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| Used with permission St. Arnold Brewing Company |
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
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