carbonation that forms a very thin head. Aroma is plenty of spice, freshly ground nutmeg, little clove, some grassiness, little citrus, light bit of sweet molasses there too, but predominantly spice. Taste is very clean, some lemon sweetness, a lot of nutmeg, coriander, and touch of clove. There’s some light grassy hop and a nice bready malt character, but the fruit esters aren’t Belgian-like or anything. The finish is nutmeg and coriander. No alcohol presence at all. Mouth feel is thinner, with a nice carbonation, again making it drastically different from a Belgian. Despite some of the rather spicy flavours here this is a really clean and refreshing brew.

650ml brown bottle, thanks to Little Guy Liquor Store in Sherwood Park, and Alley Kat. Slightly hazy pour, golden in colour. The head is white and thick, a solid 2 fingers in height and leaves decent lacing behind. Pleasant aromatic nose with a ton of cloves, light lemon and background caramel sweetness. Taste has clove notes, lemon peels, nice toasted malts, grains. Dry grainy finish. Average in body and carbonation. Overall this was a pleasant, undemanding spiced ale that doesn’t get too heavy.

650ml bottle pours a deep amber color with a small white head and some surprisingly nice lacing. Aroma is dominated by spices. Taste is more dominant with some malty sweetness and pleasant hoppy bitterness finishing with the spices. Light to medium body and light carbonation. An average winter seasonal at best.