drpimento (785), La Crosse, Wisconsin, USA Dec 18, 2007 Not a huge fan of spice beers, but this one is substantially better than the rest. Pours with a big dark tan frothy foamy head. Plenty of lace. The spice is definite but yet balanced with some good bitterness. Some sweetness there too. The finish is good with the flavor not too heavy. Not quite a session beer. Had this one on draft at Bodega Brew Pub downtown La Crosse, Wis USA. They have bottles of the ’06 & ’07 as well. grikmok (92), Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA Dec 18, 2007 Pours to a frothy, off-white, thick head. The aroma was complex and actually had a hint of eucalyptus spice. Flavor was complex and spicy. The finish was yeasty. Had a very good experience. Will definitely buy again. mwelsh13 (483), Maryland, USA Dec 18, 2007 Deep brown, almost opaque pour. "Guiness" type head. Laces nicely around the glass. Bread like and spice aroma. Dry on the tongue, almost astringent. Nice full mouth feel with a tart aftertaste. Cinnamon/nutmeg/ginger taste. Hops bitterness more in the aftertaste than in the initial. Almost a slick taste to it. Not undesirable, just not expected. I definitely liked 2006 more. Wish I would have kept more of it. But, this was a nice beer overall. nimbleprop (819), SouthWest, Washington, Washington DC, USA Dec 18, 2007 2007 Vintage out of a magnum. Poured a watery, translucent deep brown with purple hues and a foamy, lasting white head, Aroma was mild, spice, yeast, heavy malts and dried/dark fruit. Flavor was similar, dark fruits, heavy malt, also touches of biscuit, grain, and cookie spice. Finish was watery, mild and dry. Drank the 2004 in the same night and this was no where close to the ’04, but this was a well balanced, drinkable holiday beer. Egon (392), Gothenburg, Sweden Dec 18, 2007 Draught. Black, small white head. Spicy and dry. The spices dominate, maybe a bit too much? Is it ginger? Medium body. Interesting beer but some might not like it due to the Christmas spices. jeg (115), Austin, Texas, USA Dec 17, 2007 Very spicy armoa and taste, ruby black color. Cloves cloves everywhere. Nicer than I would have thought after hearing how spicy this was. fattibobatti (246), Tallahassee, Florida, USA Dec 17, 2007 sampled at liquorloft tallahassee. poured black with lots of carbonation, reminds me of soda. aroma is light but still pleasant mix of christmas herbs, nutmeg and something sweet. taste is much more defined, it took me a second but i found it to be gingerbread cookies in the finish. the start is a spices and bread. body is watery and the most unpleasant aspect. Proteus (98), Finland Dec 17, 2007 2007 bottle. Dark brown with a light brown and thick head. I can’t really get a distinct aroma from the beer, very malty and some spicy hints (almost like raisins) aroma. The aroma does evolve to something close to tar during the drinking experience but doesn’t give anything special. Flavor is a deep mixture of malt and spicy bitterness, the hops are at a good level here. Also coffee and chestnut are some of the tastes I can put my finger on. Although it should be a seasonal drink I see it as a normal brown ale but it’s got a bit of more freshness in it. Interesting but nothing special.
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