Beer: St. Arnold's Christmas Ale

Used with permission
St. Arnold Brewing Company

Brewery: St. Arnold Brewing Company Houston, Texas

Overview: St. Arnold Brewing released the Christmas beer early in their brewing history, and this is the result, a traditional malty old ale that persists year after year. 

Aroma: Fresh malty aroma, with a hint of spice underneath floral aromas. 

Appearance: Pours a clear copper amber color with a white head that quickly dissipates.

Flavor: Malty up front with an almost caramel sweetness and has a very nice spice profile all around with balanced spicy hop flavors that may hide some hints of cinnamon-like spice.  Some carbonation evident, with late bitterness in the finish.

Overall Impression: Not the most "Christmas-like" of Christmas beers, but definitely a good winter spiced beer.  I enjoy the good balance of hops versus malt.  While I generally expect this sort of flavor out of a beer marketed as a "winter" beer, with more fruitcake, evergreen, and spices associated with a "Christmas" beer, this is still quite an enjoyable seasonal.  I suppose that St. Arnold's really just planned on brewing an old ale as a seasonal, and this is the result, a pleasing strong ale with a good balance of taste, and some spiciness in the hops.  Not what I generally look for in my December beverages, but good for holding on to until March for drinking during a Spring shower.

Vitals:
Style Old Ale
Price $9.99/six-pack
Found In Regional Liquor Store
Alcohol Content 7.0% by volume
Availability Winter Seasonal (November until sellout)
Bitterness 35 IBU

Rating: 93

Beer: Rogue Santa's Private Reserve Ale (2009)

Brewery: Rogue Brewery  Newport, Oregon

Overview: Santa's Private Reserve Ale is, as Rogue describes it, a special over-hopped version of a red ale, with 10 ingredients: Malts: Great Western Harrington, Klages, Munich & Hugh Baird Carastan 30-37 & 13-17, Crystal 70-80. Hops: Chinook & Centennial.Yeast & Water: Rogue's Pacman Yeast and Free Range Coastal Water.  Offered annually, I managed to score a bomber of last year's 2009 batch.

Aroma: Hops oh sweet hops.  Grapefruit and some evergreen forest elements mixed in.  Fresh.

Appearance: Amber with some orange and light red highlights.  Large frothy tan head that sticks around and leaves substantial lace on glass.

Flavor: Big hop bitterness up front, with heavy roasted malt flavors adding to the bitter profile.  Oddly enough, the malt cuts the bitterness if you hold in your mouth then it reappears as a clean hop bitterness in the finish.  Frothy mouthfeel.  No slickness.  Some caramel undertones in there.

Overall Impression: This is most definitely the hophead's Christmas beer.  With flavor purely resembling a hop-o-matic IPA, Santa's got a whole lot of Chinook and Centennial hops growing at the North Pole.  This is an excellent beer, but it doesn't really fit the bill for me with regards to "Winter" beers, so I'd move it more into the specialty category.  And if you happen to pick some up, you might consider saving a few bottles for summer, or toss it down with some spicy foods.

Vitals:
Style Specialty Beer
Price $5.99/22 oz. bottle
Found In Regional Liquor Store
Alcohol Content Not published
Availability Christmas season 2009
Bitterness 44 IBU

Rating: 90

Beer: Anchor Christmas Ale 2007

Brewery: Anchor Brewing San Francisco, California

Overview: Anchor brews a unique and different Christmas beer recipe every year, with some better than others.  I have occasionally (like this year) been able to stumble across someone who has prior year's blends stored in the back and procured some extras for the holiday season.  Other than that, you're lucky if you have a bar like the Flying Saucer who might be able to procure some prior years' vintages and stored them.

Aroma: Smells like a Christmas candle shop.  Cinnamon is predominant with some nutmeg and allspice floating underneath. Some brown sugar and chocolate as a last hint of sweetness.

Appearance: Pours an extremely dark garnet with shiny red highlights around the edge.  Head is thick and tan.

Flavor: The malt reminds slightly of roasted almonds (or maybe chestnuts on an open fire?).  Cinnamon settles around the edge but does not overwhelm the balance of the malt and hop bitterness.  Some malty sweetness and roasted flavors persist into the finish.

Overall Impression: The 2007 is one of my favorite Anchor batches.  I lucked out in finding a store by my office with a cache of them in the back and even scored a little deal on them to help them move the old product.  From start to finish, the Anchor 2007 "Special Ale" is extremely well balanced, with a good blend of spices and sweetness to counteract the hop bitterness.  Overall leaves me with a nutty, roasted beer with cinnamon liberally applied throughout.  I will most definitely enjoy my remaining stash.  Good luck finding yours (and tell me in the comments if you find some!)

Vitals:
Style Christmas/Winter Specialty Spiced Beer
Price $10.99/six-pack
Found In Regional Liquor Store, Occasional Large-Selection Bar
Alcohol Content 5.5% by volume
Availability November 2007 until January 2008 (or wherever else you can find it)


Rating: 94

Beer: Bad Elf

Brewery: Ridgeway Brewery, Oxford, England - Imported by Shelton Brothers


Overview: I have no idea what this is.  It is marketed as a hoppy, golden ale.  We shall see.  The Shelton Brothers site calls it an IPA, so that's how I'll judge it.

Aroma: Malt, Malt, Malt.  In fact, it smells like wort (unfermented beer).  There is a tiny bit of fresh hop aroma, but it is a totally unbalanced smell.

