“Harmonious mulling spices” sweeten winning winter ale. Spiked by cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and allspice, snazzy Christmastime celebrater (with hidden 8.2% ABV) obtains tertiary dried fruiting and mild cola nuttiness atop powdery cocoa base.
Pleasingly thin winter warmer unites cinnamon-spiced nutmeg and ginger seasoning with mild orange peeled cranberry souring over pallid chocolate malts, picking up washed-out sugarplum, fruitcake and honey-roasted fig whims.
On tap at Growler & Gill, holiday-spirited spice ale retains rummy eggnog creaming as well as Christmastimey cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice seasoning and coconut toasted pineapple zing (of a Pina Colada). A festive semi-rich cocktail dessert.
On tap at Plank Pizza, wintry cinnamon-dried ginger, allspice and cardamom seasoning seeps into sweet orange peel zesting and oaken vanilla tannins above buttery caramel malting.
“Sumptuously smooth” 44th annual Xmas Ale may lack capacious distinction of some previous versions, but rounded chameleonic subtleties (though pallid in spots) never fail to engage. Over its peaty chocolate malting, wintry cinnamon-nutmeg-allspice seasoning sedately serenades delicate orange peel sweetness, restrained prune souring, tart raisin stint, wispy banana breading, salted pine nut pinch and mentholated eucalyptus whim.
Silken smooth ’20 vintage winter warmer plugs lightly creamed dark-roast chocolate malting into dried cocoa, bitter coffee and tarry molasses apprehension. Mocha-backed walnut, cola and hazelnut sedation as well as coniferous holiday-spiced fern, pine nut and spruce tip illusions recede.
Pallidly seasonally spiced winter ale lacks resilience and allows phenol hop astringency to decay orange-peeled cinnamon and nutmeg spicing and sweet vanilla creaming.
Nearly sublime winter warmer (circa 2018) stays closer to original dark ale version from a few years back. Resilient caramel-malted chocolate roast, wintry cinnamon-nutmeg-ginger spicing gain and ebullient dried fruiting gain nutty coffee bean reminder.
Wintry Christmastime dark ale (circa 2018) places coarsely embittered hop astringency very close to dry-spiced chocolate roast in unspecific blend. Obviously staying less sweet than previous versions, its ashen nuttiness overwhelms seasonal cinnamon, nutmeg and pine nut illusions.
Knocking off a ginger snap cookie to good effect, dry-spiced winter warmer allows molasses-sugared cinnamon, clove and allspice seasoning to rise above its honeyed biscuit pale malt base. Minty fern influence and herbal lemon snip appear at underwhelming phenolic finish.
On tap at Ambulance, audacious red wine-barreled oats-fortified winter warmer not clearly defined. Tannic red wine esters barely register as mildly acidic wild yeast saddles its sweet ‘n sour fruiting. Inconspicuous “cantaloupe rind, pear and mango” illusions warble by candied lemon tartness and gin-teased grapefruit juicing. Musky corn-liquored pilsner malt spine seems outta place.
On tap at Curley’s, complex and well-balanced wintry witbier lets sweet orange-peeled coriander adjunct, zesty lemon spritz and gentle vanilla sway gain lightly lingered white-peppered sea salting above wheat-flaked pilsner malting. Candi-sugared Belgian yeast obtains herbal fungi notion at floral-perfumed citrus finish.