Samuel Adams Merry Mischief

I tracked down Samuel Adams Merry Mischief on tap at Arooga’s in downtown Harrisburg, so I ordered a glass. The beer pours a dark brown color with a frothy tan colored head. The aroma consists of gingerbread, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. The taste started off with caramel before quickly transitioning to gingerbread, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. Some hints of orange, chocolate, and licorice make an appearance before a light boozy finish. The alcohol content is 9.0% ABV. I thought this was a well done winter ale that had plenty of spices, but none of them were too overpowering. The orange and licorice flavors were my favorite accents, as they are not found often in beers.

Southern Tier 2XMAS

The final beer I ordered at TJ’s Restaurant and Drinkery 9th Anniversary Party was the Southern Tier 2XMAS. The beer pours an amber color with a bubbly off-white colored head. The aroma consists of nutmeg, caramel, cinnamon, and allspice. The taste is spicy with the nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon from the aroma with hints of caramel and orange peel in the background, leading to a dry finish. The alcohol content is 8.0% ABV. This beer was all about the spice and quite frankly I wasn’t a huge fan of it. I like most of Southern Tier’s beers, but this one just did not connect for me.

Millbock Brewing 12 Hops of Christmas

While at the Warwick Hotel in Hummelstown, I ordered a glass of Millbock Brewing 12 Hops of Christmas. The beer pours a golden color with a frothy white colored head that leaves a thin lacing on the glass. The aroma consists of grass, lemon, orange, and grapefruit. The taste is bitter and citrusy, with lemon, orange, and tangerine making up the fruity part of the beer. There is some pepper and grass as a result of the hops and light hints of caramel and toffee that set up the base. A dry finish with lingering bitterness is quite welcome at the conclusion of the beer. The alcohol content is not available online, but I would estimate it to be about 6.5% ABV. I liked this hop bomb of a beer, as it was light bodied but strongly hoppy.

Olde Hickory Christmas Ale

I picked up a bottle of Olde Hickory Christmas Ale from Bruisin’ Ales in Asheville. The beer pours an amber color with a lofty and frothy white colored head. The aroma consists of cinnamon, caramel, nutmeg, and honey. The taste is dry with spices up front including cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. A touch of honey sweetens up the finish with orange and is accompanied with a light grassy hop after taste. The alcohol content is not available online, but I would estimate it to be approximately 7.0% ABV. The beer fell short of expectations after having The Event Horizon from Olde Hickory, and it definitely was not among my favorite Christmas beers. I may drink it again, but wouldn’t go out of my way for it.

Hoppin' Frog Frosted Frog's Christmas Barrel Aged Christmas Ale

I was fortunate enough to have Heather Holmes pick me up a bottle of Hoppin’ Frog Frosted Frog’s Christmas Barrel Aged Christmas Ale from the brewery. I previously had the non-barrel aged beer, and was excited to try this one. The beer pours a dark amber color with a thin filmy off-white colored head. The aroma consists of cinnamon, nutmeg, caramel, allspice, vanilla, and bourbon. The taste is spicy and has plenty of cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice on the front end. However, in comparison to the non-barrel aged version of this beer, the bourbon and vanilla sweetens and rounds out the flavor in the finish. The alcohol content is 8.6% ABV. While I didn’t hate the non-barrel aged version, this version was infinitely better, as the bourbon barrel aging smoothed out the spiciness, especially in the finish. The alcohol warmth added a true touch of Christmas, exactly what was missing from the beer before.

Brouwerij St. Bernardus Christmas Ale

I ordered a glass of Brouwerij St. Bernardus Christmas Ale while at TJ’s 8th Anniversary Party. The beer pours a dark amber color with a thin filmy beige head. The aroma is very malty and has plenty of caramel in it. The taste is also malty but with a lightly sour toasted malt flavor. Cherry, chocolate, and a dry alcohol finish round out the flavors. The alcohol content is 10% ABV. I’d rank this as a solid performer in the Christmas beer category and quite a delicious Belgian Strong Dark Ale. The slight sourness from the toasted malts really made the beer enjoyable.

