There Is No Santa
BrewDog

Nov. 2010: 330 ml bottle, batch #297, bought at Coop OBS, Bryne. ABV is 4.7%. Dark brown to black colour, big beige head. Strong sweetish aroma of ginger, cocoa and oranges. Light bodied, can’t be expected to be a match for its big brother Santa Paws. Fairly refreshing flavour, not very sweet, strong notes of ginger and cocoa, bitter and peppery finish. Seems somewhat unbalanced with all its spiciness, lacks a malty backbone.

 

Bottle: 330ml brown bottle. A pretty plain label, yet standard Brewdog stylish. At least it's different.

Appearance: pours fantastically dark brown tending toward black, glows slightly ruby against the light. A great thick creamy beige head with great retention - good thick lacing too. Looks absolutely fantastic.

Aroma: lots of spice, deep fruits and sweet ginger and cinnamon. Smells like a gingerbread house. A portent of things to come?

Taste: light ginger and dark cocoa, but strongest flavour is definitely cinnamon. Wonderful, and definitely reminiscent of Christmas treats.

Aftertaste: the flavours drop away pretty quickly, but a light ginger-and-cinnamon sweetness does hang on the palate.

Mouth feel: reasonably light - I was expecting it to be a bit heavier. A bit sticky, with a decent level of moderate carbonation.

Overall: a great limited edition Christmas beer. I'm not generally a fan of seasonal beers, but this one was an absolute keeper. It really tastes like a complex and well-combined fusion of heavy fruit-rum pudding and a sweet gingerbread house. I hope I can get my hands on more of this one.

 

 

330ml bottle. Tulip glass. Enjoyed on dec´11. Dark mahogany in color. Beige, medium bubbled, froth. Close & dense crown with fairly good retention. Ginger, deep clove aromas complemented with hints of cocoa, notes of cinnamon & subtle smokiness. Tea-like without sugar at first sip with black tobacco touch. Bitterness & underlying spicy in the middle. Medium/light body, medium carbonation. Slightly watery finish. Smooth astringency. Dry aftertaste, hues of wood & smoke. I´m not sure if I´ve enjoyed as much as expected but, as usual, these Dogs have definitely shocked up.

 

Ruby black with a cratered beige head that clings. Big cola spice nose.
Candied ginger, soil, caramelized sugar, chocolate-covered plum then orange rind and earth hops.
Mild coffee grinds finish and tingling numbing linger.
Medium, some chew, effervescent, round.

Ginger takes over, I also would've guessed cinnamon, but I don't know where the cocoa nibs are. A beer like this should be about complexity/depth, and that's not what's going on here. Nice, but there are better winter warmers.

Very dark, slightly murky brown with a smooth, creamy tan head. Fair head retention.

Rich, plummy Christmas cake with lots of ginger, nutmeg and a touch of raisin. Nice treacle notes and a hint of roast. Very good.

More spice with a lightly earthy note. Mild sweetness. Nice overall.

Medium-light body with moderate carbonation. Good.

A spicy, nicely flavoured stout. There is a little emptiness through the midpalate but the ginger is dominant and very nice.

On sale at 3 for $10 at Vintage Cellars.

a) Cola brown, heavy tan head, light bubbling.

s) Nice spice mix. I get clove, cinnamon; very much Xmas cake. Raisins, currants, sultanas. Perhaps a hint of ginger poweder.

t) Much like the aroma. Light chocolate with spicy dried fruits. Touch of molasses, and cola.

m) Quite light, like a ginger beer. Touch sticky at the back.

d) A flavoursome and interesting drink for the season.

 

Appearance: fantastic dark ale, glows slightly ruby when held up against the light. One of the best heads I've seen - 1.5cm thick, creamy and slightly off-white. Good retention and lacing.

Aroma: smells like a gingerbread house. A portent of things to come?

Taste: light ginger and dark cocoa, but the strongest flavour is definitely cinnamon. Nice lingering aftertaste.

Mouthfeel: a bit loose, I expected it to be a bit thicker. Carbonation is spot on though.

