4.4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 18/20
Dark hazy copper-garnet, med thick beige head. Fruity aroma. Rich and malty with caramel and chocolate notes. Full mouthfeel. Spicy hop notes and a pungent finish. Lingering bitterness. Really really good.
3.8 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
UPDATED: NOV 30, 2008 2002 bottle: Absolutely wonderful. Beautiful cloudy, dark amber color with a head that rises like a biscuit. Spicy both in the nosing and on the palate. Much more developed than last years IMHO. My 2nd christmas seasonal of the year and possibley the best.
4.4 AROMA 10/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
tasty and strong
100
4.3 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 5/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 18/20
UPDATED: NOV 12, 2003 2003: Pours a cloudy cherry color, fine tan head sits atop, absolutely beautiful. Laces like a mutha, all the way down the glass. Smells a bit porter-ish, but with a lot more fruit involved. Tastes like a belgian ale on the front, ends like a porter. Nice smooth palate, not as creamy as possible, but sufficient. Fantastic flavor, warming alchohol, who could ask for more. Very, very good.
3.2 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
Doesn’t live up to the quality of some other boulevard brews. Didn’t get the molasses. I did taste some sweetness that I atribute to apricot or pear, maybe. I’ll admit I’m a hard sell on some of the seasonal ales!
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
UPDATED: NOV 30, 2004 This is one of the reasons to look forward to winter. The brewers keep you guessing year after year with their variations to the beer. Overall, though, the theme is spicy, malty flavors, with the hops rounding out the taste at the end rather nicely. Aftertaste is slightly fruity and hoppy. Some of the years I’ve had this are better than others, of course, but I have purchased it on multiple occasions and will continue to do so.
3.8 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
IMHO not Boulevard’s best offering. I was not impressed at all with the 2000 version of this fellow. Thin body, sweetish malt with roasty flavor out of balance with the rest of the beer. I will try it again this year, though. Rerate 12-22-01, this is so much better than I remember. Dark ruby color, nice spiciness, can’t pin down what spices, balanced malt and well hopped to finish. Quite nice this year.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Pretty tasty. This year’s batch is typically deep in color, spicy and sweet. Goes well with the season, though I think the 2001 batch is not quite as interesting as those of the past. It’s still fun, though -- a unique winter brew that satisfies that itch for something different that I get occassionally. Yum.
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