2.2 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 2/5 TASTE 4/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 8/20
Bottle... Cloudy caramel ale with a mid-sized, fragile, khaki head. The bouquet is a blend of caramel, apple cider, warm sweat and lactic acid. Medium to full-bodied with a lightly creamy mouthfeel and tickling carbonation. The flavor furnishes an odd assemblage of caramel and tart apple cider with a small splash of perry. Finishes flat and minerally. Infected without a doubt. Too bad. If it was apple cider, I may have enjoyed it; but it wasn’t, so I didn’t. Bottle courtesy of BBB63!
3.2 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
Not what one might expect from a Christmas ale. Pours a cloudy amber with yellowish hues. Smells malty and a bit sour. Taste is thick and full with a hint of figs maybe. Sticks to the palate a bit. Overall it is a decent brew though it does not quite conjure thoughts of Christmas
3.7 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Tap at brewery and bottle at home (bottled today) : Pours a reddish amber hue with very little head or lace, some oily legs. The aroma has notes of caramel, herbal hops, earthy yeast esters and some light allspice vapours along with a dash of oak. The taste is rich caramel and bready malts with some light smoky and earthy notes. Light but noticeable noble hop bitterness along with some oak tannin. A touch of mineral water and a common house flavor profile. The mouth feel is oily yet brash around the edges. Unless some off flavor is produced, this beer should age well for 3-6 months and gain depth. I like this quite a bit and is nicely attenuated (aka not overly sweet).
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