Christmas Ale 2006
Abita Brewing Co.

Christmas Ale 2006Christmas Ale 2006
Beer Geek Stats | Print Shelf Talker
From:
Abita Brewing Co.
 
Louisiana, United States
Style:
American Amber / Red Ale
ABV:
Not listed
Score:
79
Avg:
3.3 | pDev: 13.33%
Reviews:
19
Ratings:
23
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Nov 27, 2014
Added:
Nov 27, 2006
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  0
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by goochpunch:
Photo of goochpunch
Reviewed by goochpunch from Texas

2.85/5  rDev -13.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Pours a hazed copper with a thin frothy head that thins out soon and leaves a ring of lace. Smells bready, almost worty, with a tinge of noble hop in the background. Taste is very toasty and quite bitterly hoppy. This has an overwhelmingly earthy quality to it that could possibly be described as more "dirty" than "earthy." Aside from that, the flavors are rather thin. Mouthfeel is a bit too sticky for me, but the carbonation is on the money for what I'd like. This is by no means awful nor a drain-pour, but I'm just not excited about drinking this. Also, the sticky body doesn't sit well with me.
Jan 17, 2007
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.25 by spycow from Illinois

Nov 27, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by noperative from Louisiana

Jul 17, 2014
 
Rated: 3.5 by dannyfayy from Pennsylvania

Apr 21, 2014
 
Rated: 3 by ejimhof from Pennsylvania

Sep 20, 2013
Photo of hopdog
Reviewed by hopdog from Pennsylvania

2.8/5  rDev -15.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
12oz bottle shared courtesy of weeare138.

Poured a medium amber color with a small sized off white head. Aromas and tastes of caramel and just all around earthy. I really didn't get too much out of this one and wrote down all around bland. Thinner body.

Notes from and tasted on 4/4/06.
Nov 04, 2008
Photo of MrHungryMonkey
Reviewed by MrHungryMonkey from Texas

4.42/5  rDev +33.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Deep copper red brown / clear / mild carbonation / nice head

Sweet roasted malt – chocolate espresso / spiced floral hop herbal hints / banana esters

Dry sweet rich roasted barley / spiced with cool coriander / floral herbal hops

Medium bodied smooth nice carbonation

Very smooth and refreshing. Nice deep sweet malt and strong tart balancing hops. Superb Amber Ale.

*Note: given my unusually high review and the four months that have passed since the last review, I wager that Abita Christmas Ale 2006 aged well at World Market. I really loved it, and will return for more soon.
Jun 04, 2007
Photo of Georgiabeer
Reviewed by Georgiabeer from Georgia

2.95/5  rDev -10.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.5 | overall: 3
Pours a dark amber with reddish highlights and an okay white head that fades to a thin cap. The smell is almost purely of cereal grains, but not of corn, which is nice. Smells like Grapenuts. Taste is similar- very grainy, like breakfast cereal, but pretty clean and actually somewhat pleasant. Sort of tastes like a Wasa cracker.The mouthfeel is medium bodied and somewhat crisp, but with a slight soapiness on the finish that is a little unpleasant. Not bad, my sample is pretty fresh. This was given to me and I drank it- I wouldn't go out of my way for this one, but it is drinkable.
Feb 22, 2007
Photo of Braudog
Reviewed by Braudog from Virginia

3.2/5  rDev -3%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
12oz 2006 bottle: A deep amber brew with a thin but roacky/foamy head. I swear this stuff smells like nacho-cheese Dorritos ... and the flavor isn’t too different. Wow. Very vegetabley, lightly metallic, only a tad bit spicy, but somehow enjoyable. (#2700, 2/13/2007)
Feb 14, 2007
Photo of nortmand
Reviewed by nortmand from Illinois

3.26/5  rDev -1.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Pours red with a bone white head.

Smells like pickles and cat hair. Caramel, some hops, I suppose.

Malty and a little roasty, okay, but leaves a very off aftertaste.

Medium bodied, fairly drinkable, but smells funny. Not much of an xmas beer, but passable.
Jan 30, 2007
Photo of ccrida
Reviewed by ccrida from Oregon

2.86/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 3 | smell: 2 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a bottled into a pint glass, the Abita Christmas is an orangish brown, like a muddy honey, with a small off-white head that left little lace. The aroma is malty but very slight. The taste is both sweet and toasted malts, with a bit of spices, but not enough to really distinguish them beyond the typical christmas cannon. There is a mildly bitter hop finish. Overall it is a nicely balanced tasting christmas beer if a bit bland. The mouthfeel has more creamy carbonation then is evident from the appearance, and there is a bit of hardness to it as well. The drinkablity of this is fairly high in that there is nothing too objectionable about the taste that would wear thin over a session, but on the other hand, there is nothing special enough about this that I would want to session with it in the first place.
Dec 27, 2006
Photo of Pegasus
Reviewed by Pegasus from Texas

3.5/5  rDev +6.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Appearance: Hazy amber brown in color, with a small white head, really just a scattering of foam on the surface, and a circlet around the glass walls. No carbonation is evident.

Aroma: Toasted malts are superbly prominent, as well as chocolate, caramel, and restrained hops.

Taste: A strong wave of toasted malts at the open, followed by caramel, and a lingering, sharp metallic and herbal bitterness.

Mouth feel: Seems just a bit thin, but not harsh or unpleasant.

Drinkability/notes: Not outstanding, but very drinkable and pleasant.