Appearance: Orange gold with a frothy thick white head.

Flavor: Malty with just a tiny hint of bitterness in the finish.  Ultimately, there's very little that's unique about this beer.

Overall Impression: I'd pass on this one.  I guess it is a strong blonde ale, but I just can't find much about this beer that is worthwhile, other than the marketing.  They had it front and center at World Market with a really good label.  It's drinkable, but wholly unremarkable.  They call it an IPA, and if that's how I judge it, it fails miserably.  It is extremely weak on the hops, the alcohol is not noticeable, there's no clean bite to the flavor...etc. etc.

Vitals:
Style English IPA
Price $1.99/1 pt 0.9 oz single
Found In National Import Chain
Alcohol Content 6.0% by volume
Availability Seasonal

Rating: 77

Beer: Lump of Coal

Brewery: Ridgeway Brewery, Oxford, England - Imported by Shelton Brothers

Overview: Billed as a dark chocolate stout consolation prize for those too naughty to get anything else in their stocking.

Aroma: Dark fruit sweetness, some alcohol bite.  Slight cocoa or caramel notes.

Appearance: Ultra-thin head on top of a dark brown beer with translucent edges.

Flavor: Roasted nuts, some fruity sweetness with a very light mouthfeel.  Light alcohol warming in the throat with with a bitterness in the finish.

Overall Impression: Overall, a bit light in color and body for a stout, so this drinks more like a really strong Porter.  Still an enjoyable beverage, but not so rewarding to offset the coal and switches in my stocking.

Vitals:
Style Russian Imperial Stout
Price $1.99/Single 22 ounce bottle
Found In National Import Chain
Alcohol Content 8% by volume
Availability Seasonal




Rating: 85

Beer: Shiner Cheer

Brewery: Spoetzl Brewery Shiner, Texas

Overview: Shiner Cheer is Spoetzl's offering to the holiday brew montage.  With a peach and pecan focus, it is not as wintery focused as some others, but targeted towards the Texas holiday drinker.

Aroma:Peaches are dominant, but a little super sweet undertones almost like a peach jelly instead of fresh peaches.

Appearance: Clear brown with a quickly falling tan head that poured about an inch to two before collapsing in large bubbles.

Flavor: The sweet peach is noticeable on the first sip, but is quickly balanced out by a strong malt profile, even hinting at some roasted flavors in there, perhaps from the pecans.  Some of the acidity of the pecans is evident, and it leaves some of the sweet syrupy flavor in the finish.

Overall Impression: I like this beer from a drinkability standpoint, but I would much rather drink this as a September beverage than December.  Still, it is an easily available go to beer for an alternative to my highly spiced favorites.  I'm confused why Shiner felt compelled to add caramel coloring to this beer (which makes me wonder the original color).  I do find it has a nice balance for a beer and is not overly fruity like a Pyramid Apricot or other fruit beers, but at the same time, other than aroma, that really costs it in bringing through a distinct flavor from the peaches and pecans.  Another drinkable offering from the folks at Shiner.

Vitals:
Style Fruit Beer
Price $7.49/six-pack
Found In Grocery Store Beer Aisle
Alcohol Content 5.4% by volume
Availability Winter Seasonal
Bitterness 22 IBU

Rating:  90

Beer: Sierra Nevada Celebration

Brewery: Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Chico, California

Overview: Sierra Nevada Celebration is not particularly a Christmas beer, but a hop-laden spicy winter warmup.  A perennial staple, it has made many an appearance around my house and in front of my barstool.

Aroma: Fresh evergreen, clean hop smell. Some spicy notes.

Appearance: Translucent amber with orange highlights.  Generous frothy white head that persists.

Flavor: Hop dominated, the citrus and grapefruit flavors reminiscent of a potent IPA.  The bitterness lingers on the sides of the tongue.  Some hit of sweet in the back of the throat.

Overall Impression: Good beer overall, not sure why this is a winter beer and not a summer seasonal, but it is still one that I drink nevertheless.  Always enjoyable.

Vitals:
Style India Pale Ale
Price $7.99/six-pack
Found In Grocery Store Beer Aisle
Alcohol Content 6.8% by volume
Availability Year-round
Bitterness 65 IBU

Overall Rating: 91

Beer: Magic Hat Howl

Used with permission
Magic Hat Brewery

Brewery:  Magic Hat Brewery South Burlington, Vermont

Overview: "I am beer, hear me roar" - well at least that's what it said under my cap.  Magic Hat's continued set of unique creations continues with the winter seasonal, Howl. 

Aroma: Honestly, it's a clean beer, with not much in the aroma department as far as I can tell.  A little hint of malt in there, and perhaps some syrup.

Appearance: Black.  Yup.  Black.  Light tan head, and if you hold it to the light just right, you might find a ruby.

Flavor: Smooth and creamy, some roast and drying at the edges.  Light and easy drinking body.  Leaves a slight bitterness in the finish.

Overall Impression: I am impressed with Howl as a beer, and it is one of my favorite Magic Hat seasonals to try so far.  It is also the only Magic Hat brew I have tried so far that fits within a category relatively easily.  It is a Dark Black Lager aka Schwarzbier.  It ranks well up there with the other Black Lagers that I have had.

Vitals:
Style Schwarzbier
Price $7.99/six-pack
Found In Local Liquor Store
Alcohol Content 4.6% by volume
Availability Winter Seasonal
Bitterness 32 IBU


Rating: 92