Shepherd Neame Christmas Ale (vintage 2010) | Shepherd Neame Ltd

4.22/5  rDev +15.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

The beer has a copper toned amber color, an off-white head that leaves some lacing., and has curtains.

The smell has distinct hoppy, grassy notes., but also some bread, grain and sweetness.

The taste is initially sweet and malty, sweet newly baked bread, oat cereals with brown sugar and syrup, oranges and garden fruits, a nice round bitterness as the finale.

Medium low carbonation, lively small bubbles, a good body, smooth and nice texture. A dry finish.

Shepherd Neame continues to deliver good Christmas Ales.

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3.31/5  rDev -9.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5

500 ml clear bottle, from Voldby Købmandsgård, Denmark. ABV is 7.0%. Beautiful clear amber colour, big head, slightly off-white. Aroma of light-struck hops and toffee, with hints of Christmas spices. The flavour is initially fruity and spicy with noticeable alcohol, but is not as sweet as expected, and ends in a rather sharp and peppery hoppy bitterness. Dry and "dusty" bitter aftertaste, nearly metallic. Not as "rich and smooth" as promised on the label, and not very well balanced. Must be better cask conditioned?

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3.88/5  rDev +6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Clear 500ml bottle: best before Sept 2011 (so assume its a 2010 brew). Poured into an Abbot Ale glass tankard on 21st Aug 2012, 12 months out of date, almost. Identical to the last 7.0% ABV version I had in almost every way.

Clean, clear and bubbley looking, the colour was a deep amber with a slightly off-white head. Spices and hops in the nose, but nothing overly strong that I could find. A hint of nuts too? Good spicey, tangy flavours. Peat fires and smoking jackets come to mind, this isn’t a smoked beer though, just my thoughts coming out when I think of Christmas. Brazil nuts and sugared almonds also appeared in my head as I drank down the brew. A true Christmas feel to it, the 7% makes it an even more wintery beer, very drinkable in my opinion.

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3.25/5  rDev -11.2%