Rude Elf's Reserve
Allentown Brew Works

Rude Elf's ReserveRude Elf's Reserve
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Allentown Brew Works
 
Pennsylvania, United States
Style:
Herb and Spice Beer
ABV:
10.5%
Score:
83
Avg:
3.69 | pDev: 16.26%
Reviews:
50
Ratings:
204
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 26, 2020
Added:
Feb 08, 2009
Wants:
  7
Gots:
  26
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by EvilAsh:
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Rated by EvilAsh from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev +8.4%

Nov 08, 2012
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.85 by TLA from Pennsylvania

Dec 26, 2020
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.28/5  rDev -11.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Smells like gingerbread and fruitcake. Murky brown pour with fast diminishing head. Alcohol burns through the mix and brings warmth. A real winter warmer.
Mar 15, 2020
Photo of DADZIG83
Reviewed by DADZIG83 from Pennsylvania

3.39/5  rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 3.75
Pretty much pumpkin spice beer but not bad. I also taste banana and raisin and if I didn’t know better I wouldn’t suspect the abv to be 10.5% but probably 7% or 8%.
Dec 29, 2018
 
Rated: 3.28 by SouthCrescent from Pennsylvania

Dec 16, 2018
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Rated by BilleGibbons from Pennsylvania

2.47/5  rDev -33.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2 | feel: 1 | overall: 2
It was a bit flat. Had nice smooth taste.
Dec 14, 2018
 
Rated: 3.39 by Slack from Virginia

Jan 01, 2018
 
Rated: 3.74 by cyber_phoenix from Pennsylvania

Dec 28, 2017
 
Rated: 3.78 by rjd722 from Maryland

Dec 24, 2017
Photo of Franziskaner
Reviewed by Franziskaner from Missouri

3.59/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Copper colored with a fair amount of sediment suspended within. There's a fingernail of beige around the rim and covering two thirds of the top. I smell cinnamon, ginger, and light bready malt. I'm tasting ginger, cinnamon, and light bready malt. The spicing is pretty intense and is almost overwhelming. The mouth is aggressively spiced and a bit thick and chewy.
Jul 09, 2017
Photo of Lone_Freighter
Reviewed by Lone_Freighter from Vermont

3.99/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Thought this was a Belgian ale, so I poured it into a tulip. The appearance was a hazy burnt orange to bronzed copper color. Slim quarter finger of white foamy head graced gently on the glass. The smell had a sweet brown sugar to delicate spice - ginger, cinnamon and clove. The taste started off mainly sweet and bled into the spices nicely. Light spicy sweet aftertaste led to a sticky sweet finish. On the palate, this one sat about a medium on the body with a fairly decent sipping quality about it. Alcohol not felt. Overall, for what it is now, I like it as a Belgian ale or a Christmas spiced ale. It works.
Jun 08, 2017
Photo of woodychandler
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania

4.34/5  rDev +17.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
There are times that I am saddened by the Bottle Backlog here at Chez Woody, this being one of them. I had a number of Christmas/Holiday beers set aside to drink over the holidays, only to have time get away from me. I suppose that I should be happy to be able to drink them now, but I really wanted them in December.

From the bottle: "After being pestered by crazy workshop elves and celebrity reindeer, the Rude Elf found his true calling in Santa's brew house. He kept his edge and brewed a new Christmas legend for us all. Handcrafted in our small brewery with great pride. Family run, urban made, and fiercely independent since 1998. Cheers! - The Fegley family"; "Belgian Style Ale Brewed with Spices".

A Pop! of the cap & I was off and running. Or is it often running? No matter, but a gentle pour was the order of the day. Once sufficiently decanted, I gave it a vigorous in-glass swirl to raise a brief finger of foamy, light-tan head with limited retention that quickly fell away to wisps. Bye! Color was Deep Amber/Light Copper to Copper (SRM = > 13, < 17) with NE-quality clarity. Nose smelled like spice cake! Bready with lots of cinnamon and nutmeg as well as a light ginger presence. Oh, I would have loved this with my Christmas roast! Mouthfeel was big & full, like a dollop scooped onto my tongue. The spices were riotous, explosive & very tasty. Cinnamon was the prevalent spice, but nutmeg was also present and the ginger worked with the breadiness of the malt to create a gingerbread taste! Mmmm. Finish was dry as a result of all of the inherent spiciness, but it was a very tasty, warming drink. I really must revisit this beer come December 2017.
Apr 04, 2017
 
Rated: 4.21 by ogman from Pennsylvania

Jan 22, 2017
 
Rated: 4.4 by Stofko1992 from Pennsylvania

Jan 12, 2017
 
Rated: 4.67 by TeachChefs from Pennsylvania

Dec 18, 2016
Photo of MacMalt
Reviewed by MacMalt from New Jersey

3.74/5  rDev +1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
I had this on draught in a pub. It was served in a pint glass. It pours a cola brown with ruby hues, and a thin, ecru-colored head and lacing that dissipated quickly. It smells of cherry, banana, nutmeg, and cinnamon. The taste largely follows the nose. This is a pleasant spiced ale with flavors of cherry, banana, clove, and nutmeg. It's sweet but not cloying. This ale is medium-bodied, moderately carbonated, and you notice the 10.5% ABV. Overall, this is a pleasant Belgian-style ale. It is reminiscent of Mad Elf but lacks the latter's subtlety and clarity of taste.
Dec 08, 2016
 
Rated: 3.8 by madelf66 from Pennsylvania

Nov 26, 2016
 
Rated: 3.43 by ericat78 from Texas

Mar 12, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by Ardeer from New York

Dec 28, 2015
 
Rated: 3.73 by Brewlinson from Virginia

Dec 25, 2015
Rude Elf's Reserve from Allentown Brew Works
Beer rating: 83 out of 100 with 204 ratings