Christmas Ale (2017-)
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store

Christmas Ale (2017-)Christmas Ale (2017-)
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From:
Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store
 
Michigan, United States
Style:
Scotch Ale / Wee Heavy
Ranked #72
ABV:
7.5%
Score:
88
Ranked #14,013
Avg:
3.93 | pDev: 7.89%
Reviews:
126
Ratings:
352
Status:
Active
Rated:
Yesterday at 05:06 PM
Added:
Nov 09, 2017
Wants:
  7
Gots:
  51
This traditional Scotch Ale is rich and malty with notes of caramel and a warm finish. Certain to make any occasion festive, or at least a bit more bearable. Enjoy with the company of friends and family.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by imnodoctorbut:
Photo of imnodoctorbut
Reviewed by imnodoctorbut from Texas

4.07/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
pours a clear reddish-cola amber body with a thin tan bubble head that has very low retention and leaves no lacing behind as it dissipates to a thin halo with swirls of the thin bubbled head lingering

aroma is rich, sweet, roasted caramel malt with low spice and a touch of bittering hop

taste is robust and somewhat nutty, rustic, and suggests something between holiday spice and an old fashioned towards the end. rich malt takes the cake throughout, and there is a bittering earthy hop finish

mouthfeel is mid-level carbonation and medium-light body that is slightly oily but rounded out thanks to the carbonation. has a full feeling and warming without too much of a booze spike. finishes sweet and mildly spicy with a bitter hop and candied orange peel aftertaste

overall:
super solid. cant help comparing it to super malty old fashioned. will definitely look forward to this from now on.
Nov 09, 2021
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 3.75 by imperialking from Illinois

Yesterday at 05:06 PM
Photo of raphhix
Reviewed by raphhix from Tennessee

4.07/5  rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Pours a deep translucent amber, with modest foam that leaves a little lacing. Smell is malt and sugar with a little bread. Taste leads the same, sugar, toffee, maybe a touch of fig. Alcohol comes on in the middle, smooth and warming followed by just enough hops to keep the sugar in check. Despite the short life of the initial foam, there's durable fine carbonation throughout that, with the malty body, nicely balances with feel of the alcohol. It's the balance of the mid to late flavor and feel that really sets this beer apart from a lot of Scotch Ales you find. There's real craft in keeping a beer this malty from just being malty or boozy.
Saturday at 04:45 AM
 
Rated: 4 by Hayesbro from Pennsylvania

Mar 18, 2024
Photo of HorseheadsHophead
Reviewed by HorseheadsHophead from Colorado

4.13/5  rDev +5.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Translucent mahogany, sediment at the bottom, small beige head. Good retention.

Sweet malty aroma, dark fruits, dried date, cherry, raisin, and fig; molasses and pumpernickel.

Huge dark fruits; dried date, raisin, cherry, and fig. Silky pumpernickel, molasses, and pumpkin pie in the background. Leans sweet upfront through mid-palate, but cleans off near the finish save for a slight lingering residue. Subtle spice notes of hay, coriander, ginger, and allspice provide a welcome and cleansing zing.

Medium-bodied, medium carbonation, smooth and silky, slightly sticky, palate cleans off after a few seconds.

A fine Scotch ale. Maybe not world-class, but pleasant and enjoyable. Worth purchasing multiple times.
Mar 08, 2024
 
Rated: 4.47 by ela119 from Illinois

Jan 22, 2024
Photo of clayrock81
Reviewed by clayrock81 from Florida

3.9/5  rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured a muddy amber-brown body with decent offwhite head that slowly died and left some lace. Caramel, toffee malt smells with hint of something like figs or raisins. Smooth, medium to heavy body that is slightly chewy with a warming alcohol presence, and there’s a good maltiness like caramel, toffee and prune flavors and finishes dry and crisp.
Jan 20, 2024
 
Rated: 4 by bigred89 from Maryland

Jan 13, 2024
Photo of elNopalero
Reviewed by elNopalero from Michigan

4.42/5  rDev +12.5%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Ho ho ho

Enjoyed on the day that carries its name, 2023

Malty brown in the glass with creamy foam. All malt forward, caramel notes on the nose. Touch of hop bitterness on the finish with a caramel chew.
Jan 12, 2024
 
