Christmas Ale
Harvey's Brewery

Christmas AleChristmas Ale
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From:
Harvey's Brewery
 
England, United Kingdom
Style:
English Barleywine
Ranked #178
ABV:
7.5%
Score:
86
Ranked #19,466
Avg:
3.81 | pDev: 14.44%
Reviews:
189
Ratings:
238
Status:
Active
Rated:
Dec 28, 2023
Added:
Dec 18, 2001
Wants:
  12
Gots:
  6
A traditional barley wine. The biscuit malt and vinous fruit palate is balanced by a strong hop bitterness. It is warming and reflects the spirit of Christmas. Recipient of Finland’s Olutseura Olviretki award for ‘excellently’ fulfilling “The Christmas Beer Regulation” described in Aleksis Kivi’s novel ‘Seven Brothers’.
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Ratings by UncleJimbo:
Photo of UncleJimbo
Reviewed by UncleJimbo from Massachusetts

3.97/5  rDev +4.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Presentation: 9.3 oz bottle. Harvey's Christmas Ale 2000. 8.6% abv.

Appearance: Cloudy, light, coppery caramel color with thin tan foam.

Smell: A slight whiff of lactic acid (perhaps a slightly off bottle) was the only negative about this beer. Otherwise, a sweet, malty and yeasty aroma with a hint of fruit.

Taste: Rich caramel and toffee malt flavors with a touch of oak and spice, with a bit of hop bitterness in the finish. The hops carried over to the aftertaste as well.

Mouthfeel: Rich and smooth. Low carbonation.

Drinkability: Very good. Other than the slight hint of lactic acid, this was a very tasty brew.
Feb 07, 2003
More User Ratings:
Photo of defunksta
Reviewed by defunksta from Wisconsin

3.77/5  rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Appearance: Pours a completely clear, deep amber to bronze color with a strong and lacy tan head. SRM of 20. (4.00)

Aroma: Strong aromas of port wine, sherry, brown bread, earth, and booze.

Flavor: Strong falvors of brown bread, tea, port wine. Some toffee. Yeasty and tea-like finish.

Feel: Medium-body, strong carbonation and yeast. Yeasty, carbonated and tea and port wine lingering.

Straight from The UK. Not an expert on the style, but drinks as described with brown bread, toffee, fruit, and tea and port wine flavors. It probably drinks as it's supposed to, but I think the English Barleywine style isn't doing it for me. Glad I finally tried it though. (Rating: 3.77)
Dec 28, 2023
 
Rated: 3.62 by SpaethJam from New York

Dec 24, 2023
 
Rated: 4 by AngusOg from North Carolina

Dec 20, 2023
Photo of seakayak
Reviewed by seakayak from Massachusetts

4/5  rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
-Look: Gorgeous dark mahogany with a creamy tan head that stays.
-Aroma: Fig, toffee, vanilla, and walnut cake - nice!
-Taste: Dark fruits, caramel, walnut cake, mild alcohol.
-Feel: Smooth and round, full and soft, warming.
-Overall: Tasty sipper with a wonderful soft dark fruit and nut character!
Oct 18, 2023
Photo of jmdrpi
Reviewed by jmdrpi from Pennsylvania

4.27/5  rDev +12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
275 ml bottle, no date. Drank at cellar temperature

pours a clear dark amber color, white head. big fruity and moderate caramel aroma, a touch of spice. Similar flavor, but not overly sweet. Lower carbonation, mouthfeel is a little sticky. Overall a nice barleywine
Apr 15, 2023
Photo of Beersnake
Reviewed by Beersnake from California

4.1/5  rDev +7.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured at fridge temp. Pours a light brown with little head. The nose is really interesting. Mild toffee, figs, an earthy note, dark bread, and prunes. The taste is really smooth and nice. No lack of flavor despite the 7.5% ABV. Again, big malts on the taste. Bread, toffee, raisins, wheat, prunes, figs, and a slightly bitter hoppy note. A very nice beer! Mouthfeel is medium bodied and somewhat dry. The aftertaste is mostly toffee and dark fruit.
Jan 23, 2023
Photo of MonDak_Joe1953
Reviewed by MonDak_Joe1953 from Minnesota

