mabel (2530), Toronto, Ontario, Canada Jan 6, 2008 Updated: Apr 10, 2009[854-20071124] 12floz (Vintage 2006, w/ jerc). Strange old musty booze aroma with dog paw and burnt grain hints. Black body with a quick creamy curry-tan head. Christmas spicy coffee malt flavour seems like it has an invisible stick of cinnamon resting in the glass. Medium-full body. Interesting but not impressive. (6/3/7/3/14) 3.3
[1893B-20081206] Tap. Mild spicy Christmas fruits and rum and sweet toasty yeast aroma. Clear, dark brown red body with a long-lasting creamy off-white head. Sweet caramelized leaves and mild spices and honey and grainy yeast bread and mild perfume in the flavour. Medium body. Repeatable, enjoyable. (7/4/7/4/15) 3.7
(Vintage 2008 @ Cole’s; Buffalo, NY) Ghett0Gary (23), Belmar, New Jersey, USA Jan 5, 2008 Dark and Dense out of the bottle. This busty brew is just a lonely man needs on a cold winters night. A minty flavor that reflects the availability of the brew. Happy Holidays! JoeinUccle (902), Brussels, Belgium Jan 4, 2008 The 2007 version, on tap at Delirium Tremens in Brussels of all places. Pours thickly dark brown with a golden-beige head. Dark, bitter and malty with a light and lively mouthfeel. A touch of rye-like sourness. Dry and refreshing. The bitterness of the roasted malts melds perfectly with the reasonable hops. Delicious and refreshing result. I was very happy with this one. bleeng (587), Spring near Beersel, Texas, USA Jan 4, 2008 2007 version. Thick full white head on top of a dark, almost opaque beer. Nose of pine cones, spices, like a clear, cold winter day in the Rocky Mts. Taste is sweet, tangy, a bit hoppy with a nice malt background. Of course the pine cones and spices overwhelm this beer. A bit over-carbonated and the finish is a bit thin. One is enough. These are best aged for at least one year. cgarvieuk (4159), Edinburgh, Scotland Jan 4, 2008 Bottle at home 2006 ...Deep black colour ... lots of spiced tones in the nose but definitly cinnamon ... yeast base with soft spices ... cardamon ... cinnamon ... cloves ... then some burnt roast and bitter dark chocolate in the linger. elmatador00 (518), j-action-ville, North Carolina, USA Jan 2, 2008 06 Magnum. Shared with some friends during 08 new year. Pours a dark cloudy brown with a creamy tan head. Has excellent lacing. Hints of sweet potato pie (cinnamon, nutmeg, honey) some hop, lots of malt. Finishes thick with a creamy spice taste on the tongue. Slipstream (734), USA Jan 2, 2008 Updated: Jan 3, 2008This was not called "Our Special Ale" - this was the Merry Christmas Ale 2007, and I had a 12 ounce bottle. Dark brew with a nice, fluffy head. Cool-looking label that has a drawing of a tree on it. It is a tastefully hopped ale with a light-medium malt backing. There are hints of grass and pine. It is full-bodied, but still mellow, and the finish is dry and hoppy. Definitely out of the ordinary. I tasted some similarity to Stone’s ales. pforei (338), USA Jan 1, 2008 Dark brown with thick brown head. Great aroma of cinnamon and nutmeg pie crust and other spices that I can’t put my finger on. Smells like the holiday season. Caramel malty flavor with a slight chocolate tinge. Beer has the backbone of a mild old ale with pumpkin ale style spice. Not overly sweet. Thin to medium body. Dry finish.
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