Rated: 3.71 by Sparty1965 from Michigan

Jan 10, 2024
Photo of dcat151
Reviewed by dcat151 from Georgia

4.09/5  rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pour is red-amber with a good amount of head. Aroma is sweet with some malt and caramel. Taste has a candy sugar note followed by a bit of dark fruit. Mouthfeel is smooth with a bit of creaminess. Overall a good smooth ale.
Jan 09, 2024
 
Rated: 4.24 by MacStinson from Michigan

Jan 05, 2024
 
Rated: 4.35 by Gemini6 from Michigan

Jan 02, 2024
Photo of Pegasus
Reviewed by Pegasus from Texas

4/5  rDev +1.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Appearance: All but clear deep amber-red with just a bit of haze, crowned by a moderate, dense cream-colored head, with excellent retention. Thin, fine-beaded lacing coats the glass wall in an unbroken sheet.

Aroma: Toasted malt, brown sugar and light caramel dominate the aroma, with mild spices. There are some dark fruit notes as well, though these are restrained and an earthy, nutty character. The alcohol notes are mildly spicy.

Taste: On tasting, nutty and earthy flavors present, soon followed by light caramel and brown sugar, with the former carrying throughout the taste.. Toward the middle of the taste, there are some mild flavors of dark fruits, The ABV of 7.5% does not really does not make its presence known, other than through a gentle warming sensation. As the taste draws to a close, there is a flourish of mild caramel sweetness. At the close of the taste and beyond, a mild dark toast and light caramel flavor lingers on pleasantly.

Mouth feel: Full, soft and quite pleasant, with a bit of sharp carbonation for interest.

Drinkability/notes: A very pleasant accompaniment to the holiday season and especially holiday dinners. While the Wee Heavy is not a style typically associated with Christmas, it does, nonetheless, present very well. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Presentation: Packaged in a standard twelve-ounce long-neck brown glass bottle with a twist-off crown, served in a La Fin du Monde tulip.
Dec 24, 2023
 
Rated: 4.1 by BlueTrain

Dec 16, 2023
Photo of BJB13
Reviewed by BJB13 from Maryland

4.25/5  rDev +8.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
12 ounce bottle poured into a snulip.
Best by 4/1/24

At the pour a bread malt aroma leaps from the beige head. As it settles a bit, caramel malt and spicy and herbal hop aromas emerge with hints of orange peel and clove. The taste is very Scotch Ale with subtle holiday spices, caramel malt, spiced bread and a slight woody tang. The body is on the thin side of medium-weight with moderate carbonation for an overall smooth feel. I appreciate the mild spice, most spiced beers are one and done for me, this one leaves me wanting a second.
Dec 15, 2023
Photo of spectru
Reviewed by spectru from Florida

3.75/5  rDev -4.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
12/11/2023 - Clear dark copper. head dissipates completely, no lacing; Flavor is not bad, but not remarkable. Mouthfeel the same. The most notable thing about this bee is that it is named Christmas Ale.
Dec 12, 2023
 
Rated: 4.16 by Hockey_Fan from Maryland

Dec 11, 2023
 
Rated: 3.81 by Chuckdiesel24 from Illinois

Dec 08, 2023
Photo of Valdez_Mescalito
Reviewed by Valdez_Mescalito from Michigan

4.3/5  rDev +9.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
October-December 2023 Limited Time Offering Release - 6 pack
12 oz. bottle with best by date 01APR24 (4/1/24) - 7.5% ABV / 30 IBUs
Brewed and bottled in Comstock, MI
Poured into a Bell's branded nonic pint glass

Look - Pours a dense and fizzy off-white head that leaves nice lacing. Dark, reddish-amber appearance.
Smell - Getting aromas of roasted malt, dark fruit, sweet toffee.
Taste - Dark fruit and toffee are the most prominent flavors. Dark cherry, plum, raisin. Not getting much caramel. Zero bitterness.
Feel - Medium bodied with a crisp mouthfeel that finishes with no dryness.
Overall - Very nice dark fruit and toffee flavors, and easy to drink despite the higher ABV.
Dec 05, 2023
Christmas Ale (2017-) from Bell's Brewery - Eccentric Café & General Store
Beer rating: 88 out of 100 with 352 ratings