Christmas Ale | Breckenridge Brewery
Brewed by:
Breckenridge Brewery
Colorado, United States
breckbrew.com
Style: Winter Warmer
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 7.10%
Availability: Winter
Notes / Commercial Description:
The chill of a Colorado high-country winter calls for a beer with extra flavor and strength. Here it is. At over 7% alcohol, with a sturdy texture and rich flavors of caramel and chocolate, our holiday seasonal is the fermented equivalent of a good fire.
Added by BeerAdvocate on 04-28-2002
HISTOGRAM
View: Beers
Ratings: 1,123 | Reviews: 428
3.25/5 rDev -7.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.5/5 rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.58/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
3.71/5 rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
3.75/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
4.43/5 rDev +25.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
3.72/5 rDev +5.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
4.28/5 rDev +21.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A solid ale. A great go to winter warmer.
43 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
A solid ale. A great go to winter warmer.
43 characters
3.96/5 rDev +12.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Smell is somewhat subdued. Toasted malt hits the nose first. The smell carries through into the flavor perfectly with big flavors of toasted malts, chocolate and caramel creating a sweet backbone. Overall spicy, strong, sweet, malty backbone with a good hop presence. Nice alcohol warming.
290 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Smell is somewhat subdued. Toasted malt hits the nose first. The smell carries through into the flavor perfectly with big flavors of toasted malts, chocolate and caramel creating a sweet backbone. Overall spicy, strong, sweet, malty backbone with a good hop presence. Nice alcohol warming.
290 characters
4.13/5 rDev +17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
3.76/5 rDev +6.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.59/5 rDev +2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Darker than expected. Almost looks like a carbonated tea. Smell doesn't give away too much, just a little malt. The taste has toasty notes that are nice mixed with some sweetness. Maybe some small hints of caramel. The feel is good for the style. Well carbonated and balanced. Overall, this isn't anything crazy but just a good, solid and balanced winter warmer.
362 characters
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Darker than expected. Almost looks like a carbonated tea. Smell doesn't give away too much, just a little malt. The taste has toasty notes that are nice mixed with some sweetness. Maybe some small hints of caramel. The feel is good for the style. Well carbonated and balanced. Overall, this isn't anything crazy but just a good, solid and balanced winter warmer.
362 characters
3.6/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.85/5 rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.68/5 rDev +4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Pours a nice brown color. The head is white, and frothy. Some lacing on the glass.
Nose is minimal. Just a slight malty aroma.
Taste - to me, not good. Kind of a skunky flavor. It is just not my style.
Feel is decent.
This might be a good beer, but it isn't for me.
EDIT
Ok, the beer I had was at the end of the keg, and old. Here is an update with a fresh keg. My half old beer was replaced with a new keg half beer.
Look a clearer Amber color. White head.
The nose has a slight malty nutty aroma.
Taste has a crisp nutty flavor. Slight sweet.
Feel is decent. Not watery.
Now, when it isn't from the bottom of the keg, it is delicious.
640 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Pours a nice brown color. The head is white, and frothy. Some lacing on the glass.
Nose is minimal. Just a slight malty aroma.
Taste - to me, not good. Kind of a skunky flavor. It is just not my style.
Feel is decent.
This might be a good beer, but it isn't for me.
EDIT
Ok, the beer I had was at the end of the keg, and old. Here is an update with a fresh keg. My half old beer was replaced with a new keg half beer.
Look a clearer Amber color. White head.
The nose has a slight malty nutty aroma.
Taste has a crisp nutty flavor. Slight sweet.
Feel is decent. Not watery.
Now, when it isn't from the bottom of the keg, it is delicious.
640 characters
3.27/5 rDev -7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
3.26/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.46/5 rDev -1.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a tulip
L: Clear copper brown pour with 2 fingers of foamy white head. Looks good... great retention and lacing.
S: Grainysugary. Caramel... toffee... kinda sweet. Meh.
T/F: Follows the nose. Caramel malts and toasted grains. Brown sugar and molasses. Some mild hopping saves it from being sickeningly sweet. Medium in body... carbonation solid. Finish is toasted grains and sugars.
O: Pretty much the definition of 'average' when it comes to a Winter Warmer. Nothing terrible here... but nothing worth repeating either.
568 characters
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a tulip
L: Clear copper brown pour with 2 fingers of foamy white head. Looks good... great retention and lacing.
S: Grainysugary. Caramel... toffee... kinda sweet. Meh.
T/F: Follows the nose. Caramel malts and toasted grains. Brown sugar and molasses. Some mild hopping saves it from being sickeningly sweet. Medium in body... carbonation solid. Finish is toasted grains and sugars.
O: Pretty much the definition of 'average' when it comes to a Winter Warmer. Nothing terrible here... but nothing worth repeating either.
568 characters
3.36/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
DATE: December 17, 2017... OCCASION: finished cooking for the Tuesday teachers' luncheon... GLASSWARE: Liberty craft house inverted pint... pours a caramel amber body that sports soft, small bubbles... the head, at three fingers thick, is creamy, thick, fully and fully painting the glass an off-white cloud... spruce, cinnamon, chocolate, thick dough malts, and mulled wine... first sip is dry, substantial, front-loaded, and lasting... definite flecks of flavor pinging the teeth, but the overall feeling is balanced between hops and malts... the flavor profile celebrates pine and dough malts, with a hearty earthiness of plum, lemon, tropical punch, and cake... a winter warmer that wraps its ABV in a presentable package... rich, filling, and appropriate for a winter's night, but doesn't deliver an experience worth repeating...
834 characters
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
DATE: December 17, 2017... OCCASION: finished cooking for the Tuesday teachers' luncheon... GLASSWARE: Liberty craft house inverted pint... pours a caramel amber body that sports soft, small bubbles... the head, at three fingers thick, is creamy, thick, fully and fully painting the glass an off-white cloud... spruce, cinnamon, chocolate, thick dough malts, and mulled wine... first sip is dry, substantial, front-loaded, and lasting... definite flecks of flavor pinging the teeth, but the overall feeling is balanced between hops and malts... the flavor profile celebrates pine and dough malts, with a hearty earthiness of plum, lemon, tropical punch, and cake... a winter warmer that wraps its ABV in a presentable package... rich, filling, and appropriate for a winter's night, but doesn't deliver an experience worth repeating...
834 characters
3.4/5 rDev -3.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
3.5/5 rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Christmas Ale from Breckenridge Brewery
Beer rating:
3.52 out of
5 with
1,123 ratings
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