Christmas Cheer
Redoak Boutique Beer Cafe

Christmas CheerChristmas Cheer
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From:
Redoak Boutique Beer Cafe
 
Australia
Style:
Winter Warmer
ABV:
6.2%
Score:
82
Avg:
3.53 | pDev: 16.71%
Reviews:
18
Ratings:
22
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Sep 02, 2014
Added:
Dec 09, 2005
Wants:
  0
Gots:
  1
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Macca:
Photo of Macca
Reviewed by Macca from Australia

3.54/5  rDev +0.3%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
This pours a dark brown. Not a lot of head despite a very vigorous pour. That doesn't seem to tally with other reviews though.

Love the aroma - cinnamon, dried fruit, maybe a bit of vanilla

A lot more ginger on the palate. A bit of alcoholic warmth.

A little thin in the mouth.

With a bit more body this could be a great beer rather than just a good one.
Jan 06, 2009
More User Ratings:
Photo of admiral
Rated by admiral from Australia

4.6/5  rDev +30.3%
Had this on tap at Redoak and was in great condition - beautifully balanced with Christmas pudding describing it best.
Sep 02, 2014
 
Rated: 2.25 by warnerry from Michigan

Aug 27, 2014
 
Rated: 2.5 by pin from Australia

Dec 12, 2013
 
Rated: 3 by nanobrew from California

Nov 14, 2011
Photo of Stew41
Reviewed by Stew41 from Thailand

3.42/5  rDev -3.1%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Chocolate brown with a thin creamy head. Earthy nose, sweet spices, cinnamon, a little musty. Shows complexity. Palate is largely similar but just lacks the weight and intensity promised on the nose. Despite this a well built beer for a style we don't seem much of here.
Oct 28, 2011
Photo of vacax
Reviewed by vacax from California

3.68/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Thanks to Jeremy for bringing this one all the way from Sydney. Christmas Cheer pours a dark amber with minimal head, a few swirls of small bubbles and a ring along the edge of the glass. Aroma of tart cranberries, cinnamon, nutmeg, cookies, dried apples. Fairly pronounced sour cranberry and cherries on the front, then spices, especially clove and nutmeg with a malty, earthy finish. I doubt this is supposed to be as sour as it is, but it goes nicely with the spices, they are very present but not over the top. I actually like this one a good amount. Body is on the thinner side with a natural feeling moderate carbonation. Nice flavors here, would enjoy it again.
Jun 09, 2010
Photo of rhoadsrage
Reviewed by rhoadsrage from Illinois

4.05/5  rDev +14.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
(Served in a globe glass)
A- This beer pours a dense wamr brown body with a glow of red at the base of the glass. There is no head on this beer and there are only a few tiny bubbles stuck to the side of the glass that are visible.
S- The dark cherry, wild yeast note has a soft camuber cheese rind note to finish.
T- The dar cherry flavor has a some earthy funky yeast quality with some old wood barrel and dark cola notes. There are some bright tart note in the finish.
M- Light mouthfeel with a tight fizz and no alcohol heat.
D- There are some nice tart wild flavors with a rich cherry flavor that doesn't taste spiced. This is a great way to take the edge off the 60 degree F Christmas season in Oz.
Nov 10, 2009
Photo of DIM
Reviewed by DIM from Pennsylvania

3.97/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
a: Clear, dark chestnut brown, medium tan head.

s: Spices, dark fruit, apple cider, and dark roastiness.

t: Dry, spices take center stage, apple flavors noticeable. Winter warmer meets hard cider, very tasty.

m: Carbonation is light and spritzy.

d: Unusual, never had anything quite like this.
Nov 02, 2009
Photo of dgilks
Reviewed by dgilks from Australia

2.53/5  rDev -28.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
Pours a very deep brown which appears black. Medium, tan head. Poor head retention and no lacing.

Quite sweet with a hint of currants and some summer berries. Overall, I don't get anything that pulls this together into something deep and enticing.

Disappointing. Yet again, the dreaded Redoak infection comes through. Normally I wouldn't review this bottle but it is an ongoing issue with these guys and the reviews need to reflect that. Quite a dull sweet start which flows into a lactic sourness with a hint of phenol. Maybe the lactic could be characterised as fruity in a red currant or pineapple way. Not much depth.

