XXX-Mas Ale
The Brew Keeper

A: Amber, cloudy, little lace Looks like a good pumpkin ale or spiced beer.

S: Slight cinnamon, a little alcohol and almost a gingerbread sharpness.

M: Fruit remainder, slight foaminess, no bite on the initial swallow, but a bit of alchoholic bite at the end.

T: The spiced mix of this is the center attraction. Gingerbread, cinnamon, fruity hops like a hops lollipop adds grapefruit bitter at the back. A little peppery and slight corn after. Not really malty. Repeat, not really malty. Wow.

D: Yes. While this is up, I'll get it.

So, this is my first review of the new brewer at the Brew Keeper. He's kept and made some of the old brewer's best, and he's started making his own. I may have tried this before, but I'm no big fan of XMas ales. This one is a taste treat and what I've tasted of Tim's beer creations thus far, Brew Keeper will retain the title of the best overall beers I've ever had.

Muted maraschino cherry with an infusion of orange juice; a tropical sunset sort of shade. A standard pour generated four fingers of golden ecru colored foam that has the texture of whipped marshmallow. A considerable amount of stickiness is resulting in a generous amount of lace. This Brew Keeper brew looks the part.

Too bad it doesn't smell the part. The addition of molasses, honey and spices should result in a sweet and spicy aroma. It's actually sour fruity and spicy, which doesn't fit the style. Let's go with cinnamon and nutmeg (or maybe allspice), as well as plentiful amounts of orange peel. I wish the beer smelled as good as that description makes it sound.

As I continue to sample their wares, TBK is becoming increasingly hit or miss, with very little middle ground. Some are definite repeat purchases and others make me wonder what the hell went wrong, usually due to an unwelcome sourness of unknown origin. XXX-Mas Ale isn't Ho-Ho-Horrible, but neither is it a very good winter warmer.

Malt doesn't make much of a positive impact in the flavor department. A mixture of pale and caramel looks and tastes about right, even though no caramel is appreciated on the taste buds. Molasses and honey? Not much flavor contribution there either. Lemon juice and Christmas spices? Those we got. My recommendation is for the brewer to go back to the drawing board and start anew.

The body/mouthfeel is acceptable... for a 6.0% ale. Given the ABV and the addition of two forms of sugar, the beer should be much more full than this. It's thinnish and lightly sticky, which is rarely a good combination.

XXX-Mas Ale does not make me feel festive on this sunny day in early May. This brew needs some serious tweakage before it's anywhere close to being a good holiday ale. Sourpuss beer might be fine for Ebenezer Scrooge, but it's one and done for me.