3.99/5  rDev +4.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
9.3oz bottle. Label has ABV% at 7.5%. No dating information found.
Clear, amber brown colored body. Brief lasting light tan head. No lacing.
Aroma is caramel and dark fruit - prunes and cherries.
Taste is toffee, caramel, raisin, and red grape. More dried fruit in the aftertaste.
Medium mouth feel, with a touch of stickiness. Also has a dry finish. Carbonation is rather quiet.
Beer has some caramel/toffee and dried fruit sweetness, but also has a strong malt base. Has a touch of dark fruit sourness.
Dec 26, 2022
Photo of damndirtyape
Reviewed by damndirtyape from Ohio

4.13/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
9.3oz bottle (275ml) served in a tulip glass. No date stamp. 7.5% ABV on bottle label vs. 8.1% listed here on the site.

Appearance: Perfectly clear dark copper-brown ale, with a thin white foam ring that died back fairly quickly. Bubbles moving up slowly through the glass. Some strands and islands of lacing noted that stuck around longer than the initial head did. Nice looking beer.

Smell: Toffee, leafy/herbal, metallic, maybe a hint of orange.

Taste: Deep flavors of caramelized malt/toffee, leafy/herbal/bitter hops, a bit of tobacco, a little bit of raisin and molasses, and a nicely English-hop style bitter finish. Lots going on here.

Mouthfeel: Nicely thick, with light carbonation. A bit sticky on the teeth.

Overall / Drinkability: A fun slow sipping beer to enjoy in the lead up to Christmas. A pleasantly hoppy English Barleywine. I would not have minded a full 12oz of this beer, but the little nip bottle is a pleasant after-dinner treat all on its own. I think I enjoyed it much more than the other recent reviews, but I think it fits the style of an English Barleywine fairly well, but on the hoppy extreme end of things.
Dec 23, 2022
Photo of mothman
Reviewed by mothman from Minnesota

4.25/5  rDev +11.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
2022 bottle. Khaki head that fades. Clear amber caramel color.

Caramel, toffee, biscuit, grapes, red apple skins, plums, brown sugar. Sweet and malty. Smooth. English BW meet winter warmer minus all the spices. Very enjoyable.
Dec 23, 2022
Photo of Rug
Reviewed by Rug from Massachusetts

3.63/5  rDev -4.7%
look: 3 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
It’s finally time to try this classic example of an English Barleywine, just not quite on Christmas. But as we lead up to the holiday I figured this would be a good beer to wind down with. I’ve heard this one is quite strange, and for that I’m excited. Let’s get into it

Pours a clear brownish red with just a thin cap of off white bubbles that immediately fades to a ring and leaves no lacing

The nose brings an odd floral vibe but I can dig it. I’m picking up on aromas of biscuity malt, raisin, burnt sugar, wildflower honey, red apple, leafy hops, toffee, and black tea

In taste it falls a bit flat, quite fruity sweet but not in the way that I’d like for the style. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting toffee, sweet plum, burnt sugar, brown sugar, molasses, light raisin, and biscuity malt. The swallow brings notes of raisin, sticky caramel, molasses, black cherry, candi sugar, sweet honey, and light toffee

A medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a slick beer. Finishes neutral and sweet but drinks easy

What a strange beer. I don’t even know if it’s executed as intended because it’s an out there flavor profile. Still, not the worst for a holiday beer
Dec 23, 2022
Photo of FBarber
Reviewed by FBarber from Illinois

3.86/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Pours a light amber color. Excellent clarity. Thin, weak tan head. Aroma has notes of rich bready malts, candied fruit, dark fruits, christmas plum pudding and some light earthy hoppy notes. Taste is really interesting - so there are the rich malty notes up front. The candied fruit, plum pudding and dark fruits are all there, but there is a distinct hard water (minerally) character to it as well. Some spiced notes come through as the beer warms along with a distinct woody almost tannic quality. Strong earthy, English hop presence is noted on the back end. The strong watery character to the beer conveys across the palate as reminiscent of tea. Feel is kind of sticky, medium to fuller bodied for a beer at this ABV. Very dry finish. Mild carbonation.