Light to medium body with moderate carbonation. Slightly slick.

Not a great beer and if I had opened this bottle at Christmas there wouldn't be a heap of cheer. Somewhat drinkable if I try to think of it as an Oud Bruin. Maybe this beer is good when it is in perfect condition but buying Redoak bottles is just too risky.
Oct 29, 2009
Photo of LittleCreature
Reviewed by LittleCreature from Australia

3.12/5  rDev -11.6%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Note: ABV is 6.2% not 6.5%.

Appearance - 3.0
Poured a thin beige to tan coloured head that quickly vanished leaving a flattish looking black beer (golden brown when held to intense, direct light) with a thin rim of foam around the edge.

Smell - 3.5
Instantly the name of the beer makes sense, it smells just like dark, fruity, spicy, liquor soaked Christmas pudding. Marzipan and orange peel are also there. While the aroma brings back happy memories, it does not leave me longing to take a sip.

Taste - 3.0
Strong! At 6.2% the alcohol is not particularly high for this style of beer, and behind the dark malt and spices, it is hardly noticeable. Flavours of mixed spice, ginger, clove, currants, orange peel and a little boozy cake mix are all there. Less spice, more malt and more alcohol would be an improvement.

Mouthfeel - 3.0
Fizzier than the appearance suggests, medium bodied and oily in the mouth with warming alcohol in the finish.

Drinkability - 3.0
Not an easy drinker by any means, but far from a sink pour.

OVERALL - 3.1
Liquid Christmas pudding is a good way to describe this beer, but unfortunately not everyone likes Christmas pudding. I would like to see a lot more malt flavour to give balance to this spicy brew and improve its drinkability.
Jul 21, 2009
Photo of CrazyDavros
Reviewed by CrazyDavros from Australia

3.74/5  rDev +5.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Pours dark copper, medium-sized tan head that quickly fades.
Aroma is a heady concoction of brandy, roasted malts, plums, toast, treacle a nutmeg. Quite a mouthful! Or nose-full, I guess.
Sweet/tangy/sour unripe plums provide a dominant flavour, which I really don't remember from last time I had this? This is followed by some delicate roasted malt and finishes with some sweet cookie dough. Not what I expecting from a christmas ale, but very interesting and quite tasty! No bitterness whatsoever from hops or roasted malt.
Mouthfeel is quite oily/slick. Good carbonation though.
Apr 19, 2009
Photo of lacqueredmouse
Reviewed by lacqueredmouse from Australia

3.67/5  rDev +4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 4
Middling brown-red colour, slightly cloudy with a ring of slightly insipid bubbles. Body looks quite heavy, lacing is ok. Looks pretty nice.

Nose is full of tart fruit - cherries, kiwifruit and something darker like burnt toffee, or a dusty cellar. Even a light smokiness creeping in. Quite unusual, but very pleasant.

Initial tart hit then consumed by a dry cocoa and biscuit character. Vaguely sweet, but not really; it's more that I associate the underlying flavours with sweetness, rather than them being sweet in this beer. There's certainly a lightly astringent character, a little like grape must, finish is dry and dusty with a faint twang of cardboard. Mouthfeel is a bit flat, but otherwise a very interesting palate.

It strikes me that this beer might be a bit old. It has some vaguely long-cellared characters to it, notably the flat mouthfeel and the dry biscuit/cardboard character on the back. Otherwise, though, this was enjoyable, complex and unusual.
Apr 03, 2009
Photo of laituegonflable
Reviewed by laituegonflable from Australia

3.27/5  rDev -7.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Red-tinged brown, quite dark colour, I had to really gush it from the bottle to produce any head which went down almost immediately. Some reasonable lacing, not much carbonation at all. Looks sweet and sticky, but not impressive.

Spicy and quite hoppy nose, rather strong hints of sultana, but not very sweet. It's actually not very hoppy, I'm mistaken, but there is a herbal or vegetative edge to it. Slight hints of wood as well, otherwise just syrupy and fruity.