Presentation: Packaged in a short twelve ounce brown glass bottle with a pop-off crown, served in a standard pint tap glass.
Dec 25, 2006
Photo of HopDerek
Reviewed by HopDerek from Pennsylvania

3.21/5  rDev -2.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Served on tap at TDR Exton in a pint glass.

Appears reddish amber in color with a thin off-white head. Smells of Christmas spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, as well as some vanilla and light malts. Taste is very malty like breakfast cereal, a light taste of the Christmas spices, followed by a dry hoppy finish. Very light in body, not much lasting flavor afterwards, good carbonation though. A bit weaker for a Christmas beer, not very warming or recollecting as a holiday brew.
Dec 24, 2006
Photo of GPHarris
Reviewed by GPHarris from Alabama

2.53/5  rDev -23.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 2 | overall: 3
a - poured a two fingers thick, fluffy off-white head into a snifter. body is clear and reddish-brown.
s - smells malty and hints of chocolate. not what i was expecting but it was decent.
t - there aren't any discernable tastes in this, it is very bland.
m - once again this is a disappointment, mouthfeel is dull and lifeless.
d - improved slightly as i neared the finish but this is a major letdown. i don't usually rave overwhelmingly or tear down a beer but this should significantly improve before i ever think of buying it again. abita usually does a good job, i.e. 20th anniversary pilsner. now what am i going to do with the five beers left?
Dec 19, 2006
Photo of jordanmills
Reviewed by jordanmills from Texas

3.68/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Nice amber color. Smells of spices and hop - not as much malt as other "christmas" offerings. Tastes good and deep. It seems that one of the darker malts was roasted too long, some small thing just isn't quite right in there - but I'm being too critical of a good ale. Easy to drink, except that roast keeps bugging me. A very good experience overall.
Dec 13, 2006
Photo of malty
Reviewed by malty from Michigan

3.03/5  rDev -8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 2
Pours a brilliantly clear bronzy orange color with a tight 1/2" cream colored head. Faint visible carbonation bubbles rising upward. Gorgeous thin sheets of almost unbroken lace.

Smells of holiday spices; allspice, cinnamon, vanilla & malted milk.

Big time biscuity cereal flavors at first. Oyster crackers come to mind. A rindy hopiness is hidden behind a toasted malt backbone. I keep sipping and really only getting the bland cereal flavors that greeted me at the beginning.

Mouthfeel is very nice. Soft & fine medium carbonation dances on the tongue. Dry short finish.

Drinkability is OK. If I liked it better I'd have another one.

Overall a gorgeous looking ale with a splendid mouthfeel, but fell short where it counts the most. I was bummed I couldn't taste the flavors that I perceived in the nose. I'm glad I tried it and also glad I only bought this single.
Dec 12, 2006
Photo of NeroFiddled
Reviewed by NeroFiddled from Pennsylvania

3.72/5  rDev +12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Clear, crimson-accented deep-amber bordering on becoming chestnut. Thin, creamy white head. Average lacing. Overall nice appearance... looks like Christmas! Aroma displays rich, grainy, toasty, and lightly caramelish malt with some yeasty fruit and a dull edge of sublime cocoa or spice. Again, nice. In the mouth it's medium bodied and gently crisp. The flavor is toasty and biscuity with a delicate caramelish edge and some spicy and grassy hops... or is the spiciness actually spice? Nutmeg initially came to mind, and I thought cinnamon, but if any spice is there it's at a very low level and doesn't really add anything to the beer as it's mostly undetectable. I was expecting more. I poured it lightly-chilled into an oversized snifter, but I'm thinking it might have been better enjoyed at cellar temperature in an Imperial pint... how's the saying go, "you want more flavor, get a bigger glass"! An average, drinkable toasty beer.
Dec 09, 2006
Photo of BeerSox
Reviewed by BeerSox from Virginia

3.38/5  rDev +2.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
12oz bottle into mug. Silver label with red lettering/trim.

Deep gold amber color with a light tan frothy one finger head that dissapears quickly to a thin cap. Stacked rings of lace along the glass.

Light clean smell of grainy malt and a little bit of leafy hop aroma. some smokey notes.

Buscuity hints and a mouthful of roasted malt flavor. Light spiciness that leads into a clean finish. A touch of creaminess exists between the grainy malts and the slightly bittering hops. The smokiness comes out again in the taste as well. Medium light bodied with some spritzy carbonation.

A decent attempt, but not much special about this beer except the noticeably high smokiness that I haven't experienced in other American Amber / Red Ale style beers. It's worth a try.
Dec 09, 2006
Photo of plaztikjezuz
Reviewed by plaztikjezuz from Michigan

3.3/5  rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
pours a wounderful amber but lacks a head and is light on the carbonation.
the aroma is malty with a nint of cocoa little bit of fruity yeastie smells.
the flavor is a little bit malty, light on the hop flavor, little bit of carmelized malt.
this is an alright beer, but i expect, some special in a christmas ale. this is a spiceless, bodyless, undercarbonated wounder.
Dec 08, 2006
Photo of psinderson
Reviewed by psinderson from Pennsylvania

4.2/5  rDev +27.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Served on-tap at the Sharp Edge Creekhouse.

Appearance: Amber color with a thin off-white head.

Smell: Bready caramel aroma with roasty background.

Taste: This brew is very chocolatey...decent amount of chocolate malt evident. Mild hoippy finish.

Mouthfeel: Full bodied goodness.

Drinkability: Quite drinkable. No strong flavors to offend.
Nov 29, 2006
Christmas Ale 2006 from Abita Brewing Co.
Beer rating: 79 out of 100 with 23 ratings