3.5 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 15/20
Pours copper with of white head. Aroma of grain and subtle spices. The taste is pleasant, mild grain with and a good balance of spice, nutmeg and cinnamon mostly. Finishes a but dry but easy to drink.
3.1 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
Bottle, from the bottle - so no real good "appearance" value. Aroma from bottle was light caramel malt, with spice. Flavor was sweet malts, spice notes. Okay, but a bit "artificial" but enjoyed enough.
3.3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
Pour on tap at the brewpub in Breck, CO, dark reddish almost brown with off white head, aroma brought notes of clove, cinnamon, some toasted bread, hints of caramel, touch of cocoa, but a bit muted overall. Taste was slightly spicy with clove and cinnamon notes coming through, hints of chocolate toasted sugars and bread notes, slight earth finishing fairly sweet.
3.2 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20
12 fl oz bottle from Bear World, served at cellar temperature in a tulip glass. 30DE11.
App.: Clear deep copper with a fair tan head.
Aroma: Rich, fruity, brown sugar, light esters, quite fruity, faintly spicy, a little orange peel, bread crust, malty, pleasant.
Palate: Medium body, fairly sparse effervescence.
Flav.: Rich malts, quite fruity, dark dried fruit, citrus peel, esters, brown sugar and toffee, some bread crust, a little alcohol; dry with minimal bitterness and a fruity, brown sugar finish.
Merry Christmas...sorta.
3.4 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 12/20
Breckenridge Christmas Ale is a very clear and sparkling ruby ale with a sand colored head that fades to a bubbly film and leaves very nice lacing on the glass. It has sort of a sweet malty aroma of caramel and chocolate. The hops seem a little spicy and there may be orange peel in there. It’s pretty light bodied and smooth. The finish is quick, clean and dry. It doesn’t taste sweet like it smells. It’s almost a little salty. DMS is detected, along with a note of cherry or plum. It’s reasonably bitter. The bitterness lingers for a while after the finish, along with a peppery rumble and maybe phenol. It tastes ok, but it’s not very focused. It goes down pretty smooth, but it’s a little strange tasting. Maybe I shouldn’t be drinking Christmas ale in January.
3.3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 13/20
Poured on draft. Appearance is dark amber with a tan head of foam that lasts the majority of the drink. Aroma reminds me of biscuits and cinnamon. Taste is spicy and malty. I could see why a person would like this beer, it just doesn’t quite do it for me, though.
3.1 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
Pours amber with a brown head. Aroma is spices, caramel and toast. Taste is sweet with overwhelming spiciness coming through on the finish. The spices of cinnamon and nutmeg come together in such a way that they cancel each other out and you end up with a muted mixture. Medium mouth feel with some stickiness.
3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Rather than focusing on spices, Breckenridge Christmas Ale instead reminds you of of warm, sweet carbs.
Loads of sweet caramel and toffee followed by freshly baked dark bread fill the nose. The lacing left behind is like a dusting of snow on a mahogany cabin. The citrusy hops do eventually kick in with a bigger jolt than expected. More chocolate and a little bit of smoke as it warms.
I like this take on the style. There is a hint of cinnamon, but this is decidedly a malt-forward winter warmer. A quite tasty one
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