Breckenridge Christmas Ale

bottle thanks to ford9719. poured a dark burgandy. had a malty hops smell. starts with brown sugar and finishes with a orange and lemon zest.

12oz bottle. Pours a very dark, but bright, reddish brown with ruby highlights (with a touch of violet) and a thick, even, tightly-bubbled, tan head. The aroma is quite hoppy at first - spicy and floral with some grassiness and citrus, too. There are light undercurrents of malt in the aroma - with an odd touch of creamed corn and bitter fruit. The flavor starts bitter and sweet - there is some spiciness and a slight astringency from the hops. But there is a very nice, fruity, chocolaty, dark malt profile in there, too. The front of the palate also detects a touch of alcohol. The middle of the tongue picks up more bitterness from the hops and an increasingly one-dimensional malt profile: sweet with some roasted character (the complex malt flavors only hit the front of the tongue). The finish is big, malty (a nice return of some malt complexities: caramel and chocolate), lightly fruity, and nicely hoppy and bitter. The finish is also mildly warming from the alcohol (and the buzz comes wickedly quick). The mouthfeel is quite active with carbonation bubbles, but not too much. The feel is light-to-medium in body (light considering the alcohol) and slightly creamy, with some tickling of the tongue from the suds. Overall, a very decent holiday brew - I was pleasantly surprised.

Draft @ Papago. Rich sweet chocolate and some chessnut aroma. Red amber body with decent head. A blended sweet malt caramel flavor that was filling and yes it has a winter warming effect. Smooth on the palate with sweetness lingering for aftertaste.

Twelve ounce bottle from The Party Source. Dark reddish brown color, interesting spicy/hoppy aroma, small but lasting head, fine spice/malt/hop flavor. This is the third beer from Breckenridge I’ve had and all have been good. If you’re an insecure type who is afraid to like anything from any brewery that doesn’t have beer snob cachet, then pass this one up. But if taste is how you gauge your beers, then enjoy!

33 cl bottle, Winnipeg. Clear dark brown colour, sweet malt aroma. Sweet flavor, smooth and chocolaty, with a warm long finish.

I was very pleased with this one. It think it deserves a better score...at least for this seasons batch. Pours a dark dark brown with a nice white foamy head and the aroma is nice and malty. It has a watery mouthfeel. Nice hoppy flavor with an ever so slight hint of coffee flavor....very nice X-mas beer

Clear, deep dark brownish copper colored pour topped by a frothy thick off-white head. Nose has a bit of spice, some bread-like yeast notes and hints of floral hoppiness. Medium bodied, a bit sticky with moderate carbonation. Slightly sweet with some hop bitterness in the finish.

12 oz. bottle from Total Wine in Huntersville, NC. Pours a copper like color with a small head. Aroma is a bit of coffee, well roasted malts. Taste is sharp, with a bitter bite on the end. A nice Christmas beer, but not the best.