Christmas Beer Tasting Notes

by Bryan Gros

For me, the appearance of Christmas beers is part of the excitement of the weeks leading up to Christmas. Lisa and I sat down to judge some of the latest offerings this month, and here are our notes. By the time you read this, many of these beers will no longer be on the shelves, but you can compare your thoughts with ours.

Judging Christmas beers, in the formal sense, is impossible. There are no accepted "style guidelines" for Christmas beers, and one look at the variety tells you that anything goes. It seems that. several years ago most Christmas beers were spiced with typical mulling spices, but now it seems that brewers have branched out into other ways to make their beers unique.

Here are my notes, including where I got the beer. In no particular order:

Anchor Our Special Ale 97. (draught at Barclay's). Anchor changes their formulation for this beer every year (and it is a closely guarded secret), so it is always worth trying. For the last several years the offering has been a dark spiced ale, similar from year to year. This year's beer is malty up front, with a spicy finish. Medium-bodied, with nutmeg and clove evident. It has a good bit of dark malt flavor, with chocolate tones, but with a dry, almost astringent finish, possibly from the spices. I didn't like the finish, and a little bit of sweetness would have helped this beer. Seems like I remember the 96 being better, and the 95 better still.

Sam Adams Winter Lager. (bottle from College Ave Liquors). This is a red-copper colored beer with a nice head. A malty alcoholic aroma was evident. The initial taste is malt, followed by a slight fruitiness. The finish was dry and astringent, with alcoholic warming. The bottle says "dark wheat lager with winter spices." I wouldn't call this beer dark, and the fruitiness was non-lager like. No real spices were evident either.

Red Hook Winterhook (bottle from College Ave Liquors). Winterhook is the first Christmas beer I remember tasting. I had just discovered craft beer, and at that time (maybe '91) I thought Winterhook was the most bitter beer I had tasted. This year's version has a malty, estery aroma, and a deep copper color. The malt flavor quickly leads to a bitter finish. Some hop flavor is evident, but little body. It was, all in all, pretty nondescript. Can you say "mass-produced"? I knew you could...

Pete's Wicked Winter. (bottle from College Ave Liquors). Pete describes this beer as "an amber ale with nutmeg and raspberry flavor." A faint malt aroma is evident; Lisa detected tobacco tones. The malt flavor is there with a slight fruity and smoky flavor. No real spiciness can be detected, nor any fruit flavor. The medium low body and dry finish leave you wanting more.

Full Sail Wassail. (bottle from College Ave Liquors) Brown colored, this beer is described as a "winter warmer". The malt aroma foretells the malt flavor evident, smooth and slightly roasty. It has a bitter finish with slight alcohol notes. The fruity flavors make this a good example of an English old ale to me. One of the better beers we tried.

Rogue Santa's Reserve. (draught at Cato's) This is a new Christmas beer, at least for me; I haven't seen Rogue's Mogul ale yet this year. A fruity malt aroma and deep copper color make a nice beginning. The malt flavor quickly gives way to hop flavor and a bitter finish. The flavor is very spicy throughout, but it seems to be a hop spiciness rather than any Christmas beer spices. The medium body and dark malt flavor add complexity--try one of these if you can.

Humbolt Winter Nectar. (draught at Cato's) Some malt aroma, but a raspberry nose dominates. Some raspberry fruitiness initially, followed by a dry, bitter finish. Raspberry beers are difficult and this one is pretty good, but I wasn't interested in a second pint.

Wizard Winter Spice. (draught at Cato's) A huge tobacco nose turned me off. Smelled like a cigar store, but the bartender thought it was a pleasant pipe snuff aroma. The flavor was sweet with a mintyness and some fruity esters. A light body and quick finish made this the worst beer I tried. I couldn't get past the smell, and the flavors weren't worth trying.

Jolly Roger 97. (draught at Cato's) This Christmas gift from Roger Lind is always worth seeking out. Big is a good description of this beer, with a balanced aroma of malt and hops. Big malt flavor hits you up front, followed by a long bitter finish. Big body and a significant alcohol flavor just add to the party on your palate. The flavors weren't really blended though--this one should be good for Christmas in July.

Pyramid Snow Cap. (bottle) Snow Cap has been one of my favorites over the years, although it used to be a bigger beer. The reddish copper color and white head look great in the glass. A malty fruity aroma is inviting. Malt flavor is assertive, but it quickly gives way to a big hop bitterness. Some alcohol leaves a warm finish. Maybe not being as big as in the past is a good thing--it's easier to have seconds now.

Searching for your favorites in stores and pubs is part of the fun. I didn't see Snow Cap on tap anywhere this year, and I didn't see Moonlight's Santa's Tipple at all. I did get my case of Celebration, so I'll be enjoying that for a while.