Its an admittedly odd flavor profile - unlike anything I have had - but as I drink it its growing on me. I kind of like this for a once a year cold winter evening beer. I will probably revisit if it shows up next year.
Dec 19, 2022
 
Rated: 3.74 by Mikexw from New York

Dec 08, 2022
Photo of jlindros
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts

2.19/5  rDev -42.5%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 1.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 1.75
NO vintage I can see
Pours a mild foamy bubbly small head that fades fairly quickly, fair lacing, very clear cranberry auburn red color

Nose is a bit strange and unique, sweet malt, candy malt, lots of fruit, like fig and date but a rotting version or something, sour plum, a little foot like musty funk thing, mild oxidation with some cardboard and port wine, sweet mild syrupy malt and candy

Taste brings the sweet candy malt, candied apple, burnt rubber and sour plum, more mild foot funk, cardboard oxidation and some brandy, a mild bitter spicy hop, rotting fig, weird burnt spices, I don't think I can do much more of this

Mouth is mild syrupy sweet, med to lighter carb, a hint slimy like somehow to to add more evil to the experience

Overall WTF did I just experience?! Something must have really gone wrong with this beer or batch, it's only 7.5% abv so different than the original, and just bad, wow.
Jun 18, 2022
Photo of 40ontarget
Reviewed by 40ontarget from Colorado

3.64/5  rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Amber brown color with only a sparse bit of off white head. The smell is big and bready, toffee, Earl Grey tea, leathery, with honey and lavender. Taste is dates, currants, port wine, and dry tobacco on the finish. Medium bodied with mild carbonation. This is an interesting pour...not one of my favorites though.
Mar 03, 2022
 
Rated: 3.77 by prototypic from Ohio

Jan 16, 2022
 
Rated: 4.04 by GregSemenza from Connecticut

Dec 25, 2021
Photo of GuyFawkes
Reviewed by GuyFawkes from Illinois

3.59/5  rDev -5.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Undated bottle; drank 12/20/21 @ the Yarchives.

See-through orange/brown appearance.

A rough pour yielded almost no tan head; decent lace.

Mulled cider & mild vinegar notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel. Apple cider, mild caramel & faint vinegar flavors.

This was...interesting, but not all that appealing. Not one I'll seek out again.
Dec 21, 2021
Photo of emerge077
Reviewed by emerge077 from Illinois

3.7/5  rDev -2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
This one is a little odd. Not much spice to speak of, malty and leathery. Two fingers of tan foam and ample delicate lacing. Smells like Malt-o-meal cereal, cooked malt, burnt sugars.

Tastes raisiny, like prunes and fairly vinous. Supposedly this is what Christmas pudding tastes like, but it’s sort of a loose impression. Light bodied and fruity, stewed fruit, burnt sugar, malty stickiness in the aftertaste. Mellow carbonation, lighter side of medium bodied. Slight astringency, a whiff of hop bitterness in the aftertaste. Pretty old school, though not like any barleywine i’ve tried.
Dec 09, 2021
Photo of DIM
Reviewed by DIM from Pennsylvania

3.35/5  rDev -12.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
No freshness information that I can see. Faint tea, tingly potpourri, and mild apple and pear.
Floral, perfumed bitterness at the end. No off flavors, it's just milder than I expected, even for 8.1%. pretty lackluster overall.
Jul 02, 2021
Christmas Ale from Harvey's Brewery
Beer rating: 86 out of 100 with 238 ratings