3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 17/20Maybe the best feature of this beer is the aroma, which smacks of black cherries. Pours with a fantastic thick head that lasts, and a great reddish, chestnut color. The taste is somewhat on the dry side for me, and it is mostly clean malt with a some interesting but I think too subtle background complexities along the lines of cherries and a hint of dark chocolate. Overall, I like it, but there are so many winter ales that I like much more, so this one will likely not be in my fridge again.
3.7 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
Bottle. Pours cloudy darkish brown with stable light tan head. Dark aroma of malt, caramel, dried fruit and spices, possibly aniseed. Roasty, malty flavour, keeping a fair amount of bitterness towards the end, enriched by a touch of dried cranberries towards the end. Dryish aftertaste. Good.
3.3 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
Bottle 0.355l at Pivo, Oulu. BBE 7/2013 (propably). 2011 edition. Colour is brown with brownish white small head. Aromas and flavours: Chocolate, spices, sweetness and roasted malts.
3.4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
2010 Vintage
A - Pours a light cola color with a 1 finger khaki head.
S - Brown sugar, prunes, candied ham, roasted malt, sorghum, maraschino cherries, smashed sesame seeds, wood. Some sour notes. It smells like a Christmas ham.
T - Brown sugar and dark malt mixes with salty nuts. Prunes and other dark fruits reside in the background. Spiced oranges come out as it warms. A sour bitterness cuts in on the finish.
M - Medium bodied but on the thin side.
It really smells like a cooked Christmas ham. Lots of interesting flavors. I could not drink more than 1 or 2 in a row.
Serving type: bottle
01-02-2011
3.4 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 13/20
Láhev 355 ml. 2012 Christmas Ale. Po nalití má pivo tmavě rudou barvu, krásnou pro oko, pěna je vysoká zlatohnědá s jemnými až středně velkými bublinkami, poměrně držící. Aroma připomíná jemnou kávu s bonbóny, také pomerančová kůra a jiné koření, velmi zajímavá kombinace. Chuťově je pivo opravdu originální, příjemná chuť kávy snoubená s pomerančovou kůrou a banánem doplněná hořkostí připomínající slabší kávu a dotažená kyselejším závěrem. Jedná se o velmi zajímavé pivo, originální a výjimečné.
3.5 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 13/20
Very dark ruby-brown. Aroma of sweet caramel malts, hops and subtle spices. Taste is sweet malt and spices with a slight bitterness on the finish. Medium bodied. Good holiday stuff.
3.8 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
Nice beer, solid Anchor quality with enjoyable hint of spices. Quite easy to drink due to use of special spicies.
3.7 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 16/20
(2011 Bottle) Very dark red/brown with white head. Aroma of sweet bread, some cinnamon and cloves Taste is similar to aroma with sweet winter spices.
3.4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
2012 Giant Bottle. Complex in the spice mix with the malts and hops. I’d like to age this.
4.4 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 18/20
Dark red, almost black beer. Creamy head that lingers.
Great beer, lots of berries, blackcurrant?
2.8 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 4/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20
(2012) Weird, interesting beer. Indeed, almost every aspect of the beer surprised me! Much darker than expected, though a lightly colored head. Necco wafers (!), berried hard candy and a touch of juniper in the smell, along with some mellow but certain root beer action. Summarily, smells like a root beer Necco wafer. None-the-less, not too sweet, nor junipery in the flavor. That being said, definitely on the sweeter side, but even as a guy who shies from such, I’m enjoying this one. Actually a pretty enjoyable flavor, if not a bit confusing. Indeed, this is a good example of a beer with a heavily accented flavor that is still well-balanced in it’s overall taste. Mouthfeel was a bit sparse, and aftertaste suffered in comparison to the flavor, but these weren’t detriments. My only complaint is that it never really occurred to me what I was drinking. Which, come to think of it, isn’t necessarily a complaint.
Off to work on this very large bottle.
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