Trader Joe's 2020 Vintage Spiced Ale
Trader Joe's Brewing Company

A - Pours out opaque, with a short tan head that fades quickly to a thin line around the glass. Not much lacing, really, but a pretty pour nevertheless.

S - A strong hit of baking spices, huge maltiness, and a definite alcohol burn. Spun sugar, dark fruits and a hint of chocolate make up the main highlights.

T - The dark fruits come forward, with a molasses and doughy bread foundation, and lovely, bright acidity rounding off the sweet notes in the finish.

M - Brisk carbonation, moderate weight, a fairly clean close. Lingering warmth, and easily drinkable.

O - I am a big fan of TJ's Vintage Ale, and have been for years. At $6 a bottle, it is also surprisingly affordable as far as Belgians go. Not surprising, since this is a Unibroue beer in truth, and they know their way around the Belgian brewing tradition.

750mL corked and caged bottle, shared with the Mrs. served in a Westmalle chalice. Best before 09-03-23. Date stamp J03201712QFL,

Appearance: Very dark cola brown with a thin light tan foam on top. Fine strands of persistent lacing. Slow pour left the sediment behind.

Smell: Lots of spices - clove, orange peel, nutmeg, and maybe just a hint of wintergreen that disappeared as the beer warmed up. Some fruity esters from the yeast become a bit more noticeable as the beer warms up past it's ideal serving temperature.

Taste: Roasted and sweet bready malt, yeast, clove, noble hop bitterness, and a spicy finish that is part cinnamon and a little bit of pepper as well.

Mouthfeel: Spicy on the tongue, airy carbonation. A little bit sticky on the teeth with a dry finish. Good thickness as well.

Overall / Drinkability: Another nice vintage of this ale. Definitely for sipping and savoring, but easily drinkable. Went well with Easter dinner - ham, Mac n' cheese, broccoli, rye bread. Dangerously drinkable - the higher ABV is notable even after a 33cL glass.

Wasn’t sure what to expect as I am not a big fan of spiced beers. This was a gift and as I found out a nice gift.
It poured a very, very dark brown with a solid foamy head.
I love the smell of a hoppy beer so this didn’t really excite me or scare me. I could smell some cinnamon and cloves but they weren’t overpowering.
The taste is what surprised me most. Again cloves and cinnamon are present but in moderate amounts. And I had no idea by its taste that it was a 9% ABV brew.
Mouthfeel was somewhat underwhelming. Kind of syrupy, not real crisp or clean.
Overall I was pleasantly surprised. Not my normal choice of beers but quite enjoyable on a 20 degree night.

 

See 2019 review; almost exactly the same this year.

Trader Joe's 2020 Vintage Spiced Ale (by Unibroue) is best before 09-03-23. But this one is drunk fresh (or as fresh as is allowed). Poured in my chalice the beer is nearly black in color, perhaps even darker than previous years which I think have had a red tinge. But there's a nice thick foamy chestnut head on top. Flavor is really spice forward with cinnamon and allspice on the front, a creamy center, and a kick of clove on the way down. Not hot, not harsh, not aggressive or bitter. Just pleasantly spiced like a winter warmer. Very fine carbonation amplifies the potency of the clove. The body is a bit light, but the creamy texture combined with sharp fizz makes for a good quaff.

I'm afraid age will mellow out the carbonation but also the spice and aromatics. Drunk fresh the drinkability is excellent and quite dangerous at 9% ABV. I wouldn't bet on this improving with age. Well I mean I will, but against my better judgement.

From notes, the 2019 was very similar, but this is possibly better, with more spice on the tongue and less in the nose.

Update 2025-11-30 after an unreasonable period of cellaring: I find the fruity and raisin-y flavors are accentuated with age, and the spice flavors are more muted, as expected. The mouthfeel is excellent, weighty, but not necessarily as creamy as it was fresh. The aging has changed the beer, but not for better or worse. I no longer shop at Traitor Joe's so I can't compare this to the current year's offering, but I'm happy I opened this 2020 vintage today and not later.

A very, very solid and tasty ale at a tasty price! This one is better than the 2019 version IMO.

Pours a very deep brown, almost black, with a solid head of foam. I smell nutmeg and clove.

Drinking it delivers a pretty solid blast of spices, but not overpowering. The 9% ABV is masked relatively well. It has a crisp feel going down, though a little thin for me in the mouth. Still a great beer, I'll be buying a couple more. One to drink soon, and another to age.

 

Pours a dark opaque brown with an enormous frothy head that eventually ends up as lacing.

Smells of bready yeast. Tastes of Belgian yeast , malt , sweet dark fruits and spice ( cinnamon + cardamom ? ) with a warm boozy finish.

Medium body with light carbonation. Lightly syrupy mouthfeel.

I always try this once a year TJ release made by Unibroue. Highly recommended!

 

 

All of the beers that Unibroue makes for Trader Joes are excellent, the holiday season beers are usually warm and spicy, and this year's offering is no exception. Throw in the fact that these 750ml delights sell for $5.99 and all I can say is "Happy Holidays!"