Hoppin' Frog Frosted Frog Christmas Ale

I bought a bottle of Hoppin’ Frog Frosted Frog Christmas Ale from Al’s of Hampden and brought it over to my buddy’s Adam’s place to share with friends. The beer pours a red-tinted amber color with a thin bubbly off-white colored head. The aroma is big on cinnamon and ginger with hints of nutmeg and pepper. The taste is dry with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a hint of sugar. A solid caramel base announces itself before a before a ginger spice kicks in and bitters the palate. The alcohol content is 8.6% ABV. I thought this was a rather good spiced beer that was very dry. For those that don’t like spice-heavy beer, this may not be for you, but I loved how it tasted very similar to gingerbread cookies.

Saint Arnold Christmas Ale

I received a bottle of Saint Arnold Christmas Ale from Jason in Texas as part of a beer trade. The beer pours an amber color with a frothy tan head. The aroma consists of cinnamon, nutmeg, and caramel. The taste is slightly sweet at first with a caramel base. Spice accents come in to play with some allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg, drying out the mouth a little bit. The after taste is a bit of spruce and pine. The alcohol content is 7.0% ABV. This is a beer that would be great to introduce people to Christmas ales, as it is light-bodied and easy drinking. However, it has all the right spices and a nice sweet base for everyone to enjoy.

Breckenridge Christmas Ale

I picked up a bottle of Breckenridge Christmas Ale at D's Six Pax and Dogz in Pittsburgh. The beer has an amber color with a foamy white head. The smell is malty and full of spices. The taste is sweet and is comprised of cinnamon, nutmeg, all spice and a dash of cinnamon. The alcohol content is 7.4% ABV. The taste is very good and smooth with the right amount of spices. Nothing here is overdone and is a very quality Christmas beer.

St. Bernadus Christmas Ale

A night before the blizzard in Philadelphia, I ordered a bottle of St. Bernadus Christmas Ale to warm myself up. The beer pours a reddish brown color with a light head. The smell is sweet and full of caramel accents and dark fruits. The taste is sweet with caramel and a nice spice accent. The spice consists of nutmeg and cinnamon and is rounded out with vanilla. The alcohol kicks in late. The alcohol content 10% ABV. There wasn't as much spice as I expected, but it was very good. The alcohol content wasn't too overpowering and the beer was very drinkable.

Great Lakes Christmas Ale

For my birthday, I was provided with a six pack of Great Lakes Christmas Ale. The beer is an amber color with a light foamy head. The aroma is full of spices including cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg. The taste has a base of tasted malts and is mostly comprised of cinnamon with hints of nutmeg and a light honey sweet undertone. The alcohol content is 7.5% ABV. I think what surprised me most was the honey accent which made the beer just sweet enough. This beer had an excellent balance and did not overdo the spices.

Sly Fox Christmas Ale

McGrath's recently added Sly Fox Christmas Ale to their draft lineup and I ordered a glass. The beer is a dark amber color with a light foamy head. The smell is malty with cinnamon and nutmeg liners. The taste is mostly cinnamon with slight spice hints, comprising of nutmeg and allspice. Underneath hints of cherry and chocolate peek through the spices. The alcohol content is 6.5% ABV. Sly Fox has provided a Christmas beer that was not overdone and overall very good. The many flavors made for a very enjoyable experience and they are nicely balanced with each other.

Corsendonk Christmas Ale

I ordered a glass of Brouwerij Corsendonk Christmas Ale at Fat Head's in Pittsburgh. The beer has a dark amber color with a creamy head. The smell is sweet and spicy. The taste is full cinnamon with nice spice accents and surprisingly it has an orange finish. There are light nutmeg accent underneath of it all. The alcohol content is 8.5% ABV. This definitely ranks up there with the better Christmas beers that I have had. None of the flavors or elements were overdone or overpowering, and each complimented the other nicely. I highly recommend you try this one before it is gone for the season.

Bell's Christmas Ale

McGrath's in Harrisburg recently added Bell's Christmas Ale to their draft lineup and I was eager to order a glass. The beer is amber in color with red hints and a light foamy head. The smell is light with spice accents. The taste is smooth with slight sour cherry bite and a touch of honey. The alcohol content is 5.4% ABV. I thought this Christmas Ale was very good and smooth with the honey making the beer. The honey made the taste nice and sweet and made the beer very drinkable.