Overall: I wasn't expecting much from this beer as I find Brewdog's beers a bit heavy on taste, but was pleasantly surprised. This beer surpassed my expectations - brilliant!

A 330ml bottle with a BB of Sept 2012. The label describes this as a spiced Christmas beer that uses cocoa nibs and stem ginger during the brewing process.

Poured into a tulip pint glass. A deep reddish-brown with good carbonation. Yields a large, frothy head of light brown foam that lasts for a few minutes before reducing to a surface layer. Aroma of spicy ginger underpinned by dark, fruity malt. Smells like lebkuchen or ginger cake - yum.

Tastes of dark malt with a hint of spice and a mild bitterness. Notes of roasted malt, weak coffee, a hint of ginger and leafy stewed hops. A faint, slightly sour background flavour that has a wine-like quality. Mouthfeel is tingly and smooth, but watery. Aftertaste of bitter malt and ginger.

Drinkable, but won't blow you away. The biggest problem is the lack of body - it reminds me of sparkling water. The flavour also doesn't match the aroma; an interesting but insubstantial blend. No sign of the cocoa. Still, it has a restrained spicy character that suits the season - better than some other Christmas beers I've tried. Worth having once.

Pours a one-finger tan head over a almsot black body. Closer inpection reveals dark mahogany hues. Little lace.

Aromas of cinamon and IPA-style hops.

Taste is complex.... a sweet cinnamon mince-pie christmas pud flavour yields to an almost sharp hop-driven IPA style. Oh, roasted malts as well....Doesn't taste as it looks, nor is it really an integrated flavour set.

Mouthfeel crisp and sharp as it builds.

Ok as one-off.

 

Really didn't expect much from this thing, but really liked it! If there was ever a "sessionable" beer that makes you think of christmas, this is it. Smells and tastes like a gingerbread/coffee cake. Planning on making a pumpkin pie with it and maybe having one to accompany it. Granted it is incredibly one dimensional, it's a fun little xmas beer!

330ml bottle from Vintage Cellars, Newtown and poured into a Mikkeller tulip.

Pours a deep brown with a ruby tinge around the edges. Has a moderately deep beige head of foam that laces ok and settles just above film.

Smell has plenty of cinnamon with a fruit mince pies coming in afterwards. Only a little bit of ginger and nutmeg as well, but these don't stay for long. Interesting, but does get overpowered just a little with the cinnamon.

Taste has cinnamon in droves with just a little bit of chocolate at the back end. Too over the top with the cinnamon with it bashing everything else into submission.

Mouthfeel is on the light side, a bit thin and then there is the spice at the end that sort of takes the place of any possible lingering bitterness. It certainly doesn't encourage you to rush back into another mouthful.

A thinnish stout that looks and smells alright and is too one-dimensional with the spice. It all goes a bit downhill once you start to sip. However as a winter warmer, with a bit more body and a more varied spice flavour, this would pretty well hit the mark.

 

Appearance - Medium ruby red colour; Good carbonation; Off white head, little retention

Smell - Mince pies, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, light citrus and dried fruit; Sweet aroma

Taste - Sweetness, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cherries, light citrus

Mouthfeel - Light body; Medium carbonation; Light dry & bitter finish

Drinkability - Very drinkable, light with good carbonation

Overall - Good beer, recommend it; Interesting and has nice festive feel; A little more body would be good; Well balanced

Circumstances suggest this may be last year's vintage.

Pours black with some brown notes when held up to light. MASSIVE head on this one. Not great retention.

Smell is promising with some subtle ginger and cinnamon. Strangely alcohol is also detectable. Also there seem to be some cooked vegetables.

Taste is bitter and roasty and a bit...um, dirty.

Mouthfeel is thinnish, watery and not entirely enjoyable; but seems to get better and a bit thicker as I get down the bottle.

I find the spices in the nose (cardammon, myrrh?) can be a bit one-note and overwhelming. Yet I enjoy them at the same time. Such are the paradoxes of beer reviews, and life.

Worth a try and I will have it again, purely because I like spiced beers, but I'm a bit unconvinced it's actually a deserving beer.