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Samuel Adams White Christmas
Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)
- From:
- Boston Beer Company (Samuel Adams)
- Massachusetts, United States
- Style:
- Witbier
- ABV:
- 5.8%
- Score:
- 79
- Avg:
- 3.45 | pDev: 15.36%
- Reviews:
- 343
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Oct 02, 2023
- Added:
- Oct 22, 2012
- Wants:
- 32
- Gots:
- 423
As crisp as the first snowfall of the year, this unfiltered white ale is blended with holiday spices including cinnamon, nutmeg, & orange peel. The familiar citrus and wheat characters of the ale are complemented by the warmth of the spices for a festive brew that's perfect for the season.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada
3.12/5 rDev -9.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.12/5 rDev -9.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
The dreaded "ale with spices" descriptor on the label. Not inspiring.
Pours a golden color leaning to the darker side of gold. 2/3" white head. Slight haze. Aroma was heavy on the spice rack, banana, clove, some other taragon and nutmeg like bullshit.
Taste is right up the Sam Adams spice rack. Its a wheat beer, you can surmise that much from the taste and mouthfeel, but it definitely plays a back up role to all the spice rack stuff I could do without. I dunno that a wit like winter warmer is gonna work, you took the things I don't really like about a wit, and jammed it into a style I'm cool with, but made it worse too. Interesting concept, but the execution doesn't amount to a product I can actually get into. The flavors are relatively strong and pungent, especially relative to its strength.
I doubt we'll be seeing this anytime soon, outside chance it pops up in a holiday/winter variety pack maybe.
Aug 28, 2020Pours a golden color leaning to the darker side of gold. 2/3" white head. Slight haze. Aroma was heavy on the spice rack, banana, clove, some other taragon and nutmeg like bullshit.
Taste is right up the Sam Adams spice rack. Its a wheat beer, you can surmise that much from the taste and mouthfeel, but it definitely plays a back up role to all the spice rack stuff I could do without. I dunno that a wit like winter warmer is gonna work, you took the things I don't really like about a wit, and jammed it into a style I'm cool with, but made it worse too. Interesting concept, but the execution doesn't amount to a product I can actually get into. The flavors are relatively strong and pungent, especially relative to its strength.
I doubt we'll be seeing this anytime soon, outside chance it pops up in a holiday/winter variety pack maybe.
Reviewed by MonDak_Joe1953 from Minnesota
3.66/5 rDev +6.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.66/5 rDev +6.1%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
12oz bottle. Label is notched for best by April, 2020.
Murky, dark gold colored body. Brief one finger white head, which is first as fine bubbles and then as large bubbles, and then a surface skiff. Leaves a few scattered small spots of lacing.
Aroma of wheat, orange, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Taste is more expressive than the smell, and is made up of wheat malt, wheat toast, orange citrus, and banana/cloves esters. The cinnamon is more on the tongue at the very end.
Medium mouth feel. Has a wheat tang and a pepper bite at the end.
A mediumly pleasing holiday wheat ale with spices. Spices are prominent but not overbearing. I like the pepper bite at the end. A lighter holiday beer to enjoy before the fire.
Dec 26, 2019Murky, dark gold colored body. Brief one finger white head, which is first as fine bubbles and then as large bubbles, and then a surface skiff. Leaves a few scattered small spots of lacing.
Aroma of wheat, orange, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Taste is more expressive than the smell, and is made up of wheat malt, wheat toast, orange citrus, and banana/cloves esters. The cinnamon is more on the tongue at the very end.
Medium mouth feel. Has a wheat tang and a pepper bite at the end.
A mediumly pleasing holiday wheat ale with spices. Spices are prominent but not overbearing. I like the pepper bite at the end. A lighter holiday beer to enjoy before the fire.
Reviewed by VoxRationis from New York
3.59/5 rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.59/5 rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Decanted from a 12 oz (355 ml) bottle into a custom taste pint glass; best by April of 2020.
A: Pours a hazy, golden orange color with a no more than one finger, short-lived white head, rim retention, and largely parameniscal lacing. Beautiful effervescence early.
S: Tart side of tangy with aromas banana, cloves, nutmeg, and a slight cinnamon note.
T: More semisweet than not. Flavors of caramel, nutmeg, and banana with a cinnamon tug (yes, that's the word I selected). More bitterness than I expected (or wanted) especially on the back end.
M: Light to medium bodied with robust to less than moderate carbonation evolving quickly. A bit watery.
O: I really wanted to like this, although, unlike Bing, I cannot say I was "Dreaming of" it. I decent, but hardly standout Wit.
Dec 11, 2019A: Pours a hazy, golden orange color with a no more than one finger, short-lived white head, rim retention, and largely parameniscal lacing. Beautiful effervescence early.
S: Tart side of tangy with aromas banana, cloves, nutmeg, and a slight cinnamon note.
T: More semisweet than not. Flavors of caramel, nutmeg, and banana with a cinnamon tug (yes, that's the word I selected). More bitterness than I expected (or wanted) especially on the back end.
M: Light to medium bodied with robust to less than moderate carbonation evolving quickly. A bit watery.
O: I really wanted to like this, although, unlike Bing, I cannot say I was "Dreaming of" it. I decent, but hardly standout Wit.
Reviewed by Mindcrime1000 from South Dakota
3.03/5 rDev -12.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
3.03/5 rDev -12.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a bottle into a tulip.
Pours quite hazy and gold. Nice head and good lacing.
I was prepared for it, and yet the aroma is so heavy on the winter-warmer spices it is a bit jarring. Nutmeg, allspice, clove, cinnamon plus coriander and citrus peel. Once I get used to it, the typical esters (banana mostly) come through.
The flavor is. Ooof. Very little wit flavor. Heavy on the spice rack. Not terrible, but awfully overwhelming to the exclusion of much else. Like the aroma, it gets easier to analyze once the initial blast wears off, but it's a tough one that way.
The brew is remarkably heavy for the style and ABV. Creamy and filling.
A wit winter warmer? I was prepared for it, but it's still not the best mix.
Nov 28, 2019Pours quite hazy and gold. Nice head and good lacing.
I was prepared for it, and yet the aroma is so heavy on the winter-warmer spices it is a bit jarring. Nutmeg, allspice, clove, cinnamon plus coriander and citrus peel. Once I get used to it, the typical esters (banana mostly) come through.
The flavor is. Ooof. Very little wit flavor. Heavy on the spice rack. Not terrible, but awfully overwhelming to the exclusion of much else. Like the aroma, it gets easier to analyze once the initial blast wears off, but it's a tough one that way.
The brew is remarkably heavy for the style and ABV. Creamy and filling.
A wit winter warmer? I was prepared for it, but it's still not the best mix.
Reviewed by Buckeye55 from North Carolina
3.75/5 rDev +8.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev +8.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Excellent brew, just short of outstanding. Pours a cloudy golden color with minimal head. Smells of douce, which transfers to the taste along with fruit notes. A full mouthfeel and spicy aftertaste finish off this brew
Nov 08, 2019Reviewed by mothmanscott from Georgia
3.46/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
3.46/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
From notes 12/14/12: Pours a hazy deep gold producing 2 fingers of dense, finely bubbled, short-lived, off-white head that leaves a little spotty lacing. Aroma is wheat, banana bread, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and orange zest. Taste is sweet wheat, orange zest, banana, nutmeg, cinnamon and coriander. Finish is peppery. The pepper of the finish runs well into the aftertaste which is spice heavy. Mouthfeel is light bodied, slick and a little syrupy.
Oct 29, 2019
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