Holiday Ale 2009
White Birch Brewing

I'm working through some of my cellar backlog and this one has been screaming at me to open it for quite some time. From Santa to Me

Pours a chill hazed straw lemon color with a massive bubbly head that takes forever to settle down and demands some attention as it wants to self pour out of the bottle. Smells of light citrus, some pear and pineapple. The spicy and earthy yeast notes pair well with the sweet malt aromas. Taste is spicy and citrusy, lemon jumps out at me right away. Earthy spicy yeast via for attention mid sip and a slight alcohol burn lends itself to a dry finish. 10.5% alcohol is barely evident. Medium body with a drying mouthfeel and a medium level of carbonation. That one is tasty, light and citrusy with just enough sweet malt and spice to keep it interesting. Slight over carbonation affect the mouthfeel a bit.

 

Got as an extra in a trade with johnnnniee - many, many thanks as always! I like what they did on the label with this one. Part of it looks like a XMas tag and was personalized with John and mine names - great touch. Poured from a 22oz wax dipped bomber into a Duvel tulip. The crown jumped off with a loud hiss. It was a hazy straw yellow color with a massive carb fountain from the etching. It had a 4 finger head that took forever to get down to a constant finger's worth of white foam. Great lacing with lots sticking.

The aroma was excellent. As noted by the other reviews, I got a lot of saison flashbacks on this one. Spicy and peppery from the yeast mixed in with earthy tones and sweet fruit. Good sniffer. The taste was also excellent and followed the aroma with saison like spiciness combined with slightly funky/earthy tones. Some hops but mostly a spicy show for me. Really enjoyed it. The 10.4% ABV never came into play in aroma or taste though I did start to feel it at the end. Mouthfeel was light with tons of carbonation. It's borderline being over-carbonated as it was quite the gas producer and filled me up till I could get some good burbs out. Great after-taste.

Overall, a huge home-run from a brewery that looks like it's going to be a big player. Looking to do a New England beer road trip in a year or two and they are moving to top part of list for sure. Highly recommend if you can still find or trade for some. If not, find something else from them and enjoy. Avail/Rotation - alas, they are not avail here in TX and I was extremely fortunate to get one from THE best trader out there. Looking forward to next years Holiday Ale for sure. [R;Y;OTR]

Brewed in 2009

Purchased through White Birch.

Apprearance: A cloudy pale yellow color. Look at the crisp white head on that one, WOW. Pour it slow and to the side. Beautiful lines of lacing left behind as I refill the glass. This must be bottle fermented.

Smell: Is there a hint of George Clinton in there. Not bad. Lots of earthy tones.

Taste: A clean fresh flavor that's lite on the palate. Tastey malt and pepper. A slite tartness follows in the end.

Mouthfeel: Quite effervescent with a lite body. Is this really 10.4%?

Drinkability: A wonderful triple. I could drink this until I fall down. Great job Bill, I love this beer. More please :)

22oz bottle from the fridge.

Pours with a massive, pillowy head of dense, white froth. Half the tulip was rocky foam and an additional pour after a bit of retreat allowed the head to stand a full inch above the rim. Booya..What a beaut to behold. Retention was enduring with almost an inch of whipped whites lingering throughout the glass with plenty of clingy seafoam.

Aromatics lead off with clovey, spicy phenols, husky malt, and earthy hops. Slightly grassy with peppery undertones. A hint of honey and bubblegum follow through.

Light bodied with a pillowy, expanding mouthfeel. Crisp and smooth with husk-dusted velvet.

Crusty, doughy malt and earthy hops start the palate. Peppery, spicy yeast notes step forward along with light honey and warming alcohol.

Finishes crisp and dry with quickly fading cloves and cut grass.

Great Triple. The carbonation is very high and great for the style. The aromatics leap out of the glass and the mouthfeel is exceptional. It reminds me of the house Triple served at De Garre in Brugge.

Finally got around to cracking this tonight. Gave a whole bunch of em away for the Holidays, but Bill kindly hooked me up with an extra he set aside for me. Cheers, Bill!

Served in a Stone IPA Tulip

A- Wow! Thought I was going to have a gusher on hand! Popping the top let out a huge hiss, followed by a nice, carbonated pour. The head was thick and fluffy, reminiscent of Duvel. I was going to like this already ...

S- Spicy and fresh, not dissimilar to a saison as the other reviewer noted. Nice tart citrus smell.

T- Wow. The first sip is a malty, fantastic flavor. You don't even taste the alcohol profile here until the finish, where it has a nice warming quality.

M- Fizzy and effervescent. Not overcarbonated but up there.

D- Unbelievable. Got to the bottom of the bottle before I knew it. Fantastic as a light and fresh winter warmer, but honestly, I'd be as happy drinking this in the summer as well.

Fantastic, one of my favorite White Birch's yet (though, I seem to be saying this on each batch that comes through!). Wish I could have picked up a few more for the summer.

A- Poured cloudy straw/hay into a tulip glass. One finger of head quickly dissapates and leaves little lacing.

S- Wonderful bouquet of fruit, slightly tart, and Belgian yeast spicyness, slightly saison-esque...

T- Bright, fruity, a little hops and the pilsner malts really start to shine through as it warms.

M- Well carbonated, light and very refreshing.

D- A wonderful beer, I even let my wife had some, and she thought it was a saison, very smooth and it hides the alcohol well. I'm glad I had the oppertunity to get two bottles, I cant wait to see how this one ages!

Thanks Bill, great job!