Christmas Ale
Holgate Brewhouse / Keatings Hotel

Christmas AleChristmas Ale
Beer Geek Stats
From:
Holgate Brewhouse / Keatings Hotel
 
Australia
Style:
Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
ABV:
8.5%
Score:
Needs more ratings
Avg:
3.18 | pDev: 18.24%
Reviews:
3
Ratings:
3
Status:
Active
Rated:
Jul 08, 2010
Added:
Apr 25, 2009
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews.
Photo of LittleCreature
Reviewed by LittleCreature from Australia

2.47/5  rDev -22.3%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 1.5
Appearance - 3.0
Pours a paper thin brown head that immediately disappears, leaving just a ring of bubbles around the outside of my goblet. Clear and dark brown, though ruby red when held to light.

Smell - 3.5
Through my rather blocked sniffer (damn this cold), I can detect a boozy xmas pudding aroma, some maltiness and sweetness.

Taste - 2.0
The beer is described on the bottle as, "strong ale, aged in french oak and infused with ginger". It is 8.5% abv, but you could have easily convinced me it was 12% - the alcohol is very obvious. Whatever character the french oak may have imparted is lost on me, buried under the heavy blanket of sweetness and ginger. The overall effect is of a highly boozy, sweet, spicy and medicinal beer. Not good.

Mouthfeel - 3.5
Full bodied with very little carbonation, bordering on flat. Warming alcohol, very smooth over the tongue and a little syrupy.

Drinkability - 1.5
Boozy and over-spiced - it was a struggle to get down a whole bottle.

OVERALL - 2.6
I realise that Christmas beers are usually heavily spiced, but frankly this was too much for me. Immediately after tasting, I wished that it was only a 207mL bottle, or that I was splitting the bottle with someone. A LIGHTLY spiced wee heavy or strong ale would have been so much better.
Jul 08, 2010
Photo of ADZA
Reviewed by ADZA from Australia

3.17/5  rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
This beer pours a jet burnt copper colour and smells of brandy,oak and warm alcohol which leaves no head or lacing with little carbonation,it tastes very sweet like a xmas pudding in a bottle with gingery backnotes and a big hint of brandy,quite a complex beer that i could only have one of.
Jul 08, 2009
Photo of CrazyDavros
Reviewed by CrazyDavros from Australia

3.9/5  rDev +22.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Ruby/copper, tiny head that ends up as a ring of tan bubbles.
Aroma is pretty complex, lots of ginger, dried fruit, some tangerine, charred oak, brandy/cognac and of course some alcohol.
Taste is similar, lots of ginger and oak, some creamy vanilla, then some lightly roasted malt. Woodyness keeps coming back for more. Sweetness is present from start to long after swallowing.
Creamy carbonation with some warming alcohol on the palate.
Quite a potent beer. Definately one to be slowly sipped after a meal on a cold day, preferably in front of a roaring fire.
Apr 25, 2009
Christmas Ale from Holgate Brewhouse / Keatings Hotel
Beer rating: 3.18 out of 5 with 3 ratings