TheBeerLover (1013), DC Metro Area, USA Dec 22, 2006 Updated: Dec 23, 200612 oz bottle, 2006 version. Now this is a Christmas beer! Pours to a slightly hazy burnt orange color, with a tall, white head, that fades, and a soft carbonation. The nose on this beer is wonderful. Lots of zesty and spicy aromas of clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and orange peel, mix with some honey sweetness and peppery alcohol. The plate is rich, and oily on the tongue, with lots of good sweet malt, toffee, orange flavor, and honey sweetness that coats the tongue. This beer finishes with more wonderful spicy flavors of clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger that linger with some soothing, peppery, alcohol. This beer is Christmas in a glass. The perfect beer to sip and savor next to a roaring fire, and a beer I will enjoy while reading Charles Dickins’ classic A Christmas Carol. Pjones6738 (500), Madison, Wisconsin, USA Jan 11, 2003 Ooh! Now thats a great smelling beer. Cinnamon and all sorts of fun spices. Has a cloudy brown color. Mmmmmmm...a cinnamon beer. There’s other flavors in here too, I’m noticing the honey in particular, but the cinnamon is really what makes this beer. This is delicious. I’m drinking my only bottle of this, I’m going to have to find more while it’s still in season. ElGaucho (1721), Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA Dec 16, 2006 Bottle. 2006. Sweet honey, alcohol and nutmeg invade the nose...in a good way. Very holidayish. I love making up new words. Dark, muddy, orangish brown body. Large head that settles quickly to an off-white ring with an oil slick of a head whose light color contrasts starkly against the dark body. No lace. At 9.5% ABV, alcohol is quite apparent, and again, in a good way. This is one of the better holiday beers I remember having. Key word: remember. Quite sweet, but never cloying. Full bodied and delicious. Not a flaw to be found. Some aspect of pumpkin pie. I was in Binny’s in Glen Ellyn when I saw this brew. Called my wife who gave me the average rating over the phone which was high enough for me to go for it. Trust me; this brew is underrated. Perhaps the lower ratings are due to previous versions that might not have been as outstanding? In reading the recent ratings, it appears only the last 3 are this year’s vintage. With all due respect to those three raters, they have underrated it. Do yourself a favor and get your hands on some of this. As far as domestic Christmas beers go, it doesn’t get much better than this. gws57 (988), Saint Charles, Illinois, USA Dec 30, 2007 Found this one bottled at Binny’s in St. Charles, Illinois. Hazy copper red pour with a thin white head, profound spiciness in the nose and body, with a bit of citrus and lots of ginger, nutmeg and clove. Sweetness comes on late. This is a phenominal beer. deprogram (110), suquamish, Washington, USA Jan 5, 2004 12 oz. bottle Unbelievable! An aroma of baking gingerbread adorns this dark golden brew. Despite the amazingly heavy spicing and intense fragrance, this beer maintains a balanced body and proper flavor, with no cloying aftertaste. Quite simply the most dramatic yet drinkable spiced specialty beer I've had. I hope you like cinnamon!
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