Taste is not very sweet but with an earthy spiceyness, maybe a hint of ginger or nutmeg and a slight tartness, like cherries or underripe plums on the finish. If I'm to be honest I think this has gone past its shelf life, no matter what the 'best before' date on the bottle reckons. It's got flavour there but it's become quite bland and slightly dusty. There are reminders of some fairly pleasant fruit tartness, but it would have to be drunk now to get any of this.
Apr 03, 2009
Photo of baggio
Reviewed by baggio from Sweden

4.19/5  rDev +18.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Bottle@home

A beer from my favourite australian microbrewery!

A: Dark brown with a minimal head. Minimal lacing too.

S: Fruitcake, Berries, Wood, Roasted malt.

T: Fruit, Christmas pudding, Berries, Spices (nutmeg among others), Roasted malt.

M: Smooth and rich. Starts of quite sweet but there is a hint of bitterness at the end. Very drinkable despite it's huge flavorprofile!

An excellent beer from Red Oak in Sydney / Australia. I hope i can get to try more of their beers at my next visit!
Feb 09, 2009
Photo of koolk
Reviewed by koolk from Australia

3.38/5  rDev -4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3
Dark brown in colour, with a firm white head with good lacing.

Initially a very spicy nose - ginger, cardamom and citrus peel. This leads way to some more malt and dark fruit flavours.

Palate is of dark fruits like cherry and some more of the spice seen on the nose. Some sweeter light malt flavour. Not a very strongly flavoured drop.

A little thin on body but it does hide the 6.2% alc well. Has a strange spicy aftertaste that reduces the drinkability.

Not bad though not very complex or full bodied. Just missing a certain something.
Aug 31, 2008
Photo of Jason
Reviewed by Jason from Massachusetts

3.06/5  rDev -13.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
250mL brown bottle. Thanks to Todd for the sample.

A- Big off white foam that created a crest at the top of the glass, dark reddish brown color with good clarity.

S- Smells of fruit cake, not homemade but store brand fruit cake that no one eats except for the crazy great aunt.

T&M- Light bodied with a crisp and thin mouth feel. Thin biscuity malt flavor, hint of shortbread. Candied fruit and ginger in the back. Light on the hops. Dry carob flavor. Bone dry finish with nothing in the after taste.

D- I expected a bit more malt back bone on this one, not horrible but certainly missing the mark.
Aug 01, 2007
Photo of belgbeerdrinker
Reviewed by belgbeerdrinker from Colorado

3.62/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
a: dark brown color with little to no head materializing at any point during the pour - may be overdue
s: fruity & spicy aroma, cherries maybe (supposed to smell like christmas pudding)
t: fruits, caramel, sweet throughout with light alchohol tones at end
m: smooth, with decent carbonation (more than expected given appearance), medium body
d: gets more & more tasty as it warms up & i'd be happy to have another. another good product from redoak.
May 31, 2007
Photo of brendan13
Reviewed by brendan13 from Australia

3.97/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
A - Dark brown with a big cream coloured head.
S - Mmmmm, dark fruits, ginger spiceiness, everything I was expecting.
T - The fruits are certainly present here along with the ginger. Some smokey malt flavours in the background as well.
M - This is a bit of a let down, a bit thin and watery.
D - Very tasty beer. It's obviously not supposed to be a session beer. Would be very nice to sip by the fireplace on a cold winters night.
May 01, 2007
Photo of BeerNutta
Reviewed by BeerNutta from Australia

3.62/5  rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Redoak Christmas Cheer

A = Poured a dark mahogany with a thin foam head that quickly dissapates.

S = Strong Ginger smell with a lingering plum like sweetness. Smells very inviting.

T = Initial ginger spiciness that gives way to a slight sweetness. There is a dry brandy like character that gives way to the strong initial ginger taste. Good but in some ways I feel that the ginger ruins this.

M = A bit watery for my liking. I wished it was a bit more fuller in body.

D = Drinkable. But not great. Had better christmas beer than this.
Apr 12, 2007
Christmas Cheer from Redoak Boutique Beer Cafe
Beer rating: 82 out of 100 with 22 ratings