3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
2010 edition, batch 453, brewed 2009-09-14, bb 2014-09-14 (nice symmetry in the numbers here!) - for the first (and maybe last) time deliberately aged over 1 year by the brewery!
The colour is pretty much black. A small 5 mm head forms, but quickly disappears. Nose is very christmas-y, dark red fruits mainly, caramel malt.
Aroma starts out with coffee and a hint of berries. It moves on to nuts, reminding me of parmesan cheese, and some leather and licorice. Feels thick, creamy and very soft in the mouth. Low carbonation which suits it perfectly. Some very nice earthy hops come out in the long aftertaste, leading into a sweet, forest-y finish. Yum! There’s also an overall roasted and smoky aroma here, but it doesn’t protrude, it mainly stays lingering on the outskirts. Lovely long aftertaste which keeps on giving.
Overall I’ll say this is a very well balanced beer, with a quite complex aroma, but not so complex/heavy that it will scare off the "average joe" so to speak, and relatively easy to drink. Bonus points for being nothing like the sweetmalty "christmas beers" from the industry breweries!
4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 5/5 OVERALL 17/20
Black colour with a tan, white head
Aroma; In the start it´s very shy, but opening up after a few minutes in the glass. Coffee, caramell, spices, malt. Really needs time to open up!
Flavour; A silkysmooth carbonation, with caramell, a nice dry finish. Also getting some hopbitternes in the end that is really yummy
Summary; Meditationbeer for the cold season!
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 9/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Bottle. Thanks to Daknole for hooking this one up. Pours a very deep brown color with a thick foamy head hat leaves a heavy amount of lacing on the glass. First impression - WOW. This is exactly how I want a Christmas Ale to taste. Fresh nutty malts, milk chocolate, a hint of ripe fruit, maybe even some mint? Medium bodied with just a bit of carbonation on the palate. Soft on the palate, finish is a hint of pepper, dry and clean. Could drink this all month long during December without a problem.
3.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 16/20
Pours an opaque chocolate brown with creamy tan colored head. Aroma is very nutty, raisin, vanilla, smoke and wood. Flavor is rather smokey with sweet raisin undertones and roasted malt. Body is creamy with definite carbonation.
3.2 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 14/20
on tap at grunerløkka brygghus. pours black with a small tan head, nose is notes of alcohol, almost like paint thinner, some spicyness coming through as well. Taste is rich chocolate, chocolate rum cake. strong alcohol flavors throughout. sticky thick mouthfeel. coffee, toffee, sweet.
3.9 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
UPDATED: NOV 24, 2010 0.5l bottle @ Henriks Bergen. Pours dark black body with a thick beige head. Medium carbonation. Nose is chocolate, coffee, caramel and lots of malt. Tastes lots of sweet malt, spices and some acidity. Ends in a fruity and liquorish-xmas aftertaste. A nice God Jul :-)
3.1 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
Bottle @ Ølkonsortiet Xmasbeer tasting. Pours dark brown, light brown head. Aroma is Ginger, chocolate, caramel. Taste got some dark fruit, caramel, licorice, spices. Medium body, creamy mouthfeel, some alcohol in the finish. 101106
4 AROMA 9/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 15/20
500mL bottle, pours dark brown / black with a tan head. Aroma of brown sugar, molasses, caramel / toffee and roasted malt. Flavour of molasses, sweet roasted malt, licorice, dark chocolate and caramel. Always a unique experience with this brewer.
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