Hoppy Hoppy Claus Holiday Ale

Brewed by Hoppy Brewing Company
Style: Spice/Herb/Vegetable
Sacramento, California USA

Serve in Lager glass, Shaker, Tumbler

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sampled some time back. hazy copper pour with thin soapy head. nutmeg, cinnamon trump hops and malting in aroma. dry hopos. bitterness and rich roasted malt. nice.

UPDATED: DEC 17, 2007 22 oz bottle from Holiday Wine Cellar: Clear amber color with a small off-white head. Aroma of pumpkin pie spices. Flavor starts with some nutmeg and clove followed by a touch of cinnamon with a light citrus bitterness in the finish. Medium body is smooth with moderate carbonation. This spice thing ain’t my thing.

(bottle from bhensonb, thanks!) Pours a slightly hazed orangish/amber with a medium cream-colored head and some lacing. Aroma is certainly spice-forward, with plenty of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and biscuit malt, which when put together smells a lot like a gingerbread cookie. Ginger gets stronger as it warms, and the beer smells passingly similar to a pumpkin beer with further warming. Flavor has plenty of sweet caramel malt, toasty biscuit, faint yam, with a quick shift of spice that abruptly slices through the sweetness. The finish lingers with spicy hop bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium and carbonation is correct. Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this one, and it reminds me a lot of Great Lakes Christmas.

Bottle. Not a fan of spiced beers and especially not a fan of this beer. 2 sips and then down the drain.

Goofy label with an okay beer behind it. Orangish pour with a decent, off-white head. Aroma is very hoppy and floral, to te point that I expected more of an IPA. The flavor is flat. Wooden, grassy, and dusty, without the hop bitterness the aroma led me to expect. There is a mystery flavor that is medicinal, kind of like the anti-bacterial first-aid spray. This might be worth a second try, but I’m not racing out to get it.

Saw this on sale at Bevmo and thought, "what the hell". Haven’t had too many things from this brewery. This wasn’t bad. Heavily spiced, which is not my thing, but this works pretty well. Lots of corriander, allspice and maybe even some ginger. Reminds me of 2007 Vertical epic if it was dry hopped with some citrusy hops. Pretty good.

Bottle from Hi Time Cellars, xmas 07. Nice amber-straw color, white head that hangs in. Aroma is sweet malt and light spicy that hints of xmas loaf. Flavor is sweet crystal malty with a good balance spice, finishes bitter and clean. A decent beer, not much else to say.

Bomber. This was disappointing after I have had a few really good Holiday Ales the past few weeks. This has way to much clove and nutmeg spice aroma and flavor. It was one of those "first sip interesting" because it is different, "second sip not so good" and downhill from there.

Bomber. Pours dark amber-orange with a moderate off-white head. Aroma is Christmas spices, sweet malt, and some citrus hops. Flavor is various spices, a bit stronger than in the aroma, with a bit of caramel malt with a hint of roastiness, and finishing with a bit of citrus hops. Main flaws are alcohol is a bit too noticeable when it warms, and finish is quite short. The malt/spice/hops interaction is interesting overall though. Pretty good for the spiced-Christmas-beer style.

Pleasant aroma of hops, pumpkin, ginger and nutmeg. Amber/copper color with no foam. Crisp with very hoppy overtones with strong spice and caramel malt on the finish. Overall, I actually really enjoy this. Assertive hops and spice. I’d give this a B+ rating.