2.9 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 10/20
Bottle 500ml. Pours amber/orange colored hazy body with small head. Very spicy nose with ginger and oranges dominating. Taste much like the aroma.
3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 12/20
Bottled. There’s a very spicy aroma from this copper-coloured beer, almost like mulled cider. The flavour is mainly sweet malt with the added spice. Not really my sort of thing, but not bad.
1.8 AROMA 4/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 3/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 4/20
Well, at least I enjoyed their porter. This pours a hazy amber orange with a slight but persistent creamy head. Looks nice. Aroma is clove, cinammon, nutmeg, ginger, and something oddly citric sour. Flavor is very similar, a totally over the top spice bomb followed by a strangely astringent finish. Could not get into this at all. Some bitterness lingers on the tongue, but it is a clove oriented bitterness. Frankly, I hated it. I can see how others could dig this, but it just wasn’t for me.
3.2 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 13/20
Bottle from open all hours. Spiceyest ale ever? Aroma is overpowering ginger ale spice, orange peel, nutmeg and no beer characteristics. Taste is similar, thought tasty like a good pudding but lacking the body to keep such a spicey beast going.
3.3 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Murky brown swirling pour with a short-lived head. Faint gingery spice in the snout with a dusting of cinnamon, vinegar and urine. Robust (US?) hopping for once standing up to the mulled spiciness of a festive ale. Grapefruit tang and sourish fruit giving way to a firmly bitter hop finish. A peppery nip of ginger. Mulled but hoppy, characterful ale. And nothing like the Firebox whatsoever.
4.1 AROMA 8/10 APPEARANCE 4/5 TASTE 8/10 PALATE 4/5 OVERALL 17/20
Bottle 500ml from Waitrose, Christchurch. This ale has a fine aroma that sits somewhere between rum and a homemade sloe gin. It pours a deep copper colour with a medium off-white head. The taste has a touch of raw Christmas cake mixture to it - reminds me of being a kid and licking out the mixing bowl. There is more to it, though, much more. Flavours of rum and dark fruits come through with hints of spices. This ale is not too heavy and I could go for a good few sessions on this one, especially around Christmastime. In summary, a lovely warming winter festive ale.
2.4 AROMA 6/10 APPEARANCE 2/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 9/20
aroma’s not too bad. the is defeintly a feeling of spices. pour falls flat with minimal carbination. palate is very thin. malts give an astringent after taste.
2.6 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 5/10 PALATE 2/5 OVERALL 11/20
UPDATED: NOV 21, 2007 The aroma is interesting with spices especially cinnamon, raisins, malt, and grassy hops. The appearance is copper with a thin head. The flavor is like the aroma but medicinal and astringently bitter. The palate is thin. Overall I like the spice but it’s not that great.
2.8 AROMA 5/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 6/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 11/20
Bottled. A hazy amber beer with a thin beige head. The aroma is sweet combined with a slight acidic touch and notes of berries, malt, and grapefruit. The flavor is sweet malty with notes of peaches and mangos, leading to a dry bitter finish. The body is thin inspite of the 6% ABV - perhaps lacking a bit of residual sugar.
3.4 AROMA 7/10 APPEARANCE 3/5 TASTE 7/10 PALATE 3/5 OVERALL 14/20
Bottled. Copper coloured. Quite spicy aroma and flavour. Even tough it is very spicy it is well balanced and pleasant. Nice.
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