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Christmas Ale
Goose Island Beer Co.
- From:
- Goose Island Beer Co.
- Illinois, United States
- Style:
- American Brown Ale
- ABV:
- 7.3%
- Score:
- 85
- Avg:
- 3.79 | pDev: 12.14%
- Reviews:
- 575
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Dec 11, 2021
- Added:
- Nov 21, 2001
- Wants:
- 59
- Gots:
- 126
SCORE
85
Very Good
85
Very Good
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Reviewed by drdiesel9483 from Ohio
2.54/5 rDev -33%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
2.54/5 rDev -33%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 2 | overall: 2.5
Drank a 2009 in 2021
Look - for being so old, I wasnt surprised by the liquid brown. Looked like a flat cocoa cola
Smell - smells like a barleywine
Taste - taste like a 2nd runnings of a barleywine. Very light fig juice
Feel - think no carbonation
Overall - Well, not surprised by the age
Dec 11, 2021Look - for being so old, I wasnt surprised by the liquid brown. Looked like a flat cocoa cola
Smell - smells like a barleywine
Taste - taste like a 2nd runnings of a barleywine. Very light fig juice
Feel - think no carbonation
Overall - Well, not surprised by the age
Reviewed by Sigmund from Norway
2.94/5 rDev -22.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
2.94/5 rDev -22.4%
look: 3 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3
Shared bottle at local tasting, from Voldby Købmandsgaard. 2012 vintage, 7.3% ABV. Weak aroma, brown malts and bread, hints of stale jam. The flavour is better than the aroma, malty with a slightly warming mouthfeel. Hints of spices. Okay, but not really impressive.
May 08, 2021
Reviewed by woodychandler from Pennsylvania
3.99/5 rDev +5.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
3.99/5 rDev +5.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
I am wrapping up my Christmas in July 2017 celebration today with this beer! I had a buncha Chrismas beers set aside for Christmas Day in 2016, but I got blotto early on in the day & they fell into The Bottle Backlog Abyss. 8=( Last Tuesday (25 July 2017), The Friendly Greek Bottle Shop (FGBS) & its vaunted Drinking Team, held its own Christmas in July, inspiring me to get mine in before the end of the month.
Some background on this bottle: I was wildly into Goose Island at one point, having visited their Clybourn location & I also was keeping track of what Binney's was doing. When this came on sale at one point, I bought some & had it shipped to my aunt's house in DC. It was then transported to my parents' house & placed in the basement & forgotten until my move to Chez Woody in December 2008. I have no idea how it JUST surfaced, but here I am/we are.
From the bottle: "Craft Brewed & Bottle Conditioned". That last part gives me renewed hope!
I Pop!ped the cap only to reveal a screwed-up screw-top bottle. Grrr! I mustered my anger management training to begin a very slow, gentle pour into the awaiting glass. Once completed, I conducted an in-glass swirl to raise a finger of foamy, fizzy, light-tan head that quickly reverted to wisps. Color was Dark Brown to Very Dark Brown (SRM = > 27, < 34) with NE-quality clarity & mahogany highlights. Gorgeous! Nose had a chocolate and coconut cast, almost as though it had been aged in bourbon barrels, although nothing of the sort was mentioned on the bottle. I also got licorice/anise & dried dark fruits, which is more typical. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste had a slightly medicinal quality, like the time that I tasted my maternal grandparents' Geritol. Still, it also had a milk chocolatiness and a lot of fruitiness & reminded me of a Cadbury Fruit & Nut bar. Finish was dry, proving that the bottle conditioning had done its job over these past years. It was much more like an English Barleywine than the English Barleywine that I reviewed earlier! Jeez-O, man. It may be retired, but this is both an oldie & a goodie.
Jul 31, 2017Some background on this bottle: I was wildly into Goose Island at one point, having visited their Clybourn location & I also was keeping track of what Binney's was doing. When this came on sale at one point, I bought some & had it shipped to my aunt's house in DC. It was then transported to my parents' house & placed in the basement & forgotten until my move to Chez Woody in December 2008. I have no idea how it JUST surfaced, but here I am/we are.
From the bottle: "Craft Brewed & Bottle Conditioned". That last part gives me renewed hope!
I Pop!ped the cap only to reveal a screwed-up screw-top bottle. Grrr! I mustered my anger management training to begin a very slow, gentle pour into the awaiting glass. Once completed, I conducted an in-glass swirl to raise a finger of foamy, fizzy, light-tan head that quickly reverted to wisps. Color was Dark Brown to Very Dark Brown (SRM = > 27, < 34) with NE-quality clarity & mahogany highlights. Gorgeous! Nose had a chocolate and coconut cast, almost as though it had been aged in bourbon barrels, although nothing of the sort was mentioned on the bottle. I also got licorice/anise & dried dark fruits, which is more typical. Mouthfeel was medium. The taste had a slightly medicinal quality, like the time that I tasted my maternal grandparents' Geritol. Still, it also had a milk chocolatiness and a lot of fruitiness & reminded me of a Cadbury Fruit & Nut bar. Finish was dry, proving that the bottle conditioning had done its job over these past years. It was much more like an English Barleywine than the English Barleywine that I reviewed earlier! Jeez-O, man. It may be retired, but this is both an oldie & a goodie.
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois
4.71/5 rDev +24.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
4.71/5 rDev +24.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
Deep murky brown; purple when held to the light.
Nice dark khaki head; strong lacing.
Bread & dark fruits in the nose; a belgian vibe; also, hints of caramel, rasberry & strawberry.
Thick mouthfeel.
Taste is of acorn, light spice, raisin & caramel. Definitely a winter beer; viscous & sweet, almost like an American Barleywine, but not cloying. Sweet, unique & worth a quaff.
Oct 26, 2016Nice dark khaki head; strong lacing.
Bread & dark fruits in the nose; a belgian vibe; also, hints of caramel, rasberry & strawberry.
Thick mouthfeel.
Taste is of acorn, light spice, raisin & caramel. Definitely a winter beer; viscous & sweet, almost like an American Barleywine, but not cloying. Sweet, unique & worth a quaff.
Reviewed by rodbeermunch from Nevada
3.28/5 rDev -13.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.28/5 rDev -13.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Substantial brown runs deep, clarity sucks, sediment/floaties rampant. Aroma was more brown malt and a little bit of nutmeg.
Taste was enjoyable for a brown xmas style beer, toffee, some caramel, nutmeg still, brown sugar, lots of carbonation, a little bit of warmth, straddling between winter warmer and brown ale. Maybe more hopping than normal for a winter warmer. Mild clove.
Mar 03, 2016Taste was enjoyable for a brown xmas style beer, toffee, some caramel, nutmeg still, brown sugar, lots of carbonation, a little bit of warmth, straddling between winter warmer and brown ale. Maybe more hopping than normal for a winter warmer. Mild clove.
Rated by jahbless from Pennsylvania
3.62/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.62/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Mild taste, not overpowering with the spices.
Jan 10, 2016
Christmas Ale from Goose Island Beer Co.
Beer rating:
85 out of
100 with
1335 ratings
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