Gordon X-Mas Ale

Brewed by John Martin (Scottish & Newcastle)
Style: English Strong Ale
Genval, Belgium

Serve in English pint, Trappist glass

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

Ruby red colour, good, creamy and lasting head. Delicate aroma with just some hints of caramel and malts. The flavour is sweet, with good traces of burnt sugar, chocolate, liquorice and cherry. The sweetness is well balanced by the bitter aftertaste. Alcohol is well hidden.

Clear auburn. Light maple creamy foam with marvelous stickiness. Rrefined, yet mild aroma of wood notes, earthy hop, faint vanilla, lightly toasted grain, licorice, and cola. Starts thin on the palate but quickly turns creamy with a late rush of tiny bubbles. Maple flavors are accompanied by traces of licorice and subtle chocolate while hop bitters tease you before the long toasted, bready finish. Notable acidity. Well masked alcohol. A sophisticated seaonal sipper.

Clear red-brown body with minimal head. Aroma is cherry, slightly sweet. Taste is cherry coke-ish and unimpressive.

UPDATED: DEC 6, 2006 2006-12-27, Draught at Den Tatoverede Enke, Vintage 2003, 7-4-8-4-16=39
Beautiful dark amber color; thick head. The aroma shows some age and some alcohol. What the aroma lost, the taste gained, in complexity: malt, caramel, Madeira wine, candy, Caribbean rum...

2003-01-21, Bottle, 2-4-8-4-15=33
Dark color, beautiful head. Unpleasant aroma: cartonbox, wet paper... Strong maty body, sweet, well balanced only at the end, with a sharp caramel character (and some hop).
Not complex, but robust, sweet Christmas beer.

The Godfather of Christmas Ale!

It has a superb dark brown colour with a very nice head. It has a very (almost too) deep aroma of caramel, cream, butter and mocha. The flavour lacks of specificity and is a little bit flat. The finish is pleasant with a nice bitterness. A good beer but unbalanced between aroma and flavour.

Dark ruby red color and a fluffy head. Light malt nose and taste with some nutty flavors – like a spice cake at times. Medium body and decent balance. Could have been a little spicier and complexer.

Malt, barn nose. Brown with hints of red, little frothy head. Semi sweet malt taste. Long lasting malty finish. Nice glass.

Best Xmas beer I have tasted - I like the fact it is less sweet than other Xmas beers. Spicey on the palate, and a good long botter finish.

Brown with red highlights. Decent head with a soap sud character. Clingy lace. Sweet malt and spice nose with hints of chocolate. Caramel malt and spice flavors. Bitter spicy aftertaste.