After X-mas / X-mas Ale
Witch's Hat Brewing Co.
- From:
- Witch's Hat Brewing Co.
- Michigan, United States
- Style:
- American Strong Ale
- ABV:
- 12.26%
- Score:
- 86
- Avg:
- 3.77 | pDev: 5.84%
- Ratings:
- | reviews: 1
- Status:
- Inactive
- Rated:
- Dec 02, 2019
- Added:
- Jul 29, 2013
- Wants:
- 1
- Gots:
- 5
SCORE
86
Very Good
86
Very Good
No description / notes.
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Reviewed by tectactoe from Michigan
3.5/5 rDev -7.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
3.5/5 rDev -7.2%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.5
Thanks to Tommy for this one! It pours a murky copper with literally no head on top, not even a ring. Upon further inspection, the lip of the bottle had a touch of rust - a sign that the cap may not have been sealed properly, allowing the carbonation to prematurely escape. Hopefully it doesn't harm the beer too much in terms of mouth feel and/or possible oxidation.
Luckily it doesn't smell oxidized, at least not according to my nose. I get a good amount of apple, probably more than anything else, followed up by some lighter additions of plums and raisins. There's a good sticky, caramel-y sugar backdrop from the malt, and the beer has a nice tart-sweet combination going on from the fruits and the malts.
The taste is also apple-heavy, although I am actually getting some notes of Brett in there just a bit. The beer isn't made with brettanomyces, but I swear I get a touch of hay and some funky, mildly tart pineapple - just like good ol' Brett. Some apples and plums provide a nice sweetness that couples with some syrupy caramel malts to combine and form an even higher sweetness.
Some woody barrel notes come through, along with a touch of booze, but it doesn't taste anything like 12%+ ABV. It finishes strong with some more apple, raisin, and oak. The mouth feel, unfortunately, has suffered just a bit from the lack of carbonation. It feels very flat and dead, and it leaves some sticky remnants on the palate.
A pretty enjoyable beer, and one that I'd have a hard time identifying a true style for. Fruity, caramely, and oaky, but not necessarily landing completely within the typical guidelines of a certain style. Tommy says this was better fresh - I'd like to try it if that's the case. I also think a properly secured cap would fare better the next time as well.
Jul 29, 2013Luckily it doesn't smell oxidized, at least not according to my nose. I get a good amount of apple, probably more than anything else, followed up by some lighter additions of plums and raisins. There's a good sticky, caramel-y sugar backdrop from the malt, and the beer has a nice tart-sweet combination going on from the fruits and the malts.
The taste is also apple-heavy, although I am actually getting some notes of Brett in there just a bit. The beer isn't made with brettanomyces, but I swear I get a touch of hay and some funky, mildly tart pineapple - just like good ol' Brett. Some apples and plums provide a nice sweetness that couples with some syrupy caramel malts to combine and form an even higher sweetness.
Some woody barrel notes come through, along with a touch of booze, but it doesn't taste anything like 12%+ ABV. It finishes strong with some more apple, raisin, and oak. The mouth feel, unfortunately, has suffered just a bit from the lack of carbonation. It feels very flat and dead, and it leaves some sticky remnants on the palate.
A pretty enjoyable beer, and one that I'd have a hard time identifying a true style for. Fruity, caramely, and oaky, but not necessarily landing completely within the typical guidelines of a certain style. Tommy says this was better fresh - I'd like to try it if that's the case. I also think a properly secured cap would fare better the next time as well.
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