Hop Back Pickled Santa

Brewed by Hop Back
Style: English Strong Ale
Salisbury, England

Serve in English pint, Trappist glass

send corrections   |   shelftag   |   edit barcodes   |   add pic

Bottled. Crimson, copper coloured body, wonderfully bright and adorned with a shinny, smooth head. Caramel and dry, nutmeg aroma, but no sign of alcohol anywhere in this beer. Strongly malty flavour and only soft traces of the herbs and spices depicted on the label. Easy drinking and smooth, this isn’t a show stopper but its nice all the same.

Aroma is fairly sweet and full of spices. Pours a deep orange with nearly no head and little lacing. The taste reminds me much more of the fall than winter but it is rather tasty. The nutmeg and cinnamon really stand out but I find it to be very well balanced. As a huge fan of pumpkin beers, I admire this one. Not what I was expecting but a pretty good beer.

bottle a bit after Xmas but nevermind, its colder anyway. Nice herbal aroma and fruity as well. amber, hazy, rocky head, frothy, white to brown foam, medium bitterness, medium sweetness, nice balanced taste, medium body, slick feel, long finish, soft carbonation, nice warmy beer

500ml bottle. Filtered/fined golden-orange color. Steady, creamy off-white head, lots of lively carbonation bubbles. Not a bad beer by any means, but a really bad name. Smooth creamy body, the spice is not really overboard, it actually complements the fruity ale yeast quite well. Clean enough to session, but with some coconut/pineapple flavors going on that kind of give it an odd aftertaste..or maybe that is just the fishy fining. Enjoyable.

Sampled on 2/26/2012. This English Strong Ale pours a medium orange gold color from a 500ml bottle. Small to medium sized white foamy head, with decent retention and nice lacing. The aroma is slightly caramel and bready, with some orange and spices. A light to medium bodied English Strong Ale. The malts are mildly bready, caramel and sweet. The hops are earthy. Mild carbonation, A touch light, not quite watery but it is close. Not a lot of flavor, but the orange and spices are nice, just wish it had a little more flavor. I should know by now not to expect much form these ‘themed’ Christmas beers. This one at least is, at least, not as offensive as some of them. Mouthfeel is thin. Finish is clean. Aftertaste is slightly bitter and a touch spicy.

UPDATED: JAN 27, 2012 Savannah, Ga. - Habersham Beverage Warehouse - 500 ml bottle. Dark amber pour, sticky, off-white head that leaves a bit of lacing. Aroma has a hint of sweet spices, some yeastiness. Flavor has some subtle bitterness to it with a hint of cinnamon like spiciness, some bubble gum sweetness and a hint of mild licorice. Mouthfeel is dusty and distant. Why do I keep buying these English Christmas novelties?

14 Jan 2012, bottle. light gold, clear, steady bubbles. head fades fast. wow, there is something pickly about this. nutmeg and malt. meh. med/full body and a tad bit fizzy. sugary, christmas spiced malty ale. meh.

This is a good beer, very stylistic. I have never had beer like this I wasn’t sure how to rate it but this beer was made very well and deserves better ratings than what was received.

16.9 oz. bottle- Pours hazy orange with a head that reduces to big ugly bubbles. Aroma is nice and spicy, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, and mint dominate the senses, nice actually. The taste is similar, spices, mildly dry and bitter, but it lacks depth, it has a sour taste, not a good sour taste, and is a little watery. Body is thin, carbonation is high. Overall this is my favorite of the Christmas pack so far, just Lump Of Coal left.

Bottle off the folks for Xmas. Excitable bronze with a tall, uneven foam. Bajan spiced apple sauce aroma- inviting, warm, clovey. Then grape juice. Sourish, toasty, apple-hinting champagne-like taste with a hint of strawberry. Very lacy; effervescent to the point of discomfort. Grapey as it warms. Good.

This is a novelty beer at best. It lived up to every expectation I had. I expected it to suck and it didn’t disappoint. Pass on this and if you recieve it as a gift...re-gift it.